Planning a road trip to Leh-Ladakh is more than just booking a package or your flights or rooms, it’s about getting the timing correct, so your time in Ladakh isn’t just memorable but is inspiring and life changing at the same time. 

May is the month which we at tlow know is the best for anyone seeking a raw rugged experience around Leh-Ladakh without the hassle of being stormed by the Goa beach crowd. 

Pre-season 

The primary reason you should consider your Leh-Ladakh road trip in May, is because its pre-season. Ladakh has been growing in crowd since the dawn of Covid-19. So May is the month, when the roads leading to Leh open. Hence, it’s the best time to hit the road, if you don’t like the herd of crowds that comes with the peak of season. 

Cheaper 

The start of the season is always when things are a lot cheaper than what it is when the season picks up and the crowd starts the flow in. Everything other than the cost of the vehicle will change from May to June. You’ll find a good 30% difference in costing when you plan a trip to Ladakh in May. 

Less crowd 

Crowd is the single defining factor which differentiates between shoulder season and real season. In May, you can say Leh and Ladakh is around 40% of its tourist intake capacity. But as the year rolls into June, it’s when an ocean of humans will be seen at every nook and corner. Even in the middle of nowhere, you’ll find humans. So if you want the cold desert wilderness experience, May is the month. 

Fresh locals 

This is vital to your Leh experience, since everyone in tourism who’s adding value to your holiday is a human. It’s always better to get there at the start, when the humans are fresh in mind, soul and body.  The best conversations happen anytime, but the number of conservations will reduce as the months keep moving ahead. 

Better road condition

Like the humans in the previous point, the roads are also in the best of condition at the start of season. Since most of them are done up before the start of season. 

Less roadblocks

Roadblocks in Leh Ladakh are caused by various factors, one of the biggest causes of roadblocks in Ladakh is falling of rocks which happen when the snow melts and the rocks start to get loose from the streamsof water. May is still the end of winter in Ladakh, so the rocks at the higher passes are still frozen and the chances of road blocks is limited. 

Snowfall at passes 

It can snow any time in Leh-Ladakh at the passes but May is the season when the probability of show fall is higher than the remaining months. Even if you don’t get to see snowfall during the duration of your trip, you will definitely get a better snow experience since again less people means less trash.  

Pleasant weather

Ladakh is one of the few places in the world where you can die from a heat store and a frost bite on the same day. Such is the extreme weather conditions that one has to come prepared for. But the month of May is transition from winter to spring to summer.  You won’t get the extreme dry heat of June to August and at the same time, you won’t get the extreme cold of October to December.  

Traveller vibe 

If you’re a traveller in your mind and soul, then you’ll hate the vibe in June, July and August. The tourists will flock to Ladakh and end up making a mess of what your expectations from this cold desert have been built up in the mind for the last decade.  To get the real rugged feel of Leh-Ladakh pre-season is the only option now in life after Covid. 

Better content 

Let’s be honest, the real reason we all are travelling today is purely content. So if you want those Nat Geo style images from Leh-Ladakh, that have really got you planning a road trip to Ladakh, then May is the month where you get the shots. Any other time of the year and it’s gonna be a task for you to click those pictures. So if content is why you are travelling to Leh-Ladakh, then May has to be the month.