Ride the High – Ladakh
Situated in the Himlalayas, Ladakh has a culture which survived unchanged for the past thousands of years. The rugged mountains, desert, rocks and oasis could exhilarate your mind and soul. To any travel fanatic, Ladakh can provide a vast array of locations which may vary from high snow-capped mountains to sand dunes or from turquoise blue brackish lakes to unending high altitude planes.
The ride from Manali to Leh is a great adventure, high altitude passes, massive mountains and spectacular landscapes greet you on the way. You pass through one of the world’s highest deserted plains of Changthang, described as one of the world’s thrilling highways. If you are an adventurous traveler, you have to experience this ride once in your life. The weather is harsh and altitudes high, but the sheer beauty of the land leaves you speechless.
Day 1 – Arrive in Manali Once you arrive in Manali, our team will take you to our stay in Manali. Today you get used to the motorcycles as we go on a short ride.
Day 2 - Manali to Sarchu The ascent begins as soon as you exit Manali, first you have to cross Rohtang pass (altitude 13,050 ft, Rohtang literally means pile of corpses), once you cross Rohtang, the scenery changes, vast expanses and high mountains. After a quick breakfast stop at Rohtang top or Kokhsar, you reach Tandi which is the last fuel station. Keylong is the last town on the way to Leh, the road conditions improve till Darcha. As the altitude increases, you may experience some effects of Acute Mountain Sickness, the summit of Baralacha La at 16400+ feet is the highest point on today’s ride, post which its all downhill till Bharatpur. The road improves as you ride towards Sarchu and take rest for the night.
Day 3 - Sarchu to Leh Sarchu, at an altitude of 14000 ft, is essentially a military base with some camps for travelers; after Sarchu come the famous Gata Loops which take you to an altitude of 15000+ feet, then come Nakee La pass at 15547 ft & Lachulung La pass at an altitude of 16616 ft. As you get down Lachulung La, you reach Pang which is a small collection of tents for weary travelers, after a pit stop at Pang, you reach the legendary More Plains, a plateau amidst these huge mountains, the ride though the plains is a easy one and as you reach Tanglang La at 17500+ ft, the road condition deteriorates till you reach Upshi. A break is welcome after the bumpy road around Tanglang La. Upshi to Leh is an hour’s ride and will take you through some scenic locales.
Day 4 – Leh A well deserved rest day at Leh, soak in the sights and sounds of this beautiful town, there’s lots to see around and do in Leh, the palaces, markets and monasteries are a great way to spend the day.
Day 5 – Leh to Nubra Valley The journey from Leh to Nubra valley takes you through Khardung La, arguably the highest motorable road in the world at 18350+ feet. It’s a relatively easy ride till the summit, the village of Khardung is beautiful and is a good place to halt for a break. The road till Diskit is good this is where we stay for the evening, the visit to the famous Diskit Gompa is a must. Although it’s a small effort, you are well rewarded with spectacular views atop the hill where the gompa is situated. The other places to visit here are Hunder and Panamik
Day 6 – Nubra to Leh Today , we ride back to Leh while taking in the sights and sounds of the road.
Day 7 – Leh to Pangong Tso The road to Pangong Tso is very scenic, and takes you through the mighty Chang La pass, the ride is a challenging one and will test your limits, Once you cross the village of Shakti, the climb to Chang la starts , the gradient is steep and the roads bad. At the summit, there’s a coffee shop, some hot Maggi and a coffee are a welcome break from the cold Chang La. At 17800 ft, Chang La is the second highest pass in Ladakh. The road after the pass takes you to Tangtse, once you cross Tangtse the road is very scenic and you can spot some wildlife here, on the banks of the lake is Lukung where we take a break for the evening.
Day 8 – Pangong Tso to Rumtse
We ride back across Chang La and reach Rumtse which is your stop for the night, relax at the campsite and get ready for the next days ride.
Day 9 – Rumtse to Tso Moriri Tso Moriri is at an altitude of 4,522 m (14,836 ft). It is the largest of the high altitude lakes entirely within India and entirely within Ladakh in this Trans-Himalayan bio geographic region. The official name of the land and water reserve here is the Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve. The road from Rumtse to Tso Moriri takes us through Chumathang. Tso Moriri is smaller than Pangong Tso and fewer people come here, it is more beautiful in some ways due to the fact that area surrounding Tso Moriri is a wild life reserve and one can see Tibetan wild ass (Kiang), marmots, red foxes and quite a few migratory birds.
Day 10 – Tso Moriri to Sarchu
Today we begin the ride back to Manali, Sarchu is the stop for the night.
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