Heavenly Himalayas: 9-Day Ladakh Adventure with Indus Rafting, Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake

Fly into Leh and rest

The flight into Leh, usually from Delhi, is one of the most spectacular in the world, crossing the main Himalayan range and landing in the Indus Valley between bare brown mountains, weather permitting. Your driver meets you and takes you to your hotel.

Then the most important thing you will do all trip: rest. Leh is at about 3,500 metres, and altitude sickness is a real risk if you fly in and start sightseeing. Spend the day quietly at your hotel, drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol and heavy meals, and let your body start adjusting. If you feel well by evening, take a short, slow walk.

Mild headaches, breathlessness on stairs and broken sleep are common on the first night and usually ease within a day or two. Tell your guide or the hotel at once if they get worse. Most hotels serve hot ginger or lemon tea on arrival; for dinner, choose something light, such as thukpa, a Tibetan noodle soup, or vegetable momos. Keep a warm layer to hand, as evenings cool quickly even in summer, and remember that the sun at this altitude burns fast, so use sunscreen even for a short walk.

• ArrivalMeet and greet at Leh airport
• DayComplete rest to acclimatise
• EveningA short, slow walk if you feel well; light dinner

OvernightLeh, 4 nights, at The Grand Dragon Ladakh or similar.

Leh Palace, the old town and the Shanti Stupa

A gentle day, still respecting the altitude. Visit Leh Palace, built in the 17th century by King Sengge Namgyal, nine storeys of mud brick and timber that recall the Potala Palace in Lhasa. From its roof you see the old town below and the Stok Kangri range across the valley.

Walk slowly through the lanes of the old town, among whitewashed houses and stupas, and see the Jama Masjid and the Moravian Church, reminders that Leh was a crossroads of Central Asian trade.

At sunset, drive up to the Shanti Stupa, a white peace pagoda built by Japanese and Ladakhi Buddhists in 1991, for views over Leh and the Indus Valley. In the evening, browse the main bazaar for pashmina, turquoise and Tibetan crafts, and try momos and butter tea.

• MorningLeh Palace and the old town
• AfternoonRest
• SunsetShanti Stupa
• EveningLeh bazaar

OvernightThe Grand Dragon Ladakh or similar.

White-water rafting on the Indus

Today is the adventure day. Drive west of Leh to Phey, where certified river guides give you a safety briefing and kit you out with helmets, life jackets and wetsuits. The run takes you down the Indus through a gorge of red and brown rock, with Grade II to III rapids: exciting, but suitable for first-timers.

The trip ends near Nimmu at the Sangam, where the grey-green Indus meets the muddy Zanskar. Dry off, then stop on the way back at Magnetic Hill, where cars appear to roll uphill, the Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, and the Hall of Fame museum dedicated to the Indian Army in Ladakh.

If the water is too high or too low, or you would rather not raft, we swap in a visit to Alchi, whose 11th-century temple murals are among the finest in the Buddhist world.

• MorningRafting on the Indus from Phey
• AfternoonThe Sangam, Magnetic Hill and the Hall of Fame
• AlternativeAlchi Monastery

OvernightThe Grand Dragon Ladakh or similar.

Thiksey, Hemis and the monasteries of the Indus Valley

Leave early to reach Thiksey Monastery for the morning prayers, when monks blow long horns from the roof and chant in the assembly hall. Built up a hillside in tiers of white and red, Thiksey is often compared to the Potala Palace. Its temple to Maitreya, the future Buddha, holds a 15-metre seated statue that rises through two storeys.

Stop at Shey Palace, the old summer palace of the Ladakhi kings, with its large gilded Buddha, then cross the Indus to Hemis, the largest and richest monastery in Ladakh, re-founded in the 17th century and hidden in a side valley. Its museum holds thangkas, statues and ritual objects, and its masked Hemis festival in June or July is the biggest in Ladakh.

On the way back, visit Stok Palace, still the home of the former royal family, with a small museum of their crowns and costumes, or the small monastery at Stakna on its rock above the river.

• Early morningMorning prayers at Thiksey
• Late morningShey Palace
• AfternoonHemis Monastery and museum
• OptionalStok Palace or Stakna

OvernightThe Grand Dragon Ladakh or similar.

Over Khardung La to the Nubra Valley

Drive north up a road of hairpin bends to Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes in the world, at about 5,300 metres, strung with prayer flags. Stop only briefly for photographs: at this height, 15 to 20 minutes is enough.

