A quote reads “The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life”. Are you a person with an interest in travelling and exploring new places? Then, you should be interested in taking Ladakh Road Trip. If you are a biker, you should know the shortest routes to Leh Ladakh. Many bikers from different parts of India aim at visiting this part of India by bike at least once in their lifetime. You are in the right place to learn more:
What Are The Possible Routes To Reach Leh Ladakh By Road?
You can take one of the five different routes based on from where you travel to reach the Ladakh Road:
- Srinagar – Kargil – Leh Ladakh
- Delhi – Leh Ladakh – Delhi
- Amritsar – Dharamshala – Manali – Jispa – Leh Ladakh – Delhi
- Srinagar – Kargil – Leh Ladakh – Delhi
- Chandigarh – Manali – Jispa – Leh Ladakh – Delhi
You can choose one of these routes based on different factors. For instance, you can consider based on the time available and the basis of your base destination.
Let us now gather detailed information about these five routes for your Ladakh Road Trip. Nevertheless, you should first understand the ideal time to take a road trip to Leh Ladakh.
Ideal Time To Visit Leh Ladakh By Bike:
The best time to plan your Leh Ladakh Bike Trip is between Mid May to October. Not just the climate but even the roads in Leh Ladakh will be in good condition during this period. Roads from Srinagar will remain open from Mid-May. However, when you take the case of the Manali route, it will be opened only after May. So, if you choose this route, you can travel during the summer and autumn only. Now, it would be a good idea to remember certain things you should do and you should not do during your road trip.
Some Do’s and Don’ts During Your Ladakh Road Trip:
Things To Do:
- Ladakh shares borders with neighbouring countries. So, make sure that you carry your bike documents and your personal identities without fail.
- Do carry essential supplies and medicines that will help you manage altitude sickness like Diamox.
- Make sure to choose camps and hotels with oxygen supplies, as you might need them on your way to Ladakh and even back from Ladakh.
- Make sure that your bike is in good condition. Even, if you take a car for the Leh Ladakh road drive, make sure that your driver or if you drive yourself is comfortable riding off-road.
- Make sure that you keep yourself hydrated. Drink at least three to four litres of water every day.
- Once you reach Leh, ensure that your Inner Line Permits are in order. You will have to get to the DC office to get this document.
- Keep away from smoking and drinking during your trip.
- Rather than depending on ATMs, it would be a good idea to carry sufficient cash.
- Ensure that you wear the appropriate protective bike gear to ensure your safety when riding.
- Prepare yourself for the trip well in advance. Go jogging and work on your endurance levels.
- Try carrying petrol with you as you might have a hard time finding petrol stations on your way.
- Carry air pumps, fuses, tubes, clutch cables, accelerator cables and an additional puncture kit.
- Try to have some extra days in the Ladakh trip itinerary to manage if you get sick due to altitude.
Things Not to Do:
- Naturally, you will choose the summer season to ensure a comfortable road trip. Do not forget to use sunscreen to safeguard your skin.
- Do not blindly follow your phone’s GPS
- Don’t expect a good internet connection or do not rely on your mobile connectivity.
- Do not travel continuously, make sure to take unsolicited rests in between.
- For time frames, do not refer to Google Maps.
- Do not expect public toilets on your way. So, make sure to carry a lot of tissues to manage.
- Do not engage in strenuous workout sessions as soon as you reach Leh. Let your body accustom as even mild walking can take a toll on your healthy initially.
Now, with these things known, I would like to share with you some details about the five routes in the Leh Ladakh road trip.
Roads That Lead To Leh Ladakh:
1. Srinagar – Kargil – Leh Ladakh:
When you take this route, you will have to start from Srinagar. On this route, you can take a halt at Kargil. On your way to Leh Ladakh on this route, you can visit the Kargil Memorial. You might have heard about Kargil War and this memorial was built to honouring the soldiers, who lost their lives during this war.
One more site you can visit on this route is the confluence of Nimmu. This is nothing but the meeting point of the Zanskar and Indus Rivers. Thirdly, you can stop at the magnetic hill. This trip needs 14 days and 15 nights for you to explore.
As you travel to Leh Ladakh from Srinagar, the scaling is even. In turn, you can aid in better acclimatization. When you come back, the route will be of higher altitude. But, during your return journey, your body might have adjusted by this time and so it will be comfortable for you.
2. Delhi – Leh Ladakh – Delhi:
If you are travelling from Delhi, you can take this route. You can reach Leh Ladakh by flight directly when you choose this route. Then, you can spend the night at Leh to help your body adapt itself to the altitude change. So, you can reserve the next day for exploring many places of attractions. You can explore many places like stupas, palaces, colourful markets and war museums.
From Leh, you can begin the journey by reaching the Nubra Valley as the first spot. As this spot is located at a lower altitude than Leh, your body will accustom with ease. On this route, you will get through the Khardung La Pass. This is the highest drivable road in the world.
Nubra Valley, which is one of the attractions in this route is popular for its arid deserts.
The towering mountains in this attraction are surrounded by golden sand dunes. You can find camels with two humps that are unique to this region and belongs to a rare species. You can explore this desert by riding on this camel. Do not forget to explore the statue of the imposing Golden Buddha close to the Diskit Monastery in this region.
From Nubra Valley, you can go to the Pangong Tso. This is a lake with sparkling blue waters. You will be surprised to know that this lake was featured in the Bollywood Film “3-Idiots”. The overwhelming beauty will relax you from the stress caused by your strenuous bike trip.
