The Ultimate adventure – Leh Ladakh Road Trip
leh ladakh road trip

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. 

manali to leh on bike

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.

manali leh bike tour

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……

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