Leh Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Land

Bus

Local and long-distance public buses leave from several stands at the main bus station, 700m south of the centre (on foot, cut through the bazaar by the Friendship Gate). Double-check times before traipsing down here with your bags.

Local villages

Villages buses tend to leave Leh in the afternoon and return the following morning.

Manali

The road to Manali is officially open from 15 July to 15 September but private buses run until mid-October if the road is clear. The journey takes two cold and gruelling days, and buses stop for the night at Keylong. Travellers heading to Lahaul and Spiti should change at Gramphu.

In season, Himachal Pradesh Tourist Development Corporation (HPTDC; 252297/252095) buses leave at around 4.30am daily; the fare is Rs 1600, including tented accommodation at Keylong. The Himachal Rd Transport Corporation (HRTC) and Jammu & Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (J&KSRTC) offer ordinary buses at the same time for Rs 525 (accommodation in Keylong is extra).

Privately owned buses leave around 3.30am, costing about Rs 1000, including tented accommodation at Keylong (or Sarchu). You can book with any travel agency in Leh.

Nubra valley

Buses to Nubra leave from the Ladakh Bus Operators Cooperative (252792) booth at the main bus stand. There’s an 8am bus to Diskit (Rs 102, six hours) on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, returning the following day at 7am. A single bus to Sumur (Rs 101, 6am) leaves at 6am on Thursday and Saturday only, returning the next morning. Note that groups of less than four may be turned back, even with a Nubra permit.

Western ladakh

Buses to the west of Ladakh leave from the Ladakh Bus Operators Cooperative (252792) at the north end of the main bus station; all services go via Nimmu (Rs 20, one hour) and Basgo (Rs 24, 1¼ hours). To reach destinations west of Khalsi, take any bus from Leh to Kargil or Srinagar.

Kashmir & kargil

The Leh to Srinagar road is usually open from the end of May to early November. The trip takes two days with an overnight stop in Kargil (or occasionally Drass). Buses bound for Srinagar have to clear the pass by 5am, forcing a 2am start from Kargil.

J&KSRTC (252085) buses leave from the government bus stand at the main bus station at 6am for Kargil (ordinary/deluxe Rs 240/320, 10 hours) and Srinagar (Rs 490/620, Monday to Saturday). Book the day before. Private buses to Srinagar (Rs 800) and Kargil (Rs 500) leave from behind the Polo Ground at 5am.

Motorcycle

Several places on Changspa Rd and Main Bazar rent out motorcycles for local exploration, but the only petrol stations are at Leh, Choglamsar, Phyang and Kargil. Always check that you are insured for third-party claims.

Discover Himalaya Adventure (250353; Main Bazar) rents mopeds for Rs 400 per day and various 100cc to 125cc motorcycles for Rs 500 per day.

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Air

The dramatic flight into Leh is the only way to reach Ladakh in winter, but flights may be cancelled at short notice because of bad weather. It can take days to rearrange your booking, so build some flexibility into your plans.

Security at Leh airport is tight and no hand luggage is allowed on flights leaving Leh. You can take your camera and laptop in the cabin, but only if the battery is placed in the hold. If you want aerial photographs of Ladakh, there are no restrictions on cameras on flights into Leh.

Both Indian Airlines (252076; Fort Rd; 10am-1pm & 2-5pm) and Jet Airways (250999; Main Bazar; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, till 3pm Sun) have at least one daily flight between Delhi and Leh (US$170, one hour). Both airlines operate a reduced service in winter. Indian Airlines also flies to Srinagar (US$102, one hour) on Wednesday and Jammu (US$112, 45 minutes) on Friday and Sunday.

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