Northern India Self-Launched: Dharamshala, Kashmir & Ladakh

Land at Indira Gandhi International, take the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station (~₹60/£0.60) or a prepaid taxi (~₹500/£5) rather than dealing with touts outside the terminal. Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse, get a local SIM (Airtel/Jio, passport + photo, ~£3), and wander Connaught Place for dinner. Sleep early — tomorrow is a train day.

🚌Airport Express Metro or prepaid taxi

🛏Paharganj guesthouse, private room

• →Airport Express Metro to city
• →Connaught Place evening wander
• →SIM card setup

Book a Vande Bharat or Shatabdi chair-car seat from New Delhi to Pathankot on IRCTC (book weeks ahead — ~₹1,100-1,400/£11-14, roughly 6-7hrs). From Pathankot take a shared Sumo/taxi up the hill road to Chamba (~₹400-600/£4-6, 3-4hrs). Arrive late afternoon and walk up to a family-run farm-stay above town (search Himachal orchard farm-stays on Booking.com or Airbnb; £15-25). Home-cooked Himachali dinner.

🚌Vande Bharat train Delhi–Pathankot + shared Sumo to Chamba

🛏Himalayan farm-stay, Chamba

• →Scenic Vande Bharat train ride
• →Hill road drive into the Western Himalayas
• →Farm-stay dinner with hosts

Start with a self-guided yoga/mediation session on the terrace or join a drop-in class in town. Spend the day on foot: Lakshmi Narayan and Champavati temples in the old town, the Bhuri Singh Museum (₹20 entry) for Chamba rumal embroidery and pahari miniatures, and the Rang Mahal. Ask at the museum or a local handicraft shop about seeing a rumal embroidery workshop — artisans are usually happy to show you for the price of a piece.

🚌Walking

🛏Himalayan farm-stay, Chamba

• →Lakshmi Narayan & Champavati temples
• →Bhuri Singh Museum
• →Chamba rumal embroidery demonstration
• →Morning yoga

Do a half-day walk on the Sarol/Khajjiar-side trails or the easy ridge path above Chamba — AllTrails and Maps.me have decent tracks; a local guide through your farm-stay costs £10-15 if you want one. Afternoon: ask your hosts to teach you madra (chickpea curry) and siddu — most farm-stays offer a cooking session for £5-10 including the meal.

🚌Walking

🛏Himalayan farm-stay, Chamba

• →Half-day Chamba valley hike
• →Himachali cooking session with host family

Shared Sumo or HRTC bus from Chamba to Dharamshala (~₹350-500/£3.50-5, 3-4hrs). Stay in McLeod Ganj, the Tibetan quarter. Afternoon: Bhagsu/ McLeod Ganj market, then the Tsuglagkhang Complex (Dalai Lama's temple — free, dress modestly, no photos in prayer halls) and the Tibet Museum (₹20). Evening thukpa and momos at one of the Tibetan kitchens off Jogiwara Road.

🚌Shared Sumo / HRTC bus

🛏McLeod Ganj guesthouse, private room

• →McLeod Ganj market
• →Tsuglagkhang Complex (Dalai Lama Temple)
• →Tibet Museum

Morning walk down to Bhagsu Nag Waterfall (free) or a longer trail to Triund if you're fit. Afternoon: Norbulingka Institute near Sidhbari (₹100 entry) for Tibetan crafts, or head out to a bee-keeping collective in the Kangra valley — the Tenacious Honey Bee-style ethical apiarists that G Adventures supports are small cooperatives you can usually visit by arrangement through a Dharamshala guesthouse or Viator/GetYourGuide 'Kangra honey farm' tour (£15-25).

🚌Local bus / shared auto-rickshaw

🛏McLeod Ganj guesthouse, private room

• →Bhagsu Nag Waterfall walk
• →Norbulingka Institute
• →Himalayan beekeeping visit with honey tasting

Morning bus or shared taxi down to Amritsar (HRTC ~₹500/£5, 4-5hrs, or a shared cab ~₹800). Drop bags at a guesthouse near the Golden Temple. Be at Wagah Border by 3.30pm for the flag-lowering ceremony — free, but bring ID and get there early for a seat; a shared auto from the city is ~₹300 return. Then back for the Golden Temple at night: free entry, head covering provided, langar served 24hrs, and the palaki ceremony puts the Guru Granth Sahib to bed around 10pm.

