Leh Ladakh Trip in Small Car - Hatchback / Sedan / SUV | 7 Essential Tips for a Self-Drive Trip
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- čas přidán 23. 06. 2024
- Are you considering a self-drive trip to Leh - Ladakh in a compact car like a hatchback or sedan? Are you unsure if your car is suitable for such a journey, and wonder if only SUVs can handle the challenging terrain of Ladakh?
Well, the good news is that you can definitely take a hatchback or sedan on a Leh - Ladakh trip, but it's important to be aware of the challenges you might encounter. I've witnessed Tata Nano cars successfully completing a Ladakh trip, which goes to show that almost any car can make it, provided you have the right driving skills and a deep affection for your vehicle. In fact, I personally drove my Maruti Swift Dzire to various remote corners of the Himalayas, including Ladakh and Spiti Valley.
However, it's essential to acknowledge that driving a small car in Ladakh comes with a few tough challenges. Sedans, in particular, face more difficulties compared to hatchbacks. If you are not accustomed to such road conditions, I recommend taking the Srinagar Leh Highway to reach Ladakh. This route will give you the chance to gradually get used to the road conditions, acclimatize to the high altitude, and become more comfortable with the challenging terrain. If you find the Srinagar Leh road challenging to drive, it's better to return from the same route rather than attempting the Manali Leh Highway in a small car.
Given that you'll be driving a hatchback or sedan, it's crucial to exercise extra care and caution on your Ladakh trip. Some sections of the route, especially on the Manali - Leh road, might lead to scratches on the underbelly of your car. It's vital to be mindful and avoid hitting the engine oil sump. Understanding the location of your car's engine-sump is of utmost importance, as you must protect it throughout your journey in a hatchback or sedan.
When facing any doubt while crossing tricky sections on the road, it's best not to rush through. Park aside, assess the section with your foot, or observe how other vehicles are crossing it. This way, you can plan a safe route in your mind before navigating the section.
In addition to these tips, remember to keep in mind these 7 essential self-drive tips for your Leh - Ladakh adventure in general.
Safe travels and happy driving!
If you need more details, then you can check this detailed article about7 Useful Tips for a Self Drive to Leh - Ladakh here devilonwheels.com/7-useful-ti...
Important Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:10 Ladakh Trip in Small Car
2:00 Hatchback or Sedan for Ladakh Self Drive?
2:57 3 Points for Ladakh Drive in Small Car
6:51 7 Tips for a Self-Drive to Leh - Ladakh
13:58 Things to carry on Ladakh Self-Drive Trip
16:46 Outro
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Himalayan Travel Gear Packing Lists:
🎒 Zanskar/Spiti/Ladakh Trip Packing List: bit.ly/3WBTnUR
🚙 40 Must-Have Items to pack for Spiti/Ladakh Self-Drive Trip: bit.ly/3WKMoc9
🏍️ Zanskar/Spiti/Ladakh Bike Ride Packing List: bit.ly/3Y0yLXv
🥾 12 Must-Have Things to Carry on Hiking or Trekking Trips: bit.ly/3HxZHZn
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I am Dheeraj Sharma - a traveler, techie, and Himalayan lover. Since 2009, I have been helping thousands of travelers every year in planning memorable & budget-friendly trips to the Himalayas - Smartly, Safely, & Responsibly.
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Friends, if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section here and I will help you right away! I will be soon back with a new episode 😁😁 ... Also if you like my work, do support by sharing and subscribing to my CZcams channel. Every view, share, subscribe; counts, and helps me with motivation for producing such informative content to simplify Himalayan travel... 😁😁
Thanks bhai👍🏻
My wife my doggy and myself we drove (self drive) from Coimbatore to leh ladakh and back safely in a Maruti eeco. We had converted the van Into a sort of camper van with the back seat converted into bed cum seat and a small kitchen on the back
It was a very wonderful experience
Wow, that must have been an amazing experience dear.. do share some tips with others too, especially traveling with a pet.
Please share your phone number
Another informative video. Thanks for sharing Dheeraj bhai
thank you bhai..
