A must ride path before it becomes absolutely impossible. There is no age bar for riding this route. We're amazed to see a 50+ enthusiast doing a solo trip for 62 days which includes trek, ride, bus, etc. So, if you think it's difficult with family, go for four-wheeler.
First of all, a BIG THANKS to Dheeraj K. He works for IBM and I happened to see a blog on internal IBM portal on his Leh biking experience. After a while I called him and that one call gave us a lot of information, after which we never looked back from planning.
Sanketh, Abhishek (Abhi), myself (Kumar), Vishu and Venky are the crazy, light-minded bikers who made to final list. Unfortunately Subash and Mithun had to drop out due to personal reasons. BTW, Sanketh is the one who seeded the idea around Q3 2017.
This initial post concentrates on all the necessary information that would help for end to end planning.
Routes
- One of the route is to start from Manali towards Leh and then to Srinagar, etc.
- We started from Chandigarh -> Amristar -> Jammu -> Srinagar -> Kargil -> Leh -> Nubra Valley -> Pangong Tso -> Leh -> Sarchu -> Manali -> Chandigarh. A total of 2,800 kilometers.
- This route is preferred since you'll gradually travel towards higher altitude, which helps in acclimatization.
- Google maps link https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_fsvP9uVsq-vXJRQ-d_d9mrrENk5BTV7&usp=sharing
Itinerary (Aug 10 to 25th, 2018)
Day 0: Reach Chandigarh, Collect bikes, Fill petrolDay 1: Chandigarh to Amritsar (230km 6hrs). Visit Wagah Border and Golden Temple
Day 2: Amritsar -> Jammu (220 6hrs)
Day 3: Jammu -> Srinagar (280 8hrs). If possible, visit Pahalgam on the way
Day 4: Srinagar local sightseeing, basic bike servicing, shopping
Day 5: Srinagar to Kargil (200 6hrs). Don't miss Kargil War Memorial after Drass
Day 6: Kargil to Leh (220 6hrs)
Day 7: Leh local sightseeing, get permissions, fill pertrol, carry extra pertrol cans
Day 8: Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardungla (140 6hrs). Fill petrol at Diskit. Night stay at Hunder.
Day 9: Hunder to Pangang Tso via Shyok (150 6hrs). Start early to reach by 4PM. Crossing few streams could be challenging.
Day 10: Watch the rising sun from the shores of Pangong Tso. Start back to Leh (150 6hrs). Basic bike servicing and fill petrol
Day 11: Fill petrol + can at the last petrol station, Karu. Leh -> Sarchu (250 7-8hrs)
Day 12: Sarchu -> Manali (230 7hrs). Crossing pagal nala will be challenging in the evening.
Day 13: Manali local sightseeing
Day 14: Manali -> Chandigarh (310 8hrs). Return or transport bikes.
Day 15: Catch flight from Chandigarh to Bengaluru
Rider stuffs to carry
Firstly, get your personal bike serviced properly couple of weeks before starting the trip. The following are very important to be checked for own or rented bikes- Change tyres and tubes if necessary
- Carry spare tubes
- Change Oil
- Change brake shoe, pads
- Wheel alignment
- Check spark plug
- Carry spare
- Check wheel bearing
- Check chain sprocket
- Check break and clutch leaver
- Carry spare
- Carry one chain link lock
- Get spare accelerator and clutch cables fixed to the bike... like plug and play
Bike(r) gears
- Good jacket
- Elbow and Knee guards
- Riding gloves
- Waterproof shoes
- Thin woolen gloves
- Face mask
- Head mask
- Face cover helmet
- Thermal top and pant
- Rain top and pant
- Sun glasses (UV)
- Night riding glasses
- Duplicate bike key
Others
- Toolkits
- Spanners
- Screwdriver set
- Electric pump
- Petrol can and pipe
- Chain lubricant
- Puncture rubbers
Luggage on bike
Avoid saddle bag if possible. They can be pain in the ass to pack and move it everyday. Instead go for a 60 liter backpack and even a saddle box (fit to bike, locked, waterproof). If you've a ladakhi carries, then just one big and small backpack is enough.