Then, if possible, ride to the Tso Moriri Lake. As this lake is located far, only a few bikers visit this place. So, if you love loneliness, this lake is for you. Even, you will get a birdwatching experience at this lake as well, where you can see many migratory birds here.
Also, on your way, you can take some stunning pictures on the Tso Kar Lake. The uniqueness of this lake is that it is partially covered in salt crusts.
More Places to Explore in this Route:
After exploring these places, you can get down to Manali through the Manali – Leh Highway. You are planning to visit Leh by bike. This intent itself denotes that you are a person interested in adventurous activities. With shallow streams, rugged terrains and the most difficult roads, you can expect your adventure desire met in this path for sure. The vistas in this route also make it worth the efforts you take.
When you choose this path, you will need nine nights and a ten-day journey overall. As you are flying from Delhi to Leh Ladakh directly, you are quickly reaching a high altitude in this route. So, you should make sure that your body adjusts to the high altitude completely before you begin exploring places starting from Leh.
3. Amritsar – Dharamshala – Manali – Jispa – Leh Ladakh – Delhi:
If you are planning to explore the city of Golden Temple Amritsar for a long, you can take this route to reach Leh Ladakh. You can reach Amritsar from your home town and then can begin your road trip to Leh Ladakh from there.
Not just the Golden Temple, when you are in Amritsar, make sure to watch the Flag Retreat Ceremony at the Attari-Wagah Border. This Indo-Pakistan Border is located just at a distance of 30 km away from Amritsar. Do you know what is unique about this ceremony? Every evening, on this border, soldiers from both nations carry out an orchestrated drill, they march towards each other by holding their respective national flags down. You will experience that your patriotism is kindled when you watch this ceremony.
When you drive from here for about five hours, you can reach Dharamsala. This is an attractive town that is surrounded by snow-capped peaks. It also serves as the residence of the Dalai Lama. It means that Buddhist culture prevails in this town even today. Dharamsala is the home of many attractions like Dal Lake, St. John Church, Namgyal Monastery and Norbulingka Institute.
Next, you will reach Manali. I need not have to explain to you that this is one of the popular hill stations in India. When you are at Manali, do not forget to explore Hidimba Temple. Also, hiking to Jogni falls is one of the best things you can do. Of course, it will take around 25 minutes to hike to this place from Vashisht. But, the hot water spring here will help you get rid of all your tiredness. Right from paragliding to rock climbing, you can engage in a lot of activities in Manali. Even, you can spend your time relaxing in Manali by visiting a riverside cafe.
More Information About the Route:
The Manali Leh Highway, which is the gateway to Ladakh, will take you through some of the most attractive roads on the earth. But, the thing to remember here is that it will be a long journey. So, the best thing you can do is to take a break at Jispa. This is an attractive town standing along with the Bhaga River.
Again, the road from Jispa will take you through action-packed bike rides for sure. Yes, you will cross through some of the world’s highest passes in this route like Tanglang La, Lachulung La and Baralacha. On the way, do not forget to halt for a few hours at the Suraj Tal, which is the third-highest lake in India. Also, you will have to get through a series of 21 hairpin bends on the Gata Loops, which is known as one of the most dangerous routes in the world.
After passing through a roller-coaster ride, you will reach Leh Ladakh. This trip will take around 14 nights and 15 days to cover all the attraction. The good thing about this route is that it will give you a dose of everything in just a short span of time including stunning landscapes, adventure, cuisine, history and culture.
4. Srinagar – Kargil – Leh Ladakh – Delhi:
When you choose this route for your road trip to Ladakh, you will again start at Srinagar, the home of the most popular Dal Lake. You can consider spending your night in Srinagar in a houseboat in this lake. It will be a different experience for sure. This route passes through Sonmarg, which will be your first stop as this spot is a hill station.
Also, rest in this place will prepare you for an adventurous trip further.
From Sonmarg, you will have to instigate climbing the mighty Zoji La. Also, you will pass through three mountain passes when you choose this route. On your way, you can pay your respects to the Kargil soldiers at the Kargil War Memorial. You can also visit places like Nimmu and Lamayuru Monastery.
The final stretch on this route in your trip to Ladakh will bring you a breathtaking experience for sure. When you choose this route, you will need around eight nights and nine days to complete your road trip.
The good thing about this route is that it is the most comfortable route to reach Leh Ladakh. It will help you with easier acclimatization as the ascent is gradual even though the route passes through three crosses.
5. Chandigarh – Manali – Jispa – Leh Ladakh – Delhi:
When you choose this route for your Leh Ladakh trip, you should reach Chandigarh from your hometown. From Chandigarh, you will have to reach Manali, which will take around 8 hours of bike journey. On your way to Manali from Chandigarh, you will get through Kullu. After this place, the lush green mountains will welcome you and will travel with you all through the trip. Once you reach Kullu, it will take just an hour’s drive to Manali. Then, you can explore some places of importance in Manali.
Then, you will have to take the Manali-Leh route. In between, you can halt at Jispa, which is an attractive town. After Jispa, your ride to Leh will be like watching a thriller movie. Once you reach Leh, you can spend a day exploring the Leh City. Visit places like Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace and visit the vibrant markets too. This route will take eight nights and nine days for you to cover all places.
The good thing about this route is that the average altitude is around 10000 feet and it passes through 5 high mountain passes on the way. So, you should stay hydrated to acclimatize your body.
Conclusion:
The road condition will be good when you visit in the right season in all these five routes. You know the good thing about these routes. So, you can choose the one that you feel will be comfortable for you. Prepare yourself and plan things in advance as much as possible. Let your Leh Ladakh Road Trip turn into an unforgettable and sweet memory!
