Can you plan a trip to Ladakh in 9 days? The answer is a definite yes. It is surely doable. A road trip to Ladakh in 9 days can be a little tricky but if you were traveling by flight, then 9 days is more than enough time to explore the region. In this post, I will share a few examples of a Leh Ladakh 9 Days itinerary for a trip by road, flight as well as public transport.
I will also include information on where you can stay and sightseeing places en route. Even if you wanted to travel in a different way, the information below will at least give you enough information to get started on drafting your own final travel plan.
To organize your trip to Ladakh, book a taxi, rent a bike, or get the best hotel rates, you can contact Kunal @ 9910402252. From luxurious hotels to budget stays, he can help get you the best rates possible.
If you have any other questions, you can contact me on Instagram and I will be happy to answer. You can also consider subscribing to my YouTube channel and asking a question there.
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How to plan a Leh Ladakh 9 Days Itinerary
For the sake of this article, I will assume that you are traveling from Delhi. If you are starting from another place, only the journey on the first and the last day will be different. The rest of the details will still apply.
I will first suggest the most common and the best itinerary you can follow for 9 days. After that, I will mention a few other ways that the journey can be completed. You can pick the one that suits you the best.
Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Leh Ladakh – A Complete Travel Guide
Leh Ladakh 9 Day Itinerary
The itinerary below will see you reaching Ladakh and returning the same way. This is the best way to complete the journey when you have just 9 days in hand.
- Delhi to Manali – Day 1
- Manali to Jispa – Day 2
- Jispa to Leh – Day 3
- Leh – Day 4
- Leh – Khardung La – Nubra Valley – Day 5
- Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake – Day 6
- Pangong Lake to Pang / Sarchu – Day 7
- Pang / Sarchu to Manali – Day 8
- Manali to Delhi – Day 9
The above-mentioned itinerary is only doable if you are traveling by your own vehicle, either a car or a bike. Later in the article, I will change and present another version of it if you are traveling by Bus.
Day 1 – Delhi to Manali
On Day 1, start as early as you can from Delhi. There is not much to this day except for a long monotonous drive. The most important factor here is to ensure that you have your permits for Rohtang ready otherwise your Day 2 would be wasted trying to obtain these from the SDM office in Manali.
Either you obtain these online or contact a travel agent/hotel in Manali to keep your permits ready. Read How to Obtain Rohtang Pass Permits for complete details.
In case you could not get the permit beforehand online, the next best choice would be a hotel. They usually provide these services in order to win over customers. Call the hotel, ask if they can arrange your permit and if they agree, check in with them for your night stay at Manali.
If that did not work either, skip Rohtang Pass entirely and travel through the Atal Tunnel to exit near Keylong. You can cover Rohtang Pass on your return journey. The permit is not needed if you are climbing the pass from the other side.
The total distance covered is about 540 kilometers in 12-16 hours, depending on your speed and breaks. The road conditions are mostly good all the way to Manali with a few bad patches in between.
Day 2 – Manali to Jispa
Start early from Manali on Day 2 in order to avoid the usual traffic rush at Rohtang top. You will cross your first high-altitude pass, Rohtang La, and descend into Lahaul Valley. Continue all the way to Jispa and either check into a hotel here or at any of the available campsites.
The total distance covered will be about 140 kilometers in approximately 7-8 hours. Road conditions are mostly good except for the bad roads near Rohtang Top.
If you did not go to Rohtang, you can easily manage to reach Sarchu on Day 2 itself. But before deciding to do so, please know that Sarchu is at a very high altitude. Most travelers suffer from altitude sickness if spending a night here. My recommendation will be that you stay in Jispa only to avoid AMS.
Day 3 – Jispa to Leh
Once again, start early from Jispa, possibly by the first light of the day. You will cross the remaining 4 high-altitude passes, Baralacha La, Nakee La, Lachulung La, and Tanglang La today.
There are also two small but beautiful lakes on the route, Deepak Taal and Suraj Taal. Road conditions will be a mix of good, bad and ugly. The total distance covered will be about 340 kilometers in approximately 9-10 hours depending upon your speed.
