I am a 26-years-old from Delhi and planning a quick trip to Leh Ladakh with my cousin this month or early October before the roads close off. I would like some help in finding out how to reach Leh Ladakh from Delhi? There are many different things to take into consideration which I would mention below. There is not cost which we have decided upon yet, so currently, all options are available and final decision would be made once we work out the costs. For reaching Leh Ladakh from Delhi I would like the following to be considered in the different options: 1. Low cost 2. Most convenient way 3. Quickest way 4. Best experience wise
Hi there, welcome to the forum, @Chithra! You have different transportation options for reaching Leh Ladakh from Delhi. First of all, you have to decide whether you're going via the Srinagar route or the Manali route. I'd suggest going through the Manali route on the way to Ladakh and then, going via the Srinagar route on your way home. Since you are from Delhi, it is closer to Manali than Srinagar. I'd still highlight the transportation options for both though: Transportation Options from Delhi to Leh Ladakh via Manali 1. By Bus - This is your cheapest option although the most inconvenient as well. Thankfully, from Delhi, there's a direct bus plying to Leh Ladakh. This bus is operated by the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC). Here are some important information about it: HRTC Delhi Leh Bus via Manali - This bus leaves from Delhi ISBT Kashmiri Gate at 2:30 pm. It will arrive in Keylong the next day at around 1:30 pm. It will depart at 5:00 am the next day from Keylong and arrive in Leh at about 7:00 pm the same day. Fare is at Rs. 1,365 per passenger. Journey time is around 40 hours. If somehow, you're not able to board this bus, you have another option. You can reach Manali from Delhi and then, from Manali, ride another bus to Leh Ladakh. Your route would be: Delhi > Bus to Manali > Bus to Leh Ladakh. From Delhi to Manali, you can opt to ride a private bus, HPTDC bus or HRTC bus. Delhi > Bus to Manali > Bus to Leh Ladakh. Here are their timings and fare rates: HPTDC Bus HPTDC Buses - These buses depart from Mandi House at 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Fare is at Rs. 1,220 per passenger. Journey duration is around 14 hours. HRTC Buses HRTC Ordinary Buses - These buses depart from the ISBT Kashmiri Gate at 4:40 pm, 5:40 pm, 6:15 pm, 6:40 pm, 7:32 pm, 9:14 pm and 10:02 pm. Fare is at Rs. 684 per passenger. HRTC Volvo Buses - These buses depart from the ISBT Kashmiri Gate at 7:00 pm, 7:35 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:26 pm and 9:03 pm. Fare is at Rs. 1,412 per passenger. Private Buses Himalayan Nomad (Volvo AC Semi-Sleeper Bus) - This departs from Delhi at 8:00 pm and arrives in Manali at 10:30 am. Fare is at Rs. 1,100 per passenger. City Land Travels (Volvo AC Semi-Sleeper Bus) - This departs from Delhi at 7:00 pm and arrives in Manali at 8:30 am. Fare is at Rs. 1,083 per passenger. Raj Himachal Holidays (Volvo AC Semi-Sleeper Bus) - This departs from Delhi at 7:005 pm and arrives in Manali at 7:05 am. Fare is at Rs. 899 per passenger. Indo Express (Mercedes AC Semi-Sleeper Bus) - This departs from Delhi at 5:01 pm and arrives in Manali at 8:00 am. Fare is at Rs. 949 per passenger. Now, from Manali, you need to board another bus going to Leh Ladakh. Delhi > Bus to Manali > Bus to Leh Ladakh. There's only one bus timing for this one: HPTDC Bus - This bus departs from Manali at 9:00 am. Fare is at Rs. 2,700 per passenger, inclusive of accommodation in Keylong, as well as all meals. 