Category: Bicycle Tours

Jaipur cycle tour is one of the most refreshing activities that lets you experience the authentic vibe of Jaipur to its fullest and gets you closer to its local lifestyle. In other words, the tour lets you explore what it means to be a human  for a local Jaipurite.

The early morning bicycle ride makes you admire the heritage beauty and rich culture of the city with utmost calm and peace. Also it is an escape from the busy jam-packed streets of the walled city. The  ride starts as we  come across  the ancient architecture of the city beautifully painted in vibrant pink color that historically represents welcoming and hospitality.

Come let us have tea and continue to talk about happy moments!!

Visiting one of the most renowned food joint of the city  having its existence since ages. The masala chai of  ‘Sahoo chai wala’ is famous for its aromatic spices and herbs such as ginger, cardamom, black pepper and cloves which have many medicinal benefits.

Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand!!

Joining a group of enthusiastic elders for a small laughing yoga therapy that not only increases happiness. But it also strengthens the immune system, reduces pain and lowers stress. Surely the whole yoga session leaves you nothing less than overwhelmed.

The blessings of the temple are priceless!!

The Govind Dev Ji temple ,dedicated to Lord Krishna to understand the deep rooted Indian culture and its religious practices. The spiritual atmosphere enveloping the whole temple , devotees enchanting their devotional hymns and ringing traditional humongous bells will make you feel  like you are  a part of this mesmerizing cultural experience.

Near the temple is the famous vegetable market housing fresh and green leafy vegetables. And a flower market with beautiful garlands used for decorations. The market is run by many small vendors who come from far off places carrying loads of vegetables and flowers over their head. They come early in the morning and work immensely hard throughout the day to earn their livelihood. As we interact with them we will see how these vendors are full of warmth and affection.

A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and the soul of its people!!

Discovering the true essence of Jaipur leads us riding through the old narrow historical streets inhabited by the local jaipurites. The Indo-Islamic architecture, havelis, ancient residential houses and colorful old age walls depict the real picture of the lifestyle of Jaipur. The huge courtyards where children would play cricket and badminton enables sharing all the joyous moments. Above all, the joint families celebrating family get togethers reflects the unified Indian culture.

What more Jaipur has to offer??

Take a halt for some delicious freshly fried potato fritters of Jagganath Pakori Wala at a peaceful rooftop settlement. A small yet relaxing chit chat session with tea and potato fritters perfectly complimenting each other amidst a striking view of the walled city is enough to experience the simple yet pleasant Jaipurite life.

Another attraction of the walled city is the Murti Market famous for its marble sculptures all over the world. It is amazing to see how the Indian artisans transforms a stone into beautiful sculptures through minute detailing. The rhythmic sounds of hammer and tools present a bit loud yet soothing music. The artisans are busy in sculpting the images of Hindu Deities. The street presents a fine blend of spirituality and art.

The trip ends at our last stop, the Lassiwala , to  hydrate ourselves with a glass of lassi (churned yogurt shakes). The Lassi outlet is built in the independence era just outside the walled city. Since then it has become a usual spot for all age groups. Lassi is not only a famous drink in India. But it has its own health benefits of improving digestion and keeping our bodies hydrated.

Jaipur is one of the historical cities that is even today has its roots deeply rooting to its ancient values and heritage over the years. It promises to make you fall in love with its rich and vibrant culture.

Further to our mesmerizing cycling to the majestic Himalayas, you must have read (Story Till Keylong)

 The Adventure cycling trip to Leh continues …

Keylong 3145m to Patseo 3751m

Keylong – Jispa 21kms

Jispa-Darcha 7.5kms

Darcha-Patseo 16kms

The valley in which keylong lies is dotted with small villages, shady poplar and willow trees and rivulets. This is the last permanent habitation until the villages on the far side of Taglangla La, over 250 kms away. So during the cycling tour anything to buy or to see a market, that will be here only. There are wonderful views of the glaciers on the southeast side of the valley as you cycle further to Leh.

