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Ladakh: 6-Day Private Tour with Nubra, Pangong & Local Lunch

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Duration6d

GroupPrivate

PickupAt your hotel

Sunrise at Pangong, double-humped camels in Nubra, monastery bells echoing through Leh

You’ll cross high passes like Khardungla, walk through ancient monasteries near Leh, ride camels in Nubra Valley, and watch sunrise paint Pangong Lake every shade of blue. Share a traditional Ladakhi lunch with locals in Stok village before heading home with memories that feel both surreal and deeply grounding.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival and Leh Market Walk

Pickup from Leh Airport
Check in and rest at hotel
Welcome tea served
Walk to Leh Market, Leh Palace, and old town
Dinner and overnight at hotel

Day 2 — Leh Sightseeing and Scenic Views

Drive to Nimoo for river confluence view
Visit Gurduwara Pathar Saheb
Visit Hall of Fame museum
Visit Spituk Monastery
Visit magnetic hill
Evening at Shanti Stupa for sunset
Dinner and overnight at hotel

Day 3 — Leh to Nubra Valley

Drive to Nubra via Khardungla Pass
Visit Diskit Monastery and Buddha statue
Desert safari on double-humped camels at Hunder
Overnight in Nubra Valley

Day 4 — Nubra to Pangong Lake

Drive to Pangong Lake via Shayok Valley
Arrive and enjoy lake views
Overnight at camp by the lake

Day 5 — Pangong Sunrise and Return to Leh

Sunrise at Pangong Lake
Breakfast by the lake
Visit nearby village to explore local lifestyle
Visit Thiksey Monastery and Shey Palace enroute
Traditional Ladakhi lunch experience
Return to Leh and free time for shopping
Dinner and overnight at hotel

Day 6 — Departure from Leh

Early morning transfer to Leh Airport

The Experience

Ever wondered what it’s like to wake up in Leh and realize the air actually tastes different? It’s thin and sharp—sort of how I imagine the first breath on another planet might feel. We landed early, eyes blurry from the flight, and our driver Tashi was already waving at us outside the tiny airport. He handed me a cup of salty butter tea at the hotel (I’ll be honest: it’s an acquired taste), and told us to rest before we even tried to wander. I think he could see we were itching to explore but also quietly gasping for air. Leh is over 3,500 meters up—nobody really warns you how that feels until you’re there.

The next day was a blur of monasteries and winding roads. Thiksey Monastery sits on a hill like something out of a storybook—white walls stacked against blue sky. Our guide Rinchen explained the prayer wheels and let us listen to the monks’ morning chants (the low hum vibrated in my chest). The Hall of Fame museum felt oddly personal; so many faces and stories from Ladakh’s past. We stopped at the confluence where Indus meets Zanskar—the water actually changes color where they mix. I tried to take a photo but it never really captured how cold the wind felt or how quiet it got when everyone else wandered off for chai.

Driving over Khardungla Pass was both thrilling and slightly terrifying—Tashi joked that if we dropped our phone out the window, it’d probably end up in Pakistan. At Hunder, we met those famous double-humped camels. Their fur is rougher than I expected, almost wiry, but they looked so patient as kids squealed nearby. That night in Nubra Valley was cold enough that my breath hung in the air above my pillow. There’s something about desert sand meeting snow-capped peaks that doesn’t make sense until you see it yourself.

Pangong Lake is one of those places people hype up online, but honestly? It’s even stranger in person—so blue it almost hurts your eyes at sunrise. We stayed right by the shore; I woke up before everyone else just to watch the light move across the water (still can’t decide if I dreamed that part). On our way back toward Leh we stopped for lunch with a family in Stok village—homemade momos and thukpa eaten cross-legged on thick carpets while their little boy giggled every time I tried speaking Ladakhi. The kindness stuck with me more than any view.

What’s included

Your days include private transportation throughout Ladakh with all border permits handled for you, hotel stays each night (plus one night by Pangong Lake), daily dinners, airport pickup and drop-off services from Leh Airport, entry fees for monasteries and key sites like Thiksey Monastery or Shanti Stupa—and a traditional homemade lunch with a local family in Stok village before returning to town.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Ladakh Backpackers