Indian food is highly regarded and there is ample chance to try various Ladakhi favourites, which is influenced by Silk Road traders from Tibet and China. Don’t miss the delicious and popular snacks – momos (dumplings). Also try: thukpa, a clear vegetable soup with noodles and often mutton or chicken; tingmo (pronounced tee-mo), steamed bread eaten with dal; and a favourite found in most restaurants, chutagi, a thick soup of local vegetables and bow tie-shaped pieces of dough cooked in the broth (also served with meat).

Allow at least 1,600-2,000 rupees (approximately US$20-US$25) per day for lunch and dinner (where not included). You can eat out very cheaply in India, but if you go to the more expensive restaurants most of the time, you will spend more than the suggested amount. Please note, service in restaurants can be quite slow. Tea and soft drinks are very cheap. A (large) bottle of beer is approximately 300 rupees (approximately US$4).

While camping, the staff will bring a hot drink (usually tea) to your tent each morning. When you reach camp in the afternoon, tea and biscuits are served. At breakfast, dinner and in the afternoons, there is a choice of hot drinks. Breakfasts typically include cereal, toast and jam, eggs and porridge. Lunch on trek is usually served as a picnic en route (except on shorter days when it is in camp). Lunch and dinner typically include soup to start, followed by a variety of hot dishes (both local and Western) such as potatoes/chips, vegetables, curry, pasta, rice, dal and paneer (cottage cheese). At dinner, a dessert such as tinned fruit and custard, fritters or cake is also served.

Please note, although some meals include meat, it is not as readily available while camping.

Drinking water

Staying hydrated is important when undertaking any physical activity but particularly so at altitude where it is generally recommended to drink at least 3-4 litres per person per day.

We strongly encourage you not to buy bottled water as this contributes to the growing problem of plastic pollution in Ladakh. In Leh, there is a shop called Dzomsa that sells safe drinking water. Your leader will show you where this is on your first day in Leh. The Leh hotel provides safe filtered drinking water.

During the trek, the cooks will collect and boil drinking water from the mountain streams and fill up your water bottles for you, but you may need to collect water during the day and may wish to use your own water purification treatment as well.

We recommend you bring a reusable bottle/water bladder/Camelpak (ideally two) and use an effective form of water treatment. There are a wide range of products available including Steripens or purification tablets or drops, which are the quickest and easiest options to use on trek – we recommend talking to an outdoor retailer for the latest advice as technologies are improving all the time. Make sure to check the product’s performance in cold/freezing conditions and consider battery life (lithium batteries are best in cold conditions).

Claim a window seat for a sensational flight over the Himalaya, where serrated ridgelines and snowfields stretch to the horizon. As the aircraft threads between giants, the snowbound ranges of Zanskar and Ladakh come into view and the air grows startlingly clear.

On approach to Leh, look for the braided Indus Valley unfurling beneath you, dotted with whitewashed stupas and orchards. This breathtaking arrival frames the scale and remoteness of the landscapes you’re about to explore on foot.

Join an easy orientation walk through Leh’s old lanes and lively Leh bazaar. Pass butter-lamp shops and spice counters, hear prayer wheels hum outside roadside shrines, and pause by fluttering prayer flags as your leader points out landmarks, cashpoints, and great spots to try momos.

Learn how Tibetan, Central Asian, and Indian influences shaped Ladakhi life, from monastic traditions to apricot orchards. Your leader also outlines altitude tips and kit expectations, ensuring you feel ready for the trek ahead.

Explore hilltop Thikse Monastery, a vast Gelug complex whose white tiers echo a miniature Potala. Step into the Maitreya temple to contemplate the serene Maitreya (Future) Buddha, framed by murals and butter lamps that glow against timber beams.

Continue to Shey Palace, once the seat of Ladakhi kings, and admire its centuries-old copper-gilt statue of the Buddha. Views sweep over fertile fields towards the Indus, offering a vivid sense of Ladakh’s Buddhist heartland and royal past.

Ascend by jeep to travel over Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes on Earth. Hairpins climb through a moonscape of scree and ice to a stark, high plateau where the air thins and horizons expand.

At the prayer-flagged summit, breathe in views across the Ladakh range to the far-off Karakoram. Hear stories of Silk Road caravans that once crossed these routes before you drop into the hidden oasis of the Nubra Valley.

Visit Diskit Monastery, Nubra’s oldest gompa (c. 1420) of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect. Wander past prayer wheels and assembly halls scented with juniper, where ancient thangkas and masks reveal the valley’s monastic lineage.

Walk to the giant 32m Maitreya Buddha, whose gilded gaze looks over dunes and poplar groves. This modern icon provides a striking contrast to Diskit’s medieval chambers—and a superb vantage for photographs across the valley floor.

Stroll the pale ripples of the Hundar sand dunes, a rare cold desert framed by snow-dusted peaks. In the soft light, meet the double-humped Bactrian camels that echo the era of trans-Himalayan trade, their shaggy coats adapted to the high-altitude climate.

Learn how local conservation efforts protect these herds while you pause for photos and reflection amid poplar groves and seabuckthorn. Late-day hues and long shadows make this one of Nubra’s most atmospheric scenes.

Begin the Nubra Valley trek at Hundar Gompa, following a broad track as cliffs narrow into a spectacular gorge. The path rises gently beside willow and poplar, the river murmuring below as peaks stack layer upon layer ahead.

Break by a droksa (shepherd camp) before continuing to Wachan, where poplars give welcome shade and the valley opens. Settle into a wild camp near the confluence and soak up the hush of Ladakh’s high country.

Trace shepherds’ trails from the last hamlets into empty high valleys, climbing toward Snia Sumdo and the Thanglasgo pastures. The route crosses moraine fans and rivulets amid high pastures grazed by yak and dzo, with vast skies arching overhead.

Scan for marmots and blue sheep along scree slopes while summer camps dot the meadows. Evenings bring wild camping, star-dense night skies, and the profound quiet that defines Ladakh’s remote interior.

Undertake an acclimatisation hike on moraine paths to a string of turquoise glacial lakes. The thin, crisp air sharpens every color—the slate of rock, the silver of grasses, the blue mirrored in wind-rippled water.

Pause at lakeshores where unnamed peaks reflect in perfect stillness, and discuss pacing, hydration, and layering with your leader. This flexible outing, with time for a picnic and photography, builds confidence for higher passes ahead.

Steadily cross the Lasermo La, climbing from alpine meadows onto rubble and ice, fitting microspikes to traverse glacial moraine. The final pull reaches a crest of prayer flags where the wind carries the scent of juniper and the world opens wide.

From the saddle, savour views to the Karakoram and Ladakh ranges before descending to the grassy pastures of Morubuk. It’s a demanding, rewarding day that forms the literal and emotional high point of the trek.

Visit cliff-side Phyang Monastery, a major center of the Drikung Kagyu school with richly painted halls and thangkas glowing in butter-lamp light. Monks’ chants reverberate through timber pillars as windows frame the broad valley below.

Amble down among barley fields and mani walls, greeting villagers and watching water channels feed orchards. Views sweep toward the Stok range, offering a contemplative close to days spent among Ladakh’s high, silent spaces.

Taste the capital’s bold flavours at a convivial group welcome dinner, where you’ll meet your Tour Director and fellow trekkers. Sample North Indian classics—fresh tandoori breads, fragrant curries, zingy chutneys—while your leader sets the tone for high-altitude adventure and answers practical questions.

Gain insider tips on Delhi and Ladakh’s culture and etiquette, from temple visits to local markets. This relaxed evening helps you settle into India’s rhythm before flying north into the mountains during your time in Ladakh.