Leh reachable only by air in winter
The only two ways to travel to Leh are by air and by road. The two main highways to Ladakh-the Manali-Leh highway and the Srinagar-Leh highway are closed during winter. Hence travelling by air is the only option. There are daily morning flights from Delhi to Leh. Travelling from Bengaluru meant I had to stay overnight in Delhi.
Where to stay in Leh
Most budget hotels and homestays remain closed in winter. Very few hotels remain open in winter – the ones that are open may not have heating facility. The Grand Dragon and Zen Ladakh do have heating facility. Abduz also looked like a fairly big hotel. I had planned to stay 3 nights in Zen and 2 nights in Grand Dragon but since my initial 3 days in Zen were good, I decided to continue there itself. Zen is the only hotel with a heated pool but it is closed in winter, and so is the steam room.
A standard room per night in Zen costs about INR 5k and INR 8k in Grand Dragon in winter. With breakfast. For the facilities and service, these are just about reasonable. The rates more than double during peak tourist season. But there is lack of choice when it comes to good quality accommodation, in Leh or outside Leh.
I also considered staying in a monastery for a night or two. The initial though excited me. But gave up on realising that monasteries do not have the facilities that I have got used to. The monks live an austere life!
Good accomodation unlikely outside Leh in winter
Accommodation outside Leh is mainly homestays and smaller hotels. I was told only Nubra valley may have some decent accommodation but I decided not to take any chance. Beyond the bigger hotels in Leh, availability of flush toilets and heaters is uncertain elsewhere. I stuck to Leh, making day trips to Khardung La pass and Pangong lake. Kept one day buffer and that turned out to be a good decision.
But if you are spending the first 2-3 days in Leh, your hotel will help you book accommodation elsewhere, if needed.
Ladakh is relatively expensive overall
Relatively, Ladakh is an expensive destination mainly because of lack of adequate choice. Starting from air travel(a Delhi-Leh journey of 75 minutes costs more than Delhi-Bengaluru journey of 135 minutes), hotel accommodation in Leh(a 3/4 star hotel accomodation costs more than average 5 star hotel accommodation in Bengaluru) to monopolistic charges for taxi(a 3 kms ride to airport costs 50% of a 40 km ride to airport in Bengalure-INR 500 vs INR 1,000).
Food in regular hotels is slightly overpriced, though there are cheaper options outside(mainly in summer). Given the hygiene requirements, I am anyway more comfortable eating in a regular hotel and paying more. The average cost for a couple would easily be INR 1,000 per meal, excluding drinks.
Finally, a day for acclimatization and another 1-2 days buffer means you need a minimum of a week in Ladakh. A quick in and out kind of scenario is not advisable.
Self drive or taxi? Prefer local taxis
I did not check if one can rent a car for self drive. In any case, given the patchy internet connectivity, it may be better to avoid self drive, especially in winter, when roadside dhabas, tea houses are all shut. Also, without experience of driving on snow/ice, with or without snowchain, self drive should not be attempted on mountain roads.
Taxi rates are fixed for various routes by the Ladakh Taxi Union and the average comes to INR 30 per km. Rates for smaller cars like maruti van are the cheapest, while Innova costs more. Maruti van is good enough for local sightseeing and nearby areas but for longer distances and travel through mountain passes, SUV or MUV like Innova, XUV or Scorpio should be preferred. Check out this link for rate details which are revised every year.
https://www.ladakhtaxiunion.com/index.html
Condition of roads
The roads were in fairly decent condition, in Leh and outside. Of course there were patches of non-existing road, more due to external weather conditions(landslides, avalanche).
The roads are built and maintained by Border Roads Organisation. Along the trunk routes, signposts have very interesting ‘nuggets’-
- Better Mr. Late than late Mr.
- Drinking Whiskey Driving risky
- Hurry and Worry go together
- If married divorce speed
- Check your nerves on my curves
Some of them are just hilarious. There were a lot more but I did not write them down and my memory now is not helpful in recollecting most of them.
Weather in winter
When I landed in Leh around 9am in the first week of February, the temperature was -10 degrees Celsius! Winters can be very harsh in Ladakh, with temperatures often dropping to -40 degrees Celsius in the night, and day temperatures below freezing point at all times. Assuming you are not going to step out after late evening, be prepared to combat temperatures of upto -20 degrees Celsius. On sunny days, it did feel nice to stand in the sun but within few minutes, I would start feeling a bit uncomfortable. It is easier to spend some time outdoors when the weather is a bit cloudy and not windy.
Read more on dressing up for cold weather.
Winter lasts from November to March, with December and January being the coldest. The tourist season normally begins in May and lasts till October, also coinciding with the opening of the Manali-Leh and Sringar-Leh highways.
Keep buffer for unpredictable road blocks
A day or two of buffer is a must as some of the roads may be blocked because of snowfall. One of the days, I was travelling to Pangong lake and my car got stuck in snow just before Chang La pass. It was very cold and windy, with light snow falling. Took about 45 minutes to free the car but as soon as we crossed Chang La pass, the road was blocked due to an avalanche. The locals at Chang La asked us to return to Leh and not go further as it was windy and they were certain more snow would get deposited on the roads. I heeded their advice and returned to Leh.
It was a good thing because the next day, I was on way to Pangong Lake again and learnt that several vehicles got stuck between Chang La and Durbuk. I was indeed lucky else my car would have certainly got stuck in the middle of nowhere on the return journey. Trust the locals to provide correct inputs!
I also learnt that diesel freezes in sub zero temperatures, when the engine is not running and understood the importance of carrying a shovel and snowchains. That is why local drivers are a must in winter.
I wondered how the drivers/passengers pass the night in freezing temperatures. My driver told me they would normally walk to the nearest army camp. Now even that is a difficult task, as I observed while walking for only 5 minutes near Chang La pass.
Coping with high altitudes
Given the high altitudes, certain initial precautions are necessary to enjoy your vacation. Click to read more.
Obtaining Inner Line/Protected Area permits for Ladakh
Visiting many of the popular areas of Ladakh such as Pangong lake, Tso Moriri, Khardung La, Nubra valley and now Siachin base camp requires a permit. Even for Indian citizens. Can be easily obtained online. Read more.
Internet connectivity
Internet connectivity was a bit poor. The WiFi in hotel was very patchy and the data connection on my phone too did not work well. Not that I missed internet but those of you who take internet connectivity for granted, please note. And do as much home work as possible before going to Ladakh.
Cash is king
Cash is king in Ladakh. Hotels would normally have credit card option but for other expenses, including taxi, cash is required. There are ATMs in Leh but best to carry some cash from home.