 Jispa 3255m

The cycling expedition is challenging yet rewarding as well asThe road rises and falls to Jispa village. It’s one of the very beautiful villages to stay near the riverside or camping. Camping during the road trip to ladhak is the best options Le Tour De India do it with luxuries where you can enjoy all kind of activities like campfire and hot food along with the other travelers you might meet in the village. 

Darcha 3320m

The river meandering on the wide plain can appear particularly beautiful. After crossing the river on your bike there’s a switchback climb past the turnoff to the Zanskar Valley over the Shingo La Pass, after which the highway tracks the river of Bhaga upstream to Patseo.

Patseo 3751m

On the bike trip to leh, this is the place where There’s nothing except a flat ground for camping. We will go 10 kms

further away from Patseo to Zing Zing Bar. 

Patseo doesn’t seem like much but until the 1950s, it was the gathering place for traders from Zanskar, Lahaul, Kullu and Ladakh who would meet to barter salt and wool from the uplands for grains and tea from the low lands. And today this is gathering place for the  cycling, motorbikes who are riding to Leh   

Patseo 3751m to Sarchu 4408m over Baralachla La Pass 4918m

Patseo – Zing Zing Bar 10kms

Zing Zing Bar – Baralachla 22kms

Baralachla La Pass-Bharatpur 5.5 kms

Bharatpur-Sarchu 20.3 kms

Zing Zing Bar 4062m

An exotic name for a meager place. There’s a road workers’hut a d some level ground. From Zing zing bar the climb continues through a bare, rock landscape. It’s on a plain and smooth surface. 

Baralachla La (4915m)

Brown rocks and the odd patch of snow is not the landscape you’d expect while cycling to the great Himalaya range, but that’s exactly what you will see here. The scene will clearly give you a picture of Chocolate-Vanilla layered ice-cream cone. 

You are cycling in India but You are now also 110m higher than the summit of Mount Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain. Baralachla La has yet another surprise. It’s a three-way pass joining Spiti, Ladakh, and Lahaul. The approach from the South East is an old trail from the beautiful lake of Chandra Tal and the Spiti Valley. 

The descent from the top to Bharatpur has a scenery of marbled pink mountain rising from the Yama river set off my swathes of green and glacial lakelet.

Sarchu 4408m

In the late evening light, Sarchu is stunning: the Grass a vivid green, the Tarmac road, vast grounds alongside the roads and another opportunity of staying in tented camps with all the luxuries is  arranged by Le Tour De India. This place allows you to relax your cycling muscles after the rigors of the passes and prepares you for the passes ahead your biking trip to Leh. There are even small Edelweiss-like flowers growing on the verge. 

The best camping is on the canyon side beyond the tented camps.

 This is also the border between Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh: finally, you’re entering ‘The Land of Lamas’. 

Our cycling Journey to Leh has even more interesting stories to tell… and the adventure still continues….

Explore Rajasthan on Bicycles – Road Trip Experience of Royal Rajasthan.

Ladakh has not just some of the tallest mountains but also the highest roads in the world and passes of over 5300 mtrs, climbs of over 50 km and descent of 4500 mtrs. It all sum up together to offer a classic trip of lifetime to true adventure lovers. You can be one of them.

We at ‘Le Tour De India‘ working as a luxury adventure travel company would love to share our experiences with the insights of this region which includes pre trip planning-when to go- where to stay-find a bed and bite and some stories. 

WHEN TO VISIT

Spring (April to June) and Autumn (September and October) are the best months to visit and see the serenity of these mountains. The average temperature in Ladakh is below freezing for half the year but in our leh ladakh bike tour packages you will be taken care of with all the warm camping and freshly made hot food. 

Organised tours:

If you only have a couple of weeks holiday and lack the time or confidence to plan a trip yourself an organised tours by Le Tour De India could be your answer. 