Descend into the Nubra Valley, where the Shyok and Nubra rivers meet. It was once on the caravan route from Ladakh to Central Asia, and it is lower and warmer than Leh. Visit Diskit Monastery, the oldest and largest in Nubra, and the 32-metre statue of Maitreya Buddha that looks down the valley.

In the late afternoon, walk out onto the sand dunes at Hunder, where double-humped Bactrian camels, descendants of the Silk Road caravan animals, graze among the sea-buckthorn bushes. A short camel ride at sunset is optional.

• MorningKhardung La
• AfternoonDiskit Monastery and the Maitreya statue
• SunsetHunder sand dunes and Bactrian camels

OvernightNubra Valley, 1 night, at a deluxe desert camp in Hunder.

Along the Shyok River to Pangong Lake

A long, remote and spectacular drive along the Shyok River, through a wild valley of scree slopes and glacial streams, then up to Pangong Lake. Your driver brings a packed lunch. The road passes small villages such as Shyok and Durbuk, with stretches of rough track and stream crossings, so expect a bumpy ride in places. Permits are checked at army posts along the way, and your guide handles them. In rare cases of landslides or high water on the Shyok road, we route you back via Leh instead.

Pangong Tso is a saltwater lake about 130 km long at about 4,250 metres, of which less than half lies in India and most of the rest in Tibet. Its colour shifts from deep blue to turquoise to green through the day as the light changes; late afternoon is often the best.

Nights at Pangong are cold even in summer, and you are sleeping higher than Leh, so take it easy, drink water and wrap up warmly. On a clear night the stars are extraordinary, and the Milky Way is easy to see.

• DayDrive along the Shyok River
• Late afternoonPangong Lake
• NightStargazing

OvernightPangong Lake, 1 night, at a lakeside camp such as Pangong Retreat Camp.

Sunrise at Pangong and over Chang La to Leh

Wake early to watch the sun rise over Pangong, when the lake is still and the mountains turn gold. It is, for many travellers, the single best moment of the trip. Wrap up well: the hour before sunrise is the coldest of the day, often below freezing even in summer. Take a slow walk along the shore while the camp prepares breakfast.

After breakfast, drive back towards Leh through Tangtse, where Himalayan marmots often sit up beside the road in summer, then climb to the Chang La, another pass of about 5,300 metres. As at Khardung La, stop only briefly at the top. Small army-run tea stalls on the pass sometimes serve hot tea to travellers.

Descend through the villages of the Sakti valley, green with barley fields in summer, and stop at Chemrey, a 17th-century monastery built up a conical hill, or at Thiksey if you would like one more monastery. You reach Leh in the afternoon, back at a more comfortable altitude, with time for a hot shower and a rest.

• SunrisePangong Lake
• MorningDrive over Chang La
• AfternoonFree in Leh

OvernightLeh, 2 nights, at The Grand Dragon Ladakh or similar.

A spare day in Leh

A free day, built in on purpose. If your body needs rest after the passes and the rafting, take it: sleep late, sit in the hotel garden and drink plenty of water. If the weather or a road closure delayed any part of the trip, we use today to catch up.

Otherwise, choose from a short hike to the Namgyal Tsemo Gompa above Leh, a visit to Spituk Monastery, a cooking class in a Ladakhi home, or a last browse through the bazaar for pashmina, turquoise and apricot jam. The climb to Namgyal Tsemo is short but steep, so go slowly; the reward is a view over the old town, Leh Palace and the Indus Valley to the Stok range. Spituk, on a hill above the Indus near the airport, is one of the older monasteries of the valley.

Stok Palace, the home of the former royal family, with a small museum of royal costumes and jewellery, is another easy half-day option. For lunch, try skyu, a hearty Ladakhi stew of hand-rolled pasta and vegetables, or thukpa, and end the day with sunset from the Shanti Stupa if you missed it earlier.

• DayRest, catch-up, or your choice of short excursions
• OptionsNamgyal Tsemo, Spituk, Stok Palace, a cooking class or the bazaar
• SunsetOptional Shanti Stupa

OvernightThe Grand Dragon Ladakh or similar.

Fly home from Leh

Transfer to Leh's Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport for your flight to Delhi and onward. Flights leave in the morning, when mountain weather is most reliable, so expect an early start; the hotel can usually pack breakfast if needed.

Security checks at Leh are thorough and the terminal is small, so your driver gets you there about two hours before departure. Keep a warm layer in your hand luggage for the early morning. We recommend leaving a buffer of a day before an international connection, in case weather delays the flight. If you have a free day in Delhi, we can arrange a hotel near the airport and a guide or driver.

• MorningTransfer to Leh airport