If there is no major problem which causes postponement of my upcoming trip to Ladakh, I’ll be heading there in the month of September and it would be for the fourth time, I would visiting Ladakh in September.
Now you must be wondering, why do I keep going back to Ladakh in the month of September?
Well, here is why:
Fewer tourists: Lets face it, majority of travelers don’t like to visit a place which is jam packed with other tourists and I am no different. As soon as roads to Ladakh open up, travelers from all over the world, start heading to this beautiful place and it thus becomes somewhat crowded. By beginning of September, tourist numbers start to dwindle and by second week, there are fewer tourists around. Which not only means a more peaceful Ladakh, but also leads to cheaper and more easily available accommodation.
Majority of the roads are open: After reading the above point, you must be thinking, then why not go in May or late October. Well the rational behind it is simple, at those times, not all roads are open for two wheelers and one’s travel plan relay heavily on the goodwill of weather gods. Skipping places I had planned to visit isn’t something that I like and thus try to avoid these months.
Suru Valley looks spectacular: Well it might not be reason enough for everyone, but it is of quite an importance to me. In September the grass in Suru Valley starts turning into orangish/redish color and that coupled with bluish water and colorful hills make for a view that is unparalleled, and can even make a photograph taken during a severe locust infestation, look beautiful.
Though going by the number of people who are showing interest in now going to Ladakh in September, first point might not be valid a few years down the line, but till these are, I’ll be hoping to return to Ladakh in September, again and again…
60 Comments
Reading your trip log earlier, we have planned and will traveling from 4th to 21st Sept. Hope to see you there… 🙂
Great, see you there 🙂
we are also going to ladakh in sep first week. hope to meet you there.
Hi,
I am planning to visit Leh in Sept.
All by myself as friends couldn’t get leaves.
Looking to company to visit Leh for a week and then try to move to Manali.
Please lemme know if any1 would be interested.
Plan is to venture on a bike (to be hired in Leh) and settle at the end of the day wherever the road takes us (with little planning though).
Can be reached @ [email protected]
Regards,
Preet.
Hi Yogesh,
Lemme know your plans and if there are more ppl with you.
Can take leaves anytime between 5-27 sept.
Preet I’ll be going there solo this time around. However plenty of people from BCMT are heading to Ladakh in September. Check out the travel partner section and another thread in there.
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/india-travel-partners-f59/
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/india-travel-partners-f59/bcmtians-travelling-ladakh-late-august-early-sept-t12030/
hi yogesh plz tell me your plan in sept and friends going with you…….
sir, i am planning to visit in between 15 Sep to 5 Oct. Is there any problem with climatic conditions there. As this my first time and had little knowledge so far…
hope to see u there..
Amit
amit i too planning a trip to leh sept last from delhi/noida.
9871018224
hi chauhan, what mode of transportation u r using. I had my karizma but planning to rent a bullet from manali.
9997907630
Hi Yogesh
kindly correct “forth” to “fourth” in the opening lines of the blog
I’ll be heading there in the month of September and it would be for the forth time, I would visiting Ladakh in September.
Thanks
Anuj
Hi, I want to ask you- have you been in Ladakh last two Septembers 2009-2010? I’ve been there once for whole summer, and last summer it was too rainy in Manali, so Rothang was closed long time. So how do you think is it possible to travel to ladakh by bike in september 2011? Also Im thinking to go to Spiti from Keylong and then to Dehradun, is it ok in september? Or it is big possibility of snow and road closing?
thanks
Hi Yogesh,
i was just going through your website and i also became intrested in ladakh trip in september this year(2012).i have some question
1. how r the hotels there…what is the best way of staying there as i am with my family ie mom,dad,brother and his wife and a kid etc?
2. what about the side seeing how much does a car charge for a days trip in ladakh?
3. what abt weather?
if everything goes well i will come to ladakh but with prior booking of hotels and car…please help as soon as possible…
1. There are plenty of hotels in Ladakh, all catering to various price bands. For family a hotel costing around 1-1.2k per night per room should be decent enough, unless you are looking for luxury. You can check hotel reviews here http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/ladakh-zanskar-f24/accommodation-ladakh-along-routes-ladakh-t11641/
2. Last year’s taxi rates http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/buses-taxis-india-f38/leh-taxi-union-rates-2011-12-a-t35123/ this year they have gone up by around 10-15%, but you can generally get a discount of around 5-10% be negotiating with the driver. In any case taxi rates are fixed and decided by the taxi union there, so unless you are going through a travel agent, you will be quoted the same price by almost all the drivers.