If you stayed at Sarchu for the night, you can afford to start a little late as well. Sarchu to Leh can be completed in 6 to 7 hours as well.
Day 4 – Leh
You should spend day 4 in Leh and use this day for 3 things.
- The first is to allow your body some time to adjust itself to high altitude before you proceed to other high-altitude places
- The second is to arrange Inner line permits for the journey ahead. Please read How to Get Inner Line Permit in Ladakh for more details.
- The third is to visit local places in Leh like Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, and Leh Market.
Day 5 – Leh to Nubra Valley
It is going to be a long day so yet again. Take an early start by the first light of the day so that you have sufficient time for sightseeing in Nubra Valley.
Take the road towards Khardung La and descend on the other side into Nubra Valley. Spend some time at the top of the pass and have a cup of tea in the canteen run by the Indian army.
If you started between 6-7 AM, you can easily make it until Diskit by 12 noon. There are a few choices that you can make for your stay in the valley. You can either stay in Diskit which has the highest number of hotels or you can go to any other village like Hunder, Turtuk, or Panamik.
My recommendation will be that you visit the Diskit Monastery and be on your way to Turtuk for the night. The village is another 80-odd kilometers from Diskit, so manage your time accordingly.
The total distance until Diskit is about 115 kilometers and 205 kilometers until Turtuk. Roads are mostly good except for between South Pullu and North Pullu (Khardung La top). There are a few bad stretches between Diskit and Turtuk as well.
Day 6 – Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso Lake
On Day 6, you will go straight to Pangong Lake from Nubra Valley via Shyok Road. If you stayed at Turtuk, then please take an early start so that you can take a short detour to Panamik as well while on the way.
From Turtuk, drive back to Diskit and then reach Khalsar Village. The road will bifurcate after Khalsar. Do not drive uphill towards Khardung La pass because that will take you back to Leh.
Take the road towards Agham Village. At Agham, the road will bifurcate again and you need to take the left to reach Shyok village. The one to your right will take you to Wari La Pass.
From Shyok village, drive straight to Durbuk and then to Pangong Lake. For your stay, you can stay at any of the campsites available as per your budget. If you want to stay at a cemented hotel, you will have to look for a guesthouse in either Spangmik, Man, or Merak Village.
The total distance from Diskit to Pangong is about 160 kilometers and can be covered in 5-6 hours easily. From Turtuk, it is about 250 kilometers and can take 7-8 hours to complete. If you visited Panamik on the way, the journey will be of 9-10 hours.
Day 7 – Pangong to Pang / to Sarchu
On this day, you will start your return journey on Day 7 towards Manali. Start early from Pangong and take the same road back all the way to Karu via Chang La Pass. From there, rather than going back towards Leh, turn right towards Tanglang La Pass.
Depending on the time you started, your speed, and your breaks, you should easily be able to make it Pang. If there was still sun in the sky, continue and reach Sarchu for the night.
Since your body would already have acclimatized by now, you will not have any trouble with AMS, which a lot of people worry about while staying here.
Pangong to Pang is about 265 kilometers and a journey of 8-9 hours. If you pushed further to Spangmik, the distance will increase to 328 kilometers in 10-11 hours.
Also Read: Clothes for Ladakh Trip – What to Pack
Day 8 – Pang / Sarchu to Manali
From Sarchu on Day 8, start really early and reach Manali by evening. If you were staying in Pang for the night, I will recommend starting by 6 or 7 AM so that you can get to Manali by 4-5 pm. If you stayed in Sarchu, you can start a little later after breakfast well.
Sarchu to Manali is around 190 kilometers and can be completed in 5-6 hours if you went via the Rohtang Tunnel. If you did not cross Rohtang while going to Leh and were doing it now, the distance and time will increase to 235 kilometers in 7-8 hours, depending on the traffic at Rohtang.
If you were coming from Pang via Rohtang, the distance will be about 320 kilometers and a travel time of about 10 hours.
Day 9 – Manali to Leh
On Day 9, you will reach back home to Delhi from Manali. There isn’t much to write about this day except that this will be a long and monotonous journey.
