Leh

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Contents

About

Enroute to M-Top
Enroute to M-Top
Diversion from Pangong Road to Phobran
Diversion from Pangong Road to Phobran
More Plains (that's the name!)
More Plains (that's the name!)
Sarchu: the tent camp
Sarchu: the tent camp
View from Khardung La
View from Khardung La

Well - we call it Leh. The capital of Ladakh, which is the real trip. And the journey winds through Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur too if you take the road less travelled via the Hindustan-Tibet Road (actually the NH running along the Sutlej).

Lingo

A few local words and some adaptations for well known ones to start off with

  • Julay - thats hi/good morning/evening/afernoon/see ya/bye - anything. You wave to complete strangers and shout "Julaaaay" at the top of ur voice as u ride past. In ladakh/Spiti alone. In Kinnaur or Shimla people will stare at you strangely in response.
  • La - mountain pass. Khardung, Taglang, Zoji, Chang, however, do not sound like the real deal without the "La". Rohtang, however, is "Rohtang Jot" - Jot is lahauli for pass.
  • Tiri - local bread
  • Thukpa - kind of noddle soup
  • Gugur Chai - butter+salt in it - acquired taste
  • Lama - priest
  • Gompa/Gonpa - monastery
  • Chorten ("Chhurr-ten") - not 'stupas' but those numerous minor 'temples' u see everywhere
  • Tso - lake. As in Tso kar, Tso moriri etc
  • Pizza - very expensive food in Leh
  • ATM - SBI, Federal Bank accepts any Visa/Master card.
  • Petrol Pumps : 365 km between Tandi - Leh no petrol Pumps. Similarly, no pumps between Kaza - Tandi on the Spiti-Lahaul route.
  • AMS : Acute mountain sickness. minor to life threatening if you climb > 300 mts between nights. The shimla-kinnaur-spiti route helps you acclimatize better.
  • Mechanic. haha. maybe you.
  • River. between a bucket of water to an unfathomable torrent - varies with time of day depending on snow melt

When to go

The recommended time to go is June-September. Flights ply through the year though. There are people who've flown in early May and ridden around, so even that's possible.

As for the roads opening, the actual dates depend on quantum/timing of snowfall:

  • Manali Road: Rohtang usually opens for civilian traffic around the first week of May for heavy vehicles.
  • Srinagar Road: Zoji La is the tough section. Opens by mid May or thereabouts.

Both roads currently closed

Accomodation

All distances are from Manali and are approximate

  • Manali (0km): Hotels are choc a bloc
  • Kothi/Gulaba (20km): Some private guest houses and PWD guest house.
  • Marhi (35km): PWD guest house. Please bargain if you don't have advance reservation.
  • Koksar (70km): PWD guest house. Some dhabas
  • Gondla (85km): PWD guest house. Some dhabas and a medicine shop.
  • Keylong (115km): Hotels(small pvt) and HP Tourism Hotel Chandrabhaga (good). Cheap acco, medciines available.
  • Jispa (140km): Hotel Ibex (luxury).
  • Darcha (147km): Cheap acco, dhabas available. Tented stay, 50 bucks a head.
  • ZingZingBar (180km): Tented stay/dhabas, 50 bucks a head. 2km ahead of the BRO detachment.
  • Bharatpur (205km):Tented stay/dhabas
  • Sarchu (225km): Tented stay/dhabas, 50 bucks a head. Luxury tents available, but expensive (1000+)
  • Pang (300km): Tented stay/dhabas, 50 bucks a head.
  • Rumtse (390km): Dhabas. Further, small villages do exist, but little tented acco, one COULD request locals.
  • Upshi/Karu (425km/440km): Town, so dhabas/bare guest houses can be found.
  • Leh (475km): Hotels are choc a bloc. Cheap guest houses(~300/night) only at old Leh road. Otherwise hotels are expensive for little added value.

