The Journal - Unmapped Paths

Umling La: the highest road you can actually drive to

Umling La is no longer the highest motorable road on earth. It is still the highest one you can actually drive to, and that changes the question worth asking.

August 20266 min read

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Pangong Tso: a thousand shades of blue

A 134 km lake at 4,225 m that changes colour while you watch it, on the quiet Indian edge of the China border. Ladakh's most photographed view, and the one most people rush.

September 20266 min read

Destination Guide

Turtuk and Thang: in touching distance of PoK

Past Nubra, Ladakh suddenly turns green: Turtuk, a Balti village of apricot orchards that changed sides in 1971, and Thang, a border you can stand at and look across the Line of Control.

September 20266 min read

Practical Tips

When to go: a month-by-month guide to Ladakh

July 20266 min read

Planning

Permits for Ladakh, without the headache

Indian travellers pay a small environment fee online, no separate permit needed. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit arranged through a registered Leh agency. We handle both either way.

July 20264 min read

Practical Tips

How to arrive in Leh and actually feel good

The single thing that decides how your Ladakh trip feels has almost nothing to do with the itinerary. It is how you spend the first two days at altitude.

Ladakh3,500-5,400mJuly 20265 min read

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Nobody looked at their phone that evening.

Field Notes

Written somewhere between Leh and Nubra.

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