CategoriesTravel By Harry11

Paradise Pangong-lake

I had the opportunity to visit Ladakh with the Nomadic Monk team in September of 2018. Hands down, one of my favorite places in Ladakh was Pangong Lake (no surprise there)! In this blog, I’ll try to do justice to beautiful lake (empathizes on ‘try’ – nothing can really do justice to the lake – you have experience it to believe it).

I’m sure, by now, you’ve heard about the famous Pangong Tso (Lake) or you have that one friend who just won’t stop talking about their trip to Ladakh. Nevertheless, I’ll fill you on some details about the gorgeous lake.

The most common (and direct) route to Pangong is from Leh. A little over 6 hours, the journey itself is quite charming. The road takes you through Chang La, Ladakh’s third highest mountain pass at 5,360 meters. From Chang La, the road to Pangong continues to Durbuk, Tangste and Spangmik. From Spangmik, it’s straight to Pangong.

Now, trust me when I say this – nothing will prepare you for that first glimpse of Pangong Lake.  You may have read all there is to about the lake and seen countless pictures and videos. But, that’s nothing compared to when you catch the first glimpse of Pangong. It will leave you speechless. Our group reached Pangong late in the evening – just in time to catch the sunset, and what a sight it was! The sky was filled with hues of amber as the sun dipped behind the mountains and the lake shimmered in the dwindling twilight. It was quite a scene to behold – peaceful and humbling.

We made our way to the campsite and spent some time unwinding from the trip. The day was not over yet…the night was still young and held some surprises. The stars shone so brightly, I couldn’t (didn’t) want to take my eyes off them! As the night went on, you could clearly make out the mesmerizing Milky Way. A bunch of us gathered under the night sky to see the Milky Way. We were astonished when we saw not one, not two, not three – but TEN shooting stars! Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘thank my lucky stars’! It’s a night that’s clearly etched in my memory, I mean, would you be able to forget a night like this?

Nobody wasted time in the morning dilly dallying as they were all restless to walk down to the shores of Pangong. As I made my way down to Pangong with the others, I couldn’t help but feel lucky. It’s not everyday that you get witness magical sites such as Pangong. Pangong Lake looked even more beautiful in the day! The lake stretched for miles and you could make out the different colours of the lake – shades of blue, green and turquoise.

Surrounded by snow capped mountains, the lake proudly glistened under the morning Sun. Some areas of the lake were more crowded than the others. There are a few spots at the lake which offer you photo opportunities where you can re-enact famous scenes from ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’. I suggest that you spend more time taking in the view of the lake. I walked down as far as I could, away from the crowd to really enjoy the sight that Pangong lake had to offer. Standing in front of this vast gorgeous lake got me thinking how some things in life are just trivial – cliché I know, but what’s life without a few clichés? It really does put a few things in perspective. Pangong Lake is nothing short of an exceptional sight and to witness it in person is a different high altogether.

Pangong Lake is one of those sights you need to put on your bucket list, if you haven’t already (you can thank me later). I’ve heard stories from people who’ve visited Ladakh multiple times and one thing they can all agree on is that they never get tired of seeing the lake. The beauty never fails to surprise them. One of India’s spectacular attractions, you need to visit it at least once. A phenomenon in its own way, Pangong Lake is not only a treat to the eyes – but the soul as well.

What are some of your favorite places in Ladakh? Let us know in the comments below!

To see our trips to Ladakh, click here. 

To see our fixed departures to Ladakh, click here.

CategoriesUncategorized By Harry11

​The Unexplored Realm of Himachal – Spiti Valley

Located in between India and Tibet is this beautiful dessert mountain valley – Spiti which quite literally
translates to “The Middle Land”. The valley lies in the North Eastern section of the Indian state Himachal
Pradesh, and forms part of the Lahaul and Spiti district. The sub-divisional headquarters (capital) is Kaza,
Himachal Pradesh which is situated along the Spiti River at an elevation of about 12,500 feet (3,800 m)
above mean sea level. Situated in the lap yards of the gigantic and blissful Himalayas, Spiti Valley lets
you experience the wilderness of nature and magical snow clad mountains.

All the picturesque landscapes and scenic views you must have seen in movies come to life here and yes
it is quite a surreal feeling. The accessibility to this hidden valley in the Himalayas is what makes the
journey adventurous and enthralling. We drove to Kinnaur valley via Shimla, a long drive of about 400
kms, but it doesn’t seem that long when you are surrounded by valleys one side and beautifully snow
clad mountains on the other.

