Best of Ladakh Package

Fly in on a morning service - the only kind Leh has - and land higher than most Himalayan passes: 3,256 metres at the airstrip. The rulebook for today is short: rest, hydrate constantly, no exertion, and a slow bazaar walk at dusk only if your head feels clear.

Ease into altitude the proven way: Shanti Stupa for the valley view, Leh Palace over the old town, the Hall of Fame's moving Army museum - all gentle, all under 3,600 metres. Butter tea is the local initiation; order it once and decide where you stand.

Cross Khardung La - prayer flags, thin air, a board that overstates its own height - and drop into the Nubra Valley in about five hours. Afternoon among Hunder's sand dunes with their Bactrian camels, and evening light on Diskit's Maitreya statue watching over the valley.

The Shyok route carries you from Nubra to Pangong in six to seven bumpy hours that end at the famous blue water between bare mountains. Sunset at the lake pays for the whole drive; the lakeside camps at Spangmik and Merak are cold, basic and completely worth it.

Back over Chang La to Leh, five to six hours with the two stops worth making: Thiksey Monastery stacked on its hill and Shey Palace by the river. Evening free in the bazaar - apricot jam and pashmina make honest souvenirs.

Departure runs on Leh's morning-flight clock, so breakfast early and reach the airport with margin - mountain weather owns the timetable here. Five nights at altitude changes how you see mountains; the photographs will keep arguing the point for years.