Road to Leh-Ladakh
Road to Leh-Ladakh
A Rider’s Dream: A road trip from Manali to Leh
The Manali to Leh road trip is full of surprises; you can experience the lush-green
valleys of Scotland, the ice-clad mountains of Switzerland, the chilly deserts of Mongolia, the rocky mountains of Jordan and the Grand Canyon
in this single journey at the second largest district of India.
The roads to Leh usually opens for visitors in the month of June. However, it may open during late May, depends on the amount of snowfall in winters that year.
The roads to Leh usually opens for visitors in the month of June. However, it may open during late May, depends on the amount of snowfall in winters that year.
The route taken for this one of the most memorable road journey
to Leh-Ladakh was Manali - Rohtanhg Pass - Khoksar - Keylong - Jispa - Zingzingbar - Phang - Debring - Upshi - Leh.
The journey also covered 5 one of the highest motorable
passes of the world, namely, Rohtang pass (13058 ft), Bara-lacha La ( 16040
ft), Nakee-La ( 15547 ft), Lachung-La (16616 ft) and Taglang-La (17582 ft).
Day1
Manali-Rohtang Pass-Koksar
This is mere 70 kms stretch but it takes too much time due
to the traffic. The reason is that both of the most visited destinations Solang
valley and Rohtang Pass are on the same route. However, Rohtang Pass is 52 Kms
from Manali but due to the snail-like moving traffic it took us 5 hrs
(including 15 mins stoppage at Gulaba check-post) to reach there. We spent 15
mins and took some pics and started our journey to reach Keylong but the road
was so badly damaged due to melting ice and waterways it took us another 1 and
a half hour to cover next 18 kms till we reach Koksar.
Koksar is a very small but picturesque village in the wombs
of mountains and on the banks of Chenab River. Its charming beauty was so
mesmerised that we decided to stay for a night there itself. There you can rent
private Swiss tents, ranging from INR 1800-3000, besides the flowing Chenab or
you also have some budget options of getting a bed in a dormitory for mere INR
150. Food is also cheap for around INR 80-150 per person.
Distance covered & Time Taken: 70 Kms, 6:30 hrs with 3
hrs of traffic stoppage
Toll tax: No Toll
Day 2
Koksar-Debring
Our aim was to reach Leh by the evening so we start early in
the morning by 6 A.M. The reason for leaving early was that we wanted to cross
Zinzingbar as early as possible because once the temperature start rising the
ice starts melting and if this happens the water levels of the few water-crossings
increase and we were traveling in a sedan and not an SUV. So to avoid any
unwanted circumstances it is advisable to cross Zingzingbar in early hours.
There were some incidents in past where SUV’s also got stuck in the crossings.
The last fuel station on this route is at Tandi i.e., 7 kms
before keylong, so if you haven’t filled the fuel-tanks in Manali then this is
your last chance, as the next fuel station is at Karu i.e. 368 kms from Koksar.
On average more than half of the distance covered till
Phang village, the roads are badly broken. So it is advisable to drive slowly
and safely to avoid any mishappening, as after passing Keylong there is no
chance to find any mechanic for next 350 kms. But the route is so beautiful and
full of surprising photogenic packages. There are snow-clad mountains, azure
blue streams and lakes, small waterfalls, Rocky Mountains, sand dunes,
everything on this small route.
We decided stop at Debring, a tiny village in the middle of
desert, as we reach there by almost 9:00 P.M. and it was all dark and it isn’t
safe to travel in the night again to avoid any kind of mishappening to be
caused particularly break-down of your vehicle. There are the options of few huts that
are restaurant cum dormitories. The beds are clean and you can get a feel of
living in remote villages as the toilets are not attached and you need to go
out of the hut (Don't forget to take a torch as there is no electricity in
toilets). The climate was too cold already and it decreased more due to chilly
waves in the night. That was the best experience of spending a night in the
middle-of-nowhere.
Distance Covered & Time Taken: 280 kms, 14 hrs including
3 hrs of stoppage time
Toll Tax: No Toll
Day 3
Debring-Taglangla-Leh
Left early at 7 in the morning for Leh and reached by 11,
via Taglangla. Taglang La or Taglang pass at 17,480 ft, was the second highest
motorable pass in the world. Lately it has now become 3rd highest
after opening of Umling-La. The
mesmerising view from the top is amazing. You would love to spend some time taking
the 360 degree view from the pass.
Distance Covered & Time Taken: 122 kms 4 hrs with 1 hr stoppage time
Toll Tax: No Toll. Only Rs. 50 per vehicle is collected at
Upshi as Leh entry Tax
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