Adventure · Rohit Menon
First time in Ladakh: a pacing note
The pass can wait. What the first forty-eight hours in Leh should actually look like.
Day one is not a sightseeing day
Fly in, drink water, walk slowly along the river, sleep. Diamox is a conversation with your doctor, not with us. We will not take you over Khardung La on day two.
The itinerary we actually run
Leh rest, monasteries, Nubra, Pangong, back. Eight days, not six. The two spare days are not padding — they are how the trip survives a closed pass.
What the car is
A Fortuner or a similar high-clearance diesel, with a driver who has done the season. Oxygen in the boot. We do not self-drive first-timers in Ladakh.
If you have three days, go to Leh and sit. If you have eight, come with us.