On Leh Srinagar Route

  • Nimmu: Dhabas, guest houses
  • Likir/Saspol: Dhabas
  • Hansikot/BodhKharbu: Dhabas, guest houses, tourist bungalow(Hansikot).
  • Mulbekh: Dhabas, guest houses. Some dhabas are at Wakha checkpost, 2 km before mulbekh towards leh. Sharma hotel has good food, bang opposite maitreya statue.
  • Kargil: Dhabas, guest houses, hotels. (Big Town)
  • Drass: Dhabas, guest houses, tourist bungalow.(Big Town) Recommendations: Tourist bungalow (book in advance), Hotel HillView right opposite tourist bungalow (parking space).
  • Sonamarg: All types of accomodation. (Big Town)
  • Ganderbal: Dhabas, guest houses.
  • Srinagar: All types of accomodation. (Capital city)
  • Awantipora: Dhabas, guest houses.
  • Khanabal: Dhabas.
  • Banihal: Dhabas, guest houses.
  • Ramban: Dhabas, guest houses. (Safe area begins, lesser CRPF/Army presence)
  • Patnitop/Kud: Dhabas, guest houses, Hotels: everything. Tourist bungalows are amazing luxury at rock bottom prices.
  • Udhampur: All types of accomodation.
  • Jammu: All types of accomodation. (Summer Capital)

Routes

Manali-Leh Highway

Manali-Leh Highway - The preferred route given that J&K is terrorism-prone. We don't know of anyone targetting bikers, but hey, JK is unpredictable! The route goes via Manali- Rohtang- Keylong- Sarchu- Pang- Upshi- Leh.

  • Tried and tested Itinerary (Bare Basic Leh Trip)
    • Day 1: Delhi - Chandigarh (280kmts)
    • Day 2: Chandigarh - Manali ( 330 Kmts)
    • Day 3: Stay at Manali and acclimatise. Suggest going up to Rohtang during the day and spending a few hours lazing about before returning to Manali for the night. Helps in quick acclimatization.
    • Day 4: Manali - Sarchu (260kmts) [Sarchu HPTC Tent camps have closed down these days, and other Tent camps at Sarchu is quiet expensive ranging from 1000/- to 1500/- per bed. Instead you can halt at Bharatpur (30kmts before Sarchu, you get quiet cosy tent camps for Rs 50/- per bed :) ]
    • Day 5: Sarchu/Bharatpur - Leh (270kmts)
    • Day 6: Leh
    • Day 7: Leh - Khardung La - Leh
    • Day 8: Leh
    • Day 9, 10, 11, 12 ride back....

The above itinerary is a bare basic Leh trip, in which you can visit KhardungLa (The Highest Motorable Road in the World) spend time in Manali, and explore Leh.) Meant as a leisurely enjoyable one.

Road status

  • Koksar-Tandi: The road 1km ahead of Koksar, just disintegrates, with a couple of pool type water crossings. Slow water, but the pool is deep in a place - above knee high.
  • Keylong-Jispa: Just ahead of Hotel Chandrabhaga, paved stones for 25km. , zero water
  • 8km before Patseo-Zingzingbar: Broken/bad tarmac, zero water
  • Baralacha-Killing Serai: 18km of watery bad roads
  • The jugal bridge at Pang is broken. Facking deep. Approach from the corner, next to the drums, push the bike through in first gear only Smile If you ride, you're almost sure to fall Very Happy
  • Last few km to Tanglang La, and 2 km ahead: Broken due to snow flows.

Also, there's a shortcut in More Plains start - diverges on right, a bit slushy at a point where it almost joins the main road.

Amazing tarmac from there on.


Other sub-routes:

  • Pangi Valley Route - Preferred should you wish to ride in virgin areas without the tourist traffic at Rohtang! The route is such: Chamba - Sach Pass - Udaipur - Keylong and then joins the manali leh highway.
  • Lahaul/Spiti Route - Prone to flash floods but is extremely beautiful and a good ride. The route is such: Shimla - Narkanda - Rampur - Karchcham - Peo - Tabo - Kaza and then Keylong over Kunzum la.

