This is as high as it ever gets - imagine riding a motorcycle or driving a car at over 18,000 feet / 5500 meters.
India is home to Ladakh which is home to high altitude passes and lakes
I have been fortune enough to visit Ladakh a dozen times due to passion and profession. Though there are 5 months to go for the season to start this year, those who are planning to come from outside India do need time as this calls for a 10-12 day long vacation.
Coming to India
This is the first and the most crucial part. But if you plan ahead, you can easily get hold of cheaper flight tickets. For example, London-Delhi-London is currently going for around USD 590. Direct flights will be expensive and most long distance flights will take a break mid-route as a small layover.
Make sure your finish the Visa formalities quickly as well.
How many day
Considering the jet lag, last minute shopping, covering all essential places and a buffer day, it makes sense keep 14 days at hand.
Day 1 : The flight
Day 2 : Land in New Delhi : rest, shop
Day 3 - 11 : The actual trip
Day 12 : Back to Delhi
Day 13 : Buffer
Day 14 : Fly out
Starting from New Delhi
You have various options for this.
1 : Take an overnight Volvo luxury bus to Manali. Next day pick up a rental bike from here and start the trip
2 : Take an overnight Volvo luxury bus to Manali. Next day, get into a shared cab. Cheap but uncomfortable
3 : Pick a rental bike from Delhi itself. Calls for a boring 13 hour ride on Day 1
4 : You can also rent a self drive car from Delhi - but this will have to be returned to Delhi. Plus you cannot use a self driven car for local sightseeing in Ladakh - the locals force you to rent the local cabs.
Option 1 allows you to fly back from the capital of Ladakh, Leh. The rental guys can pick the bike up from Leh for an extra cost. Option 2 also allows you to fly back from Leh to Delhi.
Get stuff or shop in India?
Ladakh is currently witnessing temperatures of around -10 to -15 degrees. However, it becomes much better from July to September. Still, if you get stuck in rains or unexpected snowfall, better be prepared. You can either get your own stuff or shop for the same in Delhi. Good brands and good stuff is easily available. This includes helmets, riding jackets, normal jacket, inners, all kinds of woolens etc.
Best month to go
All! But to break it up, June is mad rush in North India due to school holidays. Every second person is up there with his / her family. Its terrible.
July is when monsoons arrive and last till mid August. Landslides are very common and you dont want to be up there wet - specially if you are on a bike
August : crowd reduces, chances of rains comes down as you get past the mid August part. Roads have been repaired. Snow has melted. Good season
September : The best season - if you can wait, this is it. The ride / drive seems so doable and so easy. Its a piece of cake as compared to say July.
October : the end time. Its cold. But spectacular. Hardly as tourists around. But mid-way eating joints and camps start packing up. So watch out.
The cost
Let me break it up here
Flying in : As per your country
Rental bike : USD 16-18 per day when taken for a long period.
Self driven car: USD 60-75 per day for a SUV
Stay : Budget can be USD 11-14 per room and mid level luxury for USD 25-30 easily
Food : Across the trip, around USD 2-3 per meal per person
Alcohol : Rum is your best friend - Old Monk brand. For USD 7-8 per bottle depending on the city
Shared cabs : In season can charge you USD 50-60 per seat from Manali to Leh one way. As low as USD 25-30 in off season
The route - typical itinerary
As discussed, New Delhi is the ideal starting point.
Day 1 : Flying in
Day 2 : New Delhi to Manali
The first day is one of the longest ones. Manali is situated at 6100 feet above sea level and is the base for numerous treks and most Ladakh trips. It is 550km from Delhi and includes about 320km of four-lane highways and 230km of mountain roads - mix of good and bad. It takes about 11 driving / riding hours plus breaks ofcourse. Leave Delhi by 5am and you will be in the cosy confines of a hotel in Manali by 5-6pm.
PS: The driving time to Manali will reduce by 3 hours by next year, thanks to an all-new four lane mountain road.
Day 3 : Action starts: Manali to Jispa
Its a short 130km journey today, but one that takes about 6-7 hours. And this is because of the first pass - Rohtang. Rohtang in local language means 'a pile of corpses' - this mountain pass is so unpredictable and harsh, it can catch you by surprise. The road leading to it is also very challenging at places, giving you enough hints of things to come by the next day.
Traffic jams enroute Rohtang are common in June and July. Leave Manali by 5am to bypass all this. Aug, Sep, Oct are better in terms of no jams
Rohtang is 50km from Manali but takes 3 hours with traffic, 2 without it. In the peak season of June, this climbs to 4-5 hours.
At 13000 ft, Rohtang offers a spectacular view of the peaks around. The next 10-12 kilometers are slow and tough. No road, just a bed of sharp rocks, steep curves and a massive valley on one side.
The last 70 km to Jispa are mostly good and has lot of places to take a break and soak in the vistas. Jispa is full of camping options - a good idea to chill at 11000 ft.
