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Ladakh Travel Gear – Leh Ladakh Packing List
Get spellbound with the virgin beauty of glowing lakes, bubbling rivers, splendid mountains, mystic lamas and loving people. Ladakh is an adventure lovers dream come true and a retreat for the urban resident from the daily hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan life into the soothing lap of nature.
Ladakh offers something for everybody, for the adventurous people who likes to live on the edge it offers the mind-blowing experience ranging from soft treks like the Markha valley trek to the hardest like the Chader trek undertaken on the frozen Zanskar river.
For those who are not so adventurous there are the Jeep Safaris crisscrossing the whole region, letting you enjoy the adventure of knowing the unknown by guiding you through it. For the culturally inquisitive minds the vibrant colours of its socio-religious fabric, weave an enticing spell and for the spiritually inclined souls it offers a splendid opportunity to be one with oneself.
For the nature lovers, the affordable mountains welcome them in a profusion of colours viz. green, yellow and purple and for the religious minded homo-sapiens this is the last Shangri La.
Ladakh is a land so remote yet in your grasp. Where the only noise that you hear are the silent whispers of your own thoughts amidst the sand dunes of Nubra Valley or the barren landscape of Chumathang. Sit tete a tete with yourself, your family or friends at the isolated Pangong Tso and enjoy the proximity to Nature.
Best Time to Visit
October to May
Ladakh Travel Gear – 35 Essential Things You Can’t Miss
- Big water proof rucksack or big bag to be carried on top of vehicle
- Small rucksack for carrying it yourself
- Woolen and Cotton T-shirts and Pants/Jeans
- Woolen jersey/sweater/ wind-cheaters/rain coat
- Woolen muffler and monkey cap
- Leather or Fur Gloves
- Body warmer or inner
- At least 3 pairs of woolen socks
- Large sun hat and sunglasses which offer 100 percent UV protection
- Headlight or Torch preferably LED torch with extra batteries
- Big water bottle and water purification tablets
- Sun protection: sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher),cold cream and Lip balm or Vaseline.
- Paper Soap / Towel / Tooth Brush / Tooth Paste, Hand sanitizer and Toilet paper (Lots and lots)
- Moisturizing body lotion
- Adhesive plaster / Band Aids, Crepe Bandage and splints
- Talcum powder / Antifungal powder/cream
- Moove / Iodex / Anti vomiting medicine containing Domperidone (Tab. Domstal)
- Anti Diarrheal tablets like Tab. Norflox-TZ
- Anti Mountain Sickness AMS tablets like Diamox
- Tablet Imodium : Don’t even think of going without it
- Pain killers for headache and sprains like Ketorolac (Tab. Ketorol-DT, Tab. Flozen-AA)
- First-aid kit including medicines you use normally.
- Cold and cough syrups, Tablet Crocin (Paracetemol) for fever
- Anti Asthama spray and Tablets if you are asthmatic.
- Scissor, Tweezers, Thermometer, cotton gauze, Dettol lotion
- Glucose for instant energy and Oral re-hydration salts ORS
- Good walking shoes. Test how comfortable they are by using them before the trip
- Chocolates, biscuits, energy bars and dry fruits
- Car charger or battery bank
- Enough memory cards, Camera, Mobile
- Post-paid mobile connection from BSNL/MTNL. No other carrier works beyond Leh.
- Enough Money in cash as ATMs are only available in Leh and Kargil.
- Government issued Identity card such as driving licence / voter’s card / passport with multiple photocopies for getting various permits.
- Medical Insurance card, map of Ladakh, printed itinerary, hotel reservation receipts
- For Leh Ladakh Trekking – Tents, Sleeping bag, Pole, Trekking shoes, Rain Coat.
Acclimatization and Altitude sickness
Ladakh is a high altitude cold desert with a low-level of atmospheric oxygen. Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to acclimatize after arriving in Leh because of altitude sickness. Avoid doing anything for the first day and drink plenty of water. Laptops also don’t appreciate the high altitude and hard drives are known to crash. Nights still get chilly during the summer so do bring warm clothes to layer.
Leaving Leh by flight can be a lot more challenging than arriving. Demand for flights is high in peak season, so book well in advance. In addition, flights are sometimes canceled because of weather conditions, so it’s advisable not to book the last flight of the day. Hand luggage also poses a problem. Only laptops and cameras are permitted as hand luggage.Take permission before you click a photograph of any one. Don’t take photo if they ask for money.
Come and discover your own reason to visit this place. Explore a whole new visage of mountains as you traverse the curves of unending roads. Heaven sure lies high above.
Read more about my Ladakh adventure in Following 3 Idiot’s Trail : Leh, Ladakh