Srinagar-Leh Highway

  • Srinagar Route - Extremely Beautiful and Treacherous, this route goes through the Kashmir Valley - via Jammu - Srinagar - Drass - Kargil - Leh over Zoji La. Unlike other passes, Zoji La opens in one direction for only a few hours a day (but two wheelers are allowed both the ways, if unlucky you will be riding in the opposite direction to the trucks)
  • Another Tried and Tested Route with approx timings and Night Halt locations.
    • Day 1: Delhi->Ambala->Ludhiyana->Pthankot. (around 450kmts)
    • Day 2: Pthankot->Udhampur->Srinagar (so that you can avoid entering Jammu and you can save around 110kmts) (not sure.. will update later)
    • Day 3: Srinagar->Drass->Kargil
    • Day 4: Kargil->Lamayaru->Leh
    • Day 5: Leh
    • Day 6: Leh->KhardungLa->Nubra (160Kmts)
    • Day 7: Nubra->KhardungLa->Leh
    • Day 8: Leh->Upshi->Kharu->Chang La->Pangong Tso -> Spangmik (150kmts)[Better take your own Tent if you plan to do night halt on the banks of Pangong Tso]
    • Day 9: Spangmik->Pangon Tso->Kharu->Upshi->Leh
    • Day 10: Off at Leh
    • Day 11: Leh->Upshi->Sarchu
    • Day 12: Sarchu->Keylong->Manali
    • Day 13: rest at Manali
    • Day 14: Manali->Chandigarh
    • Day 15: Chandigarh->Delhi

The above circuit is the one I took in 2006, This is a quiet interesting route, you cover Srinagar, Nubra, Khardung La and the Mighty Pangong Tso and without breaking your bike and back :-) To make this route more adventurous you can add Marsmek La and Chushul to the route both of them are back and clutch breaking routes.

Road status

Superb roads. Problem spots: (from Leh side)

    • Namika La (last 8km) from Bodhkharbu side
    • Zoji La: 20km on either side. If it gets really bad, you could be diverted onto the higher bypass, that is a few hundred meter of jeep track above Zoji la.
    • Post Ramsu, just before Ramban, the roads are bad in patches, so don't corner too fast. The tarmac is good, but very heavy crosswinds at corners and occasional potholes that may surprise you.
    • Jammu bypass (from Udhampur): The road is good, though with the last 8km to Samba, it is just plain MAD/atrocious. But manageable, and saves jammu city mayhem and 30km :)
    • Jalandhar-Jammu: The 4 lane highway starts ONLY about 25km before Jalandhar (from Leh side). Thus there's about 190 km of two lane mayhem with four wheelers going mad on the highway (it is a construction for four laning, which by all appearance, should be complete in the next millenium! ;)
  • Darcha-Padum-Nimmu Route - Currently only fit for the trekkers and mountain goats, this road when completed will link Nimmu on the Kargil-Leh highway with Padum in Zanskar region, from where one can proceed to Leh via Rangdum-Kargil. It will become a new circuit to do once completed. The road proposes two tunnels, neither of which has even barely started, save the access roads(!) - Rohtang tunnel, expected by 2011, and a tunnel under the Shingo La, by 2014 - thus making it an all weather route. Currently, one can visit Zanskar only via Kargil, over non-existent roads! On that account, the army is talking of a army-only Pathankot-Sonamarg route that bypasses most of Kashmir valley, that is under construction.

Itinerary design

  • Srinagar Route - From Delhi side, you can take as follows: (Bold indicates night halts)

Delhi - Jammu! - Srinagar - Zoji La - Drass - Kargil - Leh

Places to see:

Dal lake (just click pics), Sonamarg (heaven!), Zoji La, Drass (esp Kargil war memorial), Mulbekh, Lamayuru, Alchi, Khalatse rivers' confluence, Magnetic hill (7km from nimmu towards leh, look out for mandir on left, works only for iron bikes!, Pathar Sahib Gurdwara (amazingly neat!!)

