Tips to keep in mind for your Leh-Ladakh trip

Do's:

1. Always carry drinking water and dry food.
2. Take Disprin with you if you want to go to Khardung La, as it is very high altitude of 5359m.
3. If you are not able to go further from a particular spot in day, do not move stay there, as road condition is very bad in some places and it would be very difficult to travel in night.
4. If you want to reach from Manali or Srinagar by bus, you should carry sufficient amount of dry food, tablets, and drinking water.
5. Temperature in Ladakh is too low and if you will throw any biodegradable item, it will remain in the same state for very long time, especially in snow, people defecate and the shit remains in the same form for years, so please try the Ladakhi winter toilets.
6. Interact with local people. They love to interact and it will also change your outlook.
7. People there are very friendly and hospitable. Do not betray them and respect them.
8. Use vehicles, which have good-ground clearance and are in good condition. SUVs like Tata Sumo Grande, Toyota Qualis and Highlander, Mitsubishi Pajero work best over there.
9. Collect necessary information about season, road route, and places to visit.
10. If you are going from Delhi, then plan for a minimum of 10-day tour.
11. Have dry eatables and drinking water.
12. Carry warm clothes and blankets.
13. Make a first-aid box and carry proper medicines for headache, fever, and vomiting also in it.
14. Plan in advance on where to stay between Delhi and Leh.
15. Go by Manali and return by Srinagar because you can also see Kargil, Pahalgam, Srinagar via these routes. I have explained this in more detail in my hub ---- http://hubpages.com/hub/visiting-Leh-Ladakh.
16. Again remember to not use plastic in Ladakh.
17. Take a tour guide rather than a guidebook (500-600 INR) per day in Leh.
18. Vodafone connection does not work there and Airtel postpaid works well over there for roaming connectivity.
19. There is electricity problem in Leh, so it is better to take extra batteries for digital products like camera, mobiles phones, etc. Charge them fully before leaving for the tour. You may not get electricity at some remote places and also because of the cold, the battery gets discharged soon.
20. If you are planning to visit Leh-Ladakh on your bike, please make a group of 2 or more. Please do not go alone on bikes, especially Royal Enfield Electra or Bullet as it is very dangerous.

Don'ts:

1. If you reach Leh by air, stay that day and do not plan to go anywhere for that day, as you will need a day or two to acclimatize yourself. Drink plenty of fluids (that does not include alcohol), do not move much for the first two to three days.
2. Appeal: Ladakh is a "no polythene" zone. Kindly respect this and please carry back all the plastic you take with you.
3. Help Ladakhi government and people to keep Ladakh clean.
4. Refill your water bottles instead of buying new ones. Mountain water is good. If you have doubt, boil it and refill. Ladakhi guesthouse owners feel happy on refilling water for their guests.
5. Please respect Ladakhi culture. Do not make fun of them. Do not try to influence them with your western outlook. They are happy the way they are, in their natural form of culture.
6. Wear nice clothes covering your body while on roads, especially while visiting a Buddhist Gompa.
7. Encourage local business by eating local food, buying local items, and support local economy because modern things can be bought from anywhere in the world, but Ladakhi items you will only get in Ladakh.
8. People in Ladakh use to live interdependently and with multinational companies influencing them, they are being affected, so please support the local culture.

For more information: check www.duniyagolhai.com

Take care and Happy Journey