Family friendly Ladakh Holidays

After breakfast, you head west along the Indus River on a 100 km loop through Sham Valley, the most accessible day route out of Leh and a solid way to ease into the landscape before the bigger drives begin.

Hall of Fame, Built by the Indian Army to document the 1999 Kargil War. Straightforward, sober, and worth the stop for anyone interested in the conflict's history.

Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, 40 km from Leh, built in 1571 to mark Guru Nanak's passage through the region. The boulder inside the prayer hall carries an impression said to bear his mark. Langar is usually available.

Magnetic Hill, Put your car in neutral, take your foot off the brake, and it rolls uphill. It's an optical illusion caused by the surrounding terrain, but it still catches people off guard every time.

Sangam at Nimmu, Where the Zanskar meets the Indus. The two rivers run side by side in distinct shades before merging. River rafting on the Zanskar is available here if you want the optional activity. Return to Leh by evening. Overnight at hotel.

• Distance: 100 km round trip from Leh
• Key Stops: Hall of Fame, Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, Kali Temple, Sangam
• Optional Activity: White water rafting on Zanskar River (at own cost)

Early breakfast, then up and over Khardung La at 18,380 ft, one of the highest motorable roads on earth. The drive is slow and cold at the top regardless of the season; carry a jacket. Two checkpoints flank the pass and original ID is required.

The descent into Nubra is the real surprise. After days in high-altitude desert, there are suddenly trees. Deskit is the valley headquarters, a small market, a row of shops, and the 500-year-old Deskit Gompa perched above it. Founded in 1420 AD by Lama Sherab Zangpo, around 100 monks still live here. It's a branch of Thikse Monastery, and its annual Gustor festival falls on the 20th and 21st days of the 12th Tibetan month.

You stay at Hundar village, a short drive from Deskit. In the afternoon, head to the sand dunes for a Bactrian camel ride, double-humped, Silk Route stock, unlike anything you'll find elsewhere in India. The dunes are modest, but the backdrop of snow peaks is not. Overnight at camp or hotel.

• Max Altitude: 18,380 ft (Khardung La Pass)
• Drive Distance: 125 km from Leh to Hundar
• Highlights: Khardung La, Deskit Gompa, Hundar Sand Dunes, Bactrian Camel Safari

This is the day most people don't expect to be their favourite. Turtuk is 115 km from Nubra Valley, about 3 to 4 hours each way, and sits right at the Line of Control with Pakistan. Until 1971, it was part of Baltistan. The village only opened to Indian tourists in 2010.

The population is around 4,000, almost entirely Muslim, and the language spoken here is Balti, not Ladakhi, not Urdu. The architecture, the food, the way people greet you, it's unlike anywhere else in Ladakh. Walk through the village, meet locals, and see apricot orchards that the area is known for (seasonal).

There's no grand monument to tick off here. The point of Turtuk is the village itself. Drive back to Hundar by evening. Overnight at camp or hotel.

• Distance: 115 km from Hundar (one way)
• Drive Time: 3–4 hours one way
• Note: Inner Line Permit required, included in package

Up early to visit Diskit Monastery before the day warms up. The view of Nubra Valley from the monastery courtyard is the best single-frame view of the whole valley, worth the early start.

Then the main drive: across to Pangong Tso via the Shayok Valley road. Roughly 150 km and 5 to 6 hours. The road follows the Shayok River through narrow gorges and open plains before the landscape shifts completely at Pangong.

Pangong Tso sits at 14,000 ft and stretches 134 km, with about 60% of it inside Tibet. The water changes colour through the day, steel blue in the morning, turquoise by noon, deep indigo at dusk. There's no gradual reveal; you come around a bend and it's just there. Stop at the "3 Idiots" filming location if you want, then settle in for the night. Overnight at camp.

• Altitude: 14,000 ft (Pangong Tso)
• Drive Distance: 150 km via Shayok Valley
• Highlights: Diskit Gompa, Shayok Valley, Pangong Tso, 3 Idiots Point

Late breakfast at the lake. Morning light on Pangong is different from the afternoon, quieter, fewer people, better for photography. Take a walk along the shore before the camp gets busy.

Drive back to Leh via the Chang La pass route. It's about 220 km and takes 6 to 7 hours. Long day in the car, but the road back through the mountains holds its own. Overnight at hotel in Leh.

• Drive Distance: 220 km (Pangong to Leh)
• Drive Duration: 6–7 hours
• Morning: Leisure walk and photography at Pangong

After breakfast, a full day along the Indus corridor southeast of Leh, the most monastery-dense stretch in all of Ladakh.

Thiksey Monastery, 16 km from Leh. A 12-storey complex built into a hillside, often compared to the Potala Palace in Lhasa. The morning prayer (around 6 AM if you want it) is worth seeing, but even mid-morning the scale of the place is hard to take in at once.

Hemis Monastery, 45 km from Leh, the largest and wealthiest monastery in Ladakh. Home to a Thangka painting reportedly so large it's only displayed once every 12 years at the Hemis festival. The museum here holds an impressive collection of masks, statues, and antique thankgas.

Shey Palace, 12 km from Leh, the former summer palace of Ladakhi kings. The three-storey seated copper Buddha inside is one of the largest in the region.

Sindhu Ghat (Sindhu Darshan), A short stop on the way back to pay respects at the Indus River, one of Asia's major rivers originating from Tibet. Return to hotel for dinner. Overnight at hotel.

• Distance: 100 km round trip from Leh
• Key Stops: Thiksey (16 km), Hemis (45 km), Shey Palace (12 km), Sindhu Ghat
• Best For: Buddhist art, architecture, Ladakhi royal history