How to reach leh from srinagar?

Traveling by bus to Ladakh using Srinagar to Leh bus is an experience in itself. The budget travelers love traveling in this manner as they not only feel it saves money, but they also live a different kind of experience locally. So, you save costs as well as gain memorable memories.

No doubt, this method of using public transport, which is bus services, is very common among solo travelers in Ladakh.

So, in today’s article, I will answer this question about traveling from Srinagar to Leh by bus and help you save some money 🙂 🙂 …

We all know that the personal taxis within Ladakh are very costly. If you want to travel from Srinagar to Leh in a private taxi, it will easily cost about Rs 16000-17000. If you are traveling from Delhi to Jammu to Srinagar then include the cost of travel between Delhi – Jammu – Srinagar too.

So, the overall taxi cost from Delhi to Srinagar to Leh will cost you about Rs 30000 – 33000.

Taxis within Ladakh leaves a big dent in your pocket. If you are traveling solo or as a small group, it almost becomes unaffordable to travel in a private taxi. A budget trip to Ladakh using a private taxi is not a possibility in Ladakh.

Hence, people on a low budget need to find alternate ways to travel to Leh from Srinagar without leaving their pockets empty.

So, what are your options for sightseeing on Srinagar Leh Highway and reach Leh from Srinagar but do all of it as a pocket-friendly trip?

Thankfully, as so many people visit Ladakh in the season time, the roads are filled with tourists even in Jammu and Srinagar in season time. You may find travel partners in Srinagar, near the bus stand or Dal Lake taxi stand where people look out for others to share the taxi cost of Srinagar to Leh trip.

However, if you want to make a trip to Leh from Srinagar, you will have to spend Rs 16000 – Rs 18000 for the private taxi. Even if you get five people to share the cost of this private taxi to Leh from Srinagar, it means you have to spend Rs about Rs 3200 – 3600 each for a two day trip to Srinagar to Leh in a private taxi.

Some people travel with an open mind and prefer traveling on a budget over comfort & luxury. Spending Rs 2000-3000 just for transport to one place in Ladakh could be a decent portion of your complete budget of a trip to Ladakh.

So, let me share the details with you about the bus service that runs between Leh and Srinagar including the bus schedule, timings, and the bus ticket fare.

Wait, before we understand public transport buses from Srinagar to Leh, let us first understand what places of sightseeing exist on Srinagar Leh Highway. It will help you then understand how you can plan the trip to Leh from Srinagar and which buses options should you be choosing.

The Srinagar Leh bus route runs through many nice villages on the way to Leh from Srinagar. You pass through Sonamarg to cross over the dreaded Zojila Pass and enter the Drass – Kargil region. The meadows in Minamarg as you descend from Zojila are an absolute beauty.

Then comes Drass meandering through some beautiful vistas as you further continue to Kargil War Memorial and reach Kargil. The quaint little busy town of Kargil, in itself, is a beautiful place. Some of the Srinagar to Leh bus services stops overnight at Kargil.

Once you cross Kargil, you reach Mulbekh having the Maitreya statue and further continuing the journey you cross over the Namkee La Pass and Fotu La pass to reach the Moonland called Lamayuru. Most people have a meal at Lamayuru.

After Lamayuru, the views of the Indus valley are wonderful and finally, you traverse through Sham Valley to reach Leh. Sham Valley sightseeing includes Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib.

So, you can see that there is quite a bit of sightseeing which is present on a journey from Srinagar to Leh. Knowing about them will help you choose from the options of Srinagar to Leh bus services run by JKSRTC and private operators.

Now that we know what is present on Srinagar Leh Highway. Let me start with the details on bus services on Srinagar Leh route along with the schedule and timing of the buses running from Srinagar to Leh.

There are quite a few bus services available on Srinagar to Leh route. The government-run JKSRTC department runs buses between Srinagar and Leh. Many private bus tour operators also run buses in the form of tempo travelers or semi-deluxe mini-buses with cushion seats.

