Getting to Leh

By air year-round or by road in season — pick how you are coming and get the plan, the official fee portal, and the district's two-day acclimatisation advice.

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Town Tools builds free, public tools for Leh and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.

Getting to Leh is a seasonal question. From roughly November to May the two highways are usually shut and the aircraft is the only way in; the rest of the year you can also drive up from Srinagar or Manali. Whichever way you arrive, you land at 3,500 m — and the district's own advice is to do nothing for the first two days.

Fees are paid online before or on arrival

Domestic tourists pay an environmental (green) fee, a Red Cross Fund contribution and a wildlife fee, all through the LAHDC's official portal at lahdclehpermit.in. The amounts are not published outside the portal, so pay there rather than trusting third-party figures. Certain foreign passport holders additionally need a Protected Area Permit for areas beyond Leh — the portal states the requirement.

How are you travelling?

By air

Year-round — and the only way in from November to May.

The district's own acclimatisation advice

The district administration's words, verbatim: it is "advisable for the travelers arriving Leh by Air, to get themselves fully acclimatized, taking complete rest for two days" (leh.nic.in). Altitude sickness at 3,500 m is a real medical risk, not a formality.

How it works

Fly into Leh's Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport. The district administration lists flights from Delhi, Jammu, Chandigarh and Srinagar; in deep winter the schedule can thin to a single daily Delhi service.
Plan nothing for your first two days: you arrive at 3,500 m with no acclimatisation, which is the hardest possible altitude profile.
Pay the environmental fee, Red Cross Fund and wildlife fee on the official portal (lahdclehpermit.in) if you haven't already.
Only after acclimatising, plan trips over the passes — Khardung La and Chang La are another 1,800 m higher than town.

Season: All year — the winter lifeline
Departure cities: Delhi, Jammu, Chandigarh, Srinagar (per the district administration)

By road from Srinagar

434 km over Zoji La — open roughly May to November/December.

This town's Roads In & Out tool carries the full seasonal picture for both highways, including the 2025–26 anchors and who announces openings.

How it works

Check the highway is open before committing: the district's published window is May to November/December, and the real word on any day comes from the district administration.
The drive is 434 km over Zoji La (3,528 m), usually broken at Kargil.
Arriving by road from Srinagar gives a gentler altitude profile than flying, but Leh is still 3,500 m — take the first day quietly.
Pay the fees on the official portal if you haven't already.

Distance: 434 km, usually done over two days
Season: May to November/December (published window; varies with snow)

By road from Manali

473 km over four high passes — open roughly May/June to September/October.

How it works

Check the highway is open: the published window is May/June to September/October. In 2025–26 it closed on 20 November and reopened to light vehicles on 14 May.
The drive is 473 km over passes above 4,900 m, usually broken at Keylong or the tented camps.
This route spends a night high — sleeping en route at over 3,000 m helps some travellers, but the passes are hard on anyone unacclimatised. Take altitude symptoms seriously mid-route.
Pay the fees on the official portal if you haven't already.

Distance: 473 km, usually done over two days
Season: May/June to September/October (published window; varies with snow)

Getting to Leh

About these tools

By air

How it works

By road from Srinagar

How it works

By road from Manali

How it works

Why the two rest days matter

The official fee portal

Official pages

Getting to Leh

About these tools

Every way to arrive

By air

How it works

By road from Srinagar

How it works

By road from Manali

How it works

Why the two rest days matter

The official fee portal

Official pages