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.

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

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