One of the best suggestion i have ever heard.
Happy to help 🙏
Flawless @ Dheeraj Ji ...
Thank you 🙏
Awesome super informative tips
Glad it was helpful!
Very informative video❤
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks 🙏 Dheeraj ji for sharing very useful information
Always welcome
Bro, I helped bikers at Whisky Nala.
In the mid of June, I completed my first Leh-Ladakh trip and driven 2800 km overall. I would suggest better go for a good ground clearance car if you're going for the first time because the roads are very bad in most areas.
1. Don't overload your car
2. Carry fuel jerry cans & puncture kit
3. Carry medicines & food supplies
4. Bikers, avoid tube tyres otherwise carry spare tubes.
Bad Roads status:
1. Nearby Jojillpass
2. Nubra to Pangong
3. Pangong to ChangLa
3. Nearby KhardungLa
4. Nearby BaralachaLa
5. Pang to Sarchu
Don't throw garbage on roads, don't drink & drive.
Thank you so very much bhai for the kind act and also sharing these tips with all others..
AAp ke bataye hue sabhi tip ke sahare hum log ,main aour mere wife sirf dono beat lekar ranchi se srinagar leh ladakh pangong nubra valle diskit hote hue manali ka trip kiya ,koi problem nahi hua , thankyou.
Bahut badiya laga jaan kar ki mere videos aapke kaam aaye Ladakh trip par… congratulations
Thanks sir
Welcome
@ Devils 👌 subscribed 👍
Thank you
Hey Dheeraj, is it advisable to go to Leh Ladakh next week? We heard that due to the recent floods and rainfall, lot of basic amenities in Leh and other areas have been affected (electricity, food supply etc)
thanks for the information, could you please make one video in current road condition of Leh Ladakh via Manali and Jammu , is it open or functional after the flood and landslides.
Julley Dheeraj Bhai,
As usual a great informative video for mid budget people like me ,
Then why most of all the drivers insist to hire a suv for a trip to ladakh which drains a lot of money ,
Very good suggestion for using sedan car inthis trip ,
Thank you so much sir
🙏
Happy to know you liked the information in the video.. just like I said in the video, those who love their car (small) OR those who are not skilled enough/or consider them not skilled enough to take up the drive, usually go with taxi option.
Very informative video 👌👌. Plz prepare a video especially for family, self driven car to Leh ladakh. Which things to carry. Is mid May a good season to drive. Are roads open after Mid May from Jammu Srinagar route?
What are the essential things to carry for children?
Thank
Thanks bhai.. all these are lined up in the playlist.. please stay tuned and some of them are already answered in this playlist of Ladakh.. kindly explore them
Dheeraj bhai … I will travel Leh to Delhi via manali on around 3 august.. please tell what is current situation after flood?
Hi Sir, I just wanted to confirm is the road conditions good between major Ladakh destinations for me to go on solo bike ride?
Leh to Pangong
Pangong to Nubra
Leh to Hanle and Tso moriri
sir me srinagar to manali included umlingla khardungla hokar jaunga 21 august me kya sir ye sahi rahega .uss samye jada barish ka to khatra nahi he na sir❤
Hi Dheeraj, planning a spiti trip in September end this month. Can you share your thoughts on whether we should plan this year given the current conditions of himalayan expressway and manali kullu road.
By September, roads shall be much stable and weather shall be much stable and clear up too. in general September is the best month to travel Ladakh.
Thanks for the update.😊
Dheeraj sir is it safe to complete the full circuit this week, as the conditions in manali is not good?
I will recommend that you better hold on to the plans tilll things are clear! Even Ladakh had a cloud burst recently and Nubra Pangong road got close..
Is Leh to Srinagar road trip by bus( private or public) allowed in August and how many days of travel is this ? Does rain effect in these travel
It is monsoon time in general up there in North and at some parts of Manali - Leh Highway (like before Baralacha La) and Srinagar - Leh Highway (like before Kargil) you might need to face monsoon hassles but once you get closer to Ladakh, then Ladakh being rain shadow region is least affected by monsoon rains. Landslides or slush or road blocks are pretty common in the month of monsoons but these landslides are cleared in a day or two unless there is a very major one.
