Ladakh Trip with #Children
Do a Google search about blogs related to travel to Ladakh, and the search will throw up many many articles, travel vlogs etc. etc. – so what makes my piece unique? Simple, its about my travel based on my own personal experiences, and the fact that we travelled with two children aged 5 and 10. While plenty of folks told us ‘not advisable’ we still went ahead with our plans and with god’s grace we completed our 12 day trip without even a minor glitch.
I hope to explain a few things via this blog post – things like how to plan for a trip to Ladakh (especially if you plan to take your children along), what do to when you get there, and at the very basics some tips on which sights to see and the basic hygiene (local nuances, service standards, etc.).
Pre-Travel and When In Ladakh
There are only two way to get to Ladakh – by road and by air. Uncomplicated and straight forward right? Well, not exactly! One needs to consider a few factors while choosing which route is better suited to them. You will hear many stories as to how the Manali-Leh route road is one of best road trips routes, indeed it is true, I suppose. However, we actually chose to fly into Ladakh – as considering our circumstances, it was the best bet.
So what all does one keep in mind while planning the ‘How to’ ? Acclimatization should be the topmost things to consider. So while the Leh via road is one of best adventures. keep in mind it is not the most advised (by locals). By road, Leh can reached via the more popular Manali route, which has become slightly more accessible because of the Atal Tunnel – even then, it involves crossing of some high altitude areas and while most ‘non locals’ will have you believe that this is the best way to get acclimatized to the altitude, it is actually otherwise. One will need to travel between varied altitudes ranging from 2000m going all the way up to approx. 5200m height, which is a lot. The course could take anything between 11 hours or more (non stop and not advisable), this again considering smooth driving without any road blockages, jams etc. Most people would do a night halt at Keylong (3100m), Jispa (3300m) and the more popular Sarchu (4300m but to reach Sarchu you need to cross Bara-lacha pass @ approx 5300m) – now unless you are an avid high altitude road traveler, my guess is you are going to struggle with some or the other form of AMS and also fatigue of mountain road travel. The common logic with high altitude travel is simple – Travel high, but sleep low! Not scaring, but there are enough and more stories of people needing medical help en-route, and the only places where medical aid of any type is available are the Army camps on the way. Carry an oxygen tank is the other thing you will hear – bear in mind oxygen, if required at all, it needs to be administered very carefully and not as simple as folks will have you think.
The other route by road is the Srinagar – Leh route, which almost equally scenic, it is involves lesser altitude and is slightly shorter. So all in all better from avoiding any kind of AMS issues, however it is almost equally tiring.
At this point you need to ask yourself why are you travelling to Ladakh? I mean what is your topmost reason here? Is it for the scenic beauty, culture of Ladakh? or is it the thrill of a drive through those high passes, beautiful landscapes etc.?
I have this personal logic that if you want to enjoy the beauty of the varied and the so beautiful landscapes you will encounter through the mountain terrain anywhere, then those cannot be fully enjoyed while you drive yourself – you ought to have your eyes on the road right :). But, if its the thrill of the drive, then by all means, drive on! Do consider this – once you are in Leh all your travel, sight seeing is done via road travel. This is again my very personal view that unless you are serious biker, car enthusiast I am all for you to go ahead, but if you are the in between, wannabe type – please spare yourself, the roads, the other serious drivers, bikers, the locals… everyone of your mis-adventure please – seen enough idiots harming themselves and causing trouble to others.