Our tour will allow you to enjoy your holidays without a worry in the world. In return for your money, we at Le Tour De India will find the best-value places to stay and to eat, juggle the logistics as well as crisis-management during the trip.

We are proud enough to have some enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide who will be an unending source of facts and stories about Leh Ladakh and leave no stone unturned to make your trip a memory of the lifetime to cherish. 

1.) Manali (1900 m) to Marrhi (3303 m)

The Leh ladakh road trip starts on the left bank of the river Bea’s and follows it upstream past some shops and the Tibetan colony. A sign at the bridge over the Beas details distances until Leh – only 475 kilometers to go!

The Pir Panjal range is visible in the distance and around the roads are apple orchards, small villages and high up, waterfalls coming from the rock faces. Then starts the hairpins. 

In this Leh bike tour as the road climbs it offers fantastic view back down the valley to the glinting tin roofs of Manali and across to the snow-tipped peaks above Solang Valley. Here you will be offered, on rent, the furry dresses and Wellington boots to visit the Rohtang Pass which is 55 kms from Manali. 

Marrhi at 3303 m is 36 km away from Manali and is a motley collection of souvenir stalls and roadside restaurants.  We will take a small stop there to freshen up with hot soup and food and after a quick visit will depart to reach Rohtang Pass.

2.) Marrhi 3303 m to Keylong 3145 m over Rohtang LA 3988 m

Marrhi – Rohtang LA 16 km

Rohtang LA-Gramphoo 7 Km

Gramphoo-Khoksar 13 km

Khoksar-Sissu 15 Km

Sissu-Thandi 27km

Thandi-Keylong 8 km

Once you get above Marrhi the landscape becomes bleaker as the views become more dramatic. A popular sport in northern India is paragliding and you will see a jump off point a kilometre above Marrhi’s Huts. 

Moody weather:– it’s not that only a girlfriend can be moody; the weather up on Rohtang Pass is often moody rolling clouds which then rend apart to reveal a dazzling blue sky behind and high valley slicing through rivers and waterfalls. Cow parsely, wild flowers in pinks, blues and reds and shrubs dot the fields and there are often horses and donkeys grazing up here. 

Rohtang Pass 3988 m

On a clear day the views are spectacular, the gentle and verdant. Kullu valley lies behind while ahead lies Lahaul – rugged, dramatic and surreal. “Surely the gods live here, this is no place for men” as Kim observed in Kipling’s classic adventure of that name. 

Fact: this is one of the most extreme climate changes in the world: monsoonal India to the southern face of the great Himalayas.

Khoksar 3152 m

The dhaba owners are friendly here and so good is the food that will satisfy your hunger after a long journey of uphill and downhill of 36 kms from Marrhi. Beyond the bridge at Khoksar the road dips and climbs along the banks of the Chandra Bhaga river and is often rutted and rough until Sissu; some sections may even be washed out. You might find a Nepali or a ladakhi guy playing a guitar outside a Dhaba on a bright sunny day. 

Sissu 3086 m

Trees of poplar and willow line the road as you approach Sissu and peas, potatoes, barley and buckwheat grow in the terrace fields etched into the valley sides. Near the village an impressive waterfall cascades between two mountain peaks in the far side of the valley. 

There are some family-run guest houses here in the villages. After Sissu a nalah (big drainage) before the hairpins is nicknamed ‘pagal (crazy) nalah’ as it floods without warning and destroys the road. 

Keylong 3145 m

This small dusty market town is the last place to stock up on good food supplies. It’s entered by a ceremonial gateway. After this town we will start our journey to the next beautiful destination which is Jispa village

This is all a beginning to a journey, mesmerizing and full of adventurous roads and tracks and drains and mountains and passes, that will take you through a path known for its treacherous nature to one of the most sought-after destinations by every adventurous soul on the planet. Read on for further insights of the tour and the land….

Continued……