🚌HRTC bus + shared auto to Wagah

🛏Guesthouse near Golden Temple

• →Wagah Border retreat ceremony
• →Golden Temple at night & palaki ceremony
• →Langar meal

Fly Amritsar–Srinagar on IndiGo/Akasa/SpiceJet — book 4-8 weeks out for ~£45-75 one way (30kg? No — 15kg checked, so pack light). Alternative: an overnight bus or the long train-and-bus combo via Jammu, but the flight saves a day. From Srinagar airport a shared Sumo to Dal Gate is ~₹200-300. Afternoon orientation walk through Lal Bazar and the old city lanes.

🚌Domestic flight + shared Sumo from airport

🛏Srinagar guesthouse, Dal Gate

• →Lal Bazar market walk
• →Old city lanes

Hire a shikara for a couple of hours at sunset (~₹800-1,200/£8-12 for the boat, not per person) and negotiate the price upfront. Visit the Mughal gardens — Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh and Chashm-e-Shahi (₹24 each for Indian rates, foreigners pay more, budget ~£5 total). Eat wazwan at a local restaurant (rogan josh, rista) for £5-8.

🚌Shikara + shared auto-rickshaw

🛏Srinagar guesthouse, Dal Gate

• →Shikara ride on Dal Lake
• →Nishat, Shalimar & Chashm-e-Shahi gardens
• →Wazwan dinner

Take a 5.30am shikara to the floating vegetable market near Amira Kadal — this is the classic sunrise boat trip and costs the same as any other shikara hire (~£8-10). Climb Shankaracharya Hill on foot (free, ~30-40 min up) for the temple and city views. Dachigam National Park needs a permit from the Wildlife Department (Jammu & Kashmir) and a vehicle; budget £25-40 if you do it. Tonight sleep on a Dal Lake houseboat — book direct via Booking.com or a local houseboat association, £25-45 for a decent one incl. breakfast.

🚌Shikara, walking, shared auto

🛏Dal Lake houseboat

• →Sunrise shikara to floating vegetable market
• →Shankaracharya Hill walk & temple
• →Optional Dachigam National Park safari
• →Houseboat night on Dal Lake

Shared Sumo from Srinagar to Pahalgam (~₹300/£3, 2.5hrs). Ask the driver to stop at the Avantipura ruins and the Martand Sun Temple in Anantnag — both free and worth 30-45 mins each. Arrive Pahalgam and walk the bazaar and the riverside path along the Lidder.

🚌Shared Sumo

🛏Pahalgam guesthouse, private room

• →Avantipura temple ruins
• →Martand Sun Temple
• →Pahalgam bazaar orientation walk

Morning trek in the Lidder Valley — the Aru Valley / Lidderwat path is a good half-day; a local guide at the Aru trailhead is £10-15, or go independently on the marked trail. Early afternoon shared Sumo onwards to Sonamarg (~₹400-600, 3hrs), stopping at Zero Point for glacial views (small local jeep charge ~₹100-200). Evening stroll through the Sonamarg bazaar.

🚌Shared Sumo + local jeep

🛏Sonamarg guesthouse

• →Lidder Valley / Aru half-day trek
• →Zero Point glacier views
• →Sonamarg bazaar

The Srinagar–Leh highway days are the real bucket-list bit. Shared Sumo/taxi Sonamarg to Kargil (~₹600-900/£6-9, 4-5hrs) over Zoji La — check road status the morning of travel (it's weather-dependent, closed in winter). Stop at the Drass War Memorial (₹20) and in Drass town for tea. In Kargil visit the Kargil Gompa and walk the bazaar; shared taxis stop at Mulbekh's Maitreya Buddha on the way if you ask.

🚌Shared Sumo over Zoji La

🛏Kargil guesthouse

• →Zoji La pass
• →Drass War Memorial
• →Mulbekh Maitreya
• →Kargil Gompa

Continue by shared Sumo (~₹700-1,000, 5-6hrs) stopping at Lamayuru Monastery and its moonlike badlands — a short walk out to the 'moonland' viewpoint at dusk is the highlight. Some travellers overnight in Lamayuru (basic guesthouses £10-15) to break the drive; otherwise carry on into Leh. Check into a Leh guesthouse in Changspa or the old town (£12-20) and drink plenty of water — you're at 3,500m.

