Leh 3-day itinerary

Climb gently to Shanti Stupa before sunrise — the 500 steps from the road will test your lungs at 3500m, so take them very slowly. The reward is one of the most spectacular sunrise panoramas in the Himalayas: the first light strikes the Stok Range to the south while the Indus Valley below remains in shadow, and the golden-brown desert landscape extends to jagged white peaks in every direction. The stupa itself is an elegant white dome with gold-relief panels depicting scenes from Buddha's life. The morning silence at this elevation, with no sound but the wind and the distant murmur of the Indus, is profoundly peaceful.

Visit Leh Palace, the 17th-century nine-storey royal residence built by King Sengge Namgyal. The palace is in various states of restoration, and climbing through its dark stairways and crumbling rooms to the rooftop offers a gradual altitude workout with rewarding views at each level. From the palace, descend through the old town — the warren of mud-brick lanes, wooden balconies, and small gompas between the palace and the main bazaar is Leh's most atmospheric quarter. Visit the Jama Masjid in the lower bazaar, a 17th-century mosque that reflects Ladakh's Islamic heritage alongside its dominant Buddhist culture.

Walk the Main Bazaar in the evening when shops and restaurants open for the tourist season. Browse the pashmina shawls (genuine Ladakhi pashmina comes from Changpa goats at 4500m), silver and turquoise jewellery, Tibetan thangka paintings, and prayer wheels. For dinner, order garlic soup (widely believed to help altitude acclimatisation), momos, and skyu. The evening light in Leh is extraordinary — the surrounding mountains turn from brown to orange to purple as the sun drops, and the thin atmosphere creates colour saturation impossible at sea level. Rest early — tomorrow involves higher altitude.

Drive 17km south to Thiksey Monastery for the 6am morning prayer ceremony. The gompa rises twelve storeys up a hilltop in a profile that deliberately echoes the Potala Palace in Lhasa — terracotta walls, white temples, and gold-topped chortens stacked vertically against the blue sky. Arrive early to join the monks in the Dukhang (assembly hall) for morning pujas — the deep chanting, the butter lamps, the incense, and the resonance of horns and cymbals create a spiritual atmosphere that transcends language. The 15-metre seated Maitreya (Future Buddha) statue, occupying two storeys of the temple, is Ladakh's largest Buddha image.

Continue 45km south to Hemis Monastery, the largest and wealthiest gompa in Ladakh, hidden in a side valley off the main Indus road. Founded in the 1630s by the Drukpa order, Hemis houses a spectacular collection of gold and copper Buddhist statues, gem-studded chortens (stupas), and thangka paintings including a massive embroidered silk thangka displayed only once every 12 years during the Hemis Festival. The monastery courtyard, surrounded by ornately painted balconies, is the setting for the famous annual masked dance festival. The museum in the upper floors contains some of the finest Tibetan Buddhist art in the Himalayan region.

Stop at Sangam on the return to Leh — the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers, where two rivers of distinctly different colours merge in a visible line. The muddy grey-green Zanskar meets the darker Indus in a swirling pattern that is mesmerising to watch and photograph. The viewpoint sits on a cliff above the confluence with the barren brown mountains of the Zanskar Range rising behind. In the late afternoon light, the contrast between the two rivers is at its most dramatic. This geological meeting point has spiritual significance in Ladakhi culture and is one of the most photographed natural features in the region.

Drive 39km north from Leh over Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes in the world at 5359m (the exact altitude is disputed but the experience is not). The road climbs through switchbacks above Leh, past the South Pullu checkpoint, and through an increasingly barren, snow-patched moonscape to the prayer-flag-festooned pass. At the top, the air contains roughly half the oxygen of sea level — every breath is shallow and every step an effort. The views from the pass are staggering: snow peaks in every direction, the Nubra Valley dropping away to the north, and the vast Karakoram Range on the horizon. Spend no more than 20 minutes at the top.

On the Srinagar road west of Leh, stop at Magnetic Hill, a curious stretch of road where vehicles appear to roll uphill when left in neutral. The optical illusion (created by the surrounding landscape masking the true gradient) is a fun novelty, but the real attraction is the surreal moonscape setting — barren brown hills, empty road, and absolute silence in every direction. Continue to Pathar Sahib Gurudwara, a Sikh temple maintained by the Indian Army in a dramatic mountain setting. The temple houses a boulder with an alleged human imprint attributed to Guru Nanak and is immaculately maintained by army personnel who serve langar (free communal meal) to all visitors.

Spend your final evening in Leh absorbing the extraordinary night sky. At 3500m with minimal light pollution, the stargazing in Ladakh is world-class — the Milky Way arches overhead in a luminous band, planets are visible with striking clarity, and shooting stars are common during summer meteor showers. Several operators offer stargazing sessions with telescopes in the outskirts of Leh. For farewell dinner, find a rooftop restaurant with mountain views — the Bon Appetit, Gesmo, or The Tibetan Kitchen serve reliable Ladakhi and international food. Order one last bowl of thukpa and butter tea before departing this extraordinary high-altitude world.