Ladakh Trip Planning – With Family, Kids, Car or by Bike

In this article, I will provide some information on Ladakh trip planning; covering some of the basic things you should keep in mind while preparing and packing. These are all very important aspects of a vacation in Ladakh that you should keep in mind to ensure a hassle-free trip.

Ladakh in recent years has come up as the most desired tourist destination of our country. What was once a destination for motorcycle enthusiasts or adventure junkies now gets considered even for family vacations or honeymoons. Nicknamed as a Biker’s Paradise, now you can travel to Ladakh even by public transport. The availability of other facilities has also improved tremendously.

With that being said, Ladakh is still a cold desert. The weather here is harsh, roads are difficult and the terrain is unforgiving. There is no denying the fact that tourists have died here because of unfavorable weather conditions, tricky roads, and altitude sickness. So when you think about going to Ladakh, your preparation has to be meticulous and impeccable.

Leh or Ladakh

I recently received a question that kind of made me smile. I wondered how many people out there have this same doubt. This person was traveling to Ladakh and emailed me asking if he should go to Leh or Ladakh?

Surprisingly, this wasn’t the first time I have heard this type of question. Over the last few years, ever since I started writing this blog, some of the questions I have received were Is Leh and Ladakh different? Which place is better, Leh or Ladakh and which one is safer to go to? Which one is better for the family?

Here is a little bit of general information on this topic. First of all, Leh and Ladakh are not two different places. Ladakh is the name of an entire region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Leh is a city in it, a district.

To be precise, Ladakh is an area spread over 86,904 km². Leh is one of its two district cities, the other being Kargil. You cannot go to Leh and Ladakh separately. When you are in Leh, you are in Ladakh as well. I know this is very basic information but considering the questions I have received, still wanted to put it here for general information.

Ladakh Trip with Family

There are a few things that you need to keep in mind if you are traveling to Ladakh with family. The first one is that it is not your regular family destination. It is not a place like Shimla and Manali where you can go with your family, have some fun, visit some famous tourist spots, do some shopping and come back.

Ladakh is a barren wasteland and a cold desert. It is a rough terrain where even the roads will not co-operate with you. It is an adventurous trip throughout and you and your family need to be mentally prepared for that.

Let your family know in advance about what to expect so that there is no disappointment. A trip to Ladakh doesn’t mean reaching a destination. It is about enjoying the entire journey actually. So make sure you prepare your family accordingly.  Let them know that they will be sitting in a car and traveling almost every day; except for few days when you would actually be in Leh.

The second thing you need to be prepared for acute mountain sickness. If this is your or your family’s first time at such a high altitude, you are bound to get hit by AMS.

On a lighter note, please let your ladies know to prepare well about their skin and complexion. Ladakh is a land of the harsh sun. So let them know that they need to carry the best available sunscreen lotion and cold creams.

For more details on this topic, I will recommend reading How to Plan a Trip to Leh Ladakh with Family.

Leh Ladakh with Kids

Things get a little more complicated if you have children accompanying you on the trip. Your biggest concern will be altitude sickness.

The first thing to know is not to go to Ladakh with an infant; especially if your child is under 3 years of age. Kids of a kid that young are not developed enough to be able to handle AMS. My advice would be that you should wait until your child is at least a few years old.

Both with family and kids, you should plan the trip in a relaxed manner with multiple breaks in between. It cannot be a rushed one where you are just moving from one place to another and driving all day. The increase in altitude must be gradual to allow enough time for your kids to acclimatize.

The next items would be your child’s needs, foods, and other necessary items which will depend on how old they were. For more details on this topic, I will recommend taking a look at How to Plan a Trip to Ladakh with Infant, Toddler, and Kids.

Ladakh Trip Planning by Bike

The first and foremost thing you need to do is to get your motorcycle checked thoroughly and replace whatever seems dicey. It doesn’t really matter which motorcycle you have. I have known people who have covered Ladakh on 100 CC motorcycles as well as a scooter. Take a look at A Trip to Leh Ladakh on Scooter to read the first-hand experience of someone who visited Ladakh on his scooter.

You do not need a 350CC or 500CC Royal Enfield only. Other bikes will perform equally well. They just need to be well maintained and well serviced, and you should know how to ride them well.

A few things to check before the start of the journey are the condition of the tires, chain and chain sockets, spark plug, brake, and shockers. If they seem worn out or problematic, get them fixed or replaced. I will recommend you should replace the accelerator, clutch and brake wires, headlamp, and tire tubes. Put on a new set and carry the existing one as a spare.

