Where to Stay in Leh Ladakh: Hotels, Camps and Cottages

Accommodation in Ladakh has improved a great deal in recent years. Leh has everything from family guest houses to heritage hotels and luxury resorts, while Nubra, Pangong and Hanle have camps, cottages, small hotels and homestays. Your choice affects both comfort and cost, especially at high, cold places like Pangong.

This guide explains the best areas to stay in Leh, what to expect from each hotel category, and how to choose stays outside the town.

• Main Bazaar and Fort Road: close to the market, restaurants and Leh Palace; lively and convenient.
• Changspa: near Shanti Stupa, with cafés, guest houses and a relaxed atmosphere, popular with younger travellers.
• Old Road, Sankar and Karzoo: quieter residential areas with gardens and mountain views, a short drive from the market.
• Skara and the airport side: larger hotels with parking, convenient for early flights.

Our packages use six categories, so you can choose your comfort level:

• Budget and standard: clean, simple hotels and guest houses with attached bathrooms and basic meals.
• Deluxe and super deluxe: comfortable 3-star hotels with good rooms, restaurants and heating in the shoulder season.
• Luxury and premium: the best hotels in Leh, including heritage properties and resorts with spacious rooms, mountain views and better dining.

We send the hotel names for your category with your quote. Many hotels in Leh are open from about April to October, with fewer open in winter.

Hunder and Diskit have the widest choice, from simple camps and guest houses to luxury tented camps and boutique resorts set among orchards. Sumur, on the Nubra river side, is quieter. Most camps have attached bathrooms, beds and blankets, and electricity in the evening. Turtuk has homestays and small guest houses. See our Nubra Valley guide.

At Pangong, choose between tented camps, insulated cottages, small hotels and homestays at Spangmik, Lukung, Man and Merak. Nights are cold all year, so families and anyone who feels the cold should choose a cottage or room rather than a tent. Electricity is usually limited to a few hours, and camps operate mainly from May to mid-October. See our Pangong Lake guide.

Hanle and Tso Moriri have only basic hotels, guest houses and homestays in every category, with limited electricity and hot water. Sham Valley offers lovely village cottages and resorts among apricot orchards, a good choice for the first night. Homestays across Ladakh are a wonderful way to experience Ladakhi life and food.

Staying with a Ladakhi family is one of the most memorable experiences in the region. Homestays are common in Sham Valley, Turtuk, Hanle, around Tso Moriri and along trekking routes. Rooms are simple but warm, meals are home-cooked, and you get a glimpse of village life. Ask us to include a homestay night in your trip.

From November to March, many hotels in Leh and most camps outside the town close. Those that stay open have heated rooms, but water can freeze and power cuts are common. Winter travellers should choose hotels with central heating or reliable heaters and hot water, and stay mostly in Leh.

• Book early for June to August, when the best hotels fill up.
• Ask whether rooms have heating if you travel in May, September or October.
• On your rest day, a hotel with a garden or view makes a big difference.
• Choose a ground or first-floor room if stairs are difficult at altitude.
• Carry a power bank for camps with limited electricity.