This is between Rohtang and Jispa
PS: You need a permit to cross Rohtang (available online). Mobile connectivity reduces drastically. No fuel pump after Tandi (or about 100km from Manali)
Day 4 : Jispa to Leh (welcome to Ladakh)
Its a long 345km journey which takes 9-10 driving / riding hours. There are four mountain passes to tackle, two of which are cold / wet and two are dry and rough. The last one is the second highest pass of your journey.
The last 150odd to Leh are well kept
Road conditions are good for the first one hour but turn average and then bad till Pang, a place known as the highest transit camp in the world. A good place for lunch too. The last 140km to Leh (capital of Ladakh) are fast with mostly good roads including straight stretches at a place called "More Plains" - one of the highest places in the world where you can use the cruise control for kilometers....
Playing with the shadows
PS: BSNL connection works at some places. Leh is good for BSNL / Airtel / Vodafone.
Day 5 : Take it easy - you deserve a break
If you ride to Ladakh, you definitely need a day off. Wake up late, have a lazy brunch, laze around, get the permits sorted (yes, new permits to go beyond Leh, easily available), shop around, fix the bike, get a shave, call loved ones and prepare for the next few days.
Leh as seen from 'Shanti Stupa' structure
Leh is a big town and has everything you need! If you get time, head out for local sightseeing to places like Shanti Stupa / Leh Palace
Day 6: Back on the road - to the world's highest road
Leh is situated at 11000 feet. 40km later, you are at over 18000 feet : Khardung la (la means a pass) is over 18,000 feet above mean sea level. First 15km are good, next are bad. Streams on the road, ice at places, construction work, road blocks BUT view of the city and its greenery always by your side in the valley below.
The climb up from Leh to Khardung la pass
You start climbing above all other peaks and temperature drops drastically. It can snow anytime - no warning and the area becomes white. But once up there, the feeling of posing with the sign-board overcomes you. Its an achievement. Only a fraction of the world has done it. At that point of time, you are among a handful of people at such an altitude. But do not spend too much time here. Head over to the canteen (worlds highest) to grab some coffee or tea or noodles. And then drive/ride ahead to other side.
The top
70 km from Khardung la pass is Nubra valley. The greenery puts a smile on your face. And then you notice the sand dunes. At 11000 ft? With snow capped mountains around? Yes, that's the magic of Ladakh. This area is famous for its double hump camels too. Take a ride, walk in the sand and spend the night at a cosy homestay. Plenty of options.
Stay at a cosy homestay in Nubra
PS: Erratic supply of fuel at Nubra. Drink lots of water to combat AMS (acute mountain sickness)
One of the many awesome sights in Nubra
Day 7: What next? Welcome to the lake!
At 14000 ft, the blue waters of this massive lake freezes you in time. Its 134km long (major part in China) and one of the most beautiful spots in Ladakh. Three ways to get here from Nubra - via Leh (longest), via Wari la (tough) or via Agham-Shyok (dangerous at 5% of the route). Pick the last one. Its tough at 2-3 spots but otherwise fast and easy. Plus it has settlements at places to help you out. At one point you will be on black tarmac doing a comfortable 60-80 km/h and then suddenly you will see no road but a stream full of rocks. Negotiate it and back on tarmac. But do check with locals always.
Thats how the Pangong looks in the evening. With a full moon
Drive ahead and you will not see a soul around - but yes, prayer stones in plenty
The first view of Pangong also has lot of restaurants around - ignore and drive ahead. If you want peace, a 10-20 min drive takes you to enough lake-side places to chill. Lie down and gaze. After dark, the sky becomes your private observatory. You can easily count the stars, draw the constellations and answer all those pending questions in life.
Night can be done in one of the numerous lake facing huts / camps.
Lake facing cabins
PS: Don't walk into the lake. Never.
Day 8: I have seen paradise. Now what
From here on, you have options. You can continue to Hanle (very close to China border, needs special permission for non-Indians) or drive to Tso Moriri lake (tso means lake) which is smaller but equally beautiful. Either way , you will join back on the Manali - Leh highway from where you can head back to Manali and hit civilization again.
Ideally: Day 8 can be Pangong to Hanle (worlds second highest observatory)
Day 9 can be Hanle to Tso Moriri lake
Day 10 can be Tso Moriri to Leh
Day 11 can be Leh local sightseeing
##What else?
Ummm - a journey with a group of friends will mean memories for life. Ditto if you do it alone. If you dont want to ride / drive, hire a SUV / MPV from New Delhi with a driver. Temp can drop to below zero in Sep / Oct. Aug is dry but as I said, this area is unpredictable. From Day 3 onwards, once you leave Manali, civilization will disappear. Mules, marmots, wild ass, wild rabbits, fox etc will be visible easily. At times you will not see a single human being / vehicle for miles and miles. And that is where you can be one with nature
Got questions? Throw them in the comments section below :)