The breath taking views on this journey is what will make you want to come back to this place time and
again. We reached Sangla in Kinnaur valley after sunset and the view at night was something you
would’ve never imagined of witnessing. We were under a sky that had a million stars alongside snow
clad mountains greyed out in the bright moonlight falling on them.

This was just the beginning and it was only going to get better from here on as we moved upwards
towards the main Spiti Valley. We drove through Chitkul (the last inhibited village of Himachal Pradesh)
on the banks of the Baspa River a few kms away from the Indo-China border. This small village also had
so much to offer, we were lucky enough to catch a view comprising of the sun, moon, mountains and
river all in one frame!

Also Read:  Spiti Valley – A Perfect Wanderlust

Our next stop was Nako, largest village at an elevation of about 3,600 metres with the backdrop of Reo
Purgyal, the highest mountain in Himachal Pradesh. This was our stop for the night before starting our
journey to Kaza the following day.

On the way to Kaza we stopped at Tabo to get a feel of the ancient and beautiful Tabo Monastery. It is
one of the oldest monasteries in Spiti Valley. The monastery depicts the various periods in Buddhism
and has a large number of frescoes displayed on its walls that depict tales from the Buddhist pantheon.
After spending some peaceful time at the monastery, we started towards Dhankar. We decided to do
the Dhankar Lake trek to discover the untouched beauty of the high altitude lake.

The tiring trek was one of the most rewarding things of the trip. Moving slowly upwards allowed us to
get a breathtaking panoramic view of the high mountains and valleys. The view of the crystal clear lake
was definitely worth all the effort. The lake surrounded by snow clad hills is a site that is hard to forget,
no amount of time spent at the bank of that lake would ever be enough. After a long and tiring but
eventful day we reached Kaza.

The following day was the one we all had been looking forward to, having read about Hikkim, Langza &
Komic, we couldn’t wait to get there. These are 3 small towns which are basically the heart of Spiti
Valley. Covered in wilted snow and snow clad mountains on all sides, the drive from one town to
another was an unforgettable one. The humongous golden Buddha statue in Langza, The world’s highest
post office in Hikkim, Komic, the highest motor able village in Asia and the Ki Monastery are places you
cannot miss when in Spiti.

Kalpa was the last stop over of our trip and without a doubt as the saying goes we saved the best for the
last! Kalpa is a small town in the Sutlej River overlooking the vast range of mountains giving a panoramic
view of the Himalayan ranges that light up beautifully under the bright moonlight.
Visiting Spiti will make you realize that the mountains & valleys have a certain kind of magic in them and
quite ironically, they will instill a certain kind of calmness and storm in you all at once!

CategoriesJourney By Harry11

How to plan road trip on Manali Leh Highway.

Manali leh highway is the one of the biggest dream of adventure lover in India. This Road leads to the heaven known as Leh-Ladakh. This route offers you the most scenic view in Himalaya region, as you travel to higher altitudes, you will witness a slow transition of scenery from dense green forest to rugged mountain terrain.   

Mountain road lovers do have dream to travel from this beautiful route and we got lucky on this,  at Nomadic Monk we cover almost 100+ tours every year on the route. 

Traveling on Manali Leh Highway can be bit complicated when you don’t plan it properly, as majority of area is not civilized and you will see a lot of temporary setups on this route. So you should plan your stays and list of things to carry before starting the journey. 
Here, we will help you in understanding the route, so that you can plan your tour accordingly 

 Distance between Leh to Manali

The distance is 427 kms 

Best time for road trip on Manali Leh Highway?

This route is open from last week of May till Last week of September, depending upon the road and weather conditions. As per our previous experience on this highway, we recommend you to travel between mid June to mid September, As most of people plan their vacations in advance

CategoriesTravel By Harry11

Traveller vs Tourist 

Let’s be honest,these days nobody likes being labelled as tourists, everyone wants to be known as a Traveller,even if someone have hardly been to a couple of trips. But why so?What defines Each?
Everyone strives to be tagged as Traveller but nobody realizes that it is one’s overall approach to travel that fits them in one of the either.

I’m not a stereotype Tourist rather I’m more of a Traveller who likes to stay in a hotel but interact with the locals,travel with a planned itinerary but explore without a guide, Eat local food but not miss the happening and colourful Cafe’s as well.

A Tourist wants his trip to be value for money and takes home a Thinner wallet but a Traveller wants it to be rich in Memories and Experiences.

Tourists tend to visit the Place on how famous and how easily accessible the place is while a traveller looks for the unpopular and less discovered places.