3. Weather starts turning cold in September, but it isn’t all that uncomfortable. Of course at times it does rain and snow, but that depends more on local weather conditions than anything else.
thanks Yogesh
your reply was real help…hopefully we will be comming to ladakh soon. 🙂
hello yogesh bhai.
writing from saudi arabia.
big fan of you.
just wana know that we are planning to visit ladakh between 20-30th June 2012. let me know is that the rit time for heading towards to north via manali-leh highway.
thanks/salam
ather/jeddah
saudi arabia
Ather it shouldn’t be an issue, unless it takes a long time to open the Manali – Leh route, in which case there will still be some snow on the road at Baralacha La and chances encountering jams there.
that is nice to get ur reply in such short time.
thanks for the info.
hi, yogesh
i am planning to visit the lovely ladakh during 3rd week of sept to 1st week of october this year (total of 10 days).
do you think the weather will be too cold for somebody who stay at hot place like Bangkok?
i plan to fly from New Dehli to Leh. Any good recommendation from you?
thank you.
Hi Yogesh ,
I am planning to visit ladakh on bike from delhi on 20th september.
my journey will be approx one week long.i just have one question that the road at that period of time will be open or not.
thanxx
Roads would be open, but a week is hardly enough for Ladakh. All the you would be able to do is touch Leh and come back! Better head to Spiti, a week would be perfect for it!
Hi Yogesh,
We are planning a trip from sept 16-23 in ladakh region. we would like to experience snow/ice covered hills. Is there any place in ladakh where I can see snow/ice?
Depends on your luck.
Generally high altitude passes like Khardung La, Chang La and Tanglang La experience snowfall at night and in evening. Out of these, your best chance of seeing snow covered hill is at Chang La. Having said that, substantial amount of snowfall only starts occurring by January.
Hi Yogesh!
We’re heading to Ladakh on 14th Sept. Generally how long do the rains last in this period? thanks!
Depends on the weather, I have had rains lash down for hours and at times just for minutes.
Hey Yogesh. Planning to go to Ladakh for the first time. Alone. Any suggestions? Please drop in a mail :). Help appreciated.
Megha, you are traveling during one of the best months (as long as you don’t mind cold weather). It is also the time when Leh Festival takes place and Leh Palace is illuminated every night during festival duration, so make sure to check out Monastic Dance Performance, if the festival is taking place while you are there. And also take night photos of Leh Palace, it looks fabulouss that way. In case you have any specific questions, you can post them here or email me at [email protected]
Hi Yogesh,
Hi Yogesh Sir,
We are planning for 10 days bike trip to Ladhak, It will start and ends at Manali via Srinagar(as per our intial planning) and our trip plan is:
9/5/2014(eve) 20:00 CSTM to NZM
9/6/2014 2100
Kashmiri Gate to Manali
9/7/2014
Stay at Manali
9/8/2014 7:00 Manali to Keylong
9/9/2014 6:00 Keylong to Pang
9/10/2014 7:00 Pang to Leh
9/11/2014 7:00 Leh to Hundar
9/12/2014 7:00 Hundar to Pangong Tso
9/13/2014 7:00 Pangong Tso Leh
9/14/2014 7:00 Leh to kargil
9/15/2014 7:00 Kargil to Srinagar
9/16/2014 7:00 Srinagar to Jammu
9/17/2014 5:00 Jammu to Dalhousie
9/18/2014 7:00 Dalhousie to Manali
9/19/2014 Stay at Manali
9/20/2014 Manali to Delhi
9/21/2014
1600
Delhi to
Mumbai, Banglore,Kolkata
sir we are 8 guys in the trip and its like a get together for us after 3 years ?. we want some suggestions on this from your end:
• Is it possible to complete the trip in this given time period (with enjoying sceneric beauty , this is our first trip to there).
• if it is possible… do we get the enough time to spent with each other there or energy left in us for so ?
• If it is not…. please suggest us some alternate plan so that we can enjoy the trip at its fullest in given time period.
PS: we are planning to take 5 bikes and one pickup car with us and one more important thing we have budget of Rs 25K per head only.
We all are eagerly waiting for your response.
Staying at Pang is an extremely bad idea, since it is even higher in altitude than Sarchu. Even at Sarchu you will have an uncomfortable night due to AMS.
With the sort of budget you have, you will struggle to finish this trip within it:
Because motorcycle rental per day is anywhere from Rs. 700 to 1600 and plus you will have to pay for fuel.
Hiring a pickup for the entire way isn’t going to be possible, since vehicles from Manali cannot go to tourist circuit of Ladakh. So you will have to hire one vehicle from Manali and another from Leh.
Taxi rental in Ladakh is extremely expensive and even for a pickup, you will likely end up paying Rs. 15,000 or more, just for the Manali – Leh leg!
