By Shivani Raghuvanshi, Co-Founder, Tour to Dreams

Whenever someone tells me they want to go to Ladakh, my first question isn’t “How many days do you have?”

It’s: “What do you want your Ladakh trip to feel like?” Because after planning trips for a while, I’ve realised that there isn’t one Ladakh itinerary. There are people who want to fly into Leh, explore the famous places, take beautiful pictures and come back. There are people who want to spend ten days on a bike, riding through empty roads with nothing but mountains around them. And then there are people who hear about places like Umling La, Zanskar and Changthang and immediately say, “Okay, let’s do that.”

So if Ladakh is on your list, these are five very different ways you can experience it.

1. Only Leh – For Your First Taste of Ladakh

If you’ve never been to Ladakh before, honestly, you don’t have to start with an extreme bike trip. Sometimes the best way to experience a place for the first time is to slow down. Fly into Leh, spend a couple of days getting used to the altitude and then explore around the region.

You can visit Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and the beautiful monasteries around Leh. Then, once you’ve acclimatised, you can head towards Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake.

What I like about this route is that you get the classic Ladakh experience without spending every waking hour on a bike. You can wake up slowly, have breakfast, explore, stop for chai whenever you want and actually enjoy where you are.

And please don’t underestimate the importance of acclimatisation. I know the excitement of landing in Leh and wanting to immediately start exploring is real, but Ladakh will still be there tomorrow. Give your body time.

I would choose this route if You’re travelling to Ladakh for the first time, you’re going with family or you’re travelling with friends who aren’t experienced high-altitude riders.

2. Manali to Srinagar – When the Road Is the Whole Point

This is the kind of trip I personally find difficult to say no to. Manali to Srinagar isn’t just a Ladakh trip. It’s a road trip through the Himalayas. You start in Manali and slowly make your way towards the high-altitude landscapes of Ladakh before continuing towards Kargil and Srinagar and the best part is watching the landscape change.

You leave the green valleys around Manali behind, then the mountains become more barren, the roads become quieter, the air gets thinner. You pass through places like Jispa and Sarchu, reach Leh, and from there the journey can continue towards Nubra, Pangong and eventually towards the Kargil – Srinagar side.

Depending on the route and current road conditions, you can also build in places like Hanle or Umling La. There are days when you’ll ride for hours and barely see another vehicle. There are moments when you’ll stop simply because the view in front of you is too beautiful to ignore and there will probably be at least one moment when everyone gets off their bikes, stands silently and says, “Damn, this is actually happening.” That’s the beauty of a Himalayan road trip.

I would choose this route if You’re someone who doesn’t mind long riding days and would rather spend your holiday on a bike than beside a hotel pool.

3. Leh to Leh in 8 Days – Including Umling La

Now this one is for the people who don’t want an ordinary Ladakh trip. Leh to Leh in 8 days, including Umling La, is intense. But that’s exactly why people choose it. The route can take you through some of the most spectacular parts of eastern Ladakh, with a circuit that can include Nubra, Pangong, Hanle, Umling La and Tso Moriri before returning to Leh, and then there’s Umling La. Standing at more than 5,800 metres, it is one of the highest motorable roads in the world. But honestly, the altitude sign isn’t what stays with you. It’s everything around it. The empty roads. The brown and purple mountains. The unbelievable silence. The feeling that you’re riding somewhere very few people ever get to see.

I remember when we first started talking about routes like this at Tour to Dreams, the biggest attraction wasn’t just “highest motorable road.” It was the idea of going somewhere that felt genuinely remote. But this is also where I would tell you not to underestimate Ladakh. You cannot treat Umling La like another sightseeing point.

Acclimatisation matters. Your body needs time to adjust to the altitude, and your itinerary needs to respect that.

I would choose this route if You’ve already travelled in the mountains, you’re comfortable with long rides and you want a proper adventure rather than a relaxed holiday.

4. Zanskar – When You Want to Get Away From the Usual Ladakh

There’s a point where you’ve seen enough Instagram pictures of Pangong Lake. You start looking for something quieter, That’s when I’d tell you about Zanskar.

Zanskar feels different from the Ladakh most people know. It’s rawer. Quieter. More remote.

The landscape is huge, the villages feel incredibly isolated and the roads can be challenging. Depending on the route and season, you can explore places around Padum, Zangla, Karsha, Phuktal, Pensi La and Suru Valley.

And this is the kind of trip where I wouldn’t recommend planning every hour. Leave some room for the unexpected. A road taking longer than expected. A village you weren’t planning to stop at. A monastery that makes you want to stay longer. A landscape that forces you to pull over simply because you can’t believe what you’re seeing.

That’s how I think Zanskar should be experienced.

I would choose this route if You’ve already done the popular Ladakh circuit and you’re looking for something more remote and less touristy.

5. Extended Changthang Loop – For People Who Want the Remote Ladakh

And then there’s Changthang.

If someone tells me they’ve already done Leh, Nubra and Pangong and asks, “What next?” This is one of the routes I’d talk about. The Changthang region is enormous and incredibly remote. An extended loop can connect places around Pangong, Hanle, Tso Moriri, Tso Kar and other parts of eastern Ladakh, depending on the route and current access permissions.

This isn’t the Ladakh where you’re constantly looking for the next café. There are stretches where there’s just road. Mountain, Sky and silence.

You may pass nomadic settlements, see kiang in the distance, stop beside a completely empty lake or find yourself riding for kilometres without seeing another person.

And that’s exactly why I love it. Sometimes travel isn’t about collecting places. Sometimes it’s about experiencing space. Changthang gives you that.

I would choose this route if You’re an experienced rider, you have the time and you want to see the side of Ladakh that most first-time visitors never reach.

So, Which Ladakh Route Is Actually for You?

One Last Thing Before You Plan – Ladakh is beautiful, but it isn’t an easy destination.

Altitude, weather and road conditions can change quickly. Routes such as Umling La, Zanskar and Changthang can also be affected by seasonal access and local permissions. So before you book anything, check the current road conditions, permits and local advisories, and give yourself enough time to acclimatise. Especially if you’re going to the really high places. There’s no trophy for reaching Umling La while feeling terrible. The mountains aren’t going anywhere. Take your time. Ride safely. Stop when you want to. And look up from the road once in a while.

Because that’s the thing about Ladakh. You go there thinking you’re going to see the mountains and somewhere along the way, the mountains make you see yourself a little differently.

Maybe that’s why we keep going back.

— Shivani Raghuvanshi
Co-Founder, Tour to Dreams