Another fun fact is How a traveller spends weeks on a trip with just a couple of clothes and a bag-pack but a tourist has a never ending list of things to carry while travelling. 

And the Most Appropriate things goes with tourist is they are more of boasting about the place but the traveller is more thrilled about the journey and experiencing the place.

Finally as the famous Saying goes
“Life is not about the number of breathes we take,but life is about the number of moments that take your Breathe away”

So if you have the same mutual feelings about you being a wanderlust come let’s interact in the comment section and hope to see you soon!

Until Next time,

Dhruv

The Lazy Engineer

CategoriesJourney By Harry11

Road trip to Spiti 

Situated at the height of 13,000 feet, Rudyard Kipling once described  Spiti as ‘A World within a World’.
Immersed in the rays of the colorful sunrise and sunsets, green barley field amidst rugged mountains, the mesmerizing routes and the calm makes Spiti a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ kind of experience! Quaint villages with hidden meadows and springs are the finest part of this place. An endless ribbon of Spiti River will be a constant companion on your adventure. Decorated with the ancient monasteries and enchanted prayers, Spiti is a wonderland in its own sense.

DATES:

June 20 – June 29, 2023

PRICING 

• Tempo Traveller – INR. 17,000/-

• Tempo Traveller ex Delhi ( Delhi to Shimla & Manali to Delhi journey in Volvo) – INR. 18,500/-

• RE 350 cc (with Pillion) – INR. 26,000/-

• RE 350 cc (Solo) – INR. 35,000/-

• RE 500 cc (with Pillion) – INR. 27,000/-

• RE 500 cc (Solo) – INR. 36,500/-

INCLUSIONS

Bike for 9 Days with Fuel

Accommodation for 8 Nights

08 Breakfast & 08 Dinner

Driver Remuneration & Road Taxes

Helmets & Rubber Straps

Permits

EXCLUSIONS

Anything Not Mentioned in Inclusions (above)

Personal / Private Expenses

5% GST

Any Other Meals Other Than The Ones Mentioned in Inclusions=

Adventure and Water Sports Fees

Monument Entry Fees and Camera Fees

Air / Train Fare

Riding Gear (jacket, gloves, etc)

INR. 5,000/- security (refundable)

Itinerary

Day 1Chandigarh to Shimla

·  Collect your bikes and proceed for Shimla via Solan

·  Take a halt at Dharampur for snacks

·  Reach Shimla , check in and relax

·  After some rest visit Advance study centre and Mall road

·  Overnight stay at hotel

Travel Time: 115 KM | 4 Hours

Day 2Shimla to Sangla

• After breakfast proceed for Sangla

• Enjoy your ride to Sangla

• Reach Sangla by evening, get check in and relax

• Overnight stay and dinner at hotel

Travel Time: 221 KM | 7 Hours

Day 3Sangla – Chitkul – Nako

• After breakfast proceed for Chitkul ( Last village towards China)

• Good time to fill your gallery

• After then proceed for Nako via spillow

• Reach Nako by evening, get check in and relax

• Overnight stay and dinner at hotel

Travel Time: 128 KM | 5 Hours

Day 4Nako – Gyu Monastery – Tabo – Dhankar – Kaza

• After breakfast visit Nako lake

• Then proceed for Gyu village, here you can see the only Mummy in India

• After then visit Tabo Monastery

• Enjoy your lunch at cafe near Tabo Monastery

• Visit Dhankar monastery

• Reach Kaza by evening

Day 5Kaza – Mudh – Kungri – Kaza

• After breakfast proceed for Pin Valley

• Visit Kungri monastery

• Return back to Kaza by evening

Day 6Kaza – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Key – Kibber

• After breakfast proceed for Sightseeing

• Langza: The fossil village

• Komik : Worlds highest village

• Hikkim : Worlds highest post office

• Key Monastery: Spiti’s biggest monastery (and most well-known). Over 1000 years old, this monastery is home to around 300 monks.

• Kibber: Kibber is famous for its Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s India’s only cold desert wild life sanctuary. If you’re lucky, you might be able to spot the Ibex or the Snow Cock Bird!

• Overnight stay at Kibber

• Experience Homestay at Kibber

• Enjoy your dinner with local family at Kibber in a cozy kitchen

Day 7Kibber – Kunzum La – Chandratal Lake

• Losar: The drive though Losar is filled with magnificent views. At 13,000 feet, Losar takes you through barren mountains, twisting roads and an alluring landscape.

