Ladakh — Ice, Altitude & New Beginnings — Part-Time Traveller

✦ Part-Time Traveller · Group Trip

Ladakh
Ice, Altitude &
New Beginnings

8 Days / 7 Nights · Small Group – Snow Leopard Expedition

✦ 8 Days / 7 Nights ✦ 25th Dec – 1st Jan ✦ Leh – Hemis Shukpachan – Nubra – Pangong

✦ Quick Overview

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Dates

25 Dec – 1 Jan

✈️

Fly Into / Out of

Leh → Leh

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Accommodation

Heated Rooms, Double Sharing

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Duration

8 Days / 7 Nights

🍳

Meals

7 Breakfasts · 2 Lunches · 6 Dinners

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Highlights

Snow Leopard · Frozen Pangong · Nubra

✦ Day by Day

The Itinerary

Eight days of frozen passes, snow leopard country and a New Year’s Eve at 3,500 metres.

Welcome to the Top of the World

Land at Leh Airport (3,256 m) and step into crisp, take-your-breath-away winter air. Drive to the hotel past snow-dusted mountains and the frozen Indus Valley, then rest. Acclimatisation at 3,500 m is non-negotiable, so drink water, eat light and sleep early on a Christmas night under a sky full of stars.

Highlight of the Day: That first breath of Leh air stepping off the plane. Cold, thin, completely unlike anything else.

🌙 Overnight: Leh

Leh, Uninterrupted

A slow day of sights. Climb to Leh Palace for rooftop views over the snow-covered valley, visit the glowing white Shanti Stupa, and explore Thiksey Monastery, a 12th century gompa stacked twelve storeys up a hillside in complete winter silence. Finish with something hot in a Leh café.

Highlight of the Day: Thiksey Monastery in winter silence, twelve storeys of ancient gompa above the frozen Indus Valley.

🌙 Overnight: Leh

Into Snow Leopard Country

Drive west to Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, a 1517 shrine built into the rockface beside the Indus, then Alchi Monastery, a thousand-year-old complex famed for its ancient wall paintings. Continue into the wilder valleys of Hemis Shukpachan and Uley, the heart of snow leopard country. Early dinner, early night.

Highlight of the Day: Alchi’s ancient murals, and arriving in snow leopard country as the light fades over the mountains.

🌙 Overnight: Hemis Shukpachan

The Ghost of the Himalayas

A pre-dawn start with your tracker for two sessions, morning and afternoon. In winter prey animals descend and the leopards follow, so this is the best sighting window of the year. Bharal, ibex, red fox and Himalayan birds are near-certain; the snow leopard itself can never be promised, but every effort goes into finding it.

Highlight of the Day: The tracker going still. The binoculars going up. The mountain holding its breath.

🌙 Overnight: Hemis Shukpachan

Over the Pass & Into the Valley

Drive back towards Leh, then north over Khardung La (5,359 m), snow-covered and almost empty in winter, with the Karakoram stretching ahead. Descend into Nubra Valley, stopping at Diskit Monastery and its 32-metre Maitreya Buddha, then on to Hunder and its frozen river and snowy dunes.

Highlight of the Day: Cresting Khardung La in winter with the Karakoram spread out below.

🌙 Overnight: Nubra

The Frozen Valley Is Yours

An early morning walk through Hunder’s snow-covered dunes beside the frozen Shyok River. Then the Nubra hot springs: warm mineral pools in the middle of a frozen landscape. Around noon, head back to Leh.

Highlight of the Day: Sinking into a geothermal hot spring in the middle of a frozen Himalayan desert.

🌙 Overnight: Leh

The Long Road to Midnight

An early start along the dramatic Shyok route towards Pangong Tso, one of the highest saltwater lakes in the world. In deep winter this depends on army permissions and road conditions, so the lake is attempted but not guaranteed; the valley drive is spectacular either way. Back in Leh for New Year’s Eve with a bonfire, local food and midnight at 3,500 m.

Highlight of the Day: Pangong frozen solid under a winter sky, or a bonfire in Leh at midnight with the Himalayas overhead.