Better option would be to take a bus or taxi from Manali to Leh, then hire motorcycles for Leh for sightseeing. After that you can either travel to Jammu in a bus or taxi and head back home from there or come back to Manali in similar fashion.
Alternatively, bring your motorcycles. This option would turn out to be cheaper and you will be riding motorcycles you are experienced with.
Thanks Yogesh Sir,
we will take care of the suggestions given by you.
Hello Yogesh Sir,
Here’s our rough plan for Leh ride. We will be carrying our bike as luggage in train.(Booked confirmed tickets)
Is this the best time to visit Leh in below mentioned days or it would be better if we would postponed our plan by two weeks.
Will be encounter too much of slush on Leh-Manali highway if we stick to this plan?
Any additional help will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance. 🙂
Aug 30- Aug 31
Mumbai – Amritsar by Train.
Sep 1: Arrive Amritsar 6 AM. Do local sight seeing
Sep 2: Amritsar – Srinagar
Overnight at Srinagar
Sep 3: Srinagar sightseeing, rest.
Overnight at Srinagar
Sep 4: Srinagar – Kargil, en route visit Sonamarg and Drass War Memorial.
Overnight at Drass or Kargil.
Sep 5: Kargil – Leh, en route visit Lamayuru Monastery, Indus and Zanskar Confluence, Magnetic Hill and Gurudwara Pathar Sahib.
Overnight at Leh.
Sep 6: Leh Local Sightseeing. Get the motorcycle checked/serviced.
Overnight at Leh.
Sep 7: Leh – Khardung La – Nubra Valley, stay at Hunder and en route visit Diskit Monastery and Hunder Sand Dunes.
Overnight at Hunder.
Sep 8: Hunder-Sumur-Panamik-Leh
Overnight at Leh.
Sep 9: Leh – Chang La – Pangong Tso
Overnight at Pangong Tso
Sep 10: Pangong Tso to Leh
Overnight at Leh.
Sep 11: Leh – Sarchu
Overnight at Sarchu
Sep 12: Sarchu – Keylong/Sissu
Overnight at Keylong/Sissu
Sep 13: Keylong/Sissu – Kullu/Mandi
Overnight at Kullu/Mandi
Sep 14: Kullu/Mandi – Chandigarh
Overnight at Chandigarh
Sagar, there shouldn’t be any slush on Leh – Manali Highway. You might find some between Amritsar and Zoji La, since monsoon would on its last leg.
Your plan looks good, though I hope you have a buffer day in Chandigarh, to deal with any delays en route.
Dear sagar. It would be better if you go to jammu, udhampur or patnitop from amritsar and take a night halt there then go to srinagar, next day as amritsar to srinagar is 460 km.
Yogesh, Yes we have kept 2 days as buffer in Chandigarh/Delhi.
I am thinking to skip Tso Moriri and do Spiti instead, but I am confused about route to take after Leh. Also, can i avoid spending night at Sarchu.
Thanks in advance.
Farogh, thanks for the suggestion to split our journey into two before Srinagar.
For Spiti you will need at least 3 days extra and that too for a rushed trip. Better cover Tso Moriri.
Hi Yogesh!
Love to read your blog n inspired a lot to visit Leh. I m planning to visit leh from 1st september to 8th sept 2014 with my wife n 8years old son.
Please help me to plan detail itinary n suggession for clothing.
I m eagarly waiting for your reply.
Mahesh Tiwari
Indore MP
Mahesh are you flying into Leh?
Hi ,
One of my friend suggested ur blog, looks pretty good
How feasible is riding solo to leh …
I take flight to Srinagar …then taxi to Leh
Rent bike in Leh , and move around Nubra Valley —> Panggong Tso—> Sarchu
10 aug – 22 aug
Arunabh no issue at all in traveling alone in Ladakh. I did a 17 day solo ride from Delhi to Ladakh and Zanskar in 2006 and will be heading back there alone in October.
yes I m lending Leh 1st sept morning 9 AM and return flight is 8th sept morning 8AM.
Could you please suggest me sunscreen also. Thank you.
hi everyone i m planning to go to leh on 16th sep, i just want to know is there ice we find on the way.? i need company….9215904599
Sorry. No ice in sep. You may find some on the passes like khardungla, changala or tanglangla or if you are lucky, meet fresh snowfall.
Snowfall can happen in September at high altitude passes and at places like Pangong Tso. However it melts away in a day or so, so if you are lucky, you will get to see it.
Hi! I am travelling Leh for one week on 8th Sep to 16th Sep. Wanted to confirm how would be the temperature cold or rainy? like do i need to take woollens or normals clothes will work? so that i can pack my bag accordingly.
