During my September 2016 trip to Ladakh, I stayed at Pangong Villa, which is located in Spangmik Village near Pangong Tso.

Real benefit of Pangong Villa is that it is one of the last hotels, located towards the end of Spangmik Village. So early in the morning, this is the view that awaits you from your room.

In fact view from the room was so good; I had shot 3 time-lapses from right outside my room. In the freezing September winds of Ladakh, the value of being able to setup a time-lapse and run back into the comfort of room is something that is unparalleled.

Rooms are fairly cozy as well, well as cozy as they can get in freezing temperature of Ladakh. Thanks to traditional construction, rooms are warmer than the concrete guesthouses. However, heater isn’t available. Since a generator is used to provide electricity in evening.

Rooms are available on MAP plan i.e. cost of dinner and breakfast is included in the price. Buffet dinner is served in the dining room near the rooms. And you can ask Dorjey to pack your breakfast, in case you plan on leaving early in the morning.

In fact Dorjey was kind enough to get us warm water and tea around 6am.

Mobile phone network (BSNL) only comes at a certain point in the dining room, though this is the case with most of Spangmik, since proper mobile phone network is only in Lukung.

In 2016, tariff was Rs. 2,500 per night on MAP plan, and you can bargain a bit with Dorjay for discount.

Overall a good and cozy place to stay at Spangmik, if you want proper room with attached toilet, without breaking the bank.

For bookings, contact Dorjey +91-9419342720, 9622960460.

During my winter trip to Ladakh in 2012, I stayed at the Hot Spring Resort in Chumathang, which is a small town en route to Tso Moriri.

While the so called resort doesn’t looks like much and even its restaurant was closed during the winter. Thanks to its proximity to the hot springs, it remained relatively warm during the night, even though the outside temperature was easily -15 degree Celsius at night and there was no heater in the room.

Room was also quite cozy and did have electricity in the evening, along with an attached Western Style Toilet, though understandably there was no water in the taps during winter.

There were a total of four rooms available at the hot spring resort and we paid Rs. 500 per room at that time.

The reason we stayed at Chumathang was due to the fact that little if any accommodation was available at Korzok in December and Chumathang is much warmer and is located at a much lower altitude than Tso Moriri. Chumathang also has mobile phone connectivity (BSNL only).

Of course the fact that one could witness warm water of hot springs merging in to the partially frozen Indus River and enjoy an outdoor steam bath was just a big bonus for me and my travel partners.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Hot Spring Resort in Chumathang and even though we would have loved it if their restaurant was operational as well, it wasn’t a major turnoff, since we could get decent food at Chumathang Village.

Phone no. +91-9469457880 (Tsewang)

Shanti Guest House is one of the oldest Guest Houses in Leh and is located in the Changspa Village, at the foothills of Shanti Stupa.

I had the pleasure of staying at Shanti Guest House in December 2012, during my Winter Trip to Ladakh. At that time, heating in the room was provided with the help of gas powered heaters, however now central heating is available now, along with WiFi.

Room itself was pretty decent and clean with attached western styled toilet (which was working even in winter) and hot water was available in bucket. During the day, our room used to receive plenty of sun light and felt comparatively warm.

Food was available in the in-house restaurant and due to lack of rush at that time (me along with my travel partner and couple of friends were the only guests at that time), lunch and dinner had to be ordered in advance. And while almost everything was available, taste wasn’t all that great, mostly due to the non-spicy nature of the food (I love North Indian food), which might go down well for the foreigners.

While no indoor parking is available, cars and motorcycles can be parked along the single lane road, in front of the Guest House.

With respect to location of the guest house, while some may detest the fact that Shanti Guest House located a bit far away from the Leh Main Market, this is a blessing in disguise, as it offers peace and tranquility, which at times is missing, even in Leh!

Shanti Guest House is run by the Tsering Family and they are quite friendly and endearing and that I suppose is one of the reasons why I liked staying there so much.

Overall, Shanti Guest House is nice mid-range guest house and once of the better places to stay in Leh.

Shanti Guest House
Changspa,
Leh – Ladakh
Pin : 194101 INDIA
Phone : 0091-1982-253084
Mobile : +91-94191 78760, 94198 62010
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.shantitours.com