Again there are ALWAYS risks of traveling in mountains in the rainy season. No one can predict anything but it is a well known fact about the risks of traveling in mountains
Having said that, rains does reach Ladakh nowadays but in general, it is overcast days or in form of light drizzles. I will suggest you go thru my video on 10 Tips for a Trip to Ladakh in Monsoons at the link:czcams.com/video/TQjBw5pCGx8/video.html
What is curreny status of Spiti valley & ladakh as depend upon the rain & flood sitution i m planning to go in mid august
It is monsoon time in general up there in North and in some parts of Manali - Chandigarh Highway and Kinnaur Valley roads you might need to face monsoon hassles like landslides, rock fall, road closures, etc.. but once you get closer to Spiti Valley, then Spiti being rain shadow region is least affected by monsoon rains. Landslides or slush or road blocks are pretty common in the month of monsoons but these landslides are cleared in a day or two unless there is a very major one.
Again there are ALWAYS risks of traveling in mountains in the rainy season. No one can predict anything but it is a well known fact about the risks of traveling in mountains
Having said that, rains does reach Spiti nowadays but in general, it is overcast days or in form of light drizzles. I will suggest you go thru my video on 10 Tips for a Trip to Spiti Valley in August or Monsoons at the link: czcams.com/video/t76f-poOHyQ/video.html
Bro, I will be traveling leh solo on September first week(actual plan was to visit in July).... So how is the weather now and how it will be in September??? I got better ideas about leh from your videos and hope you can help with this too❤
Please check the latest video: Latest August 2023 Updates | Leh Ladakh, Zanskar & Spiti Trip | Roads Conditions, Flashfloods Status
czcams.com/video/OzjUJNiUqgU/video.html
Dheeraj bhai Next video pe Lamayuru place ki bare me video banao please🙏
How to reach there, Where to stay and how to explore that place, how many days request
Okay sure bhai will soon make it
We are planning riding during 1st week September , from Chandigarh to Leh via Srinagar and Udhampur Kargil to Leh.
Then from Leh to udampur , pangong , hanle, umlingla,hanle to Leh.
Sir what’s your suggestion and comment .
Will the route be fine then .
Route seems good, please add Nubra Valley before Pangong so that you acclimatize well.
Julley dhiraj sir abhi aug main by flight kaise rahega???
It is monsoon time in general up there in North and at some parts of Manali - Leh Highway (like before Baralacha La) and Srinagar - Leh Highway (like before Kargil) you might need to face monsoon hassles but once you get closer to Ladakh, then Ladakh being rain shadow region is least affected by monsoon rains. Landslides or slush or road blocks are pretty common in the month of monsoons but these landslides are cleared in a day or two unless there is a very major one.
Again there are ALWAYS risks of traveling in mountains in the rainy season. No one can predict anything but it is a well known fact about the risks of traveling in mountains
Having said that, rains does reach Ladakh nowadays but in general, it is overcast days or in form of light drizzles. I will suggest you go thru my video on 10 Tips for a Trip to Ladakh in Monsoons at the link:czcams.com/video/TQjBw5pCGx8/video.html
My friend and I are planning to travel to Ladakh between the 28th of August and the 7th of September. We're curious to know if this time frame is good for a visit. Our journey will begin with a flight from Delhi to Ladakh, and we are interested in exploring the Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake during our trip.
Mostly I avoid traveling in August.. this year is a real expection with so much rain already poured... If it is clear weather then only travel up there.. In general September month is good to travel because of clear weather and stable roads.
Bhai Leh by Manali se jana safe hai 8-10 September k … dehi to Manali highway
Delhi to Manali road is in really bad condition.. in September too it may remain bad but stabke at least as rains should subside by then and roads would dried and stablized for traffic but conditions will be bad.. manali leh highway is more or leas fine and weather is mostly clear ahead of Manali
Sir we are planning spiti from Shimla route from 22 July .. is this possible now ..