🌙 Overnight: Leh

Happy New Year. Now Go Home.

Breakfast, bags and the transfer to Leh Airport, with the Himalayas one last time through the terminal window.

✈️ Leh Airport → Fly Home

✦ What’s Covered

Inclusions & Exclusions

✦ What’s Included

7 nights accommodation — double sharing throughout
7 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 6 dinners throughout the trip — pre-ordering meals is a necessity rather than a choice and we ensure you are fed well throughout
All ground transport in private vehicles fully equipped for winter road conditions throughout
O2 cylinder in case of emergencies
Group airport transfer within the PTT designated arrival window only
Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, Alchi Monastery and Thiksey Monastery entry fees included
Gurudwara Pathar Sahib visit
Snow leopard tracking expedition with experienced local naturalist and tracker
Maitreya Buddha entry — included
Natural hot springs in Nubra — entry included
Pangong Lake visit — subject to road and army permissions. Entry and all required permits included
All Inner Line Permits (ILP) for restricted areas — handled completely by PTT
PTT trip leader with you every step of the way across all 8 days
All local taxes — no hidden charges, ever

✕ Not Included

Flights
Meals not mentioned
Any additional nights or arrangements required due to road closures, weather disruptions or army permissions
Alcoholic beverages and personal shopping
GST as applicable

✦ Trip Pricing

What It Costs

GST as applicable

Early Bird

Early Bird Price — Ends November 15, 2026

₹49,999

per person · all inclusions above

+ GST as applicable

After November 15th, 2026

₹51,999per person

🔒 Secure Your Spot

Book with just ₹10,000 — balance due closer to departure

✦ Trip Departs In

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25th December, 2026 · Leh Arrival

💬 Book on WhatsApp

✦ The Journey

Route Map

Leh → Alchi → Hemis Shukpachan → Khardung La → Nubra → Leh → Pangong (conditions permitting) → Leh

✦ Questions

Frequently Asked

An Inner Line Permit (ILP) is a mandatory government document required for Indian nationals to access restricted border areas in Ladakh — including Nubra Valley, the Shyok route and Pangong Lake. Without it you simply cannot enter these areas. The good news — PTT handles the entire ILP process completely. You share your documents with us, we sort the paperwork and you show up. No government offices, no queues, no confusion.

More than most PTT trips — and we want to be honest about that. This is not a trek but it is a high altitude winter expedition. You’ll be spending full days outdoors in temperatures that can drop to -20°C, walking across uneven snow-covered terrain during tracking sessions and moving between locations at altitudes between 3,500 and 5,359 metres. You don’t need to be an athlete but you do need to be in reasonable health, comfortable walking for several hours on uneven ground and genuinely okay with serious cold. If you have any cardiac, respiratory or blood pressure conditions, consult your doctor before booking. Everyone else — layer up and come ready.

Altitude sickness is real and Leh at 3,500 metres will affect almost everyone to some degree in the first 24–48 hours — headaches, mild breathlessness, fatigue and disrupted sleep are completely normal and not a cause for alarm. This is exactly why Day 1 is dedicated entirely to rest and acclimatisation. Do not push through it, do not exercise, do not consume alcohol on Day 1. Drink water constantly. Many travellers take Diamox (acetazolamide) as a preventative — consult your doctor before departure about whether this is right for you. Symptoms that require immediate attention: severe headache unrelieved by painkillers, loss of coordination, confusion or difficulty breathing at rest. PTT will always prioritise your health over the itinerary. Descending to a lower altitude is the most effective treatment for serious altitude sickness and we will never hesitate to make that call if needed.

Winter Ladakh packing is not something to figure out on arrival. The cold here is serious and the right gear makes the difference between an extraordinary experience and a miserable one. Essentials — a high quality down jacket rated to at least -20°C, thermal base layers (top and bottom, at least two sets), mid-layer fleece, waterproof outer layer, boots or high ankle shoes with good grip, wool socks, thermal gloves, a balaclava or neck gaiter, UV-protection sunglasses (the sun reflects off snow intensely at altitude) and a good quality beanie. Hand and feet warmers are worth packing. A detailed packing list will be shared with all confirmed travellers well before departure — do not leave this to the last minute.