This is the most common and advised itinerary if you just have 9 days in hand. You will be able to cover most of the tourist destinations in Ladakh however will miss the Srinagar Leh highway.
By Public Transport – Bus & Shared Cabs
As I mentioned, the Leh Ladakh 9 Days itinerary above is best suited for someone traveling by their own vehicle. The journey however will change if you were traveling by public transport. Below is the itinerary that you can follow.
- Delhi to Manali- Day 1
- Manali to Keylong – Day 2
- Keylong to Leh – Day 3
- Leh – Day 4
- Day Trip to Nubra Valley – Day 5
- Day Trip to Pangong Lake – Day 6
- Leh to Keylong – Day 7
- Keylong to Manali – Day 8
- Manali to Leh – Day 9
You can also take a look at this travelogue How I Traveled to Ladakh by Public Transport.
Delhi to Leh
You have two choices on how to travel between Delhi and Leh. The first one is the direct Delhi to Leh Bus. It starts from ISBT Delhi at 3 PM on Day 1 and will reach Manali early in the morning on Day 2.
After a short break, it will resume the journey and arrive in Keylong on Day 2 where you will stay for the night. The bus will start on the morning of Day 3 and reach Leh by the evening of the same day. For more details on this bus, please take a look at Delhi to Leh Bus Service.
Leh Ladakh
Once you reach Ladakh, you have no other choice but to rent a bike for local sightseeing. Managing it by public transport here as well is really impossible, considering the short time you have in hand.
If you were on a limited budget, you can rent an automated scooter like Activa as well. Take a look at Ladakh Motorcycle Rental Rates to get a cost estimate.
Spend the 4th Day in Leh City only, arranging permits and doing local sightseeing in Leh City. On Day 5, start early by 6 or 7 AM, and reach Diskit in Nubra Valley. Have lunch there, visit the monastery, and be on your way back to Leh.
On Day 6, start as early as 6 AM to reach Pangong Lake in time. Spend some time at the lake and be back in Leh by evening.
Leh to Delhi
For your return journey, board the Delhi to Leh Bus from Leh and reach Delhi by Day 9.
If Delhi to Bus was not an option, then you will have to break the journey into 3 parts. First, board a bus from Delhi to Manali, then another HRTC Bus for Manali to Keylong, and then finally from Keylong to Leh.
Same way, for the return journey, board the Leh Manali Bus and then another overnight Volvo for Manali to Delhi.
Including Srinagar Leh Highway
One thing that both of the above itineraries are missing is the Srinagar Leh highway. If you are keen to be covering that as well then you can follow the below-mentioned Leh Ladakh 9 days itinerary.
- Delhi to Manali – Day 1
- Manali to Jispa – Day 2
- Jispa to Leh – Day 3
- Day Trip to Khardung La and Nubra Valley – Day 4
- Day Trip to Pangong Lake – Day 5
- Leh to Kargil – Day 6
- Kargil to Srinagar – Day 7
- Srinagar to Jammu – Day 8
- Jammu to Delhi – Day 9
You cannot plan a Leh Ladakh 9 Days itinerary by public transport covering both highways. It is only doable if you are traveling in your own vehicle.
The journey until Day 3 will be the same as I explained in the first itinerary. The details will change after that.
Day 4 – Leh to Nubra Valley
On Day 4, arrange for your permits and the moment you have them in hand, start towards Nubra Valley. You will not be able to reach all the way to Nubra but at least you will be able to cover Khardung La.
If you have some time, then descend from Khardung La on the other side and go as far as you can towards Nubra Valley. However, keep a close check on the time to ensure that you are back in Leh before it gets dark.
Day 5 – Leh to Pangong Tso to Leh
Your journey for the next day is going to be long so you must start by 6 AM from Leh. Travel on the Manali Leh highway and then take the diversion towards Chang La. After crossing the pass, it is a straight run to Pangong Lake where you should make it by noon.
Start your return journey after spending a little time at the lake and travel on the same route via Chang La to Leh. The distance traveled will be approximately 450 kilometers and can take anywhere between 12-13 hours. Roads are mostly good except for a few bad stretches and a really ugly stretch around Chang La top.
