Trips / Ladakh
Ladakh, India · 8 days / 7 nights
Leh to Pangong Backpacker Trail
High passes, Balti villages and a night by Pangong Tso, paced for proper acclimatisation.
8 days
Duration
5,359 m
Max altitude
Moderate
Difficulty
Max 12
Group size
Jun – Sep
Season
Overview
A Ladakh loop built around acclimatisation
Most Ladakh tours rush to Pangong on day two. We don’t. This route gives you two easy days in Leh, then climbs gradually through Nubra and Turtuk before the lake, so you actually enjoy the high passes instead of nursing a headache.
You’ll stay in family-run homestays and one lakeside camp, travel in shared tempo travellers with local drivers, and have a trip lead who has done this route more than a dozen times.
Highlights
- Cross Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes
- Bactrian camel ride on the Hunder dunes
- A night with a Balti family in Turtuk
- Sunrise at Pangong Tso from a lakeside camp
- Alchi's 1,000-year-old monastery murals
Day-by-day itinerary
Airport pickup and a slow afternoon at the guesthouse. Rest is the plan today; we’ll meet for dinner and a trip briefing.
Easy acclimatisation walk through the old town, Leh Palace and a sunset at Shanti Stupa.
Day trip to Likir, Alchi and the Indus–Zanskar confluence. Overnight in Leh.
Cross Khardung La (5,359 m) to Nubra Valley. Evening at the Hunder sand dunes.
Drive along the Shyok river to Turtuk, a Balti village near the LoC. Homestay night.
Take the Shyok road to Pangong Tso (4,225 m). Lakeside camp under the stars.
Sunrise by the lake, then back to Leh over Chang La. Farewell dinner.
Airport drop after breakfast.
What's included
- 7 nights stay (homestays, guesthouse, camp)
- Breakfast & dinner daily
- All transfers in tempo traveller
- Inner Line Permits & fees
- Trip lead + local guides
- Oxygen cylinder & first-aid kit
Not included
- Flights to and from Leh
- Lunches & snacks
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
- Camel ride (₹300)
- Tips and personal expenses
Route map
FAQ
Good to know
If you can walk 5–6 km comfortably, you’re fine. The challenge is altitude, not distance, and the itinerary is built around that.
Yes. About half our travellers come solo. Rooms are shared only with travellers of the same gender unless you book as a couple.
Your trip lead carries oxygen and a pulse oximeter, checks everyone twice a day, and will descend with anyone showing AMS symptoms.
Yes. We can add Tso Moriri or a Markha Valley trek before or after the group dates.
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