9 Places to Visit in Leh

The town spreads across an alluvial fan at the confluence of the Indus River and the Khardung stream, backed by a ridge of ochre conglomerate rock on which the nine-storey Leh Palace — a 17th-century construction by King Sengge Namgyal, deliberately echoing the Potala Palace in Lhasa — sits as an eroding but still commanding presence. The palace is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and open for a ₹50 entry fee for domestic visitors.

The Main Bazaar, a single pedestrianised street running roughly east to west through the old town, is the operational spine of tourism in Leh. Here you will find Inner Line Permit counters, travel agencies, trekking outfitters, pharmacies stocked with acetazolamide (Diamox), and restaurants serving everything from thukpa noodle soup to wood-fired pizza. Prices are considerably higher than in other Indian hill towns, reflecting the short tourist season and expensive supply chains — almost everything non-agricultural arrives by road over high-altitude passes that are closed five or six months of the year.

The area around Leh is dense with significant Buddhist monasteries: Hemis (17km south-east, home to a famous masked festival in June), Spituk (9km west), Matho (27km south), and Stok (17km south). The majority charge modest entry fees of ₹30–₹50. Most monasteries have active communities of monks; behave accordingly — maintain silence in prayer halls, walk clockwise around stupas, and do not photograph monks without explicit permission.

Altitude sickness affects most visitors regardless of fitness level. Common symptoms — headache, nausea, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite — typically peak during the first 24–48 hours and resolve with rest and hydration. Descent is the only reliable cure for severe symptoms; Leh District Hospital has a functional emergency department. Flying directly to Leh from sea-level cities like Delhi is the most physiologically challenging arrival route; the Manali–Leh road (two days) or Srinagar–Leh road (one long day) allow more gradual altitude gain.