So, you can travel from Srinagar to Leh using JKSRTC buses as well as private buses run by private operators. The difference between them is mostly pricing.

Those of you who are interested in knowing, there is no Volvo bus service from Srinagar to Leh. So, a super deluxe bus from JKSRTC is what you get as the best bus to travel from Srinagar to Leh or tempo travelers run by private tour operators for better comfort.

The JKSRTC Srinagar to Leh bus service is available at TRC near Dal Lake in Srinagar. This bus covers the 434 KM long journey on Srinagar – Leh Highway in two days.

The bus from Srinagar to Leh starts at 8 AM at present, halts at Kargil for one night. It leaves Kargil at around 7 AM in the morning and then reaches Leh the next day from Kargil by evening.

If you plan to split the journey and do not want to take the direct bus from Srinagar to Leh, then you can take a JKSRTC standard bus to Kargil from Srinagar and then next morning take the bus running between Kargil and Leh.

The super deluxe bus from Srinagar to Leh charges around Rs 1320 per person and semi-deluxe bus fare is Rs 925 per person from Srinagar to Leh. If you prefer to travel by a standard bus from Srinagar to Leh, the bus fare is Rs 470.

The standard bus fare from Srinagar to Kargil is around Rs 250 and Rs 325 for a semi-deluxe bus. Similarly, the bus fare from Kargil to Leh is also around Rs 350.

If you are starting from the other side, then the bus from Leh to Srinagar starts at 2.00 PM. This JKSRTC bus nonstop over the night and arrive at 7.30 AM in Srinagar. You miss all the sightseeing over Srinagar Leh Highway as you will be traveling at night.

However, this bus helps you save a day in your overall trip plan.

The bus fare of Leh to Srinagar deluxe bus is about Rs 1058 per person, the semi-deluxe bus between Leh – Srinagar charges Rs 670 per person and the standard JKSRTC buses charge around Rs 470 per person for Leh to Srinagar bus journey.

The private bus operators that run Leh to Srinagar bus services charges about Rs 1200-1500 per person based on the type of bus or a tempo traveler you opt for.

These privately run tempo travelers and mini-buses run overnight from Leh to Srinagar. They start from Leh town every day around 5.30 PM – 6.00 PM, run non-stop overnight and reach Srinagar the next day in the morning around 7.30 AM – 8.00 AM.

These Mini-buses are the best options available for public transport on Srinagar Leh Highway. You get individual cushion seats and some level of comfort to sleep at night on these buses.

Please note that the bus timing between Srinagar – Leh route is also dependent on the timings of Zojila pass in the early season. The roads are narrow at Zojila Pass in the months of April and May, so, army allows one-way traffic to ply between Kargil and Sonamarg.

you should get your tickets for Srinagar to Leh bus service from the bus stand one evening day in advance. You will have to go in person to the ticket counter at Leh or Srinagar to get your tickets.

It is strongly recommended that you do not rely on reaching there in the morning and buy the ticket as you may end up not getting the tickets.

Unlike Manali – Leh bus services, the JKSRTC Srinagar Leh bus booking cannot be booked online and you will have to purchase the bus ticket from the ticket counter at the bus stand in Leh or in Srinagar.

You should note that there is no direct bus service from Jammu to Leh. First, you will have to reach Srinagar from Jammu by bus, and then from Srinagar, you can get the options to travel from Srinagar to Leh by bus.

Recently in 2018, the JKSRTC department started the direct bus service between Jammu and Kargil. So, you can also take the direct bus to Kargil from Jammu and then from Kargil take the bus to Leh.

Similarly, if you are coming from Leh to Jammu, there is no direct bus service running between Leh and Jammu. You will have to reach Srinagar first from Leh and then from Srinagar take the bus to Jammu. Or you can also reach Kargil and then take Kargil to Jammu direct bus service.

The bus from Jammu to Srinagar leaves at 7 AM from the JKSRTC counter, which is located just across the TRC, Residency Road. This bus is ten-seater non-AC mini-bus, which they call super luxury coaches. So, do not get too confused when boarding them or looking for them at Jammu bus stand.