2. By Train - Yet another cheap option and tad more convenient than riding a bus. I would suggest to board a train going to Chandigarh Railway Station as there are plenty of buses from here to Manali. Your route would be: Delhi > Train to Chandigarh > Bus to Manali > Bus to Leh Ladakh. Here are some train timings: Unchahar Express Train No. 14217 - Departs daily from Delhi at 4:25 and arrives at 9:25 in Chandigarh. Chandigarh Express Train No. 19307 - Departs during Fridays from Delhi at 1:40 and arrives at 6:455 in Chandigarh. Kaka Shatabdi Train No. 12011 - Departs daily from Delhi at 7:40 and arrives at 11:05 in Chandigarh. UMB KLK Link Express Train No. 22925 - Departs daily from Delhi at 11:23 and arrives at 15:27 in Chandigarh. Himalayan Queen Express Train No. 14095 - Departs daily from Delhi at 5:35 and arrives at 10:25 in Chandigarh. Fares would be at Rs. 1,110 for 1A, Rs. 695 in 2A, Rs. 490 in 3A, Rs. 105 in 2S and Rs. 175 in SL. From Chandigarh, you can opt for a private bus or an HRTC bus plying to Manali. Delhi > Train to Chandigarh > Bus to Manali > Bus to Leh Ladakh. Here are their timings: HRTC Buses HRTC Volvo Bus - Departs from Chandigarh at 8:40 pm. Fare is at Rs. 854 per passenger. HRTC Ordinary Bus - Departs from Chandigarh at 6:40 pm. Fare is at Rs. 449 per passenger. Private Buses New Himalaya Travels (Volvo AC Semi-Sleeper Bus) - This departs from Chandigarh at 11:15 pm and arrives in Manali at 7:30 am. Fare is at Rs. 899 per passenger. Laxmi Holidays (Volvo AC Semi-Sleeper Bus) - This departs from Chandigarh at 11:45 pm and arrives in Manali at 8:10 am. Fare is at Rs. 950 per passenger. Dev Travels (Volvo AC Semi-Sleeper Bus) - This departs from Chandigarh at 11:00 pm and arrives in Manali at 7:30 am. Fare is at Rs. 799 per passenger. Swami Travels (AC Semi-Sleeper Bus) - This departs from Chandigarh at 9:30 pm and arrives in Manali at 7:00 am. Fare is at Rs. 789 per passenger. From Manali, you have to board another bus going to Leh Ladakh. Delhi > Train to Chandigarh > Bus to Manali > Bus to Leh Ladakh. Again, there's only one bus for this route: HPTDC Bus - This bus departs from Manali at 9:00 am. Fare is at Rs. 2,700 per passenger, inclusive of accommodation in Keylong, as well as all meals. 3. By Private Vehicle or Hired Taxi - This is the quickest way that you can reach Leh Ladakh but also the most expensive. However, if there are many of you in a group, you can just split the fare amongst yourselves. This is the route that you can take: Route via Manali - Delhi > Panipat > Kurukshetra > Mandi > Manali > Marhi > Khoksar > Sissu > Keylong > Jispa > Darcha > Patseo > Zingzingbar > Bharatpur > Sarchu > Nulla > Pang > Debring > Rumtse > Upshi > Karu > Thiksey > Shey > Choglamsar > Ladakh. This also provides a scenic view and you can control your stopovers along the way. So if you do have the money or the vehicle for it, I recommend this last option as it would be the best experience-wise. But if you're worried about the costs, then just opt for a train or bus ride, both are cheap and can provide good views as well. But it can be a bit inconvenient, especially the bus ride. Transportation Options from Delhi to Leh Ladakh via Srinagar 1. By Bus - This is the cheapest option but also the most inconvenient. Unlike the first route though, there's not much changing of buses involved. The route you have to take is: Delhi > Bus to Srinagar > Bus to Leh Ladakh. From Delhi to Srinagar, there's only one government operated bus plying this route. Delhi > Bus to Srinagar > Bus to Leh Ladakh. Here is the timing: JKSRTC Bus (Non AC Seater/Sleeper) - This bus departs from Delhi at 1:00 pm and arrives in Srinagar at 1:00 am. Journey duration is around 36 hours. Fare is at Rs. 1,500 per passenger. From Srinagar to Leh Ladakh, there's also only one bus plying this route. Delhi > Bus to Srinagar > Bus to Leh Ladakh. This bus departs from the Tourist Reception Centre in Dal Lake. Here is the timing: JKSRTC Bus (Non AC Seater/Sleeper) - This departs from Srinagar at 8:00 am. Fare is at Rs. 470 to Rs. 1,058 per passenger. There's a stopover at Kargil during the night. 