Leh

Understand

There is a pass that links Leh directly to Khotan. The city's importance as a trading town slowed down with the partition of India, and ended with the closure of the border in 1962 during the Sino-Indian War. Since opening to tourists in 1974, it has become a bustling tourist town, with many Kashmiri traders.

It is a small town, so it is easy to get most places on foot. The old town is a compact area of mud brick houses and narrow lanes directly to the east of Main Bazaar. Changspa is the agricultural "suburb" northwest of the centre, with many guesthouses.

The main Bazaar's elevation is approximately 3,555 m (11,490 feet) and Changspa is higher, so take it easy on your first few days there or risk possible altitude sickness. Even those experienced with high altitude might have some trouble.

Winters are very cold and due to the drop in tourism, many shops, hotels and trekking companies will be closed. If you plan to visit during the winter and are an independent traveller, double check all arrangements (call your hotel instead of booking online).

See

thumb|Sankar Monastery is a half hour's walk from Leh For such a historic site and popular tourist destination, Leh has surprisingly few tourist sights (though a great number more are accessible as day trips):

Do

White-water rafting – On the Zaskar and Indus rivers, and their steep gorges. The Indus rafting route from Nimmu towards the Pakistani border has rapids of increasing severity of grades of 4, 4+, and 5; the latter two grades being not for the faint of heart. Yak and Camel safari – Explore the town and its surroundings. Skiing and Cycling – On routes such as Panikhar to Kanji.

Buy

The Main Bazaar and the surrounding streets have numerous shops selling souvenirs, mostly Tibetan antiques or replicas. The Tibetan market is a good place to buy jewellery, souvenirs, and various other items such as Pashmina shawls (about ₹4,500–7,000). Be extremely wary when buying pashmina as half the shops in the city will falsely claim their products are pashmina.

There are half a dozen good book shops with an excellent range of books on the Himalayas, including novels, guidebooks, phrasebooks, books on history and on Buddhism.

People needing some warm clothing should consider the second hand clothing bazaar near the terrain vehicle stand. Good used clothing from first world countries is cheap, which is handy if you are only in the cooler climate for a little while.

Leh also has the best selection in the area of food for trekking albeit not all that different from normal instant noodles, dried fruits, nuts, biscuits, powdered milk and chocolate that's available anywhere around the Main Bazaar.

Eat

Main Bazaar has a few sweet shops selling samosas, chana dhal with puri, and other Indian food in addition to the sweets. However, they are ridiculously overpriced, as are the German bakeries, which sell stale pastries.

The shopping areas of the old town and the area around the bus station are good for Tibetan styled restaurants, although few offer more than thukpa (noodle soup) and momos (dumplings).

There are several Punjabi thali shops in the "old city bazar" on the corner of the main bazar where you can get thali for around ₹100.

Drink

There is little in the way of nightlife in Leh. You can have a beer at many of the restaurants, but they close fairly early. For a more adventurous alternative, ask around the old town (or your guest house owner) for Chang the local home brewed beer, which costs about ₹15 for a litre; bring your own bottle.

Being a mountain area, clean water (not boiled) is available in restaurants and accommodations. There are a few springs scattered around Leh that provide a natural and plastic free alternative to using bottled water.

The amount of tea stall east of the main bazaar in notable, try the following:

Sleep

Leh has a large selection of mid-range accommodation, with some offering decent value. Most of the guest houses are located in Leh's northern suburbs in Changspa, Karzoo and surrounding areas, a 5–30-min walk from the centre. Many of the houses in Changspa have been converted to guest houses, which, surrounded by farmers' fields and often with excellent views, make wonderful places to stay.

If you consider Leh too busy and need tranquillity, head over to Stok village, which is similar to Changspa, but much less busy, of course lacking all the amenities of a large city. There is one hostel in Stok.

Connect

Leh is well connected to the rest of India by LTE. However, regular pre-paid SIM cards bought in the rest of India do not work in Ladakh. You will need a postpaid card, either by buying a new one (which can be burdensome for a foreigner) or by registering your prepaid SIM for postpaid, which however takes up to 18 days. Having said that, most accommodations have working WiFi and you could probably abstain from mobile reception in Ladakh while you are here.

Stay safe

Leh is one of the safest places in India.

Carry a torch at night, as there is next to no street lighting, and there are some very deep drainage ditches. Beware of the stray dogs which rule streets during the night, especially in the inner alleys and around eateries.

Go next

Many sights around Leh can be explored on day tours, even Alchi. Alchi – A small village with a gompa or Buddhist monastic complex, 4 km off the road to Kargil. Lamayuru – A small village with a Buddhist gompa, beyond Alchi and still on the way to Kargil. Nubra Valley – An impressive river valley of the Sytok and Nubra rivers, villages of apricot and apple trees, sand dunes, monasteries and many more. Pangong Lake – A very popular 64 km long soda lake of picturesque colours situated between India and China. Hemis National Park – Inhabited by a number of snow leopards, Hemis National Park is home to many rare and endangered species. Also, one of the entry/exit point into Markha Valley, popular with experienced hikers and trekkers. Tso Moriri – An impressive lake region close to the border with China and a convenient side tour from the Leh-Manali Highway. Probably best to visit when entering or leaving Ladakh via Manali. Zanskar – One of the remotest areas in Ladakh, only accessible through high passes.