Ever so I often I receive emails in which people are asking about the kind of budget that is required for a trip to Ladakh. And almost every time, my answer is the same, it depends.
Travel expenditure depends on various aspects and varies widely depending upon your taste and preferences. For instance, one can have a stupendous breakfast for Rs. 15-20 or can spend hundreds of rupees on it; it all depends on the thickness of your wallet and your taste.
When I usually calculate budget for my trips, I base it on the assumption, that on average, I’ll be spending between Rs. 300-350 (US$ 7-8) a day on food, accommodation, phone calls (in case my mobile isn’t working) and internet access. I have found that I am able to stay within this budget, even while traveling solo (accommodation cost increases significantly).
For a budget of Rs. 350 a day, I can usually get a clean double bed room with attached toilet and 3 meals a day. And even if I have to spend a night at hotel which costs Rs. 500 a night or have to shell out Rs. 200-300 for internet access, I can still remain well within my budget, thanks to days when the total expenditure is less than the budgeted amount.
This is especially true while traveling to a place like Ladakh, where you can get a bed to sleep on, in areas like Sarchu and Pang for a mere Rs. 30 a night and get stupendous meal for Rs. 20-30. In fact, in remote places like Suru and Zanskar Valley, you can get a double bed room with attached toilet at J&K tourism bungalows for Rs. 100 a night!
Most significant portion of my travel budget is allocated towards fuel bills, which usually come out to be Rs. 1.3-1.4 a kilometer, thanks to the decent mileage (~40kmpl) I get from my motorcycle. Usually you will get almost the same average that you get in plains, if your vehicle is in good condition and you don’t rip her too much.
In case you are traveling using buses and taxis, it can be even less or can increase significantly if you are planning to hire an entire taxi on your own.
So if you are planning a trip to Ladakh, then first decide the kind of money you are willing to spend on it. Then try and figure out, how much money would be required for transportation (fuel bill, cost of public transport) and then, try and allocate a daily budget that would be enough to cover for the kind of accommodation and food you want. This will help you arrive at a ball park figure and you can then decide to increase the budget or lower the destinations/days to suit your pocket.
While traveling, keep a log of daily expenditure, as it would help you keep track of how much money you have got left and based on it, you can choose to splurge or cut back.
However what ever you do, do keep in mind that you are on a holiday and sometime it is best to live like a king/queen for a few days, then to spend weeks as a peasant.
Happy Traveling…
37 Comments
Hi Yogesh,
I am planning to purchase side bags for my enfield. Something like a Cramster bag (Stallion). However thats too expensive. Is there some place in Delhi where I can get that made on order.
Thanks,
Sanyam
Hello Sanyam, well you can try getting them made from a shop which makes bags. Though I must warn you that you will have to do a lot of work with them to get it just right.
Alternatively you can check out saddle bags at Chopra Helmets and Khajanchi seat wallah at Karol Bagh. They had some other saddle bags, which were cheaper, though of lower quality. Make sure you check that they are not touching the exhaust, before buying one.
dude!
immense help!
thanks! been looking for something like this everywhere..
specially coz im on a student budget!
Hi,
I am planning a bike trip to Leh/Ladakh in the month of may. We would be a group of 3-5 people.
Any thoughts on travel permits required if any?
Help really appreciated;
Amar
Amar you need permit for Pangong Tso, Nubra Valley, Tso Moriri and Drok Pa region (if you are visiting them). Permit are issued by the DC office in Leh.
cld u pls update the budget for the current yr as of now……will be helpful to convince some frnds to join 🙂
sir we can very well adjust with low price general accomodations… we have a group of 4-5 people… what will be our approx expenditure.. do we need a mechanic for being on a safer side…
plz reply sir…
Mudit, expect to spend anywhere from Rs. 400-700 per person, per day on food and accommodation.
You don’t need to take a mechanic with you, but yes, taking it would be a safer thing to do.
sir we are students and we can spend nearly
5k… so would this be a very tight budget for manali ladakh trip… or we should perhaps go to spiti valley within our budget… or we need to increase our budget…
If it is 5k per person including fuel, then it is best to head to Spiti. If it is 5k per person + expense for fuel, then you can think about doing Ladakh, but it would be a good idea to add couple of thousand rupees to your budget.
sir we can arrange to the max 6k… so would that be enough for spiti valley including all the permits needed + the rented bikes…
Indians do not need any permit for Spiti.