I appreciate your help.
Regards,
Payal
Payal, temperature would be cold, especially at high altitude passes and places like Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso. Rain depends on local forecast and western disturbances at that time. You can go through the checklist here on what to pack, http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/articles-f20/list-essential-things-carry-ladakh-t52773/.
Awesome article Yogesh. What is the weather like in September? Is it too cold? What about rain.
Hi Yogesh Sir,
I am planning to travel Leh in first week of septmeber (5th – 10th) by flight with my wife.
Is it the right time to travel in first week of september.
Is it a good idea to hire a bike and travel to Nubra and Pangong on bike ride. Not much experice
in driving in hilly area.
Is TSO Moriri lake way will be open during this time period ?
How good it is to book a cab to roam around directly in leh instead of doing advance booking from delhi
Weather would be a little cold, apart from that no issue and all routes will be open. First hire a bike for local tour, see if you’re comfortable with it, before taking it to Nubra and Pangong. Booking in advance is a good idea if you want a particular driver, otherwise you can hire after reaching there.
Hi Mr. Yogesh,
Good evening. Hope you are doing well. Got your email ID from your blog.
My friends and me are planning a trip to Leh Ladakh this September. Need your support to resolve few queries for us.
1. Should we start from Leh directly or Srinagar? Is it safe to visit via Srinagar considering the situation in the valley off late? We would be flying from Mumbai.
2. When visiting Nubra valley, is it possible to cover Turtuk the same day? Where should we – Nubra or Turtuk.
3. Is Tso Moriri a must visit? What is the best route to go there?
4. Also planning a rafting from Phe-Nimo. Would the rafting be open during our visit? Is it advisable to book the rafting in advance?
5. Ours is a 8N / 9D trip. What should be the best route to enjoy the visit.
Would really appreciate if you can take out some time from your busy schedule to resolve our apprehensions.
Any other tip you think can help us will also be great.
Kamal, here are the answers to your queries.
1. Better fly directly to Leh. If situation doesn’t improves when you arrive there, it can jeopardize your plan.
2. Turtuk is in Nubra Valley. You can drive directly from Leh to Turtuk, spend the night there and come back to Leh the next day, en route covering Diskit and Hunder. In case you wish to cover Panamik and Warshi, you will need an extra day.
3. It isn’t a must visit, but it is a beautiful lake and comparatively less commercialized than Pangong Tso. Take the Upshi-Chumathang route while going there and take Tso Kar-Tanglang La route while coming back.
4. It should be operational at least till the first half of September.
5. You can follow this itinerary, although it is meant for winter, but the only change you need to do, is to spend the night at Korzok instead of Chumathang and at Spangmik, instead of Tangste. http://www.yogeshsarkar.com/blog/2013/10/21/ladakh-winter-trip-planitinerary/
Dear yogesh, is it advisable to travel to leh from manali on 20-9-16 and return via srinagar on 30-9-16.
While going via Manali shouldn’t be an issue, situation is Srinagar isn’t yet fully stabilized. So keep an eye on the ground situation, before doing that.
we are going with Dwijesh, Thakur Saab, Arvind singh Rawat ,Arjeet Anand and Suraj Singh. Please suggest best bikes
Whichever motorcycles you own. Because if you rent from Delhi or Manali, you will have to park them in Leh and rent from Leh, in order to visit Khardung La, Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso.
HI YOGESH,
DO YOU VISIT JASKAR VALLY AND TASYTARKO LAKE WE TWO FRIENDS ARE GOING TO THIS PLACE INCLUDING LADAKH,SURU VALY ,CHANDRATAL LAKE AND OTHER PLACESE AT LEH &LADAKH FROM 26 SEOT TO 15 OCT BY BOUR WON BYK DELHI TO DELHI.IF U HAVE ANY IDEA PLEASE SHARE
I have done Suru and Zanskar Valley in 2006 & 2007, Spiti in 2007. In mid-October chances of Zanskar Valley and Chandertal closing due to snowfall are quite high. So if you can, try and prepone the trip by a week or two.
Hi Yogesh, This blog is really helpful for people like us going first time. Many useful information is mentioned by you. We are going Leh/Ladakh this coming first week of September in a 12 people group. Every thing is setup for each day. I just have few questions like:-
1, Biker Gloves
2, Rain covers
3, Shoe water-covers protecting from flowing waters on roads
4, Ready to eat food items
5, How much cash in hand required per person
6, Woolen clothes? cold in September?
Hi Yogesh
me and my husband are going to leh on 29 September, can you please tell me something about current whether?
HI yogesh but snow would not be there in september rht?
If there is any snowfall when you’re there, you will get to see snow. Else, no.