Leh Airport operates under weather conditions that the rest of Indian aviation politely avoids. Fog, wind and low visibility can delay or cancel flights without much warning — particularly in deep winter. This is not a PTT problem or an airline problem. It is Ladakh being Ladakh. Our strong advice — do not book a connecting flight out of Delhi or Mumbai on the same evening as your Leh departure. Build at least one night’s buffer in your onward travel. PTT will assist with guidance and rebooking support if disruptions occur but cannot be held responsible for airline decisions.

Honest answer — winter gives you the highest probability window of any season, for a very specific ecological reason. As temperatures drop at higher altitudes, prey animals like Bharal and Himalayan Ibex descend to lower elevations to find food. The snow leopards follow. Combined with snow cover that makes animal movement more visible and tracks easier to read, December and January represent the best possible conditions for a sighting. We work with the most experienced local naturalists and trackers in the region — people who have dedicated their lives to reading this landscape and finding this animal. That said, the snow leopard is one of the most elusive wild cats on earth and a sighting is never guaranteed. What we can guarantee is the most informed, most experienced and most committed search possible. The tracking itself — the silence, the landscape, the pursuit — is one of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences in India regardless of outcome.

Winter in Ladakh means temperatures between -10°C and -20°C in the valley and significantly colder at Khardung La and the Shyok route. Roads can close, passes can ice over and army permissions for border areas can change without notice. We have planned for this — winter condition vehicles throughout, contingency routing and the flexibility to adapt quickly. If a specific stop is affected by conditions beyond our control, we will always find the best possible alternative and we will always be completely transparent with you about what is and isn’t possible on any given day.

Comfortable, warm and honest. Every property on this itinerary has been specifically selected for heated rooms — non-negotiable in winter Ladakh. Bathrooms are fully functional throughout though some properties in more remote locations may have traditional dry pit style facilities. This is Ladakh in winter and some of the most extraordinary locations here are also the most remote — the accommodation reflects that reality. What it does not reflect is any compromise on your warmth or basic comfort. We have stayed in every property on this route and selected each one specifically for this trip.

No — and this applies more here than on any other PTT trip. Winter Ladakh logistics are locked in well in advance — permits, vehicles, accommodation and tracking sessions are all pre-arranged around a specific group moving together on a specific route. Changing one element has a domino effect across everything else. If you want a fully tailored private winter Ladakh experience, we do offer custom trips. If you’re on this one — trust the itinerary completely. The people who always do are always glad they did.

Message us on WhatsApp. We’ll send you a booking form and payment link. Your spot is confirmed with a ₹10,000 booking amount — the balance is due closer to departure. Spots are limited and go on a first-come, first-served basis.

Because winter Ladakh requires a very specific kind of preparation and a very specific kind of honesty — and most operators either don’t do it at all or do it without telling you what you’re actually signing up for. PTT has been to Ladakh across seasons, understands the difference between the tourist version and the real thing and built this itinerary specifically around what winter uniquely offers — snow leopard tracking with the best naturalists in the region, frozen Pangong with nobody else in sight, Nubra Valley in complete silence, a New Year’s Eve at 3,500 metres that no countdown concert can compete with. The ILP permits handled completely. Winter condition vehicles throughout. A trip leader on the ground with you every single day — not managing from a distance but actually there, in the cold, figuring it out alongside you. And the most transparent pre-trip communication of any operator running this route. We told you about the dry pit bathrooms. We told you about the flight risks. We told you the snow leopard isn’t guaranteed. No other operator will say all of that and still make you want to book. We think that says something.

LadakhIce, Altitude &New Beginnings

The Itinerary

Inclusions & Exclusions

What It Costs

Route Map

Frequently Asked

Ready for Ladakh?

Ladakh
Ice, Altitude &
New Beginnings