However if you are planning to hire motorcycles, then 6k isn’t going to be enough, considering motorcycle rental is between Rs. 600 to 1200 a day per motorcycle. Plus you will need to spend on fuel, which will come out to be around 3-4k per motorcycle.
Best option for you would be take bus from Delhi to Kaza and try and do the trip through bus or take your own motorcycles.
so sir we need around 9k per head to go for a bike trip to spiti valley… around 35k for 4 friends…
thank you so much for your kind support… you have been of immense help… you are doing a faboulous job and best of luck for your future…
and sir i would be glad if you please suggest us some offbeat places to visit in india…we have been to places like coorg, rishikesh, gokarna, jaiselmer… we really loved these places and were under budget… so sir please suggest some really good and offbeat locations…
and once again thank you sir for your kind cooperation…
Mudit, if you are ok with the idea of riding as pillion, then a 6 day ride to Spiti on hired motorcycles will cost around 7-8k per person.
There are several off beat places that you can visit like Sach Pass, Daranghati, Chanshal Pass etc. however the problem with offbeat places is, they are normally away from major tourist centers and thus require more time to cover and usually have bad roads.
If you have to hire motorcycles, then it makes sense to stick to places like Dharamshala, Manali, Goa etc. so that the bikes are easily available in the city itself and you don’t have to spend much time or money in traveling from one place to another. And from places like Manali, you can hire motorcycle and ride to Chandertal or Lahaul Valley or even Tirthan Valley and it would end up costing you comparatively less. You can also ride to Kaza from Manali, but once again you will have to either limit the trip to places in and around Kaza or spend more.
Rest depends on your taste and number of days you have in hand.
My recommendation would be to join BCMTouring Travel Forum (disclosure, I am the founder of it) and go through the numerous travelogues there to see which places match you taste. And if you ever require any help with planning your trip, then we will certainly help you out with it.
Hello Yogesh sir,
We are planing a trip of Manali to Ladakh with group of six people (3 Couples).
We are in Gujarat and struggling hard to find budget for the same.
We want to know the rent of bikes usually we can have and deposit amount of those bikes.
Can you please recommend someone who can help us with all bookings with very tight budget.
Please help us out.
Regards,
Krunal
Krunal if you are traveling with limited budget, then best bet would be take HPTDC Deluxe Bus or shared taxi to Leh and then rent motorcycles from Leh. Leh rental companies normally do not charge security deposit and their rate list can be found here http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/hiring-cars-motorcycles-india-f41/ladakh-motorcycle-rental-rates-t54596/.
Manali renters will charge similar rent, but will require anywhere from 25-40k as security deposit. Furthermore if you are planning to leave motorcycles in Leh or Srinagar, then that will cost 8-12k more.
Thank you for response. We have budget of 30000 rupees. Can you please give estimate of rent of bikes per day? Can you please recommend anyone one so we can do advanced booking for bikes?
Rates are given in the link I shared in the earlier comment. Anu in Manali has a good rapport, however I haven’t rented motorcycles, so can’t recommend anyone.
dear sir,
i am sourabh staying in mumbai and planning for leh trip on august after 15 with my friend shashank and having a over all budget of 40 to 45k including all train expenses.can you please give your valuable suggestion for trip we are having few query.
1.we are planning to rent 2 hero impluse.so where will i get a good but reasonable renter in manali with low deposit around 5k for each bike
2.we have six days to complete manali-leh trip..is it enough.
3.we have never visited manali and planning to stay in manali after leh trip for 2 days in bike but as hotels rates are miserably high so we planning to camp(we have tent) in manali is it safe or any camp site in manali?
4.so in short we have 9 days for all trip and tight budget of 40 to 45k including food,accommodation,petrol,road tax,and we have 10k for deposit.
please help us with your valuable suggestion..
thankyou,
sourabh
Sourabh, you will need at least 8-10 days for Manali – Leh – Manali and some local sightseeing in Ladakh. Manali – Leh journey itself will take anywhere from 2-3 days i.e. 4-6 days for the return trip. Rent for the motorcycles itself will be 14-15k if not more. You would be better off bringing your own motorcycles with you in train, which should cost around 2-3k per motorcycle, each side and you wouldn’t have to deal with security deposits.
Manali has budget accommodation available as well (including dorms) and August being monsoon season, is off season. So need to camp.
thankyou so much for your valuable suggestion…we will try to bring our own motorcycle to Chandigarh.
hi my friend and i planned to go to leh on a bike 2 things.
