Julley! If you're reading this blog post then you're probably interested in visiting Ladakh, or are already in Leh and looking for local recommendations / things-to-do, etc. We have written a quick guide and travel tips for our friends & family to help successfully navigate your way around Leh and the rest of this beautiful land called Ladakh. Welcome to Leh, Ladakh!
Getting to Leh
The easiest task of it all, you can either fly in to the Leh airport or drive down via the Srinagar-Leh highway, Manali-Leh highway or via the Shinku La and the Zanskar valley for the adventurists.
Acclimatisation
The most important factor that will make or break your visit to Leh and Ladakh is how well your body acclimatises to the altitude due to the general lack of oxygen in high altitude. The city of Leh is situated at an astonishing height of 3500m, and the rest of Ladakh averages around 4,000m or above, so making sure that your body adapts well to the altitude is of extreme importance.
Hydration: please drink plenty of water before and after arriving in Leh. At least 3 litres of water daily to help your body acclimatise well to the altitude.
Food: eat light meals for the first 2 days of arriving in the city to avoid indigestion. Avoid instant noodles, fried food until your body adapts to the altitude.
No drinking or smoking: alcohol dehydrates your body extremely and the harmful effects smoking is a simple no-brainer.
Getting around in Leh
Walk it. It's not a big city and the best way to acclimatise your body to the altitude of 3500 metres is to walk around the city for your daily needs and sight-seeing. Most of the things-to-do are situated around the main market, and you can spend a couple of days walking around the city centre to get a feel of the city.
Eating out in Leh
North Indian: Gupp Shupp @ Chai Shai is by far the best option for eating home-style North Indian food in Leh. It's flavours are on-point and very legit, with friendly owners and a talented chef - Vinay bhai.
Pizza: Acho's pizza offers the best pizzas in town hands-down.
Coffee: Haha Japanese Bakery is a personal favourite for coffee, cute little Japanese cakes, or the Japanese Maritozzo.
Continental / world cuisine: Bon Appetit is an old trusted source where you can hardly go wrong, and Montagne is slowly upping its game to provide good eating options. Lehvenda offers a good option to eat out if you're in the main market or the Skara Road.
Local / Tibetan, Chinese, Indian: Tibetan Kitchen is one of the oldest and best spots for some momos and Thukpa.
Local / Ladakhi: Namza Dining provides a good experience overall with great local options and good service. Must-try their Yakhni Pulao.
Local / Fine Dine: Tsas by Dolkhar is the perfect place to indulge yourself in a local fusion experience, also serving great cocktails. Perfect place for your last night-out in Leh.
Bakery: Sindh Bakery in Choglamsar offers the best cookies and dry butter cakes in Leh.
To chill: the outdoor square housing 5-6 fast food joints & German bakeries opposite the main market road is a great spot to unwind with some cake, coffee or even paranthas.
Alcohol: there seems to be a general dearth of good alcohol or bars in the entire city, but it is served at a few restaurants like Bon Appetite & Tsas by Dolkhar. Downtown is one of the best options, and LehChen is one of the only other option for bars in Leh. The liquor stores have opened up recently and two of them can be found at the Fort Road and the Airport Road respectively.
Things to do in Leh
For the fitness enthusiasts - go for a run at the Spituk Football Stadium circuit or on the Yurthung road opposite the Shanti Stupa.
Visit the Leh Palace, the gompa above the palace and the Shanti Stupa. Walking to these spots are great for acclimatisation, even though there is an option to ride up to these spots as well.
Explore the main market, and the old town behind the market which gives you a glimpse of the historic architecture of this beautiful city.
Things to do around Leh
Visit the Hall of Fame museum for an extremely detailed history tour of Ladakh.
Visit the Thiksey Monastery, Shey Palace, and Hemis Hemis Monastery.
Attend the langar at Patthar Sahab Gurudwara.
Beware of the dogs
The dogs of Leh seem to be a bit off, unlike the usual overly-friendly mountain dogs found in the Himalayas. They're usually chill but sometimes flip a switch and tend to attack you unprovoked, so avoid isolated lanes for unwanted encounters with the strays of Leh.
Respect the locals & their customs
Lastly, respect the local customs and the people, they're generally friendly and courteous and warm - so please make sure to not overstep any boundaries. Keep the city clean, don't waste their precious resources, and don't forget to "julley" :)
Ladakhi language essentials
JULLEY - Hello / Thank you / Goodbye!
ACHO / NONO - brother (elder / younger)
ACHE / NOMO - sister (elder / younger)
Book your next overlanding adventure or mountaineering expedition with us!
Julley!
For our friends & family,
Team TMNA
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