The bus from Srinagar also leaves at 7 AM for Jammu just beside the TRC and it reaches Jammu by late evening.

The Jammu to Srinagar bus journey takes about 10-11 hrs to complete depending upon the traffic situation and any roadblocks on the way including the Jawahar tunnel.

The super deluxe bus fare for Jammu to Srinagar bus service is Rs 445 per person, the deluxe bus service costs Rs 325 and standard JKSRTC bus from Jammu to Srinagar costs Rs 220.

If you are traveling by bus from Jammu to Srinagar and want to spend the previous night in Jammu, I will suggest that you stay at the hotels near Residency Road. The auto-rickshaws will take about Rs 70-80 to take you to the TRC or JKSRTC counter in the morning.

It is highly recommended that you reach early in the morning (by 6.15 AM) at the bus stand in case you do not get bus tickets in advance the previous evening.

Sometimes, the person at the ticket counter will not give you the tickets an evening before. This is more common at Srinagar while in Jammu mostly the Jammu Srinagar bus tickets are issued one night in advance. Hence, do not take the chance of reaching on time to get the ticket for the Srinagar Jammu bus service, in case you do not have the ticket.

The online bus ticket booking of the Jammu Srinagar bus service is not available as of now. So, you have to buy the bus ticket in person at the ticket counter.

You can always refer the complete Leh Ladakh bus schedule to read about all the buses that operate in Ladakh region.

Let us look at some of the most frequently asked questions about Srinagar to Leh bus services.

I hope this article will help you learn about the bus services from Srinagar to Leh and vice-versa. Also, I have covered the bus services running from Jammu to Leh via Srinagar in this article itself to keep all the info under one hood.

I have covered the most important FAQs towards the end but if you still have got any questions on making a trip to Leh from Srinagar by public transport, please feel free to post those questions in the comments section.

Have a travel question?? You can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram or comment on my YouTube videos.

When it comes to traveling from Srinagar to Leh, there are several options available that you can pick from, depending on your itinerary and budget. Traveling by your self-owned vehicle will be the best choice of course. But if that was not an option, public transport is also easily available. In this article, I will provide some information on how to travel from Srinagar to Leh Ladakh by road.

The post below will cover details like the best way to travel, public transport, the cost involved, and the time it takes to complete your journey. For other details like the route details, sightseeing spots, itinerary planning, and accommodation choices, please take a look at How to Plan a Journey on Srinagar Leh Highway.

Also known as National Highway 1-D, the Srinagar Leh highway is a road that runs through some extremely treacherous terrain. Shut-offs because of snowfalls or landslides are common on this route.

However, for the most part of this journey, this road runs through a region that is well connected. The chances of getting stranded with no help around are lesser as compared to Manali Leh highway. Some of the basic facilities like accommodation, petrol pumps, mobile phone reception are also better on this road.

The distance between Srinagar to Leh via Kargil is approximately 434 Kms. There are three high-altitude passes on the route and at several stretches, it runs right next to the Indo-Pak border. Towns like Kargil and Drass are sensitive areas with high army presence all around.

The best way to travel from Srinagar to Leh is in a self-owned vehicle, be it a car or a motorcycle.  This way you are free to travel as per your own comfort, take breaks wherever and whenever you want, and take as long as you need to finish the journey.

The entire 434 km long stretch is filled with amazing vistas that will tempt you to stop for a while. This is a luxury that you will not have if traveling via public transport.

But if that was not a choice, you can also travel by public transport. The J & K State Road Transport Corporation (J&K SRTC) operates regular Deluxe and Ordinary bus services with an overnight halt at Kargil. Taxis (cars and jeeps), both private and shared are available as well.

If you are traveling in a group, you can charter a Deluxe and A-class bus for Leh, Kargil, or Padum (Zangskar) from the J & K SRTC at Srinagar.

Now let us take a look at the different modes of travel that you can use to complete this journey. Irrespective of how you travel though, the route will be as mentioned below.