Day 6 – Leh to Kargil
On Day 6, you will start your return journey to Srinagar. Start early so that you have some time for sightseeing on the highway. See Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, Indus & Zanskar river confluence, magnetic hill, and reach Kargil by evening.
There are several hotels in Kargil so you will have no trouble finding one. You will also cross two high-altitude passes, Fotu La and Namika La, on the way.
Day 7 – Kargil to Srinagar
Day 7 will see you reaching Srinagar by evening after crossing Zoji La. Enjoy the natural beauty of the Kashmir valley throughout your drive. Have lunch at Sonamarg. If within budget, stay at a houseboat at Dal Lake in Srinagar.
Day 8 – Srinagar to Jammu
On Day 8 Have your breakfast at Srinagar and be on your way to Jammu via Patnitop.
Day 9 – Jammu to Delhi
On Day 9, it is nothing but a long monotonous journey from Jammu to Delhi.
Leh Ladakh 9 Days Itinerary by Flight
If you were reaching Ladakh by flight, then 9 days are more than sufficient time to cover all of the tourist places. Below is an itinerary that you will follow in this case.
- Arrival in Leh – Day 1
- Rest in Leh, Arrange Permits, and Acclimatize – Day 2
- Leh to Nubra Valley – Day 3
- Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake – Day 4
- Pangong Lake to Hanle – Day 5
- Hanle to Tso Moriri – Day 6
- Tso Moriri to Leh via Tso Kar – Day 7
- Sham Valley Tour – Day 8
- Fly out of Leh – Day 9
For the above itinerary, you will have to rent a bike or a private taxi in Ladakh. If you were thinking about traveling by public transport, you can modify the plan like below.
- Arrival in Leh. Rest and Arrange Permit – Day 1
- Leh to Nubra Valley by Bus. Stay in Diskit – Day 2
- Spend time in the valley. Catch a shared cab to Turtuk or Panamik – Day 3
- Morning Bus from Nubra Valley to Leh – Day 4
- Leh to Pangong Lake by Bus or Shared Cab – Day 5
- Pangong Lake to Leh – Day 6
- Leh to Tso Moriri by Bus or Shared Cab – Day 7
- Tso Moriri to Leh – Day 8
- Fly out of Leh – Day 9
Other Tips for Leh Ladakh 9 Days Itinerary
9 Days is the least required time for a road trip to Ladakh. Any lesser than this and you are better off catching a flight.
The minimum time required for traveling from the Srinagar route is 4 days which includes your first-day travel to Jammu, to Srinagar on the 2nd, Kargil on the 3rd, and finally to Leh on the 4th day.
Compared to this, you can easily make it to Ladakh via the Manali route in 3 days. If you are short on time, it is best that you go via Manali and come back the same way.
Even though doable, 9 days for Ladakh is still a short time and your trip will be rushed. So please be mentally prepared for this.
You are also most likely to suffer from Altitude sickness while traversing the Manali Leh highway. Read How to Deal with acute mountain sickness in Ladakh to know how you can handle it in a better way.
Leh Ladakh 9 Days Itinerary – Conclusion
The examples above are just a few of the numerous other ways that this journey can be completed. True that you may not be able to follow the itineraries mentioned above to the last details but it can at least get you started on drafting your own travel plan.
I hope the information above on planning a trip to Leh Ladakh in 9 days was of help. If you have any questions, you can contact me on Instagram and I will be happy to answer. You can also consider subscribing to my YouTube channel and asking a question there.
25 comments
Hi Mr. Vargis,
Your blog has been of immense help to us and its great reading through your travel plans. Two of us were planning on a ladakh trip starting May 15th from srinagar. Could you please suggest if the plan seems fine and it would also be of great help of you could suggest people we could contact for the trip? Thanks a lot.
1st day.. Srinagar pick Kargil over night.
2nd day.. Kargil to leh on the way Lamayuru monastery visit.over night leh.
3rd day.. Leh local sight seeing.