Going back to the topic – Air is the travel mode of choice which is convenient and provides you and your family a better chance at acclimatization. If you are travelling with children as young as ours, you best travel by air. Of course there are those dare devils which do the road trip with their children – well, it works out for some and for others, you can google and read about it more. Allow me dive into a bit of history of our travels here to try and make a point… in 2019 June, we travelled to Spiti Valley. As is the case with all our travels – our children accompanied us. My daughter was 3 and my son was 8 – we drove to Shimla, and from Shimla an uncle of mine arranged everything from the taxi, the route and the places we would visiting, staying in – the whole deal. We drove up all the way from Shimla in our taxi, our driver a local Himachali, a very good man. When we arrived in Kaza (3800m) we had lunch and decided to drive up to Komic, the highest village (4750+m) which is inhabited 12 months round. Just before Hikkim (4400m) my daughter fell asleep, and my driver asked me to wake her up and he had noticed her speaking and giggling till just a few mins back. We could not get her up – this is when I pulled out the Oximeter and realized her oxygen level was at 74 and falling. Our driver immediately turned the car back around started descending to lower heights and it was only at around 3800m when my daughter gained back her consciousness with a oximeter reading of 78. Our initial plans of crossing the Kunzum pass, Chandratal and driving all the way to Leh ended abruptly with the doctor in Kaza advising us to ‘not take a chance’. So why did I narrate this incident? Well, to tell you about the importance of adjusting to higher altitudes. As the common theory about driving from Manali or Srinagar to Leh is that your body adjusts automatically to the altitude through the journey – we operated on the same logic in Spiti. After all, we had driven up from 2100m all the way to 3800m so technically by way of that common logic we should have adjusted, none of us did. My daughter fainted, my wife and I had severed headaches and my son was restless for a couple of days in the evening.
So while flying into Leh is safer, you still need to follow some basic instructions (most locals will suggest you this, if you are willing to listen)
- When you reach Leh, then for the next 48 hours or so do just 3 main things – drink water (at least 4 liters of it, do this slowly glass by glass), Sleep/rest thoroughly and eat well, but light.
- Things you must NOT do – exert yourself physically. No walks to see the local area, no exercise, no washing of clothes (that is right I had a lady do this and faint the very evening in our hotel). Do not take a bath at least for the first day.
If you do the above you will have much better chance of a glitch free trip through the time you decide to spend in Ladakh.
Note – Consult a doctor before you leave as well. We did that and were recommended giving our 10 year old son, and taking ourselves a single dose of Diaxmox Tablet 250mg 48 Hrs prior to travel and for 2 day after reaching Ladakh. Our daughter who had the episode in Spiti was advised to not be given any medication, but was aksed to be keep nicely hydrated at all times and made to rest – This in the stated combination worked out for us. I do recommend carrying the basic medication for yourself and your children, although you will get almost everything in Leh, but for the sake of quick convenience carry some meds along. Also do carry a good dermatologist recommended Sun screen, lip guard, face cream along with sunglasses and a cap. Days will be very bright and sunny. The air is very dry and will most definitely take an effect on your face, especially your lips. Nostrils can get dry as well, causing irritation – get some saline drops. Most importantly always useful to carry your own oximeter as well – apple watch does well too, but just does not work in the moving car.
Here are our little ones after conquering Khardung-La and Chang-La passes. Another tip – while on course to Khardung-La and Chang-La passes, I ensured I was making all of us sip water at regular intervals and had my daughter engaged in conversation all the way through. Sleeping is NOT advisable for any age group when you travel through such high altitudes!



Where to Stay, What to see, where to eat – All things Local
The place offers accommodations for every budget type – backpackers, solo travelers, families, economy, luxury everything! Just bear in mind this – Please leave your city standards of service, star ratings back in the city you are from, do not bring them along with you in Ladakh! Understand this, almost all business have a season of mere 6-7 months, hence getting ‘professionally trained’ staff is difficult. The hotels, the restaurants, businesses etc. all have staff that comes in and goes as the season begins and ends. Respect that, and respect the locals and you will have a wonderfully delightful experience. Of course there are hotels with topmost luxury, trained staffs, expert chefs etc. who are stationed through the year – but then, these places charge you in accordance with the fact that such arrangements are rare in Ladakh. Most hotels are about 10-20 mins walk from the main market area, so you are well within reach for essentials, if you need any.
When it comes to covering things to see – I am not going to spend too much time on that. Depending on how many days you have you should be able to sort that out yourself. There are of course the usual ‘touristy’ spots and then there are also areas for explorers which are unheard of – each needs a different mindset and travel plan. Some places which are on everyone’s list Leh, pick and choose the monasteries from the many in Ladakh, Nubra Valley, Khardung-La, Turtuk village, Thang Village, Pangong-Tso, Chang-La, Lamayuru, Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace, Sangam, Hall of Fame etc.