Roads have been opened
How to pay the hotel and vehicle bill do they accept card or Google pay and the ATM is there to withdraw cash ,as we have to pay a big amt in our coming trip to leh
No problem in Leh, otherwise there is no network in most places like Pangong even Jio, and Airtel postpaid won't work. So, carry cash as much as you can.
You have got the reply above.
Hi Dheeraj we are due to travel by flying to Leh/Ladak on 5/9/23 . Please advise s
Due to heavy floods is Leh/Ladak safe .We are coming from Kenya and need updates of climate during the first 2 weeks of September 2023.
By September, it shall all settle... unless some very weired things happens.. September is the time by which rains reside the region.
Thank you for your positive response. Your blogs are very informative and detailed.Many thanks
Very informative video Sir! Big fan of you. ❤
I am having one confusion Sir. It'd be of great help if you could help me understand this so that I can plan for Ladakh trip with my wife.
I'm planning to book a cab from Ladakh Taxi Union.
I am planning to either choose Scorpio or Innova Crysta.
It seems Scorpio would be a better choice here since it has a higher ground clearance.
But in the Ladakh Taxi Union website Innova Crysta is categorised as A+ and Scorpio is categorised as B class.
Any reason why is it so?
Will Innova Crysta offer more safety and comfort than Scorpio?
thank you so much!!!
Innova Crysta is A+ because it offers much more comfortable ride and seats than Scorpio. If you are not taking any very very remote or offbeat road in Ladakh, well, I will say Innova with local driver will be better choice.
For taxi in Ladakh, Chamba - 09596979829 / 09906999808. A very, very nice and humble person from Ladakh. Knows me pretty well, more like another family friend in Ladakh.
Ladakh Taxi Drivers Contacts: discoverwithdheeraj.com/list-of-taxi-drivers-for-ladakh-srinagar-leh-manali/
@@discoverwithdheeraj Thanks a ton for your guidance! ❤
This information is very useful.
This time I will be travelling only through the well-known routes:
1. Leh - Nubra (via Khardung La)
2. Nubra - Pangong (via Agham Shyok)
3. Pangong - Hanle (via Tsaga La)
4. Hanle - Tso Moriri (via Nyoma - Mahe)
5. Tso Moriri - Leh (via Chumathang)
As per your guidance, I guess for this plan Innova Crysta would be the best choice. Thanks a lot for sharing Chamba's number as well. 😀
@@discoverwithdheeraj Thanks a ton for your response! ❤
One question I almost forgot to ask.
I am planning to visit Ladakh during September 1st week as my goal is to see Pangong in "aqua green" colour.
Also I want to see some "greenery" around as well.
Initially, I was planning for August last week, but as that is rainy season, the water crossings in the Agham-Shyok route would be large in numbers. To avoid such water crossings as much as I can, I am planning to visit during September 1st week.
But I am also worried about the tourist crowd.
Would September 2nd week be a better choice keeping all these pointers in mind?
Or, I would be good during September 1st week itself?
@sayansdesire well September 5 onwards you can plan it.. if you need to understand how it looks in September then check my vLogs series of Ladakh that I did in September 2023. I started i think around 4th September
@@discoverwithdheeraj Thanks a lot for your inputs!!
I'd love to watch those videos.
Could you please confirm if you're talking about this playlist: czcams.com/play/PLbP3YPaoEEM6aitwd5HDEqtrHXPXUHjI9.html ?
Sir give me fifteen days itinerary for ladakh trip by air
And which taxi option preferable for six person with lagage
Please check this video: czcams.com/video/4Se3aQfRovw/video.html
kya manali highway khuli hui hai kya..
Ab khulla gaya hai but beech beech mein thode time k liye close ho jaata hai.. fer road clear kardi jaati hai.. roads khraab hain
Hi, which month will be better for self drive sedan trip in Leh Ladakh?