  • Manali Route - From Delhi side, you can take as follows: (Bold indicates night halts)

Delhi - Manali - Sarchu - Leh or Delhi - Manali - Keylong - Pang - Leh

Places to see: Rohtang top, Lahaul valley, Lake before Patseo, Surajtal, Sarchu wind eroded hills, Gatta loops, Pang wind eroded hills, More plains, Tso kar, Rumtse meadows, First view of Indus, Karu

  • Nubra circuit -

Leh -Khardungla- Deskit- Hunder- Deskit - Khalsar - Panamik Panamik - Khalsar -Khardungla- Leh

Panamik has hot springs (last village before Siachen), Deskit has sand dunes, Hunder has twin humped camels.

You could exit via Wari La ( Panamik - Khalsar - Tangyar - Wari La - Sakthi - Karu - Leh ) or from sakthi carry on to Changla.

  • Pangong circuit -

Leh - Karu - Sakthi - Changla - Lukung - Tangtse - Spangmik (Pangong) Tangtse - Changla - Leh.


Deviations:

Marsimik La

Onwards, to Chushul, through some swampy terrain, and lotsa water crossings. Thereafter to Nyoma through sandy (rim deep) terrain and from there to Upshi or Hanle.

  • Chumathang circuit -

Leh - Upshi - Chumathang - Mahe bridge - Namshang pass - Korzok Reverse back to Leh

From Mahe, continue onwards to Nyoma, and then to Hanle. Nyoma - Hanle has no track whatsoever. This sector saw action at Rhongo and Rezang La and was the arena for several bloody battles in the '62 war.

From Mahe, one can take the right turn, and cross the smallish Namshang pass, the bifurcation is at Sumdo for Tso Moriri & Korzok (left) and Tso Kar (right) which leads onto debring.

Post tso moriri, from Korzok, you can move back to Sumdo and onwards to the Manali Leh road.

You get accomodation in Korzok, Tso kar, Upshi.

Preparing your bike

  • Service: Thorough checkup at a trusted mech, especially check timing.
  • Carburation: At higher altitudes as the percentage of Oxygen is less compared to sea level, we need to adjust the carburetor to cope with the reduced oxygen content.
    • How Lean: Turn out one turn of the air-screw than the normal. (These days modern CV carburetors are not much affected)
    • If you have a non CV then better to rejet the carburator to a smaller jet.
    • NOTE: Do not remove your Air Filter, since some places are dusty and you can damage your engine. (A Free Flow air filter will help though)
  • Toolkit: Shouldn't be the original bare bones kit. Replacing a tire with that crap at high altitude would be painful. A good set of spanners with a plier and insulating tape should be helpful. Another good thing would be a small puncture repair kit, needed to open the tires and seal the tube. They have these round patches that can be stickered onto the tube easily! Add in a electric pump as using a foot pump can deflate you :)
  • Luggage - This is a touchy issue. The choice ranges from panniers (as used by bulleteers), Metal dabbas and Cramster. Cramsters (Approx 2.3k)are mostly weatherproof and take some amount of volume. Should you wish to carry your world with you - panniers it is. Any which way, a tank bag is good. Else, the center of gravity of the bike shifts to the rear, making it unstable!
  • Toolkit: Covered here. Alpine tents are unnecessary unless one wishes to camp in remote locations. Most places en route have tented accommodation.

