Bus Services in Ladakh: Fares, Time Table, Frequency
It's a world wide known fact that when someone talks about Adventure Road Trip, the first name which comes to mind is Manali-Leh Road Trip. Trip to Ladakh can be enjoyed best with the own vehicle, but this is not the only option to reach Ladakh. Now People are adapting other option to travel which is Roadways Transportation. There are a lot of people who dream of traveling to Ladakh but budget becomes a major challenge for them. Bus Services has made easy accessible for all the Budget Travelers. There are some private Travel Agents who provides a shared taxi services but they charge more than usual rate. Meeting up with new people and sharing the culture is itself a experience as there are lot solo traveler who are taking the same route and you will not find happiest people more than Ladakhis. But the only disadvantage is Ladakh is a remote region and the Bus services are not regular.
So HPTDC and HRTC has made a collaborative efforts to provide bus services not only Leh but also other remote Villages of Ladakh like Pangong, Hanle, Diskit, Turtuk etc.
Below are some information about the Bus Services with Fares and Time Table.
Delhi - Manali - Leh HRTC
HRTC covers this route which starts from Delhi ISBT at 3:45 P.M, departs from Chandigarh at 9:30 P.M., then from kullu at 6:30 A.M., Manali at 10:00 A.M. and arrive at Keylong by 3:00 P.M. It halts at Keylong for a night starts the journey at 5:00 A.M. next morning and arrives at Leh 7;00 P.M. This route covers around 1260 kms and the charges are around Rs 1350/- and the travel time from Delhi to Leh is 35 Hours which excludes time stay in Keylong. Stay in Keylong is not included in Bus Charges. The reverse route from Leh starts at 5 A.M. next morning.
Manali - Leh Bus Service (HPTDC and HRTC)
There are two kind of buses which cover this route; one is HRTC and the other is HPTDC . HRTC is a normal transportation bus which doesn't stop for any sightseeing and rarely stops for food and small breaks. HTDC Bus services is a semi Deluxe Bus Service which was started by Himachal Tourism from 1 july to 30 September every Season and it covers for all the sightseeing between Manali - Leh Highway. HPTDC starts from Manali at 11:00 A.M. and reach Keylong by Evening. Then Journey starts from Keylong to Leh at 5:30 A.M. next day and arrive by evening. HPTDC Bus charges around Rs 2400/- for a single seat which includes stay in Keylong plus Dinner and Breakfast in Keylong.
Srinagar to Leh Bus Service
Srinagar to Leh is a two days trip with a halt in Kargil for a night. Usually there is only bus which leaves everyday from Dal lake, Srinagar depending upon the tourists, there can be second bus also. Fare for the Ordinary Government Bus is around Rs 1050/- for Deluxe and Rs 650/- for Semi-Deluxe. Fare from Srinagar to Kargil is just Rs 250/- for Ordinary and Rs 300/- for Deluxe. Private buses also operate on this route and their fare is Rs. 1000/- for Srinagar to Leh and Rs. 500/- for Srinagar to Kargil.
Local Bus Services in Leh – Ladakh
Leh to Nubra Valley
Bus service starts from Leh to Diskit, Nubra valley at 6:00 A.M. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and return from Diskit next day at 7:00 A.M. The Bus Charges of this route is around Rs 200/-.
Leh to Pangong
Bus starts from Leh to Pangong at 6:00 A.M. every Saturday and Sunday and leaves from Pangong next Day. The Bus Charges of this route is around Rs 260/-.
Leh to Hanle
Bus service starts from Leh to Hanle at 6:30 A.M. every Saturday and return from Hanle next day at 7:00 A.M. The Bus Charges of this route is around Rs 490/-.
Leh to Tsomoriri
Bus service starts from Leh to Tsomoriri at 6:30 A.M. on 10th, 20th and 30th day every month and return next day at 7:00 A.M. The Bus Charges of this route is around Rs 370/-.
Leh to Turtuk Bus
There is a weekly bus from Leh to Turtuk. This bus starts from Leh at 6 AM every Saturday and fare per person is Rs. 277. The same bus passes through Khardung La and villages of Khalsar, Hunder and Diskit.
Leh to Skuru
Skuru is a small village in Nubra valley that falls after Thoise and Diskit. A bus from Leh starts at 6 AM every Tuesday and Thursday that goes to Skuru passing through Khardung La and villages of Khardung, Khalsar, Diskit, Hunder and Thoise. Fare is Rs. 224 per person.
Leh to Charasa
Charasa is another small village in Nubra Valley, little ahead of Sumur towards Panamik. A morning bus starts from Leh at 6 AM every Saturday and reaches Charasa, passing through Khalsar and Sumur. Fare is Rs. 247/- per person.
Leh to Khimee
The village of Khimee is located in Nubra Valley, near Panamik. A weekly bus starts from Leh at 6 AM every Tuesday and reaches Khimee passing through Khardung La, Khardung, Khalsar, Sumur and Panamik. Fare per person is Rs. 252/-
Leh to Udmaru
Udmaru is a small village in Nubra valley, about 30 kilometers ahead of Hunder towards Turtuk. A bus starts from Leh every Saturday at 6 AM for Udmaru, fare is Rs. 146/- per person.
Leh to Taksha
Taksha is another village in Nubra Valley, about 3 kilometers after Panamik. A bus leaves for Taksha from Leh every Thursday at 6 AM, fare is Rs. 152/- per person.
NOTE:
There is not direct bus from Chandigarh to Leh. You have to reach Manali to get the HPTDC Bus.
There is not direct bus from Jammu to Leh.You have to reach Srinagar by bus or train to get the bus from Srinagar to Leh Via Kargil.
If you want to reach Keylong from Leh, you have to catch the same bus which travels between Leh to Manali. The Charges are around Rs 470/-.
Conclusion
I hope this article was helpful and will make easy for you to plan a road trip to Ladakh and makes it easy to save money and plan a sightseeing in Ladakh accordingly.
