Feel The Essence Of Ladakh Package
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Summer is now over, and winter is building up in Ladakh in October. Cold winds make life very difficult, and some areas of Ladakh start to receive snowfall. It would not be the best choice to visit Ladakh during this month. It is due to the inconveniences that are associated with the shallow temperatures of the winter.
The transition from warm weather to freezing one brings with it a lot of problems. After the first half of October, some areas witness snowfall that causes road blockages. The highway from Manali to Leh gets closed for tourists. It remains full of snow, and only necessary vehicles are allowed to move. However, you can still have access to Leh in the first half of the month. You can visit Ladakh by road via Srinagar. The journey is not the safest, but it is undoubtedly adventurous.
If you have intentions of visiting Ladakh in October, you need to be very careful and devise a plan for your trip. In this guide, we will help you prepare a program that will include all the stuff you need and a suggested itinerary for you. With this guide, we will try to help you make the most out of your trip to Ladakh and make it a memorable one.
Some routes may remain closed, but tourism in Leh and other parts of Ladakh remains open. The safest choice for you to make would be to travel by air. The airport in Leh remains functional even in the harshest of weather conditions. With the right plan, you can visit as many locations as possible without any hassle. Ladakh is an iconic place with the most magnificent mountain scenery. In Ladakh, adventure activities like rafting, hiking, and motor-biking are the options you can enjoy.
If you have never been to Ladakh before, do not plan a trip in October. Make sure that you have already visited the place at least once before going on a road trip in October. If there is rain or snow, the roads may face blockages, and there are chances of landslides and other obstacles. During October, air travel will be the best option as it is the safest and remains functional throughout the year.
Suggested Read: Things to do in Ladakh in October
If you are not comfortable at higher altitudes, make it a point before you start your trip to Ladakh in October. Try to spend the first few days of your journey in the lower altitudes and then move up towards the higher elevations. If you are taking the air route, it will not be a problem, but when traveling by road, try to keep that in mind.
If you are planning a road trip to Ladakh, prepare yourself physically. If you have lived in a lower elevation for most of your life, you will find it very difficult to adapt to the atmospheric conditions in Ladakh. As you go up towards higher elevations, it is a possibility that you might suffer from Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Being physically fit and adaptive to the regional conditions is a pre-requisite to sustain mountain sickness.
You will require inner-line permits if you want to visit remote places. These places are not very comfortable to visit and therefore, the authorities allow only the people with permits to go there. You can avail of the licenses from the District Magistrate’s office in Leh. Carry your Identity card and provide a medical fitness certificate to get these permissions. Once you have them, make photocopies of the permits you get. You will have to show them at check-posts.
If you are heading on a road trip to Ladakh, make sure to provide the details of your itinerary to your family members or friends. The roads in Ladakh are not too safe for amateurs, and you might face a lot of problems. Therefore, your family should know about your whereabouts so that, in any case, they can be in contact with you.
Be psychologically and physically be prepared for the cold weather in Ladakh in October. It is because temperatures may fall to unexpected levels. The snowstorms may begin during this month in many regions. Take heavy warm clothes along with you. Consider wearing woollen sweaters in layers with a heavy and thick windproof jacket on top with a woollen cap and gloves to prevent your ears and hands from getting cold. Try to avoid an early morning ride on your trips. The temperatures during the morning and night are severe, and avoiding these times for traveling is necessary. Consider doing outdoor activities during the day.
Having too many expectations in an October visit to Ladakh may hurt you. It is because the conditions may not allow for full enjoyment in this place. Though you will be able to visit the main tourist destinations, you may have to limit yourself to covering Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong and Tso Moriri only. The other interior and remote parts may remain inaccessible due to snowfall that blocks the roads for days. Though the authorities clear the snow as soon as possible. But if you get stranded between two road blockages, it may not be an excellent experience for you.
With so much discussion on weather conditions in Ladakh during October, it becomes easy to figure out the nature of the place during this season. When you are traveling by road, you are more susceptible to delays and therefore need buffer days much more than those traveling by air. Though the snowfall is not very intense, and conditions are manageable with proper planning, experiencing delays may be much familiar in your journey due to the climatic change that makes the whole experience unpredictable. Therefore, include at least two buffer days in your itinerary with the budget to be on the safer side while touring Ladakh.
As earlier said, do not over schedule your itinerary as a lot of limiting factors will be there in accessing most of the tourist sites. If possible, just keep your plan limited to Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Lake, and Tso Moriri. Including a lot of activities in your itinerary may result in crushed expectations that can hurt. Keep it simple and be comfortable. Stay satisfied with your plan and cover only essential destinations. If possible, keep your journey limited to the first ten days of the month. Towards the end of October, winter starts taking its full shape, with temperatures falling too low.
Public transport is generally not available in October in Leh Ladakh; this is because of most of the travel companies, wind-up early in October. It may be impossible for you to find public transport by road. However, Srinagar route remains functional in October and cars with proper clearance will comfortably take you to Leh.
Visiting meadows filled with layers of snow is a pleasant experience. In October, Ladakh experiences some snow during the month. You can also experience snowfall in some of the low-lying areas of Ladakh. The mountains peaks have sheets of snow on them. If you are lucky enough to spot snowfall, the trip will be an enjoyable one for you.
October is the end of the tourist season, and the number of tourists dramatically reduces because of the inconvenience caused by the cold environment. Therefore, making an October visit to Ladakh will give you enough access to the tourist sites with less crowd. It may be among the reasons some tourists choose October over other months to have some peaceful time to themselves with less traffic.
Reduced number of tourists translates into less competition for utilities in accommodation centres and other areas. These few numbers give chances for better negotiation of prices with the service providers; the remaining operational centres rely plainly on the small number of tourists as clients to their services. However, it is not always right about Ladakh, and things may differ according to the conditions.
Ice on Ladakh’s roads in October, together with the blocked sections of the routes, will be enough to give you an adventurous experience from your journey. Skiing and winter treks are also daring and adventurous activities that are available during October in some regions.
Most of the interior parts of Leh Ladakh remain inaccessible and therefore limit your chances of getting to the remote places with hidden beauty. It may be a turn off for some people who seek adventure.
The varying temperatures may be hard for some people to put up with and, therefore, make the experience a bitter one during a tour to Leh Ladakh in October.
We suggest you keep your October visit short, and here is a sample itinerary that you can follow. For any unwanted circumstances, make sure to keep buffer days in your course.
Day 01 – Arrive in Leh and rest till the time you are comfortable.
Day 02 – Day tour to Lamayuru; drive back to Leh for your overnight stay.
Day 03 – Day tour to Diskit; overnight stay in Diskit.
Day 04 – Return from Diskit to Leh.
Day 05 – Tour to Pangong Tso followed by overnight stay near Pangong Lake.
Day 06 – Drive back to Leh; overnight stay in Leh hotel.
Day 07 – Full-day trip to Tso Moriri; overnight stay near the lake.
Day 08 – Drive back to Leh; overnight stay at the Leh hotel.
Day 09 – Departure from Leh; end of tour.
October does not remain a very favourable month to visit Leh Ladakh. If by any means, you have the option to visit during other months, it will be better that you postpone your trip. However, if you have to make an October trip to Leh Ladakh, then ensure that you put up with the recommendations in this article to remain safe all through your touring experience.
Ensure that you have enough warmers in your bag pack and buffer days (two to three extra days) during your trip. Remember that even via air travel, you will need to have some buffer days for any emergency or delay either in the roads or flight cancellations due to a lack of enough bookings. These are crucial factors to consider when making an October trip to Leh Ladakh.
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