The First 48 Hours: How Not to Ruin Your Ladakh Trip Before It Begins

When your flight drops into Leh, the view does something to you, and every instinct says to head for the hills. Resist it.

The sky is a blue you will not find anywhere else, and the mountains look close enough to walk to before lunch. But Leh sits at roughly 11,500 feet. If you have just flown up from Delhi or Mumbai, your body is quietly asking where a third of its oxygen has gone.

Acute Mountain Sickness does not care how fit you are or how many mornings you spent in the gym. It cares about pressure and altitude, and the only cure is patience. Here is exactly how to spend your first two days.

Day One: The Art of Doing Nothing

• Morning: check in, climb into bed and sleep, even if you feel perfectly fine. The excitement of arriving hides the strain on your heart and lungs.
• Afternoon: sit in the courtyard or garden with warm water or black tea. Skip alcohol and heavy, oily food, because your digestion slows right down at this height.
• Evening: a gentle, flat stroll through the local market to stretch your legs. A faint throb behind the eyes is normal. Drink water, take an oral rehydration sachet, and sleep early.

Day Two: The Soft Entry

Save Khardung La and Pangong for later. Spend today on an easy, low drive along the Indus: from Leh to Thiksey Monastery, then on to the Sangam, where the Indus meets the Zanskar.

You stay at a steady altitude, your camera finally comes out, and by the second night your body has caught up. On day three, you will be ready for the high passes.

Reach out and we will build one to suit you.