Kashmir to Ladakh — The Long Way In

Arrive by shikara and settle into a lantern-lit Dal Lake houseboat for an evening shaped by water and mountain light.

Visit the Mughal Gardens and Hazratbal, then explore old wooden mosques, narrow lanes and generations-old craft workshops.

Drive into pine forests and glacier-fed meadows—the last deep green before the high highway begins.

Cross the pass where Kashmir gives way to Ladakh, pause at the Kargil War Memorial and follow the Suru River onward.

Travel via Mulbekh, Namika La, Fotu La and Lamayuru’s pale, eroded Moonland before reaching Leh.

A day that asks very little: rest, walk to Shanti Stupa and explore the old market at your own pace.

Spend the day with Leh Palace, Thiksey and Hemis, tracing the valley’s long cultural history.

Cross into Nubra for Hunder’s dunes and a Bactrian camel experience in the last hour of light.

Walk without an agenda through one of the last Balti settlements before the Line of Control.

Follow the quieter river road and arrive as Pangong shifts from blue to turquoise and violet.

Watch first light cross the lake, then return to Leh over Chang La for the journey’s final night.

A last cup of kahwa if time allows, followed by your airport drop.