Ladakh · 6 Days
Ladakh — Western Arc: Kargil & the Suru Valley
The western side of Ladakh most trips skip — Kargil, the Mulbekh rock Buddha, and the Suru Valley below the Nun-Kun peaks.
Day by Day
6 Days, In Full
A route that turns west from Leh instead of north, along the old road to Srinagar. Two days in Leh first, for the sights and the altitude. Then the long drive over Fotu La to Kargil, past Lamayuru's moonland and the thousand-year-old Mulbekh Buddha carved into a cliff. A full day up the Suru valley, green and wide, ends at the foot of Nun and Kun, twin seven-thousand-metre peaks. The return runs back through the Sham valley. It is lower and gentler than the Nubra-Pangong circuit, and far quieter.
Leh
Arrive in Leh — Rest and Acclimatise
You fly into Leh in the early morning, over the main Himalayan range. The airport sits at 3,500 metres, so the first day is a rest day, and this is not optional. Your guide checks you in and asks you to do very little. Drink water, eat lightly, sleep if you can. A short, slow walk to Leh market in the afternoon is as much as you should do. Giving the body a full day here now prevents altitude sickness later.
Leh
Leh — Old Town, Palace and Shanti Stupa
A gentle first full day, still close to the hotel. The morning is Leh's old town: the bazaar, the mosque, and the nine-storey palace above it. The climb through the palace floors is slow but short. In the afternoon, drive up to Shanti Stupa for the view over the valley. Sankar Monastery, a working gompa a short way from the centre, fills any spare time. An early night before tomorrow's monastery run.
Leh → Kargil
Leh to Kargil — Over Fotu La, past Lamayuru & Mulbekh
The long drive west along the old Srinagar road, about two hundred and thirty kilometres and six to seven hours. It crosses two passes, Namika La and Fotu La, the second the highest point on the route. Lamayuru monastery and its moonland come first. Further on, at Mulbekh, a nine-metre Buddha stands carved into a roadside rock, more than a thousand years old. The land turns greener and the villages turn Muslim as you near Kargil. You reach the town in the late afternoon.
Kargil
The Suru Valley — Sankoo, Panikhar & the Nun-Kun Peaks
A day trip south from Kargil up the Suru valley, one of the greenest parts of Ladakh. The road follows the Suru river past the villages of Sankoo and Panikhar, through willow groves and wide fields. The reward is the view of Nun and Kun, twin peaks over seven thousand metres, rising straight out of the valley with a glacier between them. This is also the start of the long road to Zanskar. You turn around at Panikhar or Parkachik and are back in Kargil by evening.
Kargil → Leh
Kargil back to Leh — Mulbekh, Lamayuru & the Sham Valley
The return drive east, retracing the Srinagar road but stopping at whatever you skipped on the way out. The Mulbekh Buddha, if you missed it. Lamayuru again, or Rizong, or the Alchi paintings if there is time. The road climbs back over Fotu La and Namika La and drops into the Sham valley. It is a full day of driving, six to seven hours plus stops, with the altitude rising the whole way. Back in Leh by evening.
Leh
Depart Leh
Leh's flights leave early, so this is usually a dawn transfer to the airport. The take-off, back over the Himalayan range, is as good as the flight in. If your flight is later, there is time for a last walk in the market or a visit to the Hall of Fame museum near the airport. Your guide sees you off. Most onward flights connect through Delhi.
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