1 we still have to learn how to drive one
2 we are females so my concern is safety on this trip . (will that mean we have to shell out more money to be safe)
since we are beginners should we even attempt this i mean i can drive a car smoothly but is motorbike a whole different ball game. do you think itll be safe to try and go in june ? what month would be safest for beginners?
Nandika, if you do not know how to ride a motorcycle, then you need to first learn to ride one and do at least 2-3 trips before heading to Ladakh. These trips will help build stamina and will also help you get familiar with the motorcycle in various terrains. Because at the end of the day, riding 6-12 hours a day for 12-20 days or more can be extremely tiring (physically and mentally).
Riding a motorcycle is more physical task than driving a car, especially when you are negotiating bad sections and riding extremely slowly. That is when you have to balance your motorcycle continuously and it takes a lot of effort and experience to be able to ride at extremely slow speed in hills with a loaded motorcycle (required in certain sections and conditions).
You are also more exposed to the elements and dangers on a motorcycle, so concentration has to be quite high as well.
For ladies another complication in the form of lack of toilet facilities exists on the Manali – Leh Highway. To counter fatigue and AMS, you need to drink water quite regularly and public toilets are only available around towns and dhaba clusters like Sarchu. Also at places like Sarchu, if you want attached toilet in your tent, then you need to stay in luxury tents, which cost a lot more than dhaba tents we normally sleep at (which have several beds laid out on a raised platform.)
Ladakh itself isn’t a major headache, since many of the businesses are run by ladies and families, and at least locals don’t usually bother female travelers. But both the routes are somewhat of an issue for females traveling alone (due to bad traffic sense, at times stupid crowds at places like Rohtang, Manali etc. and lack of amenities.)
Easy way out is to travel to Leh in a taxi or by plane, then hire a motorcycle for local sightseeing. If you feel comfortable riding in hills, then you can take the rented motorcycle to places like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso etc. otherwise you can do those excursions in a taxi.
Best month would September (after monsoon shower stop), even though weather starts turning cold at that time. However road conditions are mostly good and all the routes are open. There is also less rush compared to other months.
Sorry Yogesh bhai, for butting in to this conversation, and sorry Nandika if I come across as sounding harsh. Assuming that this query (Nandika’s) is a serious one and not a troll, I have to plainly state that male or female, thinking of attempting Ladakh on a bike even before learning to ride one is probably the overriding concern before anything else in terms of safety! 🙂
IMH(very humble)O, You’ve got it all backwards. Don’t learn how to ride a bike simply to ‘do Ladakh’ on a bike. Ladakh on a bike is especially great when you already like riding a bike. So find out if that’s what you enjoy first. Then, get confident riding for a year or so, like Yogesh bhai says, do a couple of long rides in less trying conditions and then plan (properly) and go for it.
On the other hand, if you just want to enjoy Ladakh, then fly there, acclimatize at Leh for a couple of days and hire a cab to take you around.
Hi Yogesh,
I am planning for Leh- Ladakh trip via Manali next year in August with two friends. We are planning to rent motorcycles from Manali. I would like to know that is there any concern if we go on our own. There are few agencies who conduct this tour but if we have to go with them then we have to spend a fortune. If we can go alone then what would be the risks associated and how to overcome them? Please let me know.
Thanks.
Pradipta
If you are traveling via the Manali – Leh Highway, then the biggest concern is AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness.) Route is rough and cold, so you need to be prepared for that as well. But there are thousands of riders who do this route each year, without any backup or tour companies.
Hi Yogesh,
Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. If we go on our own then do we have any provision of taking a mechanic and the spare parts with us?
Thanks & Regards,
Pradipta Sur
Yes, you can hire mechanic from Manali.
Hello again yogesh sir… first of all i would like to thank you… i took some advice from you 6-7 months back… and you proved out to be of immense help and we made our trip of manali- spiti valley on bikes..
sir we are planning to visit leh ladakh in last week of january or the second week of February. so i want some detailed info from you…
1…. is the time right for us, we have winters with lowest temperature around 4-5° celcius. so will we be able to withstand the weather there( i am super excited to go there and can withstand cold but is it too tough for us)
2…. we can spend around 8-10k per head and we are 3-4 friends. and we would love to visit places on rented bikes… so i would like to know will we be able to cover up all the good places there and how many days will it take.( 8-10k includes all our expenses like bike, fuel, food,accommodation, return tickets)
3…. we can very well adjust in very general food and accommodation, so is the budget enough to cover both the places or we should just go for either of them.
Both the land route to Leh would be closed in January and temperature will touch -20 degree Celsius or lower in Leh itself! So riding a motorcycle is completely out of question and hiring a taxi in your budget along with accommodation and food isn’t going to be possible. You will likely need at least 12-15k per person (excluding air fare) to make things more manageable.
