Tag: Pangong

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Staycation

Budget Hotels/ Camps near Pangong Tso Lake

Before choosing the right place for staying near Pangong Tso Lake, you will have to decide how much is your budget and what luxuries do you want. Since it is a remote place, you will have to compromise on comfort. The biggest luxury that you can find is the attached bathroom which would only be available at the most expensive hotel. You can also opt for Homestays that are less expensive, more homely but with shared or outside toilets.

If you wish to stay near the lake, your only option is camping but if you don’t want to stay in camps, you can opt to stay in Sapngmik or Lukung from where you can have a full view of the lake.

Home Stays at Spangmik: Home Stays like Padma, Gongma, Sasoma Guest House all offer accommodation at cheap prices and excellent views. Mostly all homes at Spangmik Village act as homestays and though you won’t find any hot water, you will get home-cooked food in Ladakhi Style.

Price: Rs 700-1000 (meals included in some) for a double bedroom.

Address:  Spangmik Village, Pangong Tso – Ladakh

  1. Pangong Camp Resort

This is the only cemented hotel near Pangong Tso Lake and though the prices are high, you will get a clean room, good food and nice services. It also has attached bathroom and hot water available in buckets. So if you are not going on a tight budget and give more consideration to comfort, this is the place for you.  Though, you will need to pre-book it since it remains fully booked always. Don’t hope to just land there and find a room.

Price: Rs 3500-4000 for a double bed room.

Address:  Spangmik Village, Pangong Tso – Ladakh

  1. Himalayan Wooden Cottages

If you don’t plan on camping in tents, this is another option. Stay at wooden cottages to beat the harsh winter. They have a great view of the lake and decent food. There’s also limited electricity backup. The pricing is also decent because meals are included in it.

Price: Rs 3500-4000 (Two meals included)

Address:  Spangmik Village, Pangong Tso – Ladakh

  1. Dothguling Guest house Tangste

There are nice clean rooms, also a bit spacey. In case you are unable to find accommodation, elsewhere, keep this as a backup option. You can find hot water here in buckets and they have western as well as Ladakhi style toilets.

Price: Rs 1000-1500 for the double bedroom

Address: Tangste Village – Ladakh / Opposite health centre

  1. Himalayan Retreat

Staying close to the lake means staying in tents. Here you can find tented accommodation that is comfortable with electricity for a limited period as well as a western toilet. The pricing is a bit higher but the place is good with a great view.

Price: Rs 3500 with two meals included.

Address: Spangmik Village, Pangong Tso – Ladakh

You can also find Eco Huts in Lukung Village which are luxury tents with electricity and western toilets but it is pricey. (Around 3500-4500 per person) There are many other dormitory-style dhaba tents running from Lukung Village till Spangmik Village. The price range varies from place to place but the maximum would be Rs 3500 and Rs 500 minimum. Most of them will offer meals and western toilets.

Additional Tip: Avoid visiting the Lake in harsh winters but even if you do, stay at Tangste instead of Lukung or Spangmik to give your body a chance to acclimate itself according to the high altitude. You can find discounted prices for some of the resort and camps but no pre-booking for Home Stays

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Adventure Rejoice Travel Tips Travel Trends Treks

The most beautiful Night Skies in India

Our world is full of so many natural marvels that there is not enough time for anyone on the planet to witness them all. It may take them an entire lifetime and they won’t even be able to cover half of the natural miracles that we are talking about. In India, there are many different places where one can enjoy the star gazing. This is turning out to be a great way of feeling closer to nature in the purest form. The craze is so high that people are ready to travel thousands of miles in order to get the glimpse the starry sky in all its glory.

Ladakh– In north,  Leh Ladakh is the most favourite tourist destination not just for the younger lot, but the older ones as well. One great thing about the place that there are so many places for stargazing that one can spend all nights moving from one place to another just to look at the beautiful constellations in the sky.

Andaman– This little island located in the south most part of the country is known for its beaches in the daytime and for the star gazing in the night. Lets us not just even try to compare the experience of lying under the sky at night on the beach and staring at the clear sky with stars glimmering all over with anything else. The cosmic magic is in its full glory at night and it’s a sight worth having at least once in your lifetime.