- Tarpaulin is a must to cover your luggage against dust and rain
- 5 bungee ropes per bike
- Once the big backpack is tied to the bike, no matter it rains or whatever, no need to remove until you reach the destination
- Small backpack to keep removable stuffs during the journey
Other stuffs to carry
- Medicines
- Diamox
- For fever
- Stomach upset
- Cold
- Stomach ache, head ache
- Vomitting
- body pain
- First aid kit
- Personal medicines
- Hand Sanitizer
- Cold cream
- Sun screen
- Lip guard
- Volini
- Toiletries
- Dress
- 3 pairs of jeans
- 2 shots
- 8 T-Shirt/Shirts
- 6+ pairs of socks
- Towel, undergarments, etc
- Torch
- Power banks
- Swiss knife
- Ear phone, bluetooth speaker
Transfer and packing bikes
- By train: We avoided as it didn't have good reviews
- On Road
- Gati transport (reliable)
Rent bikes
Wherever you rent bikes, make sure you test ride it. Go for a current year - 2 model instead of a very old bike. The bike has to be serviced freshly, filled with engine oil, etc. They should provide the following with complementary or with include price- Off road tyres
- Ladakhi carrier
- 2 Helmet
- Knee and elbow guards
- Spare tubes
- Toolkits
- Additional clutch and accelerator cables
- chain link lock
- Break and clutch lever
- spark plug(s)
- Electric pump
- Petrol can
- duplicate bike key
Documents to Carry
- Original ID and address proof (Aadhar, Driving License, Passport)
- Driving License
- Bike RC
- Bike Insurance
- Bike emission
- Permit letters
Permissions
If you are starting from Manali towards Leh, you need to take permission in Manali.In Leh, you need to take permission to visit places like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tsomoriri Lake. Find more details at https://blog.bykorides.com/inner-line-permit/.
Places to see
- Chandigarh
- Rock Garden
- Amritsar
- Golden Temple
- Wagah Border
- Jammu
- Sahasralinga
- Srinagar
- Avantipora
- Pahalgam
- Gulmarg
- Dal Lake
- Sonmarg on the way to Kargil
- Kargil
- Lunar landscape
- Magnetic hills
- Leh
- Local: Shanti stupa, palace, etc. Shop Leh flags
- Nubra Valley via Khardung la. Visit Hunder sand dunes
- Pangang Tso
- Manali
- Hadimba Temple
- Manali club house
- Chandigarh
- The great bear kitchen and microbrewery
Hotel bookings
Since you're riding everyday, there are quite a few uncertainties. Hence, do not book hotels in advance since there are chances you might not make to the destination due to a land slide or bike issue or health upset or road blockage. Instead, note down 2-3 hotels at each destination along with phone number and address. To be frank, we didn't look at this hotel list, instead reached the destination and searched for the hotel as there are plenty available at each of these destinations at cheaper rate. At some places, we booked through MMT or OYO on the same day morning or in the afternoon. At most of the places we found rooms at less than 1,000/- (for double or triple occupancy).Passes we passed :)
- Zozilla
- Fotu la
- Namik la
- Khardung la
- Chang la
- Tangangla
- Barlachala
- xxx
- Rohtang
Places we missed
- Zanskar valley: The roads are worse.
- Tsomoriri Lake: Supposed to be untouched and better than Pangong Tso
- Spiti: Again the roads are bad, but a beautiful place
- Rock Garden, Chandigarh
Tips:
- Prepaid sims doesn't work in Jammu and Kashmir
- Follow basic road discipline
- Avoid GPS... talk to people
- Avoid driving in the dark. Have couple hours of buffer everyday for reaching the destination
- Don't split into groups upon any incidents. Stick together
- Carry bike puncture videos
Complete exciting/boring/crazy/mesmerizing journey... coming soon
Chapter I: Planning
Chapter II: Chandigarh and Amritsar
Chapter III: Udampur and Chenani truck experience
Chapter IV: Night at Pahalgam Army+Yatri camp
Chapter V: Independence day at Srinagar and Kargil
Chapter VI: Live snow at Khardungla and desert at Nubra valley :P
Chapter VII: Way to Pangong lake via Shyok streams
Chapter VIII: In search of Sarchu
Chapter IX: Rohtang Pass and Manali
Chapter X: Reaching and windup at Chandigarh
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