On various travel forums, I often come across questions regarding traveling to Ladakh by bus as well as traveling to various destinations in Ladakh by bus. In this article, my endeavor is to shed light on the routes available to reach Leh and then traveling to popular destinations in Ladakh like Nubra Valley, Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso by bus service. I have also mentioned tariff (which are accurate to best of knowledge) along the various routes along with departure timings.
Bus Service in Ladakh is a boon for budget traveler but then you will be on a tight schedule as bus services in Ladakh are very limited and don’t operate on a daily basis on long routes. It means you need to go to a particular destination like Pangong Tso and return the next day or else have a month time up your sleeve and you could spend 2-3 days in Pangong or Nubra Valley and catch the next scheduled bus.
Even then, if you are traveling to destination like Tso Moriri, the bus service is available on ten days interval if you miss the next day’s bus to Leh. So read on and plan your trip to Ladakh by Bus.
[Also Read my Post on Road Trip to Ladakh on Motorcycle]
Planning Trip to Leh Ladakh by Bus and Bus Service inside Ladakh
Buses ply regularly from Manali and Srinagar to Leh. Sri Nagar side bus halts for the night in Kargil and reaches Leh the next day. Similarly, night halt in Manali Leh highway is at Keylong. Bus service from Srinagar to Leh is more frequent than bus service from Manali to Leh as many private and state run buses ferry passenger to Leh from Srinagar some directly without a night halt.
Bus Service from Delhi to Leh, Ladakh
Direct bus from Delhi was available to Leh in 2015. Currently the official site is showing this message: No Such Route Exist. However it is very likely that this bus service from Delhi to Leh will resume this season too when the road will open via Manali route in July.
Bus Service from Delhi to Leh Details
Departure: Daily (till Sept 15) from ISBT, Counter 7
Timing: 3.45 PM
However the irony of this is that even the ground staff at HPTDC, Delhi ISBT are not aware of this service. Better call Manali or Keylong office and take the required information regarding departure date and timing from there to be on the safe side.
Useful Phone no. for information for bus service from Delhi to Leh
ISBT Delhi: 011- 23868694
ISBT Chandigarh: 0172-2668943
Manali Bus Stand: 01902-252323, 01902-252116 & 01902-253147
Keylong Bus Stand: 01900-222245
Last year, this bus service from Delhi to Leh started from first week of July but it depends on whether road at Rohtang Pass is opened or not. The bus is operated by Himachal Pradesh Tourism (HPTDC).
One could also catch a bus from Delhi to Manali and catch the connecting bus to Leh from there. Delhi to Manali will cost you INR 1300 per person in AC VOLVO and INR INR 750 in Non AC Deluxe.
Bus Fare from Delhi to Leh, Ladakh: INR 1350 per person
Bus Service from Manali to Leh
From Manali to Leh, the bus service will operate from 1st July till 15th September. The one way fare in Non AC Deluxe Bus is INR 2500 per person with a night halt in Keylong. Volvo don’t ply on this route.
Departure time from Manali ISBT is 09:00 AM and the return journey from this route could be made from Fort Road in Leh with bus scheduled to depart at 05:00 AM in the morning.
Bus Fare from Manali to Leh Ladakh: Rs.2500/-
Transport Charges INR 1900 + Accommodation charges INR 600 (M.A.P) and bus stops for sightseeing
For booking in advance, try this link.
Bus Service from Srinagar to Leh Ladakh
The two day bus journey from Srinagar to Leh with a night halt in Kargil starts from Srinagar ISBT at 8:00 AM in the morning. Fare for JKSRTC operated buses from Srinagar to Leh is INR 1050 per person for Deluxe and INR 650 per person for semi deluxe. Many private and other state run buses also ply regularly on this route making it far better connected to Leh than the Manali Leh route. And there are no direct bus from Jammu to Ladakh. Direct bus service is available from Srinagar only.
Bus fare from Srinagar to Leh, Ladakh: INR 1050 per person
Bus Service from Leh to Pangong Tso
Every Saturday and Sunday bus from Leh goes to Pangong via Chang La, the second highest mountain pass in Ladakh according to some. The departure is at 6.30 AM. Yet another bus ferry passengers to Tangtse that also leaves at 6:30 AM on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday but doesn’t go all the way till Pangong. Fare of these bus is Rs. 256 per person. The return journey to Leh is made the next day by both these buses.
Bus Service from Leh to Tso Moriri
Bus from Leh to Tso Moriri, yet another of the major tourist attraction featuring a high altitude lake runs thrice in a month. The dates are 10th, 20th and 30th of the month. Return journey is next day i.e. 11th, 21st and 31st or 1st (depending upon days in the month). The fare for this route is INR 370 per person.
Bus Service from Leh to Nubra Valley
The bus from Leh ply to Diskit in Nubra Valley every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It leaves from Leh in the morning at 8:00 AM. The return journey to Leh is made the next day at 7:00 AM and per person fare is INR 350.
Bus Service from Leh to Hanle
Bus from Leh leaves for Hanle every Saturday at 6:00 AM in the morning. The fare for this route is INR 492 per person. The return journey from Hanle to Leh is made the next day.
Bus Service from Leh to Stok
Bus to Stok runs twice daily from Leh. The fare for the journey is INR 25 each. The bus leaves from Leh at 8:00 AM in the morning and 5:00 PM in the evening.
These are the latest updates on the bus service to Leh and for internal traveling for sightseeing in Ladakh by bus. If there are any variation in current fare it would only be minor. Let me know if you have any updates on the same so that I could update the same on this post.
For more on planning Ladakh tour, read my previous post on planning trip to Ladakh and also read tips if you are planning Ladakh trip on bike
Other Useful Links for Rates and Time Tables of Bus Services in Leh Ladakh:
- http://vargiskhan.com/log/leh-bus-service-buses-ladakh/
- http://devilonwheels.com/rates-time-table-of-bus-services-in-leh-ladakh/
- www.lehladakhindia.com/resource/
Planning Ladakh by Bus from Delhi
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