There is also an alternate route that runs through the Batalik sector.

Even though it is considered an easier way to reach Ladakh, the Srinagar Leh highway presents its own set of challenges. The biggest hurdle is the Zoji La pass. As I mentioned above in this article, landslides are quite common on this route, especially in the monsoon season.

If traveling in months like April, early May, late October, or November, you may come across areas covered with snow, especially towards the top of the mountain passes. In Monsoon, you will have to manage your car through slush and water streams at a lot of places.

While driving through all this can sound like fun and adventure, it is, without any doubt, dangerous as well. If you are bringing your own car to Srinagar Leh highway, you really need to be good at the wheel.

You must be confident of your driving skills and must know your car well, like where it may give trouble, how to get it across difficult terrains. The road will present you with many challenges like water crossings, slush, snow, dirt tracks and you will have to be extremely careful while driving across.

Please get your car serviced well in advance and whatever seems dicey, get it either fixed or replaced. It wouldn’t hurt to know a little bit of mechanic work yourself. For more details on this topic, please take a look at How to Prepare your Car for Leh Ladakh Road Trip.

The best car for this terrain will be the one with high ground clearance. It does not have to be 4WD SUV however even a 2 wheel drive car will do the job equally well.

The advantage of an SUV is the ground clearance. But if you do not own one, then by all means you can bring your Sedan and hatchback as well. This is an advantage that the Srinagar Leh highway holds over the Manali Leh highway.

You will still however have to be extra cautious or the belly of your car will touch the ground underneath at several places, especially around Zoji La. Just keep yourself mentally ready for a few scratches underneath your car.

If you are traveling in an SUV, then you can go at any time of the year when the highway is open (May to October). However, if you own a hatchback or a Sedan, then avoid traveling in early May, late July, and August.

In the early season, the nallahs and the water crossings are at full flow. They are also more in numbers with the melting snow. July and August will bring landslides and a lot of slush due to rains.

While crossing a nallah in a car, please stop for a minute, step out, inspect the crossing and then take your car across very carefully. If you are still unsure then wait for a little while for another car to arrive and follow its lead.

Stay in the first gear, do not half clutch, and cross over in a single go while maintaining the momentum.  If there is a slush around, then ask your fellow travelers to step out of the car so that they can help push the vehicle if you get stuck.

Accelerate slowly to ensure that your car doesn’t skid. You really need to be easy on the gas to avoid your wheel spinning. Avoid any sudden movements on the steering, accelerator, or brakes as this may send your car in a spin.

If you are highly doubtful of your driving skills and are not feeling too comfortable with the idea of driving on such roads, then I suggest you hire a driver who is a local from Srinagar.

Please also ensure that you are carrying some of the basic accessories like puncture repair kit, spare tubes, toolkit, jump-start cables/wires, screwdriver set, a jerry can, or 2 liters bottles of Coke/Pepsi, funnel, towing rope, etc.

It is also advised to get your vehicle serviced at least a couple of weeks before the trip. This will ensure that you had enough time to drive it around in the city and avoid any last-minute surprises.

For more details on the weather and road conditions, please take a look at When is the Best time to reach Leh from Srinagar by Road.

This in my opinion is the best way to go to Leh, though it is not really for everyone. Riding a motorcycle on the beautiful Srinagar Leh road is a different experience altogether, either as a single rider or with a pillion.

Like in the case of a car, you really need to be confident of your riding skills and your motorcycle as well. It is not really necessary that you have a lot of riding experience in the hills but if you do, it will definitely make the journey easier.

Do not just buy a motorcycle and take it straight to Ladakh. If you are new to motorcycles, then please ride it around in the city for a few weeks at least before riding it on the Srinagar Leh highway.

Also, ensure that you get your bike serviced at least a week in advance so that you have enough time to test ride it within the city. This will avoid any last-minute surprises that can ruin your plan.

If you are riding your own motorcycle, then it will be the best thing. However, if you are not, then you can easily rent a motorcycle from Srinagar to complete the journey.

