You go to Leh (Ladakh) almost only once in life. Afterall you go to heaven only once, is’nt it ??
After hectic rounds of planning, and after many last minutes hiccups we went for a 15 days sojourn, the trip was broken into three legs. The short route & trip details are as under :
1) 08-07-2012 : Reached New Delhi by Rajdhani, rested till night
2) Caught Jammu Tawi Rajdhani and reached Rajdhani on 09-07-2012
3) 09-07-2012 Went to Katra, Visited Ma Vaishnodevi (I was third time lucky in four years)
4) 10-07-2012 Set for Srinagar, Reached Pehelgam, rested for the night at Pehelgam, visited Patnitop.
5) 11-07-2012, local sight seeing at Pehelgam (beautiful place indeed) and reached Srinagar
6) 12-07-2012, set off for Leh (Reached Kargil in the evening, visited Vijay Smarak) and halted at Kargil
7) 13-07-2012, reached Leh in the evening, rested to acclimatize
8) 14-07-2012, did local sight seeing, Leh City, Monastries, Palaces etc
9) 15-07-2012, visited Pangong Lake
10) 16-07-2012, visited Nubra Valley (Phew Khardungla Pass is awesome)
11) 17-07-2012, Returned to Kargil
12) 18-07-2012 Reached Srinagar
13) 19-07-2012 : Srinagar Local Sight Seeing (Visited Gulmarg, Sonmarg etc)
14) 20-07-2012 : Local Sight Seeing (Shankaracharya Temple, Dal Lake, Shopping etc)
15) 21-07-2012 Flew back to Mumbai
One must visit Leh atleast once, the route from Srinagar to Kargil and from Kargil to Leh is enthralling to say the least. One witnesses literally all the climates during the journey, from hot barren deserts, icy mountains, rain just everything. The route to Leh is accessible from Srinagar via Zozilla Pass, while one can also visit Leh from Manali, the road condition is not so good and one has to pass through Rohtang Pass. One has to acclamatize to be fully fit as the Oxyegen level due to higher altitude is only 75% and one feels dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, vomiting etc. This is called as Altitude related sickness. If you feel symptoms, do get your dose of fresh oxygen at military camps where they have put up oxygen cylinders. Many Bikers & Cyclists traverse through these routes for sheer adventure.
The best season to visit Leh is June to September. For more detailed information do read websites like www.indiamike.com