• Kunzum La: At a height of more than 15,000 feet, Kunzum La connects Kullu Valley and Lahaul Valley with the Spiti Valley
of Himachal Pradesh

Day 8Chandratal to Manali

• After breakfast and pack up, you’ll be heading out for the trips final destination – Manali. The road to Manali will take you
through Batal, Chatru and finally, the famous Rohtang Pass. Once you’ve reached Manali and checked into the hotel, the evening is free at your leisure.

• Overnight stay and dinner at hotel in Manali.

Day 9 Manali to Chandigarh

• After breakfast, proceed back to Chandigarh

• Reach Chandigarh by evening

• Tour ends here, see you next time for a new destination!

TIPS FOR TRAVELERS

Manali and Spiti are safe, tourist friendly and cheering places, but still you need to take care of some preparations which can make your tour even better and memorable:

• Keep a pair of woolen sweater (not heavy) with you just in case the temperature dips low (even during summer months).

• Only post-paid mobile phones work in Spiti, preferably BSNL. As phones may not work at many places keep your family members informed well in advance not to worry if they fail to contact you.

• Carry good Sun Screen lotion, sun glasses (goggles) and a cap with you to avoid sunburn as sun rays are direct and can burn your skin.

• Don’t forget to carry photo ID with you. Passport is the best option. Driving License and Voter Cards are also valid.

• While travelling on mountains, keep drinking water and eating healthy food and fruits to avoid vomiting due to high altitude sickness and dizziness due to curvy roads

• Carry headache, stomach ache and/or anti-vomiting tablets with you.

• Spiti only has a few ATM machines where you can withdraw cash. But mostly these machines witness long queues of customers and run out of cash most of the time. So, carrying enough cash is advisable.

• Respect the culture of Manali and Spiti.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

We realize that most people who cancel their reservations do so out of necessity or emergency. Nevertheless, cancellations are costly to administer and involve dedicated staff time, communications costs and advance purchased bills. Therefore, all cancellations would be charged the following fees:

• Important: Advance is not refundable

• Before 30 days: 25% of the balance (total cost paid – advance)

• 30 – 15 days: 40% of the tour balance

• 14 – 7 days: 80% of the tour balance

• 6 – 3 days 90% of the tour balance

• 2 – 0 days 100% of the tour balance

If you fail to join a tour, join it after departure, or leave it prior to its completion, no refund can be made. The above cancellation fees are in addition to fees which may be levied by accommodation house properties, travel agents or third party tour and transport operator cancellation fees.

Cancellation due to Landslide/Snowfall/Bad Weather:

If the tour is cancelled/postponed due to landslide/snowfall/bad weather conditions/road blockade or any weather-related problems at the last moment, no refund would be made. If the road is blocked and guests miss a stay at next destination, full cost of the hotel stay would be charged, in addition to tariff of the hotel booked instantly by us for their emergency stay. However, guests can book and pay hotel for emergency stay at their own expenses. If a particular destination is cancelled at last moment, full amount would be charged. This strict policy is applied as nature and its plays are beyond our control. This is rare situation but can happen to anyone.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• If in case client wish to Prepone /postpone travel dates, so request should reach us 30 days prior to journey date via mail.

• The Company has complete authority to change the package costing if in future there is a hike in tariff & taxes of hotels, transportation or any other service that has been provided.

• Customers must carry the photo identification in the form of Driving License, Voter ID Card, Adhar Card, and Pan Card. At certain site seeing places/hotel, the identification proof is required for which company has no control and is mandatory

• Check In & Check Out Time as per Hotel Policies. Standard Check in is 12 PM checkout time of hotel is 10 AM. (Early Check in / late Checkout is as per hotel policies & room availability in hotel)

• Company reserves the right to change the Hotel accommodation due to unavoidable circumstances. In that case we may provide alternative, similar accommodation for which we are not liable to pay any refund. We will not be responsible or liable in case of loss of property at the Hotel. Similarly, any damages caused to the hotel rooms during your stay, shall be payable by the Clients and the Company will not be liable for the same.

• The timings mentioned in Day schedule section are approximate timings and can be negotiated.

• On arrival you will be required to deposit your photo ID’s (Driving license/Adhar Card, Voter ID Card, Passport). Pan card is not valid.

• The participants must be covered with full medical insurance from their home town/ city. The organization does not cover any kind of insurance.

• In case of any accident & death company will not bear any medical/ doctor expenses, ambulance expenses, rescue expenses and airlift/ air ambulance expenses.

• Company will not be responsible for the cancellation of any event due to any unavoidable situation.

• Company will not be responsible for the cancellation of any event due to weather.

