Srinagar to Leh road map.
Travel from Srinagar to Leh
The overland travel to reach Ladakh from beautiful Kashmir Valley via Kargil is roughly about 434 kms that the road is open from early June to mid September. The most remarkable element of this road journey is the scaling up the altitude of 11,500 feet and 3,484 m. The High Zoji-la pass in the enormous Himalayan Wall provides as the gateway to Ladakh.
The J&K SRTC or the Jammu & Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation manages standard Deluxe and regular bus services connecting Srinagar and Leh road with a nights stop at Kargil. Taxis like jeeps and private cars are also obtainable at Srinagar for your Leh journey. Group tourists can rent deluxe and A-class buses from Srinagar to Leh, Kargil or Padum - Zanskar.
The Srinagar Leh route was the only overhand approach to Ladakh until 1989. Due to the distributed situation in the Kashmir valley tourists prefer the Leh-Manali road, which was commissioner in 1985. Many tourists risk negotiating the Leh Srinagar road to either leave or enter Ladakh to complete the full round trip between Manali, Ladakh and Kashmir.
Srinagar to Leh Distance
– 434 kms.Srinagar to Leh by road time
– 20 hrs.Srinagar to Leh taxi fare
– Rs. 12,317 to Rs. 14,483Srinagar to Leh route
Immediately after crossing the Zojilla pass 1,500 ft / 454 m the landscape drastically changes to the barren, uncompromising Himalayan landscape.
The people of mixed Kashmir & Dars origin inhabit Dress comprising several villages progressing towards Kargil. Dress is said to be the second least inhabited place in the world after Siberia. In recent years shillings across the Indo-Pak borders have left the people of Drass shell shocked. Drass was one of the main war zones during the 1999 – Kargil War. Some of the key posts including the Tiger Hill is visible on the way. Historically the locals followed Buddhism before the advent of Islam. You also come across remains of Buddhist rock sculptures on a road side while travelling through Drass.
Kargil is a Muslim dominated district and is known more as a battlefield than a tourist destination. Kargil remains merely a stop over for buses and taxis plying between Padum, Leh and Srinagar. A div market in the town has tiny places to eat and dozens of hotels that offer accommodations and food to travelers. There are, some ancient gian Buddhist rocks sculptures within Kargil, which do not see many tourists.
After a night halt in Kargil the road leads to Mulbek, when you come across a giant sculture engraved on a rock popuar as Mulbek Chamba. However historians interpret this 30 ft sculpture as Avalokiteshvata Buddha of Compassion. Close to this statue the Monasterystands precariously or a steep hillock. This area has both Buddhist and Muslim communities. Mulbek is often called the gateway to Ladakh one of the last epitomes of Mahayana Buddhist tradition.
After crossing Mullak, two passes Namki- La 12,200 ft / 4070 m offer a spectacular view of Lamayuru one of the favourite hotspot with a majestic Buddhist monastery and a landscape popular as Moonland. After blamayuru, you see the Indus River while approaching Khaltsey. Travelers stop for tea and lunch at Khaltsey before proceeding further towards Leh.
The road to Leh along the river Indus passes by several villages, monasteries and beautiful landscapes. Except for the 10th century Alchi Choskor the monasteries and shrines are mainly situated on the left side of river Indus leading to Leh from Khaltsey. There are ruins of forts and palaces on this route too. The bright fields, blooming apricot trees and glacial streams of Indus and Zanskar shortly after Nyoma village is a sight worth seeing. Soon you see the Phyang monastery on the far left side of the road before getting to the grand Spituk monastery atop a hill, which makes way for leh, the control of Ladakh.