Ladakh 10-Day Itinerary: A Realistic Route Guide

Ten days is the right amount of time to see the best of Ladakh without rushing it. Not comfortable enough to feel like a holiday — the landscape demands something from you — but enough to cover Leh, Nubra, Pangong, and a stretch of the Changthang plateau without making every day a drive day. This itinerary is designed around that reality.

The main constraint is acclimatization. Ladakh starts at 3,524 metres and rises from there. The first two days are non-negotiable rest — skipping them does not make you faster, it makes you sick and slower. Everything in this itinerary is built around that fact, not around it.

Before You Arrive: What to Sort

Book your Leh flight early — ideally months before departure if you are travelling in July or August. Seats on Leh routes fill quickly, and last-minute fares are significantly higher. The flight is the only practical way to start a 10-day trip; the road routes from Manali or Srinagar consume two to three days in transit.

Apply for your Inner Line Permit in advance or on arrival at Leh airport. You will need it for Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and the Changthang region — all key parts of this itinerary. The process is straightforward but requires a little paperwork; arranging it through your guesthouse or a local agent on day one is the usual approach.

Days 1–2: Leh — Rest and Acclimatization

Arrive in Leh. Rest. That is the plan for day one — genuinely rest, not sightseeing. Leh sits at 3,524m, and the sudden drop in oxygen pressure after landing affects nearly everyone. The acclimatization protocol is specific: no exertion, no alcohol, no sleeping pills, adequate hydration, and a light evening meal.

Day two remains gentle. A slow walk through Leh bazaar in the morning. Shanti Stupa at a pace that does not leave you breathless. Leh Palace if the steps feel manageable. The goal is movement without demand — testing how your body is responding to altitude before committing to anything more strenuous.

This patience pays forward. Travellers who respect these two days almost universally enjoy the rest of their trip. Those who rush into Nubra or Pangong on day two frequently spend days three or four recovering from altitude symptoms instead.

Days 3–4: Nubra Valley via Khardung La

Depart Leh early — aim to leave by 7am. The drive over Khardung La (approximately 5,359m) takes around two hours; the road descends steeply into the Shyok River valley and reaches Diskit, the main village in Nubra, in around four to five hours total.

Day three afternoon: Diskit monastery, perched on a hillside above the valley, with its Maitreya Buddha statue and sweeping views of the confluence below. The monastery is active and worth an hour at minimum.

Day four morning: Hunder sand dunes. The Bactrian camels — double-humped, domesticated descendants of Silk Road caravans — are there from early morning. Afternoon, there are two options: extend the Nubra stay with a side visit to Turtuk, a Balti village near the Line of Control with a completely different character to Buddhist Ladakh, or begin the return journey to Leh. If staying in Nubra two nights, Turtuk is worth the extra half-day.

Days 5–6: Pangong Tso via Chang La

The route from Leh to Pangong goes via Chang La — one of the highest motorable passes in the world at around 5,360m. The drive takes four to five hours. Arrive at the lake by early afternoon.

Pangong Tso is a 134km-long lake straddling the India–China border, sitting at approximately 4,350m. The colour changes through the day — turquoise in morning light, shifting to deep blue by afternoon, with pale gold reflections at sunset. An overnight stay is not optional if you want to experience it properly. The midday arrival crowd is dense; the morning and late afternoon light — with far fewer vehicles — is what Pangong actually looks like. The full guide to Pangong Tso covers the lakeshore section, permit logistics, and accommodation options.

Day six: wake before sunrise at the lake. This is one of the finest mornings you will have in India — cold, clear, the water still. Return to Leh via Chang La by afternoon.

Days 7–8: Changthang Plateau — Tso Moriri or Hanle

With a ten-day itinerary, you have time for a section of Ladakh that most visitors skip entirely: the Changthang plateau to the east of Leh. This is where the landscape opens into something genuinely vast — wide valleys, nomad settlements, and lakes that feel like they are at the edge of the world.

Two options, depending on your interest:

• Tso Moriri — a high-altitude lake at 4,522m, roughly 230km south-east of Leh. The route passes through the Indus valley, rising gradually. The lake is a fraction of Pangong's size but surrounded by sharper mountains and home to bar-headed geese and Himalayan flamingos in season. Korzok village on its bank is tiny and genuinely remote. One night here.
• Hanle — further east, at 4,250m, home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory. The dark-sky conditions here are among the best in the world. Clear nights reveal the Milky Way with exceptional clarity. One night here is worthwhile for astrophotography or simply for the experience of a sky undimmed by light pollution.

Both require the ILP. Both require fuel to be carried from Leh — stations are scarce on the plateau. Both reward the travellers willing to make the extra effort to get there.

Days 9–10: Leh — Final Days and Monasteries

Return to Leh for the final stretch. Days nine and ten are for what you may have moved past on arrival: Hemis monastery (the largest and most visited in Ladakh), Thiksey monastery at sunrise, the Indus–Zanskar confluence near Nimmo, and walking the old town lanes without a schedule.

Day ten is a buffer day — for anything you want to revisit, for shopping in the bazaar, or simply for sitting somewhere quiet. The departure day from Leh is usually a half-day anyway; most flights to Delhi leave in the morning, meaning the final evening is the last real time you have.

Permit and Logistics Summary

• ILP required for: Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, Hanle, Changthang
• Transport: hiring a vehicle with a local driver is the most practical approach for this itinerary; self-drive is possible but adds logistics complexity, especially on Khardung La and Chang La
• Accommodation: book Leh guesthouses in advance for peak July–August; Nubra and Pangong camps and guesthouses fill up — book at least a week ahead
• Connectivity: expect no reliable signal at Pangong, Tso Moriri, and Hanle; download offline maps and tell people your itinerary before you go

The 7-day Ladakh itinerary covers the same core — Leh, Nubra, Pangong — in a tighter format if ten days is more than your schedule allows.