A puncture kit is a must and you should know how to either fix a puncture or replace the tube. Preferred would be that you carry a tube. In case of a flat tire, take the tire out, put in the new tube, and carry the punctured one to get it fixed at the next repair shop.

For more details on this topic, please take a look at How to Prepare your Bike for a Trip to Leh Ladakh.

Traveling to Ladakh in a Car

Let us now talk about Ladakh trip planning in the case of a car. Your biggest concern, in this case, will be your vehicle’s ground clearance. You do not necessarily need to be in a big SUV or 4X4 but if it is a hatchback or a sedan, then you really need to be good at the wheel.

Some of the spares I would recommend carrying are jerry cans and funnel, towing rope, spare headlamps, MSeal, and Spare tubes (in case you have a flat tire twice before you hit the next puncture shop). If you have never done it or do not know, please try taking out and replacing the tire on your own once as you may run into this situation and may not find help.

It is better to also know how to replace the tube in the tire and carry essential accessories for it. If you are in a hatchback or sedan, please be extremely careful at water crossings, and whenever you hit a rough patch. Or else you will be scratching the underbelly of your car throughout the trip.

Just do not rush anywhere in the trip, irrespective of whether there is tar on the road or not. Whenever crossing a water stream, park your car, get down, inspect and then take your car to the other side. If you are still unsure, then it is a good idea to wait for another car, see how it went through, and follow.

It will also be better if you took the Srinagar Leh highway to reach Leh and travel back via Manali. The road from Srinagar is a little less challenging as compared to the Manali route so it will give you ample chance to get accustomed to the terrain and drive better.

Ladakh in a Self-Drive Rental

As of now, there is no restriction in Ladakh to drive around in your personal car. Feel free to take your car anywhere you like as long as you are confident of your own driving skills. The only problem is around outside taxis or self-drive rentals which you can only take until the city of Leh but cannot use for sightseeing.

For visiting areas like Pangong, Nubra, and Tso Moriri, please hire another taxi in Leh. The local taxi union does not allow any non-local taxis for sightseeing. This is a serious matter and there have been instances when people refused to follow this rule and their vehicles were vandalized.

Irrespective of where you rented the car, once you reach Leh, you will have to leave it parked at your hotel. You cannot even use it for sightseeing in Leh City. For that as well, you will have to rent a local bike or taxi.

Ladakh Trip by Flight

Please take a look at An ideal Ladakh itinerary if you are flying to Leh where I have detailed how an air trip to Ladakh can be planned. The article also provides a basic itinerary that you can follow after you land in Ladakh.

Your biggest concern during an air trip would be acute mountain sickness. This is because, in a matter of hours, your body will rise from plains to thousands of feet up in the Himalayas.

Take ample rest on day 1 and if you are still not feeling better, allow another day of rest. Do not exert yourself and continue your journey only after your body has gotten accustomed to high altitude.

Fighting the cold

It applies to all of the above points of Ladakh trip planning. Irrespective of how you are traveling or who you are traveling with, you need to prepare yourself well for the cold that you will encounter. Do not however let the thought bother you that it is going to be extremely cold because it is not.

In the tourist season, from May until September, the weather is not something that you cannot bear. Nights do get colder but then you will have enough blankets to keep you warm at the hotels.

If you are however planning to camp on your own, then please ensure that you carry enough woolens and warm enough bedding. Read Safety Tips for Self-Camping in Ladakh for more details on the topic.

In case you are riding a motorcycle, please carry good gloves to protect your fingers from going numb. It is always good to wait for the sun to come up before you get on the road on your bike.

Dealing with Acute mountain sickness

If this is your first time, then yes you are bound to get hit by AMS at some point in this journey. If you have any sort of medical condition like asthma or something related to the heart, it is good to get a doctor’s advice before the journey. Take a look at the article below to know more about AMS and how to deal with it How to Handle Acute Mountain Sickness In Ladakh.

Ladakh Trip Planning – Conclusion

These are just a few quick tips on Ladakh trip planning that I tried to cover in this article. You need to know that Ladakh cannot at any point be a rushed journey. This is a test for both your body and the machine. Take it slow and take it easy.

Your safety is in your own hands. Ladakh is a very peaceful and safe region to travel and people are very helpful. In all my years of traveling there, I have never felt threatened by anyone here. How safe and enjoyable your journey would be will depend on how prepared and cautious you are.

I hope this information on Leh Ladakh trip planning was of help. If you have any questions or need any other details, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum, and I will be glad to answer.