September is the best month
@@discoverwithdheeraj thanks 🙏
Hello dheeraj ji, please let me know that if i am going to leh from Manali, do i need permit from Manali. If yes , is it rohtang pass permit or beyond rohatangpass congestion permit.
Which one i should take
Thanks
If you travel from Atal Tunnel then you do not need any permit. But if you want to travel over Rohtang Pass then you need to take Beyond Rohtang Pass congestion fee permit
Thank you for prompt reply and your valuable guidance,
Please suggest some homestay or hotels in jispa and leh, I am traveling with my wife and son
Jammu / Patnitop: Mostly stayed on the spot, so less guidance here
Srinagar: Most stayed in houseboats there, so no personal recommendation
Kargil: Hotel Greenland
Leh: hotel Gangba is what I love most check video on my channel, Stanzin ji and family is amazing.
Khan Manzil, Kidar Guest House
Turtuk: Ismail Guest House
Diskit: Hotel Stendel
Hunder: Snow Leorpard Guest House
Some budget options in Nubra Valley are: Goba Guest House, Galaxy Guest House, Habib Guest House, Yourdum Guest House,Olthang Guest House, Sand Dunes Guest House,Milkyway Guest House, Himalayan Guest House. Olgok Guest House
Pangong Tso Lake: Homestays in Spangmik/Lukung on spot or Many camp options are there, choose to your comfort upon reaching.
Otherwise Pangong Sarai, Camp Watermark are good options.
Tso Moriri: Goldenmark Camps, Tsomoriri Camp and Resort, Homestays in Korzok on spot
Sarchu: Many camp options are there, choose to your comfort upon reaching
Jispa: Padma Lodge or Hotel Ibex both are good, Jispa Journey campsite
Manali: Manali Heights, Khushboo Resorts are good choices or Hotel Iceland in Solang Valley
Other budget guest houses in Leh are referenced below. Some contact numbers may be outdated but names may help you. Atisha Guesthouse (09906992187), Greenland (01982-253156), Ashoka Guest house (+91-1982-252725 / +91-9622976331), Julay Guesthouse (01982-251163), Seven Seas Guesthouse (01982-252830), Irfan Guest House, Dolma Guest House (01982-253311), Malpak Guest House(01982-253426), Indus Guest House, Ti-Sei Guest House, Dhelex Guest House (Sh. Sonam - 01982-252502 (Indus), Smt. Tsewang - 01982-252404 (Ti-Sei)), Semnet Guest House, Hotel Khayul (01982-252321), Galwan Guest House(), Palace View Guest House (01982 - 252959),Dreamland Guest House(01982-252089)
What about the weather sir we are coming on 21st
Weather seems to be rainy in lower hills, if you are flying directly then within Leh Ladakh weather seems to be clear in coming week.
Hello Dheeraj ji! I have planned Ladakh trip in June 2024 by seeing your videos only. I have only one question. As I am traveling to Ladakh by my own car, and the car is in my father's name and he is not traveling with me, will be there any issue for the permits or for visiting Nubra valley and Pangong? I can have the authorization from the court if there is a need of it. Pls suggest. I will be booking the hotels very soon.
Sandipan da, if the car is on father name, you can prove the relationship easily with any photo id document like DL or Passport. So, it should not be an issue at all.
@@discoverwithdheeraj thanks Dheeraj ji…Though I have seen your previous video which was 3 yrs ago but still wanted to confirm from you now 😊 To be on more safer side, I will get an authorisation from the court.
All the best dada..
@@discoverwithdheeraj ❤️
Bhai kya abhi ladakh jana by road safe hai ya nahi..
Bhai abhi thoda stable hone do roads ko main bolunga
Alto 800 ja sakti hai kya ?
Jaati to hai.. baaki sab driving skills aur season time par depend karta hai.. is video mein kuch tips di hain unko dekhein aap
Sir... Is it safe to travel to ladakh by July 22 , i am planning to travel by flight. Return by bus via Jammu and Kashmir
By flight, it shall be OK to travel. As weather is clearing, things are getting better.
@@discoverwithdheeraj thank you sir