Hi Guys,
I like the posts you all share
I am planning to join one of the group for ladakh tour as a pillion. i need your advise whether 40k is right price for the tour ?
tour details will be as follows
1.Manali
Five of the top 10 passes of the world.
Khardung la
Pangong Lake
Lamayuru
Tibetian style monasteries
Dal lake – Srinagar’s Jewel
Sonmarg
Chandigarh – Manali – Leh – Kargil – Srinagar
14 Nights / 15 Days
Day 1:
Start from Mumbai by Train (Paschim Express) by 11.30 am. (include)
Day 2:
Reach Chandigarh by 4.30 pm.
Overnight in Chandigarh.
Day 3:
Chandigarh to Manali – 310 Kms.Arrival at Manali. Overnight in Manali
Day 4:
One can do local sightseeing and rest. Overnight in Manali. (Purposely for bike servicing/Acclimatization)
Day 5:
Manali- Rohtang Pass- Koksar- Tandi- Keylong – 120 km Ride. Overnight in Keylong.
Day 6:
Keylong- Darcha – sarchu -Pang- 220 km Ride. Overnight in Pang (Common Tents).
Day 7:
Pang- Tanglangla- Rumtse- Upashi- Leh- 195 kms Ride. Arrival at Leh. Overnight in Leh.
Day 8:
Leh to Pangong- 160 Kms Ride. En route visit Thiksey Monastry and Shey Palace. Overnight at Pangong lake (Tent)
Day 9:
Pangong Lake to Leh – 160KmsAlso visit Hall of fame army Museum in Leh City. Overnight in Leh.
Day 10:
Ride to Khardungla and back: 80 Kms. Also visit Leh Palace and Leh Local Market. Overnight in Leh.
Day 11:
Leh to Kargil – 220 Kms Ride. En route visit Magnetic Hill, Alchi and Lamayuru Monastery (moonland). Overnight in Kargil.
Day 12:
Kargil – Drass – Jojila end – Sonmarg – Gagangir – srinagar – 210 kms. En route visit Dras War Memorial, Sonamarg. Overnight in Srinagar.
Day 13:
Dal Lake, Mughal Gardens and Local Sightseeing 50-80 kms. Overnight in Srinagar
Day 14:
Bike transfers by Gati Courier. Rest day leisure. Overnight in Srinagar.
Day 15:
Fly back to Mumbai (Exclude)
Please suggest…………….
Rashmi that is a pretty bad plan and is a sure shot way of getting hit by AMS, as you would be covering all the high altitude areas in the beginning of the trip, rather than towards the end! Please go through AMS Survival Guide for more info on AMS and only after reading it, make a decision.
Hi Me and my wife (30, 27 yrs) planing to go leh from manali on bike, I will take one bike for rent in manali. I am planing to spend 3 or 4 days on the way to leh, staying overnight at some places like keylong, sarach etc. can you please tell me if I need to concern about safety or do we face any other problems other than AMS
I will be riding and my wife will be sitting back, we will have some language, is it okay?
Which bike you will suggest for this trip?, I have been using Appache 160cc for last 2 yrs. I have not used any other bike other than apache.
How many kms do you think we can go on that route if we spend 6 hrs a day on riding?
Please give me some more suggestions, for this trip
Hi Yogesh,
We are 3 friends planning to visit Leh-Ladakh via own bike on 5th June 2015 onward
We have planned to go via srinagar & return via manali route.
So now my question cum help required from your side is :-
1. Hotel cum budgeted guest house name in complete journey ( if you can refer with detail with places)
2. Places to visit accordingly night staying availability.
It will be very help full for us making our budget cum making preparation for Tents or sleeping bags etc.
From
Dev Bachhas
+91-8130199888
Dear Sir,
WE are two-three Friends are want go delhi to ladakh from bikes
but We don”t know how to go and what is preparation for this trip, We Have Two option 1.we are going with bikers group Or we are going self
i have only 5-6 thousands rupees so van i go to ladakh from delhi is it sufficient???
5 to 6 thousand rupees would be too less for Ladakh. Even the Delhi to Leh state transport bus would cost you around 1.4k each side i.e. around 2.8k. Food and accommodation at the cheapest would still be 300 to 400 bucks a day and you need at least 7-8 days for the trip. Sightseeing in Ladakh costs a lot, expect to spend 1k to 2k per sector in a shared taxi.