4th day.. Leh to Nubra valley crossing Khardungla pass Diskit monastery visit Hunder village over night.
5th day.. After breakfast drive from Hunder to Turtuk after lunch come back to Hunder over night same hotel.
6th day.. Hunder to pangong lake via shyok road over night pangong.
7th day.. Pangong to tsomoriri via Hanle road. Over night tsomoriri lake.
8th day.. Tsomoriri to tsokar then join manali road to jispa over night.
9th day.. Jispa to manali drop..
Total… 8 nights 9 days.
Vargis Khan,
Really appreciate your blog and the good you are doing to the fellow travellers.
We are group of 6 people(3 couples) coming from Hyderabad. We are taking a flight to Delhi. From Delhi we would like to go to Leh via Manali route as per your itinerary #2. we have 9 days (jun 29th to July 7th) we need to take our return flight 8:45 pm on Sunday(July 7th).
Friday jun 28th 2019 11:00 pm will be in Delhi and Zoom car(TATA Hexa SUV) will be waiting for us for self drive. Among 6 people 4 people can drive the car.
Can you suggest any tips or changes required in the itinerary #2 for our plan.
Sudhir – Zoomcar will not be allowed in Ladakh. You can use it only to reach Leh but once you get there, you will need to hire a local taxi for sightseeing in Ladakh.
Thanks for the information
You are welcome !!!
Bhai one more query on our first day we are planning to reach jispa by evening. Can you suggest me if I can take a halt at routang pass provided that I will get both routang pass permit and beyond routang pass permit. Is it possible?
You just need to get Beyond Rohtang permit Sudhir and you will cross Rohtang Pass on the way anyways
Mr.Vargis,
I want to visit Ladakh with Chushul war memorial, Siachen war memorial, Turtuk Pangong lake ,Kargil and Drass in June 2018 after Ladakh tour going to Amarnath yatra Khirbhavani ,Srinagar,Budha Amarnath,Shivkhori, Mata Vaishno devi ,Jammu to Mumbai
Mobile no .9326024247
Mr. Mehta – Yes you can definitely do that in June
Hi Vargis,
Thanks for your immense effort to help people like us, travelling Ladakh. We are 4 Adults(Women) planning for Ladakh starting this September,12th.
12-Sept Arrive at Jammu
13-Sept Jammu Srinagar
14-Sept Srinagar Sightseeing
15- Sept srinagar sonmarg kargil
16-Sept kargil to leh
17-Sept Leh city tour-hemis, shey, thiksey, 3 idiots , sindhu ghat
18-Sept Nubra
19-Sept Leh
20-Sept Pangong
21-Sept Leh
22-Sept Leh – sham valley upto sangam
23-Sept White Water Rafting at Zanskar river
24-Sept Fly out to airport
Srinagar to Leh By road traveling is okay or not we are confuse.
Can we book any travel package or no need to book. or manageable on that
Need a suggestion. Thanks in advance !!
Hello Leena, Thank you for your appreciating words. Your itinerary looks great to me and yes, Srinagar is safe to travel through. How are you planning to travel by the way? Booking a private taxi?
Hello Vargis,
Hope you are doing good. Your blog is very informative. Love reading you post on latest updates on routes and planning a trip.
My name is Robin and I am from Gurgaon. I am a marathon runner and planning to participate in ladakh half marathon which is scheduled on 10th September 2017
I was supposed to travel with my friends. Now I will be travelling alone as other friends leave not got approved. I have made a new plan for myself please have a look at it and suggest.
5 sept Delhi to leh by flight (booking already done) will be taking rest on this day.
6 sept leh local sightseeing and inner line permit.
7 sept. Leh to pangong lake
8 sept pangong to leh
9 sept complete rest
10 sept ladakh half marathon
As of now I haven’t booked my return ticket. For coming back my travel plans as follows.
11 sept leh to kargil by bus
12 sept kargil to srinagar. Followed by evening flight to Delhi.
Please suggest if the plan looks good to you. I hope I will be able to catch evening flight from srinagar if I leave early from kargil.
Thanks.
