Leh is the main town of Ladakh, a high desert at about 3,500 m in India's far north. Fly in, spend two days doing nothing but acclimatising, then work outward: the palace and Shanti Stupa in town, the Indus monasteries of Thiksey and Hemis, then Khardung La to Nubra and the long road to Pangong Tso. Come between May and September.
Leh is a town of about 31,000 at 3,500 m, under a nine-storey palace in a valley of the Indus. Everything here is set by the altitude: you rest on arrival, the monasteries are the reason to stay, and the lakes and passes are long days out.
The Namgyal kings built it on the ridge above town and left for Stok when Dogra forces took Ladakh in the 1830s. The rooms are bare, but the roof gives you the whole valley. Walk up through the old town lanes rather than by road.
A white peace pagoda on the hill above Changspa, built by the Japanese monk Gyomyo Nakamura and completed in 1991. The view over Leh to the Stok range is the best in town at dusk. The steps from Changspa are steep, so leave it for day three.
Thiksey climbs its hill about 19 km from Leh in tiers that recall the Potala in Lhasa, and its morning prayers are open to visitors. The 15 m Maitreya, two storeys high, marks the Dalai Lama's 1970 visit. Arrive early and sit at the back of the hall.
Hemis sits in a side valley about 45 km south-east of Leh and is the largest and richest monastery in Ladakh, of the Drukpa order. Its two-day Tsechu in late June or early July brings the masked cham dances into the courtyard. Pair it with Thiksey on the same road.
The red temple and ruined fort on the crag above the palace are older than the palace below, credited to King Tashi Namgyal. Inside sits a gilded Maitreya three storeys tall. The path is short but steep, so save it for your third day.
The mud-brick lanes below the palace lead to the Tsas Soma garden, where caravans once camped. The museum tower there, opened in 2015, tells Leh's trade story across four floors, from Baltistan, Kashmir, Tibet and Ladakh.
The road north climbs to about 5,359 m at Khardung La, then drops into Nubra, with Diskit's 32 m Maitreya and Hunder's dunes and Bactrian camels. Diskit is about 120 km from Leh. Stay a night and do not linger on the pass itself.
A 134 km lake at about 4,250 m, roughly two-thirds of it across the line in Chinese-administered territory. The colour changes by the hour. It is 140 to 160 km from Leh over Chang La, so a day trip is mostly driving; stay the night.
Alchi's temples, about 65 km west of Leh, date from the 11th to 13th centuries and hold some of the oldest surviving murals in Ladakh, Kashmiri in style rather than Tibetan. The complex sits on the valley floor, so no climb.
West of Leh, the green Indus and the darker Zanskar run side by side before they mix. The viewpoint sits on the Srinagar road, with Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and Magnetic Hill on the way, so one morning covers all three.
Masked dances at Spituk in the depth of winter.
The winter festival of masked dances in Leh, Likir and Diskit.
Three days on the Indus bank at Shey, about 8 km out.
Two days of cham dances in the Hemis courtyard. In 2026, 24 and 25 June.
Archery, polo and monastery dances in Leh and the villages.
Nubra's monastery festival, set by the lunar calendar.
The masked dances at Thiksey, as the season closes.
Ladakhi New Year, a winter festival held across the region.
Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, about 3,256 m up and a short taxi ride from town. Flying in means two days of rest before anything strenuous.
The highway over four high passes opens in late May or June and closes by November. Buses from Manali take two days with a night at Keylong.
The western route over Zoji La via Kargil climbs more gently, which makes it the better road for acclimatising.
Ladakh has no railway. Excursions run in taxis from the Leh taxi union at its published rates, and the inner valleys need a permit.
Thumb-sized wheat pasta stewed with root vegetables.
Bow-tie noodles in broth, traditionally a harvest dish.
A thick, crusty wholewheat bread, eaten at breakfast.
Gur gur cha: tea churned with butter and salt. Savoury, not sweet.
Noodle soup with vegetables or mutton, on every menu.
Steamed dumplings, vegetable or meat, with chilli sauce.
A steamed Tibetan bun served with stew.
Made from chulli, Ladakh's apricot, and spread on khambir.
Get our one-page Leh cheat sheet plus a fresh destination every Thursday.
India
