Adventure Trips - Less traveled routes to visit Ladakh

I have been doing my continuous research on the Ladakh trip and know one thing that adventurous people who are regularly visiting Ladakh and who want to try different routes do not like Leh being the centre of all routes for example some say that if we take our route from any place Leh always comes in between, for example, Leh-Pangong-Leh, Leh-nubra-Leh, Leh-Zanskar-Leh or Kargil and then to Kashmir.

I think I have answers to your questions regarding different less traveled routes, which I have listed below: Read on and enjoy your Ladakh trip.

Has anyone done- Manali to Sarchu to Pangong?

I was to catch a flight from Delhi to Kulu and then took the road from Manali, a halt at Sarchu and then wanted to reach Pangong. It was great to know that this route could be done, but then I was told that flying to Kulu is a bad idea because the flights are bad and very expensive too.

If you go from Sarchu, there is no way to go to Pangong Tso but via Tso Kar ad Tso Moriri, fondly known as the Lake Circuit. Unless you want to reach Karu from Sarchu and then turn towards Pangong which is the usual route.

Getting a permit is a problem in Lake Circuit. You need to have all the permissions in place to do the Lake Circuit. The army posts can be tough on you and send you back from Mahe and as those are border areas, checking is regular.

Is there a route to Jammu or something from Zanskar?

Yes, there is a trek route from Jammu to Zanskar, which normally the Zanskarpas do in four days, but I have heard that is really tough. Instead you could directly have a flight from Pathankot to Leh and then go to Pangong. I don't know what the timings are but can still check out at Reach Ladakh

Pangong looks beautiful too. I am already in love with it! I am sure even Tso Moriri is beautiful and then probably one should do both, but not skipping Pangong I guess, as it is surely amazing.

One more less traveled route is taking a taxi to Padum (Zanskar headquarters) in a day from Kargil as the road has been completed now. It was a dirt track when we went there. There is no other route. You have to do Kargil-Zanskar-Kargil, two new roads have come up connecting Padum to Nimu and Darcha.

For going there, one can easily obtain the permits at DC's office and the officials are really helpful and they will guide you to complete the formalities. It hardly takes 15 minutes to fill the form with all the formalities. It is a hassle-free job to get your permit. Army people are cooperative. You can also fill up the form in the morning and come back at 3 p.m. and collect your inner-line permits, but always remember to mention the exact route you would want to use and the number of days. Army and the local police are quite courteous and helpful if you are not changing your mind.

For hotel options in Leh and flight details for visiting Leh from Delhi and other easy routes which can be traveled, you can visit:

Best Season to Visit Ladakh - Hotels and Flight details

Indian Tourism-How to reach Leh-Ladakh?