Questions like which motorcycle is best for Srinagar Leh highway, how can you rent a motorcycle in Srinagar, or whether you should ride alone or with a pillion have been covered in the below-mentioned articles.

When it comes to Taxis, you have two options. Either hire a taxi with the driver or get a self-drive taxi. Either way, though convenient, this option gets a little tricky.

No matter which taxi you hire, with driver or self-drive, it will only be good enough to drive straight to Leh and no further. The taxi unions in this area have strictly banned the movement of outside taxis for local sightseeing.

What it means is that a taxi registered in Srinagar cannot be used to visit areas like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, or any other tourist place in Ladakh. This taxi will only be allowed to drop you till Leh.

For example, let us say that you are starting from Srinagar, want to visit Zanskar valley on the way, and then visit Pangong Lake after you reach Leh. So for your travel, you will first have to hire a cab from Srinagar. Then after you reach Kargil, you will have to leave the Srinagar taxi at the hotel, ask the driver to wait, hire another Kargil registered taxi to take you to Zanskar, and bring you back to Kargil.

Then again from Kargil, you will board your Srinagar Taxi once again and reach Leh. After reaching Leh, you will have to hire another taxi to go to Pangong and return to Leh. Complicated? Yes, I agree. And it is vice versa too. If you hire a cab from Leh, it can only take you to Kargil but for visiting Zanskar, you will again have to hire a Kargil registered cab.

A private taxi will charge you more if you want to travel through the Batalik sector.

Hiring a private taxi from Srinagar to Leh will cost you anywhere between Rs. 10,000 to Rs.15,000, depending on your negotiation skills. Do not book in advance or involve any tour operator as this only means that you will overpay.

While in Srinagar, go straight to the Srinagar taxi stand, negotiate and strike a deal. Apart from what you will pay for the taxi, the driver will also charge you an additional Rs. 1500 – Rs.2000 for a night halt. For more details, please take a look at Srinagar Taxi Rates for Ladakh & Kashmir.

Private taxis travel only via Kargil. They do not operate on the Batalik route.

This is a non-stop 16-18 hours journey. You will start from the Srinagar taxi stand in the early hours of the day and reach Leh by evening.

This also gets tricky in terms of high altitude acclimatization since you will continuously gain height within a matter of hours without any rest, and thus without giving your body a chance to adapt.

Srinagar to Leh shared taxi fare is about Rs. 1800 – Rs. 2000 per person, depending upon which car you are traveling in.

This is the cheapest mode of travel available on the Srinagar Leh highway. Bus service from Srinagar to Leh remains available from the end of May to early November.

This Bus starts at 8 AM from Srinagar and is a 2 days journey with a night halt at Kargil. You can also use the same bus service to return to Srinagar.

Srinagar to Leh bus travels only via Kargil. It does not ply on the Batalik route. For a detailed version of the information I am providing below, please take a look at Srinagar to Leh Bus Service – Schedule, Timing & Fare.

Fare for government-operated buses from Srinagar to Leh is ordinary Rs. Rs 1200 per person for deluxe and Rs 750 per person for semi-deluxe. Ordinary charges around Rs. 500 per person. Fare for Srinagar to Kargil by ordinary bus is Rs.250 and deluxe Rs. 300.

Private buses also operate on this route and their fare is Rs. 1000 + for Srinagar to Leh and Rs. 500 + for Srinagar to Kargil. Please be advised that these are approximate numbers that change every year.

There is usually just one bus in the day. But depending on the number of passengers and bookings, there could be a second bus for the day as well. There is no online booking system available.

The bus departs at 8 AM from the Tourist reception center near Dal lake and Srinagar Bus Stand near Lal Chowk. You can reach there and book your ticket for the next day.

There is also the option of boarding a semi-deluxe bus run by a private operation from Srinagar to Leh which will cost you about Rs. 1000 per seat. If you want are traveling in a large group and want to book a private bus or tempo traveler, you will have to get in touch with a travel agent in Srinagar.