Coorg– Coorg is one of ideal places for holidays in the summers. The daytime can be spent trekking on the Nilgiri hills while the nights can be waited all day just to have the look at the sky when the stars shine.  However, the place is yet to be recognized as one good tourist spot in the area but the star gazing alone has managed to increase the flow of the tourists to a great extent.

Spiti Valley-The famous Kibber village in the Spiti valley may very well be notorious for the drugs trade but at night, it turns into a magical place. Known as the highest motorable village in the whole world, Kibber is located at about a height of 14000 feet from the sea level.

There are many other places in the beautiful country where one can experience the magic of stargazing. One of the greatest mysteries of life and the most beautiful night skies in India are here..

  • The Milky Way in Nubra Valley, Leh
  • Sonmarg, Jammu & Kashmir
  • Shahapur, Maharashtra
  • Pangong Tso, Ladakh
  • Shanti Stupa, Ladakh
  • Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh

Gaze at the stars, stare into the open space and absorb everything beautiful at these places in India. And do let us know about your tete-a-tete with the stars!!

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Himalayas North India Rejoice Travel Trends

5 To Do’s at Pangong Lake

Remember the last scene from 3 Idiots movie, when Kareena approaches Aamir in bridal dress and confesses her love to him. That epic shot is from Pangong Lake. The famous lake is 160 km from Leh, and is 14,256 feet above sea level. Nearest airport to reach to the place is Leh airport, from where either you can drive or bike ride to this beautiful lake which makes you speechless and gives you timeless experience. The ride to the lake in itself is scenic as one gets to pass through famous Changla Pass and other small villages. The countryside makes you feel nostalgic and reminds you of childhood paintings. Apparently, it is just the 40% of the lake that lies in India and rest lies in China. The crystal clear blue lake sprawls over an area of 100 kilometers across the borders of two countries in India and China. This is the reason; you may also see the patrolling by the defense personals. It is opened for tourists from May to September, as it is frozen during winters and routes to the lakes are usually closed. During the trip to Leh-Ladakh, one should keep at least 1 night/2 days for the place. Penning down few must to-do’s that one should plan while at Pangong.
Bird Watching at lake
Pangong is bird watcher’s paradise. Though due to salty water, you may not spot much aquatic flora and fauna, but surely you may find migratory birds as the lake is breeding ground for many. Bar-headed goose and Brahmini ducks are the most common, though.

Stroll at the lake
The serenity and tranquility at the lake will let you spend time with yourself. Evening and mornings are the best times when you can go for a quick stroll around the lake or maybe sitting on the banks to soak yourself in the sun. The clear and crystal water will try to lure you, but you are not allowed to take a dip in the lake, so resist yourself and enjoy just being at the bank.

One night stay with Locals in Home Stays
There are several homestays near the lake. You can pick and choose any of them and enjoy their lifestyle by spending one night with them. Panoramic view from them is usually beautiful, as most of them are near the banks. Cooking rice, chopping vegetables, talking to them in sign language, enjoying with their pets and trying to accommodate with locals is super fun. These homestays are budgeted accommodations and are almost close to Ladakh traditions. Usual price range from 3000 to 3500 inclusive of all meals. It gets really cold in the night, but fortunately good homestays like the camp watermark and eco huts provide you with warm water and other amenities to make the life easy.

Capturing Pangong with your lens
You can never get over capturing Pangong’s beauty with your lens. The place is beautiful especially when the sun shines at its peak. One can identify the three different shades of blue in the water. The landscape is beautiful. The place is indeed picturesque.

Eating Momos at 3-Idiots Point
Momos and Chowmein are famous at these small joints that have come up post 3 Idiots movie. Their Momos are different from what usually eat. You may find spinach momos, which are exceptionally good, and it is advised to have your food at these places, as once it gets dark and you enter homestays, you are left with very less options to eat.

Pangong Lake is the must visit place, on your trip to Leh-Ladakh.

Are you ready to book your tickets to the land of gods this vacation?

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