Honey pancakes in Leh, timelapse photography at Matho, yak ride near Pangong Tso and tea at the 3 Idiots Cafe. Rugged Ladakh is the new Darjeeling for tourists from Bengal.

From bikers to all-women groups, almost 50 per cent of tourists to the region this summer have been from this state, according to Jammu and Kashmir Tourism.

Enquiries are already pouring in for next summer and even Puja, which coincides with the fag end of the traditional tourist season in Ladakh.

What was once a niche destination mainly preferred by bikers and trekkers has seen even senior citizens and families outnumbering them over the past two years. Not only that, families are ready to stay in tents in freezing temperatures and spend nights in monasteries or with locals in remote hamlets for the authentic Ladakh experience.

"We can only go during our school-going son's Puja vacation and are here to choose a package that suits us," said Sudip Ray of Ballygunge, drawing up a Ladakh to-do list at a travel fair in town.

Leh, Ladakh and Kargil packages cater to different budgets, the lower end being a competitive Rs 20,000 per head for seven nights, including food. For the adventure-seeking Bengal tourist on a budget, a special deal like this is an invitation hard to turn down. "We offer customised tours to families for Rs 35,000 and even lower," said Ladakh tour operator Zulfikar Ahmed.

If cash isn't a constraint, tourists can book a car and tour the entire region in private comfort.

Zulfikar said he had booked Ladakh tours for 60 per cent more tourists from Bengal this summer than in earlier years. "I have had to cancel a few trips because of a shortage of hotel rooms."

Another Ladakh tour operator at the travel fair said he had made bookings for more than 150 tourists from Bengal till July. Last year, he had arranged trips for 95 clients.

Even violence and political uncertainty in the Kashmir valley haven't dampened the spirits of Ladakh-bound tourists. "We would have gone there by road from Srinagar. Now we are flying to Leh via Delhi, " said Anandi Chatterjee of Ekdalia, who will be visiting Ladakh in October.

Those who still want a road trip have the option of bypassing Srinagar and driving or riding to Leh from Manali.

The opportunity of enjoying spectacular, albeit arduous, road trips is one of the main attractions of Ladakh for the tourist with an adventurous bent of mind. The two main road routes to Ladakh - from Srinagar and Manali - go through multiple high-altitude Himalayan passes, some of which are about twice as high as Bengal's favourite hill station, Darjeeling (2,042m).

Flying to Leh is not without its challenges either. Tourists taking a flight to Leh (3,500m) need to acclimatise to the rarefied air for at least a couple of days before going sightseeing.

The weather can be frustratingly finicky too. Temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius are common in winter. The mercury can, of course, drop below freezing point without warning any time. In the other extreme, the day temperature can rise above 40 degrees Celsius during summer.

Given the harshness of the weather and the testing terrain, Ladakh was for long regarded as a holiday destination for only the adventurous road-tripper or trekker.

So when did families with even small children and the elderly decide to brave these discomforts for a Ladakh holiday?

Ladakh tourism owes its Bengal influx to improved infrastructure and Bollywood. Ever since the Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots took Pangong lake to the plexes - the film's climax was shot there -it has been on every other person's bucket list.

Bollywood-themed cafes now abound around Pangong. Tourists are also taken to The Druk White Lotus School at Shey, near Leh, where parts of 3 Idiots were shot.

"Such was the rush this summer that locals were forced to vacate their private rooms for tourists," said 27-year-old Kusumita Mondal of Howrah, who along with her husband just completed their first bike trip to the region.

Schoolteacher Sumona Bandopadhayay is tired of Facebook pictures of friends holidaying in Ladakh. "I have seen too many pictures, done a lot of research. Now I want to visit the place next summer," she quipped.

Why is Ladakh on your bucket list? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com