🚌Shared Sumo

🛏Leh guesthouse, Changspa

• →Lamayuru Monastery & moonland viewpoint
• →Alternate overnight option at Lamayuru

Take it easy for altitude. Morning: Leh Market and the old town courtyards (free). Afternoon: Central Asian Museum (₹100) and a gentle climb to Shanti Stupa for sunset — free, and the view over Leh and the Stok range is the best in town. Join a free/donation-based morning yoga class in Changspa, or your guesthouse can arrange one for £5.

🚌Walking

🛏Leh guesthouse, Changspa

• →Leh Market
• →Central Asian Museum
• →Shanti Stupa at sunset
• →Morning yoga

Do a self-guided (or £10 local-guide) walk through Leh's old town: the Chenrezi monastery, the mosque, traditional Ladakhi houses, and the sun-baked alleys below Leh Palace (₹100). Evening at a rooftop restaurant for thukpa and apricot juice, then arrange your Nubra Valley shared jeep for tomorrow through the guesthouse.

🚌Walking

🛏Leh guesthouse, Changspa

• →Leh old town heritage walk
• →Leh Palace
• →Chenrezi monastery

Shared jeep (or a seat on a tourist Sumo, ~₹1,500-2,200/£15-22 one way) over Khardung La — inner-line permits are now free for many nationalities but you must register: your Leh guesthouse or an agent can arrange the Protected Area Permit online for £3-8. Descend to Hunder/Diskit, visit Diskit Monastery with its Maitreya statue, and stay in a Ladakhi homestay or Kyagar-style village house (£15-25 incl. dinner).

🚌Shared jeep over Khardung La

🛏Nubra Ladakhi homestay

• →Khardung La pass
• →Diskit Monastery
• →Nubra Valley sand dunes

Walk or hire a local bike between Hunder and Diskit, take a double-hump Bactrian camel ride on the dunes (₹300-500), and spend the afternoon with a Ladakhi family at a village house like Kyagar — many homestays offer a storytelling/cooking evening for £5-10. This is the slow-travel day of the trip.

🚌Shared local jeep / walking

🛏Nubra Ladakhi homestay

• →Bactrian camel ride on Hunder dunes
• →Ladakhi village house storytelling evening
• →Village walks

Shared jeep Nubra to Pangong via the Agham-Shyok route (~₹2,500-3,500 per vehicle, or £20-30 as a shared seat, 7-8hrs, rough road). Keep an eye out near Rezang La for pashmina herders and their changthangi goats. Arrive in Spangmik and stay in a basic homestay or eco-hut, £15-25 incl. dinner. Extremely cold at night even in summer — bring layers.

🚌Shared jeep via Shyok

🛏Pangong Lake homestay

• →Agham-Shyok road
• →Rezang La memorial
• →Pashmina herder encounter
• →Pangong Lake sunset

Do your own sunrise yoga on the lake shore (free, and the best part of the trip). Afterwards visit the Spangmik / Rezang La area, then share a jeep back to Leh (~£15-20 for a seat, 5-6hrs via Chang La). Rest, eat, and shop the Leh handicrafts market.

🚌Shared jeep over Chang La

🛏Leh guesthouse, Changspa

• →Sunrise yoga at Pangong Lake
• →Chang La pass
• →Leh handicraft shopping

Buffer day for altitude, weather and jeep delays — the highway and passes do occasionally close. Use it for an Alchi Monastery and Likir Village day trip (shared jeep ~£12-18), the Leh astronomy experience through a local operator (£15-25), rafting on the Zanskar (£25-35), or simply markets and rest.

🚌Shared jeep or walking

🛏Leh guesthouse, Changspa

• →Alchi Monastery & Likir Village day trip
• →Optional Zanskar rafting
• →Optional astronomy session
• →Leh Market

Fly Leh–Delhi on IndiGo/Air India (~£50-85 booked ahead) — note early morning flights are most reliable as afternoon winds and weather often delay departures. Book the domestic flight before your international one so you have slack. Alternatively bus Leh–Manali (2 days) if you have time.

🚌Domestic flight Leh–Delhi

🛏—

• →Flight out
• →Last views of the Stok range