Acute Mountain Sickness

What it is

AMS or Acute Mountain Sickness can sometimes be caused due to the high altitude. It is normally caused due to the body not acclimatizing to keep up with the rate of climb. Many riders to Leh report this, so don't worry you are not the first one to get it. If you want to read more about it :

Precautions

  1. Acclimatize - takes time, so give yourself a day in Manali or even better, Marhi. The Shimla or Srinagar routes give u more time to do this
  2. Try not sleeping at/near the high passes - descend a little. Don't spend lots of time at KTop (or even North/South Pullu checkpoints), headache will start and you will feel tired. (Ktop-click snaps and descend to Hunder soon). Ditto for Tanglang La
  3. Keep hydrating yourself. The air at high altitudes is very dry. Robs the body off its moisture through breath and skin. Keep drinking water/soup/tea at short intervals. Don't wait for thirst to show itself. You could be de-hydrated before you feel thirsty. Tea/coffee are mild diuretics though i.e. make you urinate more often. Milk tea is better.

KTop is very unpredictable and freezing, it always snows there.

  1. Diamox helps acclimatize better, quicker. Its not a substitute for descent if AMS still strikes.
  2. If symptoms occur, lose altitude - most imp. Sleep etc will not solve it, neither will diamox - HACE/HAPE are scary stages if it progresses.
  3. Truckies will help to get to the nearest acco/fuel if you are on the road someplace.
  4. Water doesn't really help AMS, but takes care of dehydration which will cause massive headaches anyway
  5. Try not to push too much and unnecessarily tire yourself. Slow down physically and avoid getting breathless from effort.
  6. Chewing gum helps when ascending or descending.
  7. Bunch of different ideas for avoiding AMS: Taking diamox in advance twice daily, water spiked with electral, garlic thukpa/soups, disprin, water mixed with glucose taken regularly. Just FYI, consult your doc friends before you try anything :)
  8. Cross passes before 12 noon: (Roy) Water flow from snow-melts picks up speed after 11 am and peaks at around 1600 hours. And water flows can be nasty, and you are hearing this from someone who has fallen into a raging river: bags bike and all! Plan carefully and you can sked ur pass crossings to avoid the worst. Lachlung La is a "bachcha pass" agreed but there is one water body with a nasty reputation: its called "Kangli Mata" Roy's Trip Log at the base of Lachlung La. It has very little water of late, but the problem area is the broken Jugal bridge before Pang. The water there is knee deep all through.

If you plan to cut short the trip

Normally it takes a couple of days to acclimatize. However, if that is still not happening and you feel the need to ditch the trip, here are a few things you can do :

  • You can take back a flight from Leh airport. However bikes cannot be parceled by air.
  • For bike, contact the TCI (Transport Corporation of India) office (next to the Polo grounds). It would take around a month for the bike to come back.
  • If flights to Delhi are packed, fly back via Jammu

Notes

  • Mobile Phones: Leh being a border area, prepaid phones do NOT roam there. With BSNL/Airtel postpaid connections, one can easily roam.
    • Airtel works ONLY around Leh, and connection is again available at Rohtang top or Ganderbal (35km before Srinagar).
    • BSNL works in all minor towns - worth taking on your trip
  • Health: AMS can be a real threat. Learn more from the rally experts of the Raid de Himalayas themselves! http://www.raid-de-himalaya.com/2006/Trial/trialmedical.htm
  • Timing: Winds picks up on almost all passes post noon. Its advisable to surely start by 6am to cross most passes before it gets windy and weather becomes inclement.
  • Cold starts: Early morning (5am) starts in Pang, can be a problem. Best solution: Pour 3-4L of hot water on the clutchcase, then kick start the bike.
  • Security situation in Kashmir Valley: Currently, the valley is peaceful, so things are fine. Don't expect much warmth up front from the average local fellow. In the valley, its normal to have one CRPF jawan on each side of the road, every 40-50m. If you're unlucky, and go in the beginning of the season, you could encounter many convoys. Give way. (though you could get stuck with the convoys again in Sept. end. They move for winter stocking of the forward areas)Stop at punjabi dhabas, as used by truckers. You will get good veg food, and warmth from truckies who share your doubts/fears. Just remember to never be caught in anything which seem like a trouble zone, never be caught in the middle.

Maps

It is advisable to print out the section of the map you would need double sided, and get it laminated.

Links

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