Last post was
what to expect in Leh and in October and what to pack. It's time for actual itinerary wise posts :D
Travel package:
Our travel package was from Travel Triangle's
Lazy Yatra. It costed us 23K per person for 7 days and 6 nights. Flight tickets costed us 15K per person being in Hyderabad. Travel agencies suggested to make the trip before second half of October to avoid adverse weather conditions. Flight ticket costs were cheaper in October(as compared to a busy tourist season like June). Our flight from Hyderabad was to Leh via Delhi.
We have chosen
bike ride for two days out of the 7 days.
Itinerary:
Be it any travel agency, you will mostly have a free day on the first and last days. Day 1 is to get acclimatized and it is suggested to stay in hotel and rest. The maximum adventure suggested at your insistence would be to just walk to the nearby places. Last day would be just flight day - returning to your home, as flights start early from Leh.
Leh is in Ladakh region(Kargil is also part of Ladakh). Leh itinerary generally includes places within the Leh city and nearby places. Kargil wasn't part of our package, as things aren't quite well with curfews in Kashmir. Including Kargil may add two more days to your itinerary.
Following is
my itinerary:Day 1: Early flight to Leh, Acclimitization, Leh market(walk) ( Stay: Sangaylay, Leh)
Day 2: Shanti Stupa, Hall of Fame, Leh Palace, Spituk Monastery (Bike) ( Stay: Yasmin, Leh)
Day 3: Khardungla, Nubra valley, Diskit Monastery, Hunder sanddunes (car) ( Stay: DE Nubra camping, Nubra Valley)
Day 4: Pangong lake and view points (car) ( Stay: Pangong Residency, near Pangong lake)
Day 5: Changla, Thiksey Monastery, 3 idiots school, Shey Palace (car) ( Stay: Yasmin, Leh)
Day 6: Sangam, Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara, Alchi Monastery (bike) ( Stay: Yasmin, Leh)
Day 7: Early flight to home
Day 1: Early flight to Leh, Acclimitization, Leh market(walk)
We reached Leh at 11.30 AM. The flight journey started amazing with sunrise and ended with beautiful snow capped mountains just before landing in Leh. We met our guide and driver, Kelsang at the airport. He dropped us at our hotel,
Sangaylay. Generally hotels would be nearer to the market and most of them had beautiful gardens.
We walked around little bit, had lunch at hotel, took a nap and then headed to market in the evening.
Leh Market:
Leh Market looks like the MG Marg of Gangtok. It has lot of shops and some of them belong to Tibetan refugees. All the shops will have the same stuff, which is summarized well by this shop name :
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| Same same but different |
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| All you need to buy a husband |
Products:
- Budhism/peace: incense sticks, meditation bowls, Tibetan flags, tiny Budhas, wind chimes, fierce faces.
- Souvenirs: magnets
- Clothes: Kashmiri kurtis, jackets, pashmina shawls and scarves, Tshirts with Leh/Ladakh quotes, bandanas, masks to protect from cold.
- Food: apricot jam, lip balm, oil, dry fruits
- Jewelry: Semi precious stone necklaces, junk jewelry
- Brass: idols of God, door knockers, etc
- You can also find other generic products like leather bags and footwear.
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| Leh market products |
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| Brass products at Leh Market |
Market is expensive compared to what you can get on Amazon.
Cafes and local food:
There are several cafes in market and you will get all kinds of food(except for South Indian!). Apart from all the junk food I ate, I tried local food too -
apricot pie, Ladakhi cookie, Thentuk and Thupka. Somehow poha was the staple food in every breakfast buffet at hotels.
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| Ladakhi cookie with Coffee |
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| Thentuk - soupy momos |
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| Thukpa - soupy noodles |
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| Apricot Pie |
Tips:
- You will have lot of free time to explore market in the evenings when you hit your hotel, so don't hurry.
- You can buy stuff to encourage local market, but in a general sense, you won't be missing out much. So if you are debating if you need to visit a nearby scenic place or market, you can choose the scenic one.
- Enjoy roaming in the market and stop by the cafes - they have peaceful ambience and local food items.
~
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