Kashmir & Ladakh · 12 Nights / 13 Days
Kashmir and Ladakh via Delhi
Five nights in the valley, with a houseboat, a night in Gulmarg, a night in Pahalgam and a day at Manasbal and Kheer Bhawani. Then fly on to Ladakh: a rest day in Leh, Alchi and Lamayuru, a night at Pangong and a night in Nubra. The usual connection is one night in Delhi.
Duration
12 nights / 13 days
Route
Srinagar → Gulmarg → Pahalgam → Srinagar → Delhi → Leh → Pangong → Nubra → Leh
Best months
Jun–Sep
Price
On request
Planned and run by the Falcon Trails team
Local team in Srinagar · private cab · itemised quote before you pay
Day by day
The whole itinerary, nothing withheld.
- 1
Arrive Srinagar
Pickup at Srinagar airport. Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Bagh in the afternoon, Hazratbal and Shankaracharya if the light holds, then a shikara to the houseboat.
Houseboat, Dal or Nigeen LakeDinner - 2
Srinagar to Gulmarg
About two hours to the meadow. The gondola runs in two phases, to Kongdoori and then Apharwat when the wind allows. Tickets are extra and sell out in season. Night in Gulmarg, so you are not driving back to Srinagar in the dark.
Hotel in GulmargBreakfast & dinner - 3
Gulmarg to Pahalgam
About three to four hours, with a stop at the Avantipora ruins and the saffron fields at Pampore when they are in flower. Afternoon by the Lidder.
Hotel in PahalgamBreakfast & dinner - 4
Pahalgam to Srinagar
Morning in town, or Aru and Betaab by local union taxi if you want the side valleys. Those taxis are paid on the spot. Back to Srinagar for the evening and the old-city shops.
Hotel in SrinagarBreakfast & dinner - 5
Manasbal, Kheer Bhawani and Wular
A quieter day north of the city. Manasbal is the lake with the lotus in late summer. Kheer Bhawani at Tulmulla is the spring temple of Ragnya Devi. Wular is the flood basin of the Jhelum, about an hour from Srinagar, and the stop is a viewpoint rather than a boat ride unless the water and the weather allow one.
Hotel in SrinagarBreakfast & dinner - 6
Srinagar to Delhi
Morning flight to Delhi. The afternoon is Qutub Minar and India Gate, and a look at Rashtrapati Bhavan from the outside. This night exists because most Srinagar–Leh tickets still connect through Delhi. When a same-day Srinagar to Leh flight is running, this day comes out and the trip is one night shorter.
Hotel in DelhiBreakfast - 7
Delhi to Leh · rest
Fly to Leh, about 3,500 m. Pickup and the hotel, then nothing else. The first day at this height is for water and rest, not monasteries.
Hotel in LehDinner - 8
Alchi and Lamayuru
West along the Srinagar highway: Magnetic Hill, the confluence of the Indus and the Zanskar, the 11th-century temples at Alchi, and Lamayuru in the moonland. Back to Leh the same evening. It is a long day, about seven to eight hours with the stops.
Hotel in LehBreakfast & dinner - 9
Leh to Pangong
Over Chang La, about 5,300 m, to Pangong Tso. The pass is usually open in summer and closes in actual snowfall. Night in a camp at the lake.
Camp at PangongBreakfast & dinner - 10
Pangong to Leh
Morning by the lake, then back over Chang La. Shey, Thiksey and Hemis are on this road and we stop at two of them, not all three if the pass was slow.
Hotel in LehBreakfast & dinner - 11
Leh to Nubra
Over Khardung La to Diskit and the dunes at Hunder. Bactrian camel rides are paid on the spot and are not in the package.
Camp in NubraBreakfast & dinner - 12
Nubra to Leh
Back over Khardung La. Afternoon in Leh: Shanti Stupa, the palace and the market, in that order and only as far as the altitude allows.
Hotel in LehBreakfast & dinner - 13
Depart Leh
Drop at Leh airport. Flights leave early, and the airport asks for a long check-in.
Breakfast
What’s included
- A houseboat night and hotels in Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Delhi and Leh, and camps at Pangong and in Nubra, on twin-sharing
- Breakfast and dinner on the days marked in the itinerary (no dinner on the Delhi night)
- A private cab in Kashmir, a transfer in Delhi, and a Ladakh-registered cab in Ladakh, as local rules require
- Airport pickup in Srinagar and drop in Leh
- A shikara ride on Dal Lake
- Ladakh environmental fee and permits, including the Protected Area Permit for foreign nationals
- One named trip coordinator on WhatsApp for the whole trip
Not included
- Flights Srinagar–Delhi, Delhi–Leh, and the flight home from Leh
- Gulmarg Gondola tickets
- Local union taxis in Pahalgam, paid on the spot at fixed rates
- Monastery entry, camel rides and monument tickets in Delhi
- Lunches, drinks, tips and anything not listed as included
We list exclusions plainly rather than burying them. If something here matters to you, ask — most can be added to the quote.
A Small Promise from Us
When you book this tour with Falcon Trails, we plant a native tree in Kashmir in your party’s name as our contribution towards preserving the natural beauty of the valley for future generations.
Honest Travel Advisory
Who this Kashmir and Ladakh via Delhi itinerary is NOT for
- •Anyone who would rather drive to Leh: This trip flies. The road over Zoji La, with a night in Kargil, is a different package: Kashmir and Ladakh by Road.
- •Anyone with a heart or lung condition: Leh is at about 3,500 m, Chang La and Khardung La are higher, and the first day in Leh is a rest day on purpose. Take medical advice before you book.
- •Anyone travelling outside summer: Pangong and Nubra camps and the high passes are a June to September trip. Gulmarg and Pahalgam still work outside those months, but this full route does not.
If any of these apply to your party, speak to us and we will adapt the route.
Before you book
Questions on this itinerary.
Do we have to stay in Delhi?
Only when the flights connect there. A same-day Srinagar to Leh flight drops the Delhi night. We quote the flights that are actually on sale for your dates.
Why is there no price on this page?
Hotels, camps, permits and the Delhi connection are quoted for your dates. The figure stays blank until that quote is written.
Can we keep the valley and skip Ladakh?
Yes. The first five nights are a Kashmir trip on their own. Tell us and we will price them without the flights.
Customise this trip
This is the template. Yours will be different.
Add a night, swap a hotel category, start from a different city, travel with fifteen people instead of two. Tell us what changes and we rebuild the itinerary and the quote around it.
Every quote comes from our own team, from the planner who will actually run your trip.