I am actually going to detail out good places to eat more than anything else – why? We all love good food, do we not? Personally, my family and me, we are all foodies – as long as its veg, we can try any cuisine. So for us it was majorly all local food. I am coffee person, and since I brew my own coffee at home at home and adept with pour overs, moka pots, espresso etc – all in all I am quite finicky. Good coffee was one of worries in Ladakh – I can tell you this that I was pleasantly surprised. There are quite a few good cafes – I am speaking purely from a good cup of coffee point of view, please do not get confused good cafes with food only. In our 8 days of Leh, I tried 7 different cafes, of which 5 had a solid cup of coffee. I am going to mention by name only one though – #LehvendaCafeLeh. Located in the main market, on the third floor of a building adjacent to the Jama Masjid of Leh – this is my pick as the best coffee serving cafe. I ordered a Latte on my first visit (safest coffee to try) and I was like this is very good. From there on I visited the cafe every single day I was in Leh, essentially not travelling – and each time I go I come back smiling. I tried Cortado, Latte, flat white, Cappuccino, pour over, iced latte etc and all have been great. The barista Dhiraj is very good and knows his stuff. The other staff also are very good and professional. The food too is exactly how it should be – small menu and not very elaborate like most restaurants who claim to sell coffee as well. Here coffee is the hero! Lehvenda stands out for many reasons – quality of beans (they source from known roasters like Curious life, KC, Blue Tokai and others), their Barista who like I said knows how to serve up a good cuppa, the staff and the fact that it is the ONLY professionally run coffee shop in Leh. My best to the staff and owners at Lehvenda!!


Enough about coffee, now I will try and over some good places for a proper meal. Like I said, we are family of foodies, and when travelling we prefer to eat local food. All the days we were in Leh, we obviously tried the more ‘popular’ joints – Gesmo, Neha Snacks, Lehvenda, Rabsal cafe, Sky Wok, Bon Appetit, Tibetan Kitchen and a couple more. You get decent food at all places – I mean lots of places serve the usual ‘Junk’ food Pizza, burgers, sandwiches, fries et all, however we are not big fans of all these, a pizza/burger now and then is ok, but we cannot have them as a meal regularly. We had shortlisted a lot of places prior to our flight, and we would visit the places by one – look at the menu’s and then decide if we wanted to eat there or move on. Of course, we would take local advice and knocked a few places off our lists. I will again mention in detail the ones you MUST go to – those being Tibetan Kitchen for the most authentic and mouth watering Tibetan and Ladakhi food and Bon Appetit for the awesome ambience coupled with the good food.
Tibetan Kitchen was the place we went to the most – during evenings, if you do not reach this place by 8-8:30PM, you could well be turned away as the waiting list by then has exceeded the number they can serve. Lunches are slightly easier to get tables – a little. The food is exceptionally good be – a lot of places will serve you the typical dishes like Momos, Thukpa – at Tibetan Kitchen you will get way beyond the ‘usual’ lie Tingmok, Baglep, Thenthuk and way more.
Bon Appetit – This place serves you the typical and usual dishes, but the ambience is this restaurant is probably the best. To reach the place, you will walk through dark village alleys – located opp a small farm, it has gorgeous views and ambience. The food is superb again – we tried the variety of naan’s they serves with the different dips, the pasta, Pizza (The pizza is thin crust fresh dough and the pasta sauce is farm fresh and not out of a jar.) Go here for a 5 star experience (however be patient).
A few pics to get you drooling over lol.
Note – We ate at a lot of small joints, restaurants while we on the road – each of those people, the places were special and were very kind to us. While we were driving, we deliberately chose to eat the humble and simple ‘Dal Chawal’ – safest food if you ask me. We also kept our kids off soft drinks, chips almost through the entire trip too.






