A road trip to Ladakh is one of the most sought after activity and is on the bucket list of many travellers, adventurers and motorists across the planet. This thrilling and enchanting journey into the Land of High Passes takes you through a varied landscape along some of the highest mountain passes and through some of the highest motorable roads in the World.
This captivating journey from the alpine woods into the cold desert is one that will bring out the story teller in you as this journey will leave you with long-lasting and cherishable memories.
Manali, Ladakh & Kashmir
This amazing road trip to Ladakh comes coupled with cozy stays, delectable meals, and amazing sightseeing sessions that include:
On your arrival in Manali after an overnight journey by a Volvo, an agent would greet you at the Volvo stand and would take uou to your hotel, where you may have your breakfast and rest a little. Later, in the afternoon, the bikes would be allotted to you and you can test ride it to get comfortable with the ride.
Later, you may go explore Manali and visit some of the famous places like Old Manali, Hadimba Devi Temple, Vashisht village, etc. Come back to the hotel in the evening for dinner and a restful sleep.
We suggest you to wake up early today, have your breakfast and be ready with the bike. You will be starting your Ladakh Expedition today by riding towards Jispa on the famous Manali-Leh highway. Leaving early is very crucial today to ensure that we cross the Rohtang Pass (3978 m) early enough to avoid getting stuck in traffic.
Soon after crossing the Rohtang Pass, you will see that the lush green meadows will disappear and the barren slopes of the cold desert will start. You will continue riding through Sissu and Keylong. Here you may have your lunch and then start your journey towards Jispa.
On arriving in Jispa, in the late afternoon, you may grab some rest at the campsite and then later have dinner around the bonfire.
Wake up to a fresh new morning, have breakfast and prepare yourself for a thrilling ride that may be short but is full of adventure. Make sure to keep yourself well hydrated to ensure you don’t fall sick as Sarchu is at a high altitude of about 4000 m.
After crossing Deepak Tal, the road to the treacherous Baralacha Pass (4890 m) is a steep ascend, so ride carefully. On the way to the Baralacha Pass, you will witness another lake, Suraj Tal (a beautiful emerald coloured lake).
Soon after crossing the Baralacha Pass, you can take a break at Bharatpur and enjoy a well-deserved lunch. After lunch, we continue our ride to Sarchu and soon we would be riding along the raging Tsarap river.
You would be reaching Sarchu later in the day, where you will be spending another night in a tent. Have your dinner around the bonfire and then have a restful sleep.
Today, you will be starting early after breakfast as it is going to be a long exciting day and full of water crossings, which should preferably be crossed early in the day.
Our journey today will start with an ascend towards Nakee La (4769m), crossing a series of 21 hairpin bends within a short span of about 7 kms. After a short descend from Nakee La, another ascend towarde Lachung La (5059m) begins.
After crossing Lachung La, you will stop at Pang (4600 m) for lunch. You will notice a significant change in the landscape after crossing Pang. The plateau of Morey Plains starts and stretches for about 45 kms. Our ascend towards Tanglang La (5328 m) – the highest motorable pass will start almost at the end of the Morey Plains.
After crossing Tanglang La, continue riding along the Indus river to reach Leh. Check-in to your hotel to grab some rest and a delicious dinner.
Have a healthy breakfast and replenish your energy as today is a resting day. The day is generally divided into two parts wherein the first half is reserved for a basic check-up of the bikes and the later half is reserved for sightseeing.
You can visit the Leh Palace from where you will have a beautiful panoramic view of the Stok Kangri mountain range. You may also choose to visit the Shanti Stupa and the local market to try delicious local cuisines and to buy some souvenirs for your loved ones.
Come back to the hotel in the evening for dinner and a restful sleep.
Today, we will be traveling towards the Nubra Valley through the Khardung La Pass (5359 m) – the 2nd highest motorable road in the world. The road towards the pass is well maintained and properly tarred till the checkpoint near South Pullu, and beyond that the road is a bit slushy with loose rocks on one side.
Reach Khardung La and click some well deserved pictures, but make sure not to spend too much time there due to the high altitude and less air density. We will be stopping soon after a little ascend and have our lunch.
Post lunch we continue our journey towards Diskit and visit the Maitreya Buddha Statue (32 ft. high) in the Diskit Monastery. On arriving into the Nubra Valley, you will be dazzled by the the white sand dunes and by the sightings of double-humped Bactrian Camels grazing.
The stay will either be at a campsite or in a homestay. Have a hearty dinner and restful sleep.
Wake up to a beautiful morning amidst the white dunes of the Himalayas and savour your taste-buds with a delicious breakfast. After breakfast, prepare yourself for a long thrilling ride to the most camera-friendly location in Ladakh i.e. the Pangong Tsa.
As the saying goes, that ‘the road less taken often takes you through the most scenic locations’. You will perhaps be amazed by the enchanting views of the
We will be taking the road less travelled to add a pinch of adrenaline, adventure and to soak in some beautiful panoramas of the scenic landscape we ride through. This ride along the river Shyok, is very interesting and you will be in for a lot of exciting water crossings. However, we would advice you to ride carefully because of the rocky terrain and the slushy roads.
Today, you will be riding through the villages like Agham, Durbuk and Tangste. The last stretch of the road is along the Pangong Lake and the ride along the shimmering blue waters will leave deep unforgettable memories for you to hold on to for a lifetime.
The overnight stay is going to be in a campsite, where you may grab a proper rest, enjoy a delicious meal along and sit by the bonfire.
We recommend you to wake up early today to witness one of the most beautiful sunrise in the world. The sun shine on the shimmering waters of the Pangong Lake will not only feed your soul with peace and serenity, but will also bring about positivity within you.
Today we will be following the same route till Durbuk and after crossing Durbuk, we will sart our ascend towards Chang La (5360 m) – the third highest motorable road in the world. We will be stopping for lunch after crossing Chang La and from there we start our journey back to Leh via Karu.
On the way to Leh, we will be visiting the Thiksey Monastery and the popular Druk White Lotus School (from the movie 3 Idiots). After clicking some photographs as souvenirs of our trip to Ladakh, we will be reaching back to our hotel in Leh in about an hour or so. You may retire here peacefully after having a scrumptious dinner.
After breakfast, you will be heading back to Sarchu via the same Leh – Manali Highway. Ride safe and you’ll be reaching Sarchu in the evening, where you will be spending the night in a campsite along with a bonfire.
Have your dinner and grab a restful sleep.
Today, after having a scrumptious breakfast, you will heading back to Manali via the Atal Tunnel i.e. a 9.02 km long tunnel that connects the Keylong on the north portal and Manali on the south. The tunnel reduces the travel time by about 3-4 hours as it will bypass the Rohtang Pass.
Soon, you will arrive at Manali, where you will check-in to your hotel and return your bike. here you may grab some rest peacefully as you have finally completed your road trip and are now awe-struck by the wonderful memories of this exciting trip.
Check-out from your hotel the next morning after having your breakfast and go back home happily with sweet delightful memories.