2. By Train - The nearest railway station to Srinagar is the Jammu Railway Station. Srinagar does have its own railway station but the changing of train to bus and then changing to train again is quite tiring. But once the railway station is connected to mainland India, then travel to Srinagar would be a breeze. So as of now, the route you have to take is: Delhi > Train to Jammu > Bus to Srinagar > Bus to Leh Ladakh. From Delhi to Jammu, there are plenty of trains plying this route. Delhi > Train to Jammu > Bus to Srinagar > Bus to Leh Ladakh. Here are some of their timings: Andaman Express Train No. 16031 - This departs during Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Okhla at 22:07 and arrives in Jammu at 13:00. Himsagar Express Train No. 16317 - This departs during Mondays from Shakurbasti at 00:46 and arrives in Jammu at 13:00. Navyug Express Train No. 16687 - This departs during Thursdays from Shakurbasti at 00:46 and arrives in Jammu at 13:00. Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Train No. 12445 - This departs daily from New Delhi at 20:50 and arrives in Jammu at 6:35. Ajmer Jammu Tawi Express Train No. 12413 - This departs daily from Delhi Cantonment at 21:22 and arrives in Jammu at 8:10. Malwa Express Train No. 12919 - This departs daily from New Delhi at 5:20 and arrives in Jammu at 16:10. Shalimar Express Train No. 14645 - This departs daily from New Delhi at 15:50 and arrives in Jammu at 5:25. Sri Shakti Express Train No. 22461 - This departs daily from New Delhi at 17:30 and arrives in Jammu at 3:00. Fares would be at Rs. 2,115 for 1A, Rs. 1,260 in 2A, Rs. 880 in 3A, Rs. 205 in 2S and Rs. 325 in SL. From Jammu, ride a bus going to Srinagar. Delhi > Train to Jammu > Bus to Srinagar > Bus to Leh Ladakh. Here are some bus timings: Jamna Travels India (Non AC Seater/Sleeper Bus) - Departs from Jammu at 10:00 pm and arrives in Srinagar at 8:00 am. Fare is at Rs. 750 per passenger. JKSRTC (Super Deluxe Bus) - Departs from Jammu at 7:30 am and arrives in Srinagar at 5:30 pm. Fare is at Rs. 510 per passenger. Your last route would be from Srinagar to Leh, only one bus goes through this route. Delhi > Train to Jammu > Bus to Srinagar > Bus to Leh Ladakh. Here is the timing: JKSRTC Bus (Non AC Seater/Sleeper Bus) - This departs from the Tourist Reception Centre in Srinagar at 8:00 am. There's a night halt in Kargil and the bus resumes its service the next day. Journey duration is around two days. Fare is at Rs. 470 to Rs. 1,058 per passenger. 3. By Private Vehicle or Hired Taxi - This is the most expensive but most convenient option as well. Here is the route you can take: Route via Srinagar - Delhi > Panipat > Ludhiana > Pathankot > Jammu > Srinagar > Wayul > Sonamarg > Dras > Kargil > Mulbekh > Heniskot > Uleytokpo > Nimmu > Ladakh. Experience-wise, this is the best option as you can enjoy the views fully. However, fuel charges can be quite high, in addition to the driver charges. So if money is such an issue, then just go via bus or train, both of which are cheap and efficient. So in summary: Best low cost option - Lower class in train or ordinary bus. Most convenient option - Private vehicle or hired taxi. If train versus bus, train is more convenient. Quickest option - Private vehicle or hired taxi. Best experience wise - Private vehicle or hired taxi. I hope this helps you.
