High-altitude desert town in Ladakh with an old royal palace and Buddhist monasteries nearby.
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Leh is the main town of Ladakh and the base for almost every trip in the region. People come for the old palace, the hilltop stupa, the monasteries along the Indus valley and the dry mountain scenery. It suits travellers who can give the first day or two to resting, because the town stands at about 3,500 metres.
Trip planner
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| When | What to expect |
|---|---|
| May to June | The tourist season begins. The Srinagar road usually opens by late April or early May and the Manali road by late May. Snow still lies on the high passes and some road stretches are rough. |
| July to September | The main season, with daytime temperatures of about 25 degrees C. Ladakh is a rain-shadow area and gets little rain, though the approach roads through Himachal and Kashmir can be hit by monsoon rain in July and August. September is widely called the best single month. |
| October | Winter sets in and the higher areas get snowfall. The Manali to Leh road usually closes around the second week of October. |
| November to April | Very cold, with night temperatures falling to about minus 15 to minus 20 degrees C. Both highways are closed by snow, so flying is the only way in, and many hotels shut. |
A nine-storey 17th-century royal palace above the old town, built in the style of the Potala in Lhasa and now looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India. The roof gives a wide view of the town and the mountains.
A white-domed Buddhist peace stupa on a hilltop with views over Leh, best at sunrise or sunset. It can be reached by road or by a climb of about 500 steps.
A war memorial and museum run by the Indian Army.
A four-storey stone tower in the old town, modelled on a historic Lhasa mansion, with displays on Leh's old trade links.
A hilltop monastery near the airport, usually the first stop on a local sightseeing round.
The old capital of Ladakh, later turned into a monastery. Its main feature is a 12-metre copper Buddha statue gilded with gold that rises through three floors.
A twelve-storey monastery on a hill above the Indus valley. It holds a 15-metre statue of Maitreya Buddha that covers two floors, the largest of its kind in Ladakh.
A large monastery in a side valley, with a museum of old thangkas, weapons and artefacts and a library of Tibetan manuscripts. Photography is not allowed inside the museum.
Places people usually visit on the same trip, and how long it takes to get between them.
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Private operators run many group road trips and package tours to Leh, mostly starting from Delhi or Manali, with the road-trip season running roughly June to September when the highways are open. The trips opened here cost about Rs 24,000 to Rs 41,000 per person for 8 to 13 days with transport, stay and most meals. No government-run tour page (IRCTC Tourism or a state tourism corporation) could be opened, so none is listed.
| Operator | Trip | From | Length | Price from | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WanderOn Private operator | Group road trip with transport (Manali - Leh - Srinagar) | Delhi | 10 days / 9 nights | ₹40,999 per person Per person from Delhi, triple sharing, as listed on the operator's site on 2026-10-04. The same page also lists an 8-day trip with Delhi-Leh flights from Rs 54,999. | Volvo bus Delhi to Manali and back, tempo traveller or cab on the route, stay, breakfast and dinner, inner line permits, trip captain, medical kit and oxygen cylinder (as stated on the page) |
| Kinghills Travels Private operator | Group tour with transport (Amritsar, Srinagar, Leh, Nubra, Pangong, Manali) | Delhi | 13 days / 12 nights (12 days / 11 nights for July departures) | ₹30,499 per person Delhi to Delhi, per person on shared room basis, as listed on the operator's site on 2026-10-04. Return train to Delhi in AC or sleeper class costs extra. | Coach travel between places, hotels, houseboat and camps, breakfast, lunch and dinner, guided sightseeing (as stated on the page) |
| HPTT by Planman's Group Private operator | Package road tour with vehicle on the Manali - Leh highway | Manali | 8 days / 7 nights | ₹24,000 per person Per person, starts Manali and ends Leh, as listed on the operator's site on 2026-10-04. Travel to Manali and onward from Leh is not included. | Vehicle (Innova Crysta or tempo traveller), hotels, breakfast and dinner, inner line permits and environment fees, oxygen cylinder in vehicle, sightseeing (as stated on the page) |
Checked online on 2026-10-04. A listing here is not a recommendation; we have no tie-up with these operators. Before you pay, check that the operator and its website are genuine, and confirm dates, price and what is included.
| Budget level | Type | Price per night |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Guesthouses and homestays | ₹800 to ₹1,500 |
| Mid-range | Mid-range hotels | ₹2,500 to ₹4,500 |
| Luxury | Boutique and luxury hotels | ₹6,000 to ₹12,000 |
Small local eating places serve thukpa and momos for about 150 to 250 rupees a meal. Tourist restaurants around the bazaar serve Indian and international food at about 400 to 600 rupees a meal.
Vegetarian momos, thukpa and Indian meals are widely listed on menus.
| Budget level | Stay per room | Food per person | Local transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | ₹1,200 | ₹500 | ₹100 per person |
| Mid-range | ₹3,500 | ₹900 | ₹3,000 per vehicle |
| Luxury | ₹9,000 | ₹2,500 | ₹3,500 per vehicle |
Per day. Travel to and from your city is added in the planner above.
No permit is needed for Leh town, the monasteries near it (Thiksey, Hemis and others) or the Manali and Srinagar highways. Indians going on to Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri or Hanle pay an environment fee of 400 rupees, a Red Cross contribution of 50 rupees and a wildlife fee of 20 rupees a day, online at lahdclehpermit.in or at the office in Leh, and should carry the receipt and a photo ID. Foreigners need a Protected Area Permit for those areas, arranged through a registered travel agent in Leh.
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Unless a sight is described as accessible, assume it is not step-free.
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