A Road trip to Ladakh is a dream of every travel enthusiast.Nothing can be better than a road trip to explore the amazing landscapes of Ladakh.

I have been asked several times the same question “which is the best time for a road trip to Ladakh?”

So I thought of to pen it down and share with you all.

Leh is connected via two land routes with the  rest of India. One is through Manali and other one is through Srinagar. Both these routes remain closed for more than six months every year because of heavy snowfall on passes. Srinagar to Leh highway generally opens around first or second week of May. And Manali to Leh opens around last week of May or first week of June and remains open till last week of Sep or early Oct. So window for travelling to Leh by road is from Mid-May to Mid-October. It takes a few days for the route to stabilize after opening. In May you will find only Srinagar to Leh highway open. So to complete the whole loop you have to wait for Manali to Leh highway to open up.

Travelling in June

With opening of Manali to Leh highway and holidays in schools/colleges, tourist season will be at its peak. Mid June onwards it is very nice time to undertake road trip to Ladakh. You will be riding/driving through snow walls at Rohtang, Baralach, Zozila. You can enjoy snow around the roads. You will find lot of traffic on the route. As the snow will be melting you will have to cross lots of ferocious water crossings in this period. To avoid these try to start early in the morning, as it will become very tough to cross these crossing after noon. All the hotels, restaurants and guest houses are completely  functional, but the tariffs will be high.

Travelling in July

July is the great period to travel to Ladakh. Roads are in much better conditions and almost all internal routes are open during this month. Weather will be good with warm temperature during day and bearable in night. The valleys will present you with magnificent vistas all around.

Travelling in August

August is consider to be one of the best months to travel to Ladakh by road. You enter rain shadow area not much affected by rains once you have crossed Baralacha on Manali-Leh route and Zozila on Srinagar-Leh route. Travelling during this time you will find lush green valleys with full of produce. Number of tourists visiting Ladakh during this month is very high.

Travelling in September

Fewer tourist visit Ladakh during September as high passes start receiving snowfall and weather starts turning cold. But for more adventurous traveler’s this is the perfect period. Roads are in near perfect conditions with very less traffic. Ladakh is blossoming with shades of different  colors contrasting with different shades of blue sky everywhere. Beauty of Ladakh is at its best, colors are oozing out vividly all over.

So Best time to visit Ladakh by road and complete whole circuit is Mid-June to Mid-Sep

All the passes will be open during this period. Roads will be stable. Weather will be excellent with Sky sparkling with different shades of blue.

“No one can predict what nature  has in store next”