Below is a Leh to Pangong Tso Road Map that I created. I have tried to keep it as comprehensive as I can; including every possible route that you can take to reach the lake from Leh town. Due to the large area that it covers, you will have to zoom in a bit to read the text. You can right-click and save the image to your hard disk to be able to read it better.
For a detailed travel guide on visiting Pangong Lake from Leh, including route details and where to stay, please take a look at How to Plan a Trip from Leh to Pangong Tso.
Leh to Pangong Lake Route Map
The most common and quickest way to reach the lake of course is via Chang La; which is about 6-8 hours of journey depending on your speed and breaks. An alternate route is to reach Nubra valley first and then go to the lake via Shyok road or Wari La. Third way around can be to reach via More plains; either from Tso Kar or from Chumathang.
- Leh to Pangong Tso Distance by Road: 220 Kilometers via Chang La
- Pangong Tso Altitude: 4,250 meters
- Leh to Pangong Travel Time: 6 to 8 hours depending upon your speed and breaks
Pangong Tso Weather
During summer, days are pleasant but the wind is strong and the sun harsh. At night, however, even during the months of June and July, the temperature can still drop close to zero degrees.
Leh to Pangong Lake Taxi Fare
A private taxi from Leh to Pangong will cost between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 for a 2 days trip. A tourist shared taxi will cost Rs. 1200 to Rs. 1500 per person. A local shared taxi would cost about Rs. 250 to Rs. 300 per person
Leh to Pangong Tso Bus Fare
By Bus, the journey will cost Rs. 250 per person. The bus reaches Pangong, stays there for the night, and returns the next day. This way, you can board the same bus for coming back to Leh and a round trip will cost about Rs. 500.
Conclusion
I hope the Leh to Pangong Tso Road Map attached above was of help. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum and I will be glad to answer.
15 comments
Hello Sir.
I am booked for a leh trip.. i didn’t want it to be the usual leh trip with just pangong, khardungla and nubra. So i have found and booked such a package which has these 3 plus hanle, tso moriri, umling la as well..
Now my package is from 9th to 17th sept.. but i want to explore more of leh..
i was thinking to rent a bike and leave for kargil on the morning of 17th.. and be back by the evening on 18th (my return flight is on 19th)
this is what i have planned
do you suggest other plans for 2-3 days?
Going to Kargil is a good plan bhai. You can also explore Sham Valley while returning from Kargil
Hi Bhai,
I am planning to Ladakh on 13th June 2020, need your guidence on bike rentals.
We are 5 people on 3 bikes, can you please suggest a bike rental agency who can have bikes at lower price and please assist on how much will it cost overall. We will be starting from Manali and will end in Manali, it’s a 12 days trip.
Please look into and reply bhai waiting for your earliest response.
Regards,
Kranti Kumar
I want to travel Ladakh from 24th October to 31st October, 2020 and want to visit pangom lake.
Yes you can do it
Hi, We do not want to stay overnight at Pangong since we have kids and have been advised not stay at such altitude. Please suggest where to stay enroute while coming back from pangong to Leh?
If you do not want to stay overnight then make it a day trip Ekta. Start from Leh by 6 AM, reach the lake, spend some time and return by evening.
Hi Vargis, will Pangong tso be frozen mid-may?
Not at all. You will find it frozen only in Jan and Feb.
Ah thanks. You are a life saver 🙂 :). While attempting to “help”, some people tend to give misguiding information. Maybe you could write one more blog about facts and myths of Ladakh (if you have not already written one)
That is a good advice Anu and I will definitely write it up. I am actually surprised that someone told you it will be frozen in Mid May. Pangong only freezes around Mid January and remains so until later part of Feb. This too heavily depend on the temperature. Like this year, it did not freeze at all in January as well except for a little bit of ice coating around the shores of the lake. If it did freeze complete, by Feb end the lake starts to melt and it is all blue waters again before March ends.
Thank you very much for the information, it has been very helpful. Sorry did not get back earlier as i was caught up with office.
Regards,
Kaushik
No worries Bhai
Hello Vargis,
The first thing that i would like to tell you is that your description of the Leh sector with eye to every small detail is actually astounding. In fact your description is so vivid that one does not need any guide. Please accept my heartfelt thanks.
I am reaching Leh on 15th June and i am planning to travel to Pangong Tso from Leh on 18th June along with my wife and son(15th to 17th June is at Leh and around for acclimatisation). I am 42 yrs old and so is my wife, my son is 12+ years. My initial plan was to stay overnight at Pangong Tso, but my wife is on medication for blood pressure and thyroid so decided against it considering the altitude of Pangong Tso. What i want to do now is go till Pangong on 18th and on the return leg stay overnight in between somewhere which is at a lower altitude, essentially to avoid AMS and considering my wife’s blood pressure issue. I would like to know if i am on the right thought process and if so where can i stay.
Regards,
Kaushik
Hello Kaushik – Thank you so much brother. I really appreciate your kind words.
Your thought was valid but unfortunately, there is no other place to stay at a lower altitude. Once you cross Chang La, there are only two towns where you can halt for the night; Durbuk/Durbok and Tangtse. Now Leh is at an altitude of 3,500 meters. Durbok / Durbok is at an altitude of 4,115 meters, Tangtse is at an altitude of 4151 meters and Pangong Tso is at an altitude of 4250 meters. So as you can see, there is not really much of a difference as compared to Pangong.
Your best bet is to start really early from Leh, like by 5 AM, limits your breaks and you can make it to Pangong by noon. Spend some time at the lake and start on your way back to Leh to reach back by late evening.
Another thing that you can do, though there are a lot of ifs and buts to it, is to go to go to Nubra Valley from Pangong via Agham Shyok road. At Nubra valley, stay at Sumur or Panamik. Sumur is at an altitude of 3,300 meters (10,827 ft) which is even lower than Leh.
Panamik is at an altitude of 10,442 ft, 3183 meters which is lowest of all.