My first Solo Trip to Ladakh
I went to Ladakh without much planning. Honestly I just wanted to get away from the concrete jungle for a while. Didn’t really have a proper itinerary or bucket list. I just booked the tickets and left.
I stayed in Zostel Leh and figured out most of the things after reaching there itself. Met a few people there who helped me with places to visit and routes. That’s the nice thing about hostels in places like Ladakh, you never really feel alone even when you’re travelling solo.
First day I kept it light because of acclimatization. Mostly stayed around Leh and didn’t push myself much. In the evening I went to this small cafe called Summer Cafe.. around 3-4 km from the market. Very quiet place with mountains and valley in the background. Nothing fancy but the vibe was really peaceful. Felt nice just sitting there doing nothing.
After that I came back and explored Leh Palace. By the time I came down it was already evening. The view from there was beautiful, whole Leh town looked calm and slow unlike cities. Then I just walked through the Leh market without any plan.
I think Ladakh is one of those places where you shouldn’t try to rush and “cover” everything. Just walk around, sit somewhere, observe people and live in the moment.
Luckily when I visited, there were cultural events happening in the market because Buddha relics were being displayed in Leh. There was music, dance, lights and people everywhere but somehow the place still felt peaceful.
Later at night I went alone to German Bakery in the market. Had cream cheese bun, momos and tea. That cream cheese bun was honestly too good, still haven’t found something similar in Bangalore. Also one thing I realised quickly in Leh...don’t depend too much on network. Offline maps literally saved me the whole trip.
Even when I was walking back alone to Zostel around 11 PM, I never really felt unsafe. That was something surprising for me because usually when travelling solo you stay alert all the time. But Leh felt different.
Day 2 I rented a Himalayan Scram near Zostel for around ₹1200 and started early. Downloaded offline maps, bought gloves and face cover because the cold wind there is brutal once you start riding.
First stop was Hall of Fame. Initially I thought I’ll just spend 20-30 mins there but ended up staying much longer. Reading about Siachen, Kargil war and listening to stories from army veterans there was honestly emotional. Makes you realise how difficult life is for soldiers posted there.
After that I rode towards Gurudwara Pathar Sahib. The roads itself felt unreal. Somewhere there I met a biking group from Tamil Nadu during langar and spoke to them for sometime. Random interactions like these made the trip better.
Then went to Magnetic Hill and later Sangam where Indus and Zanskar rivers meet.
Sangam was probably one of my favourite places from the trip. Sat there for a long time just watching the rivers and mountains. Used timer on my phone to record few videos and photos because I knew I’d want to remember these moments later.
I think Ladakh slowly teaches you to slow down.
You stop caring about covering places fast.
You stop checking your phone all the time.
You just ride, sit quietly somewhere and exist.