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Tourist Information
How
to Get There:
ROAD JOURNEYS
The main overland
approach to Ladakh is from the Kashmir Valley via the 434 km Drinagar-Leh
road which remains open for traffic from early June to November. The most
dramatic part of this road journey is the ascent up the 11,500 feet / 3,505
m high Zoji-la, the pass in the Great Himalayan Wall that serves as the
gateway to Ladakh. The J&K State Road Transport Corporation (J&K
SRTC) operates regular Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Srinagar and
Leh on this route with an overnight halt at Kargil. Taxis (cars and jeeps
)are also available at Srinagar for the journey. Groups can charter Deluxe
and A-class buses for Leh, Kargil or Padum (Zanskar) for the J&K SRTC at
Srinagar.
Since 1989, the 473 km Manali-Leh road has been serving
as the second land approach to Ladakh. Open for traffic from around mid-June
to early October, this high road traverses the upland desert plateau to
Rupshu whose altitude ranges from 3,660 m to 4,570m.
A number of
high passes fall en route among which the highest one, known as Taglang-la,
is the world's second highest motorable pass at an altitude of 17,469 feet/
5,325m. H.P. Tourism, H.P. STRC and J&K SRTC operate Deluxe and Ordinary
bus services between Manali and Leh. The bus journey between Leh and Manali
takes about 19 hours or two days with an overnight halt in camps at Serchu
or Pang. Gypsy and jeep jeep taxis are also available, both at Manali and
Leh.
AIR TRAVEL
Indian Airlines operates regular
scheduled flight to Leh from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar. Some
private airlines are also planning to operate air services between Delhi and
Leh in the near future.
INTERNAL TRANSPORT
The
cheapest way to travel within the region is by public buses which play on
fixed routes according to fixed time schedules. The most comfortable and
convenient though expensive mode of travel, however, is by taxes (car,
Gypsy), which are available for hire on fixed point-to-point tariff. For
visits to the newly opened areas of Nubra, Changthang and Dah-Hanu, it is
mandatory to engage the services of a registered/ recognized travel agency
for making all the requisite arrangements including internal transport.
Detailed information about bus schedules, taxi tariff, travel agencies, etc.
can be obtained from the Tourist Office.
