Ladakh Winter Trip Itinerary

While there are a lot of variables which are still playing out and any itinerary one tries to follow during a winter trip to Ladakh is going to be severely dependent upon the weather as well as the condition of the travelers, I have nonetheless come out with an itinerary for my winter trip to Ladakh.

While designing this itinerary, I have not only kept weather as a consideration, but also accommodation, altitude and to a certain degree, reliability of the routes during that time. Even though I have high hopes of following this itinerary, I also have couple of other ones as backup and I am also planning to keep an open mind and go with the flow, if needed.

So without further adieu, here is my itinerary for the Ladakh Winter Trip:

Day 1: Arrive in Leh via Jetairways’ Flight, take complete rest and maybe go out during afternoon.
Day 2: Sham Valley tour
Day 3: Leh – Chumathang, visiting various monasteries en route.
Day 4: Chumathang – Hanle
Day 5: Hanle
Day 6: Hanle – Tso Moriri – Sumdo/Chumathang
Day 7: Sumdo/Chumathang – Leh
Day 8: Fly back via Jetairways’ Flight

Another possible alternative with slight modification which I am considering is:

Day 1: Arrive in Leh via Jetairways’ Flight, take complete rest and maybe go out during afternoon.
Day 2: Sham Valley tour
Day 3: Leh – Pangong Tso – Leh
Day 4: Leh – Chumathang, visiting various monasteries en route.
Day 5: Chumathang – Hanle
Day 6: Hanle
Day 7: Hanle – Leh
Day 8: Fly back via Jetairways’ Flight

Or

Day 1: Arrive in Leh via Jetairways’ Flight, take complete rest and maybe go out during afternoon.
Day 2: Sham Valley tour
Day 3: Leh – Pangong Tso – Leh
Day 4: Leh – Chumathang – Hanle
Day 5: Hanle
Day 6: Hanle – Leh
Day 7: Monastery circuit
Day 8: Fly back via Jetairways’ Flight

The third variation gives us a little breathing space before our departure and thus ensures that in case of any delays, we wouldn’t end up missing our flights and might just be the plan I finally fix on, with my only reservation being the rather fast stint to Pangong Tso and thus us not being able to do it justice.

Another plan I have in mind, involves a more traditional approach, involving Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso, which also happens to be my “save the money on transport” plan, in case my travel partners aren’t able to make it for some reason.

Of course this is my first winter trip to Ladakh and thus I could be overestimating or overstretching myself with the above itinerary, something which hopefully would either be pointed out by those who have been to Ladakh in winter already or be realized by me, before my trip.

However one thing is certain, this is going to a trip where I get a feel of the extreme winter temperatures and also be my first proper photography trip to the hills and the heaven, Ladakh and would thus entail a slower than usual approach and plenty of stops for photography.