Shortest Road Trip – Manali to Manali

Day 1 – Reach Manali

Arrive at Manali from your source

Day 2 – Manali to Jispa

Although because of the Atal Tunnel, the distance from Manali to Leh has reduced considerably and one can think easily doing Manali-Leh in a day if we start very early, but I would still suggest that we take it easy for the sake of Acclimatization. Manali to Leh route is a route full of mountain passes and a traveller even reaches a height of >5000mts and hence it is advised to take it easy for the first couple of days.

Somewhere between Sissu & Keylong

First, we start towards the famous Atal Tunnel from where we enter the Lahaul Valley at Sissu. We then cross through beautiful landscapes to reach Tandi which is known for the confluence of rivers Chandra and Bhaga which join at Tandi to form the mighty Chenab. From there we reach Keylong and then Jispa. Jispa is a small settlement on Manali-Leh highway known for its natural beauty.

Day 3 – Jispa to Leh

This day is a dream come true for Road Trip lovers with some of the best driving terrains and landscapes awaiting ahead. You get to cover 4 high mountain passes, Baralachala , Lachulung La, Nakeela and Taglangla. We even get to witness Suraj Tal, Deepak Tal the origin of the Bhaga river, and get to drive on the fabledGata Loos

Sarchu; Manali-Leh Highway

Day 4 – Leh& Around

This Day is supposed to be a rest and an acclimatization day. But don’t think that there is nothing to do. You have enough to explore in and around Leh that you may feel short of time. Some of the places that you can explore are Namgyal Tsemo Monastery, Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace, Thiksey Monastery, Shey Palace and SEMCOL (3 Idiots) School etc. You may also plan to visit the legendary ‘Sham Valley’, the confluence of the Zanskar- Indus Rivers, which is also the world’s highest river rafting point, Experience the world-famous Hall of fame and learn more about the Indo-Pak wars and the martyrs and Visit the Magnetic Hill. While returning to Leh, you can also enjoy delicious langar at Gurudwara Pathar Sahib

Birds Eye as clicked from Shey Palace, Leh

Day 5 – Leh to Nubra Via Khardungla

we start your travel towards the Khardungla pass which is situated at ~5359 mts/18390 feet is the Khardungla Pass, which also happens to be the highest point of our trip. From Khardungla we enter into Nubra Valley

Here you can explore Diskit village, the headquarter village of Nubra Valley, and the Gompa on the hilltop there. Nubra is also land to Camel Safari and Sand Dunes at Hunder.

Or if time permits, you may drive towards Turtuk which is a border village that was recaptured by the Indian Army in 1971. This village is inhabited by Balti Muslims.

View of the Diskit Monastery with the Gigantic Open-air Buddha Statue in Nubra Valley.

Day 6 – Nubra to Pangong

From Nubra, you can take the direct route for your destination Pangong Lake (situated at ~4224mts/14, 500 ft above sea level) via Shayok and on to Tang Tse and Spangmik(Pangong). The route follows the Shyok river and then climbs up a mountain before finally descending into Shyok village. We tend to reach Pangong by afternoon.

Pangong Lake

Day 7 – Pangong to Pang/Sarchu

This would be a long day and you should plan to leave early. From Pangong, you head towards Leh and from a place called Karu, instead of going towards Leh you turn towards Manali on Leh-Manali highway, and then it would be the same way back as on Day 3. You should ideally plan to reach Sarchu by day end as it is a better place to stay as compared to Pang and should be best avoided (IMO).

Near Pang, Manali-LehHigway.

Day 8 – Pang/Sarchu to Manali

This would be your last day of travel and we continue back on the same Leh-Manali highway. End the day at Manali with a walk on the Mall Road or a Relaxed evening hopping into the cafes of Old Manali.

Please note that the recommended itinerary is one of the shortest Itineraries for doing a road trip to Ladakh and may be tweaked further in many ways. However, one thing that I would urge the readers to not do is, reduce this itinerary further if they want to go by road. It is very important to take acclimatisation seriously and just touching and coming back doesn’t do justice to heaven like Ladakh.

How to Reach Manali & Then Leh

By Air – Although there is an airport at Leh, it becomes redundant to this post as we are talking of a road trip and hence will only be talking about reaching Manali by air.

The closest airport to Manali is Bhuntar (In Kullu Distt). You can fly to Bhuntar and then reach Manali by a Taxi. People coming from parts other than North India, can fly to Chandigarh or Delhi too and then carry the rest of the journey on road.

By road – Manali is easily accessible by road. The most common and the shortest route from Delhi is Delhi-Ambala-Banur-Ropar-Kiratpur Sahib-Swarghat-Bilaspur-Sundernagar-Mandi-Kullu-Manali.

Then from Manali, you need to follow the same route as mentioned in the itinerary above.

If you aren’t travelling by your own vehicle, you can hire a Taxi* or a self-drive Bike** for Leh.

Please note that if hiring a taxi or a bike from Manali you can only travel till Leh and from Leh onwards, you will have to hire a local (Leh regd.) taxi/bike only.