CategoriesTravel By Harry11

Leh Ladakh Taxi rates 2024

Traveling to Leh ladakh by your own vehicle is the best but in case if you don’t want to drive then hiring a taxi from Leh would be considered a convenient option . You can use rented car to explore areas in Ladakh region. 
Here , we are providing you with the Leh Ladakh taxi rates 2024 in details, so that you can have the estimate of cost to plan your trip to Leh Ladakh 

(H2) Do you need to book the taxi in advance?
Yes, you should book it in advance to enjoy the hassle free tour in Ladakh.  After Pandemic, Ladakh has secured the top position in majority of travelers bucket list and this leads to raise in demand of  taxis. Last year, many of travelers found it difficult to hire a taxi because most of them were already booked in advance. So we recommend everyone to book taxi before arriving Leh. 

(H2) Leh Ladakh taxi rates 2024

Firstly, we are going to provide you with the rate list of common routes in ladakh region. After that, we will break down the cost in detail. 

 

Routes Price 
Airport to Leh city Drop  800
Leh to Nubra valley and return  – 1 day 10700
Leh to Pangong and return – 1 day 11800
Leh – Nubra – Base camp – 2 days  20000
Leh – Nubra – Base camp – 3 days  24000
Leh – Nubra – Base camp – Pangong – Leh 3 days 31000
Leh – Nubra – Base camp – Pangong – Leh 4 days  39800
Leh – Nubra Valley – Base Camp – Pangong Lake – Tso Moriri in 5 Day 43000
Leh – Nubra Valley – Base Camp – Pangong Lake – Tso Moriri – Tsokar in 6 Day 52000
Leh to Pangong Tso – 2 Days 13800
Leh to Tso Moriri via Mahe Bridge (2 Days) 15900
Leh – Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Tanglang La – Leh (2 Days 19100
Leh to Srinagar in 2 days  22000
Leh to Manali in 2 days  24000
Leh local sightseeing  3500
Sham valley sightseeing  6500
Hall of fame, magnetic hills, Gurudwara Pathar sahib  3800

(H3) Leh Airport Taxi rates

Leh airport to hotel drop taxi price varies between Rs 500 to 1700 depending upon the location and distance of hotel from the airport. 

(H2) Leh Sightseeing taxi fare 

Now, we will discuss the taxi fare for sightseeing in and around Leh city.

(H3) Leh to Khardung La pass taxi fare 

Leh to Khardungla pass distance is approx 38 kms and can be covered in 1 -1.5 hours from Leh city. The fare of taxi depends upon the type of vehicle you choose for sightseeing, it varies from Rs 3000 to 4500 . This will be the sightseeing cab, there is no point of getting the drop at Khardungla pass, you have to return in same vehicle. 

(H3) Leh to Changla pass taxi fare 

Leh to Changla distance is approximately 78 kms and it takes upto 2 hours to reach Changla from Leh city. Changla pass is the popular gateway to Pangong lake and located at an altitude of 5300 mtrs above the sea level.  The fare of taxi for Changla sightseeing would cost you between Rs 4000 to 5000 depending upon the vehicle you choose. 

(H3)  Leh to Nubra Taxi fare

Leh to Nubra taxi fare depends upon the places you are going to cover in tour. Usually, The taxi for Nubra will cost you between Rs 10000 to Rs 16000. 
We have shared the detailed cost of Nubra sightseeing with duration of tour in the rate list issues by Ladakh Taxi Union. 

(H3) Leh to Pangong Lake Taxi Fare
The rented vehicle will cost you between Rs 10000 to 16000 , depending upon the type of vehicle you choose . In case if you add Chushul and Tsomoriri with this, then it will cost you between Rs 9000-15000 extra. 

(H3) Leh to Srinagar taxi fare 

The cost of this routes depends upon the travel month and duration of journey.  The taxi will cost you between Rs 16000 – Rs 20000 for single day journey. In case, if you take a night halt on the way and cover the journey in 2 days then it may cost between 18000 to 24000. 

In Case if you are planning to book the return journey then we recommend you to contact our team at 8284861700 for better deals 

(H3) Leh to Manali taxi Fare
This route can be covered in two days journey . Leh to Manali taxi price varies anywhere between Rs 18000 to Rs 26000 for one side drop.

(H3) Leh to Sonamarg Taxi fare 
A taxi from Leh to Sonamarg will cost you between Rs 14000 to Rs 18000. 

(H3) Leh to Kargil taxi Fare 

A private taxi from Leh to Kargil will cost you around Rs 9000 for dropping. In case you plan a return trip to leh then will wil cost you between Rs 11000 to Rs 15000.  554r f