We recently did a tour in Ladakh and had contacted Lazy Yatra through Traveltriangle. Their quote was the most reasonable among the others who contacted. Like all agents, initially they also gave the default package with the typical spots (Leh/Nubra/Pangong). But based on my search, I asked them to
Read More
include some off-beat locations (Panamik/Turtuk/Hunder etc). They customized the package to include these as well. The driver also took us to Thang village (the PoK border), surprisingly we didn't see too many soldiers there though. Rest of the places there are army bumkers every few km.
Though LY is based in Jaipur, They had coordinated the trip very well with a local agent based in Ladakh. We had no problem in the coordination at all.
I wish they had informed that Pre-paid SIM cards do not work in Ladakh. So none of our phones worked. I was really happy with this :), but my wife couldn't handle it and borrowed a SIM card from a hotel owner for the entire trip. Most hotels have Wifi and whatsapp works.
When we arrived in Leh, the driver was waiting with our name plackard. He was very polite, courteous and extremely skilled driver. On the 1st day itself he suggested we rent an Oxygen cylinder, since we were traveling with kids. We did that, but did not eventually need to use it. But I am sure a lot of people would need them especially since the first 2 days we had mild headaches and in Nubra valley also one may need to use it. The pressure does get low, my kid had lots of fun with the sealed packets of snacks puffing up and some bursting due to low pressure!
As for the hotels, the hotel in Leh (Shaolin) was simple no frills, neat and clean hotel with attentive staff, very good.
The hotel in Nubra (Olthang) was run down with maintenance issues, not even TV. Try other options if possible.
Pangong (Mentsel Cottage) - is a row of 8-10 small huts. All other hotels are similar, tough some have more rooms, but their basic cottage size and layout is similar. They are powered entirely by Solar panels, so can't afford to waste electricity on TV/Geyser. Insted they provide hot water when needed. It gets very cold in Pangong. Even in June the temperature was down to approx 5 C and it snowed, so carry warm clothes. The cottage was run by just 2-3 boys, but they were very hardworking and prompt in their service. We were looking forward to eating some local cuisine, but unfortunately like all other places the hotels there serve the same Punjabi/Indo-chinese food you'd get in any restaurant anywhere in the country. Most tourists don't eat the local cuisine, so they don't sell it much.
Ladakh itself is very beautiful - In the same scenery you will see barren mountains, snow clad peaks, desert and a blue river flowing. But unfortunately idiot tourists have littered trash even in such beautiful and serene locations. Avoid driving or venturing out at night as it gets very deserted, though I don't anticipate any safety concerns. The distances and driving time Google maps show are very misleading and the actual driving times are much longer. Trust your driver. Spend the first two days to acclimatize and take Avomine or other motion sickness medicines on an empty stomach if you have a tendency to get motion sickness. The drive from Leh to Nubra is tough without medicine for those with motion sickness, others are not as strenuous. Taking half a paracetamol also helps with occasional headaches in the first few days.