Hello Robin – Thank you for your appreciating words. I am glad the information was of help.
Your plan looks great to me except for the last day. You are cutting it a bit close, What time is your flight from Srinagar?
Thanks for the reply Vargis. As of now I haven’t booked by return flight from Srinagar, as I was waiting for you feedback. The flight timing is 1715. Even I also think it will be too close to catch a flight.
The return flight from leh is too costly so I thought to catch the flight from Srinagar. How about travelling to Delhi from leh by manali side by bus?
Thanks.
That is a great option too Robin. Take a look at this article, about this bus service.
https://vargiskhan.com/log/return-journey-leh-to-delhi-bus-service-via-manali/
Hi Vargis,
Thanks for your immense effort to help people like us, travelling Ladakh. We are 6 Adults & 6 Kids ( two of them are of 3 years ) planning for Ladakh starting this September,25th.
Our initial itinerary was like this,
Day 1 (25/09/2017): Airport Pick up , (Acclimatization at Leh)
Day 2 (26/09/2017): Day Trip : Leh Palace, Museum, Magnetic Hill, Sangam trip
Day 3 (27/09/2017) Day trip : Shey, Thiksey , Hemiz Monestry
Day 4 (28/09/2017) Nubra Valley and Stay ( Camel riding , desert activity )
Day 5 (29/09/2017) Nubra to Leh
Day 6 (30/09/2017) Leh to ( via Changla Pass ) Pangon and Stay
Day 7 (01/10/2017) Pangong to Tso Moriri and Stay
Day 8 (02/10/2017) Tso Moriri to Leh
Day 9 (03/10/2017) Back to Delhi
Now, after going thru your blog, we are confused a bit regarding that Pangong to Tso Moriri rout and thinking to drop Tso Moriri from the list. Will it be wise ? How do you rate Tso Moriri vis a vis Pangong Tso in September, in terms of beauty ? Number of days are ‘almost’ fixed for us. Can we cover the first three day’s plan in two days ? Then we can come back to Leh from Pangong and next day can head for Tso Moriri.
Need a suggestion. Thanks in advance !!
Hi Supriyo, To answer your question, I am assuming that you are hiring a taxi in Leh and that your flight will land sometime in the morning. Correct me if I am wrong about this.
Tso Moriri is equally beautiful and so is the drive. If you have a day additional, you should visit this side of Ladakh as well.
What route are you planning for Pangong to Tso Moriri? Via Chushul or Chumathang?
Your flight will land sometime in the morning so you are actually spending three days in Leh town which is not really required. Remove the plan for Day 3, cover this on Day 1 itself and move straight to Nubra on Day 3. This way you will have an additional day to add for Moriri.
Hi,
We are planning Delhi-Leh Trip via Srinagar. Wherein we first reach Srinagar and then move towards Leh and then back to Delhi via Manali. I am counting approximately 10 days for the trip. Does this plan sound viable? Also, if you let us know by when Rohtang pass would be open as we are planning this trip from 1st June.
Yes you can definitely do it in 10 days. What is your itinerary, let me know and I can make suggestions if required.
Rohtang Pass will definitely be open by the tiime you come back from Leh, do not worry about it.
Also I have been told that due to army convoys traffic from Sonmarg is only allowed after 11 am..That would make one day stretch to leh impossible
That timing changes each year and the ones for this year are not out yet.
We are group of 3 friends in chandigarh planning trip to leh in 1st week of june.
Tentetative plan.
1. Day one.. Chandigarh to Udhampur-ee plan to start at noon
2. Day two…Somnath
3. Day three…Leh
4. Day four…Leh local
5.Day five… pangong overnight
6. Day six …Leh
7.Day seven…Leh to jispar or key long
8. Day eight..Manali
9. Day Nine… Chandigarh
Pl suggest if ok or needs changes
I am also worried about kashmir valley situation although we are not halting st Srinagar
Before I suggest anything Ratnesh, you got to tell me where exactly Somnath is that you are planning to stay at on Day 2.
autocorrect feature of phone…It’s actually Sonmarg
Well then your itinerary looks good brother, no change required.