Distance From Leh To Pangong Lake

[GauravDixit]

I am going on a holiday in April to Leh with my wife, kids and two other families, and we have the whole trip planned, from hotel bookings to the itinerary. Our trip is for eight days and we will be driving to Leh in our own cars.
One thing which we have recently found out about is Pangong Lake, seen the pictures and it looks like an incredible place and we don't know how we missed adding this to our itinerary.
Currently, our itinerary is full of things to see and do, and they are all important, and we would like to fit in a visit to Pangong Lake as well. I need some details from members who know about Leh, so we can see whether it is easy to add Pangong Lake to our trip or not.
A quick reply would be appreciated.

1. What is the distance from Leh to Pangong Lake?

2. How much time should be spent at the Lake?

3. Will it take more than a day to travel to Pangong Lake from Leh and back, including the time spent there?

4. Is it better to take a taxi or drive ourselves to Pangong Lake?

 

[Deven]

Pangong Lake should be visited, especially if won't be coming back to Leh anytime soon.

1.The distance from Leh to Pangong Lake is around 189km, which is roughly a four-hour drive. But depending on what the weather is like it may take longer as the road conditions also get affected.

2. At least one whole day should be spent at Pangong Lake. From an entire day, you need to take out eight hours for travelling from and back to Leh, so that would leave you with about 6 hours being spent at the Lake. There is a village which is the furthermost village in the Pangong area and is about 7km from the lake which you can also visit. You can get accommodation and food there if needed and also get some great views of the Chang-Chenmo mountains. Night camps are available by the side of the lake which is a great experience in itself.

3. The answer to your query number three has pretty much been replied to in query number two. Yes, it will take more than a day to travel to Pangong Lake from Leh. Remember it is best to get back to Leh before sunset.

4. You can do either, drive yourself or take a taxi. If your driving skills are good, take your own car if not then hire a taxi. It would also depend on the road conditions and your health on how you feel about driving in certain conditions.