Leh airport to your hotel — taxis, fixed rates and the first day

The airport

Leh’s airport, Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport (IXL), sits at 3,256 m. It is owned by the Indian Air Force and run by the Airports Authority of India. Strong afternoon winds mean every flight lands and leaves in the morning. A new, much larger passenger terminal opened on 15 October 2026.

Taxis from the airport

Taxis in Leh are run by the Ladakh Taxi Union, which publishes fixed rates for every trip by vehicle type. The rates cannot officially be bargained below. Ask the fare to your hotel before you get in.

• No Ola or Uber. App cabs do not operate anywhere in Ladakh.
• No outside taxis for sightseeing. A cab from Manali or Srinagar can bring you to Leh and take you away, but cannot run local trips. Self-drive cars from outside Ladakh are under the same rule, and private white-plate cars may not be used as taxis.

For trips out of Leh — Nubra, Pangong, Khardung La — a union taxi needs the environment-fee permit, which the driver usually helps with.

Your first day

You step off the plane at about 3,500 m without the slow climb that acclimatises people driving up from Manali. Go straight to your hotel and rest. Drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol, and leave sightseeing for the next day. If a headache, nausea or breathlessness gets worse, get medical help. Since 2022, visitors have had to stay in Leh for at least two days before crossing Khardung La.

Flying in, or driving up

Our Manali–Leh jeep safari drives you up over two days, the gentler way to arrive, and ends with a transfer to Leh airport for your flight home. The Manali–Leh highway guide explains the road, and the Leh-Ladakh guide covers what to see. The road only opens in summer; the pass calendar has the dates.