Ladakh removes Inner Line Permit system for domestic tourists

In a bid to underline India’s sovereignty, the Ladakh administration has scrapped the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system from the tourist attractions in the ‘protected’ regions. This will make visiting Ladakh easier for Indian tourists who need to take permission from the government to visit such areas. This means that tourists can now easily visit places such as Batalik in Kargil.

However, those visiting these regions will still have to pay a green fee or the environment fee of INR 300 and Red Cross Fund fee of INR 100. And these fees can be paid from the hotels using the website.
Things to note
1) Indian visitors need to carry their valid ID proof during travel but travellers from other countries will still have to get the Protected Area Permit.

2) Tourists will have to keep in mind that scrapping of the ILP system doesn’t mean that they go anywhere. The Ladakh administration will notify regions, mostly ‘zero-km’ villages on the border, where tourists will not be allowed.

3) On Saturday, the Home Ministry asked for such a list and regions will be finalised soon after a discussion with police and the army.
4) Dungti, Koyul, Thang village in the Nubra valley bordering Pakistan; Demchok and Chumar in the Nyoma are likely to remain inaccessible for tourists.

History of Ladakh tourism

It was in 1947 that Ladakh region was opened up for tourists but the areas they could visit were very limited. For example, there was a time when tourists were allowed to visit Pangong Tso, only between 6 AM and 5 PM. Since then, a lot of areas in Ladakh were opened up as the condition got better gradually.