Yes, man atleast out on the dates planned. But no worries, If I dont make it this year, atleast I will visit Leh through your eyes

Thanks MG.. yes, next year plans are already cooking up..

Our friend Animeher organizes a vespa tours and travels thingy only for couples (pardon me if I got the name wrong though)

Spidey: lets STICK this for 29th May - 18 June
This is for People RIDING all the way.

For people planning to courier the bike, the dates would change appropriately!

Yes the original dates are quoted by Biru itself, so I cant change it & when i saw the calender, the dates appeared just perfect for the ride.

@Rachit: when is the big ceremony BTW?

Getting engaged on 30th May & Married on 11th Dec

congratz rachit bhau.

As per your above plan, Day 9, 6th June, for taking permits is on a Sunday and if I'm not wrong the office will be closed.

The road will be decent till Sanku after that you can find tarmac in few patches till Panikar/Parkachik but mostly the roads will be gravel/mud/slush. After that its off-roaders paradise till Pensi La for sure. (This was back in 2007)

@spidey: the itinerary looks good man.. you will need atleast 3 buffer days for a long tour like this

looking at the rider's list, there are no noobs here.. so i would suggest

mumbai->udaipur (740 kms)
udaipur->delhi (650 kms)

we can save one day.. besides all the enthu about the ride will easily push us off to udaipur

if we can reach delhi on time, spend the first half fixing the bike (if any) and we can start by late evening 7pm to chandigarh.. straight, clean, well lit highway

from chandigarh the monutains start.. so its better to start from chandigarh than delhi IMO.


yep and not office colleagues .. not sure what his itinerary is, besides i am stuck with an office assignment till end july man.. sorry for the disappointment guys.. really wanted to ride with you!

aaahhh.. so another party adds up to your list
last year b'day party, engagement, getting married!

so when to meet?

Good, you've got this thread up. Plan is good but since it is a little lengthy it is vital that everyone keeps their body in shape. Just be prepared well for the ride.

Same pinch your bakrafying ceremony (aka marriage) date is the same as mine.

++1 on that..!! U can reach chandigarh say by 12 mid-night too, then in morning can leave for Manali. We did that, but could reach Mandi, due to mountains.
My suggestion would be, try to cover larger distances as much as you on the initial days, so later you will start feeling more comfortable & confident. Ofcourse dont stress too much. The roads till chandigarh are just superb.
Also, always ensure you get a night sleep. Thats very important to stay fresh each morning. Dont eat very heavy stuff in lunch.

yes yes man..!! First you get your palm back in shape to hold the glass of beer..!!

my 2 cents on the ride from delhi to manali....


incase you guys have been to shimla you can skip this route... else i'll advice you to take this.. as this is one of the most beautiful stretch of road as well as the vistas around it.

refer to the DAY 2 of my travelogue to have a glimpse of the beauty around shimla.



- Ananth

@Nav: Chopped Zanskar

@Hyd, Razor, Rachit: EDITed & shortened with 2 buffer days in the end

@Ananz: Look at the plan now, looks different

Oh vow.. thats superb man.. what a coincidence.. Is that day shubh for bikers getting married..!
Finally I can say Wish you the same, when U will wish me Happy Anniversary in future..
Man too far..
enough of OT.. back to Leh..
sorry spidy, couldn't resist this post..

- Why not do it in the reverse route? i.e Delhi-Sringar-Leh-Manali-Delhi? Its advantages are quite a bit to ignore!

- Try avoid staying in Pang as its <14000 Feet. You would be risking chances of AMS. Stay in Sarchu instead. Avoid Bharatpur also for the same reason!

- Your Day #10 is basically to go to Panamik. The hot springs are really not worth it. Have a look at my thread if you want to know what its like. Additionally you can head from Hunder to Panamik and return directly from there to Khardung La-Leh. Easily doable in a day. Or you can completely elimnate Panamik and look for better options.

- For your Day #14 halt, look at pushing till Drass, coz Kargil really has nothing to offer.And also because its a more scenic place to spend for the night halt. That way you would end up doing a little bit more kms of Day #14 but then you distance is equally reduced for Day #15.

- Day #16 is a tough one! Not saying its impossible, but you would be pushing a bit too much. In our ride we started from Jammu at 7AM and reached Srinagar at about 4PM. The day prior to that Amritsar to Jammu also took us a while, we started at about 1PM from Amritsar and reached Jammu only by 6PM. Keep in mind we were just 3 guys riding fast, your group is larger and you will take more time.

- For Marismek La ensure you are at the Phobrang checkpost by about 8PM max!

@Rachit: chalta hai bhai

@Praful: Sarchu seems a good idea. Will skip Panamik I guess. Dont wana stress much so will stay at Kargil as Drass is 60 more kms, making a total of 260 kms. And for the end of ride, had kept 2 buffer days, so will adjust it there. Thanks man
How about Tso Moriri, can we fit that into our schedule? or what place do you suggest for one day ride to n fro Leh?

@Satyen, Inder, Biru: Decide on the FINAL DATES fast...
It'll be better if we start on or brfore 1st JUNE

Dude! My dates were ALWAYS 29th - 18th he he he!