2011 Leh/Spiti [Planning & Discussion thread]

[rubber_stamp_champ]

Hey!

Thanks for the reply. It does make me smile

[Bestofrivals]

Can anybody throw some light to the route from nubra to pangong lake via khalsar because by taking this route we can save one day which is Nubra to leh for visit to pangong . How much time it will take to reach pangong from nubra ,conditions of roads and any other info will be beneficial for us .

[anuj_kewl]

guys i am planning to ride to spiti on my p220 in 1-2 week of july ...., i will be accompanied by my couisn on his zma.ours would be a 8 day ride .

while going we are taking the route via shimla ---narkanda---puh and so on and while coming back would be taking kaza---kunzum--gramphoo--manali--aut--jalori--sainj and then back to narkanda--shimla ..

with somemany of us planning trips to the himachal m sure i will bump into somebody from xbhp so make sure u wave ur hands on the first sight of a 220 making a distinctive sound (kinda those with a freeflow).
till then
ciao !!

[kurtrules]

Can anybody throw some light to the route from nubra to pangong lake via khalsar because by taking this route we can save one day which is Nubra to leh for visit to pangong . How much time it will take to reach pangong from nubra ,conditions of roads and any other info will be beneficial for us .

The Nubra - khalsar - agham - shyok - durbuk - pangong was washed away due to flash floods last year.

However you can do Khalsar - agham - Wari la - Shakti - Changla - Pangong in 10-12 hours. But after June. As currently wari-la is closed.

[Bestofrivals]

The Nubra - khalsar - agham - shyok - durbuk - pangong was washed away due to flash floods last year.

However you can do Khalsar - agham - Wari la - Shakti - Changla - Pangong in 10-12 hours. But after June. As currently wari-la is closed.

means we cant go through this route as of now because we are leaving in this week only.

[kurtrules]

Ask the locals and see what they suggest. If the bridges have been built, then you can also take the Shyok route.

[Mik]

Request some inputs on our very rough itinerary.
Dates: 13th to 22nd August.
Bikes/people
Me and my wife on a P220Fi
2 single guys on their P220 and zma
Probably another couple on their zma.

Have a few questions.
1. Woolens? Will our riding jackets and a sweatshirt with thermal inners be enough. Generally new year rides in himachal have been tackled in this. Because of limited space in the saddle bags, we don't plan to carry too much stuff.
2. Level of difficulty in water crossings/terrain: Without pillion, i am game for any terrain. However, with my wife around i tend to be much slower and careful. Any rude shock?
3. Proper toilets at Sarchu/Pangong Tso ?
4. Possibility of rain ?
5. The big one. The itinerary.
A few places i would love to visit
1. Zozila pass (its a childhood obsession - fed on a staple diet of how dangerous it is etc)
2. Tso Moriri
3. Pangong Tso (its a given)
4. Khardungla (but obvious)

With just ten days in hand, i am not sure whether we can touch Kashmir.
Also, we will start from the Manali side. (Don't wanna be near Srinagar on 14th/15th August)

So, dear veterans of Leh - please help me chalk out my itinerary.
I am not a saddlesore kind of guy. Can do a sun rise to sun down DEL-Auli or DEL-Sarahan.

A rough idea i have (minus the Kashmir route )
Day 1:
Delhi - Manali
Day 2:
Manali-Sarchu
Day 3:
(If we get permits before hand - can we go to tso moriri from there ?)
Sarchu-Leh
Day 4:
Leh
Day 5:
Leh - Khardung la - a little further ahead and back to Leh.
Day 6:
Leh - Pangong Tso
Day 7:
Pangong Tso - Tso moriri - a little ahead maybe/tso kar/pang?
Day 8:
? - Sarchu/Keylong
Day 9 and 10:
Sarchu - manali/kullu - delhi

Let us know of any better/alternate itinerary we can to take.

[madelikeagun]

Hi, I am planning to get Leh'd this year in July (Dates not sure). (Hope nothing comes in between as priority).

Below is the tentative itenary I have prepared. This is the first time I am going so feedback are welcome.



I would also like to know where all the permits should be taken? What are the procedures for the same ?

We will ship our bikes by Train from Bangalore to Delhi and while returning we will be riding back.

Hi Shree,

I read your post while travelling on my phone, but could not reply. I thought someone might have replied by now. As I dont see one, just giving you my inputs. I have not gone to Leh but after reading dozens of travelogues from your riding plan I understand you need to get permits for Pangso Lake, Nubra from Leh. So you will need to go to Leh first. Go to the District Commisioner's (DC) office in the morning, fill out the forms, mention the remote places you wish to visit, then go back in the afternoon and collect your permit papers. Then ride on to Nubra, Pangso.

As I am planning to Leh next year, during my research I am able to give you the above info.

I like your Itenary. Just that, i would add 3 days buffer in the end, during WCS (worst case scenario) you might get caught up in road blocks due to land slides and loose an entire riding day. I would go to Leh first (unless I already have the permit arranged) spend a day there. Get permits, talk to locals about road conditions then head to the beautiful places you like to visit. Hope this helps.

All the best buddy. take care.

[prateek2210]

Me and another xbhp-ian (devilish) are leavin for spiti on 1st july and coming back on 6th, anyone from here(north india) who wants to accompany

[anuj_kewl]

@prateek2210:me and my couisn are leaving for spiti , but we would be leaving on the 7th of july .
urs will be a very tight schedule as you would be doing this circuit in just 6 days . where are you leaving from ??

[prateek2210]

@prateek2210:me and my couisn are leaving for spiti , but we would be leaving on the 7th of july .
urs will be a very tight schedule as you would be doing this circuit in just 6 days . where are you leaving from ??

We are leaving from NCR (Ghaziabad), tight schedule due to office and limited holidays

[xstunter]

Have a few questions.
1. Woolens? Will our riding jackets and a sweatshirt with thermal inners be enough. Generally new year rides in himachal have been tackled in this. Because of limited space in the saddle bags, we don't plan to carry too much stuff. - We had 2 sets of thermals lower and upper with riding jacket consisting of rain liner which is very helpful in keeping cold winds at bay and a T-Shirt. This would be enough I feel. The thermals wont take much space and it would be carried in your saddle bags for a less time as once you start climbing altitude you will wear them till much end of the ride.
2. Level of difficulty in water crossings/terrain: Without pillion, i am game for any terrain. However, with my wife around i tend to be much slower and careful. Any rude shock? - At some places you would require to get the pillion off the bike as with pillion there are chances of bike getting stuck between stones and you losing balance. Get some proper footwear for water protection. Carry enough socks and a few thick plastic bags for ensuring water does not enter the boots.
3. Proper toilets at Sarchu/Pangong Tso ? - Hmmm. There were toilets of Indian style which were already dirty, also there was a toliet the kind which you might have seen in Slumdog millionaire style. Which is quite usable.
4. Possibility of rain ? - We encountered rains before Amritsar and Srinagar. but for your trip you may encounter it at many places. We had carried duck back raincoats too.
5. The big one. The itinerary.
A few places i would love to visit
1. Zozila pass (its a childhood obsession - fed on a staple diet of how dangerous it is etc) - At our time it was not at all dangerous. If it rains it would be a tiring ride due to large stretch of slushy roads. We had encountered snow fall at the peak, but that was cool as there are paver blocks on top.
2. Tso Moriri - Not done so cannot comment.
3. Pangong Tso (its a given) - Only chang la in between rest is very good roads.
4. Khardungla (but obvious) - Not very difficult. But the roads are pathetic with big pot holes. Pillion might face problem. Also you would be riding your bike at 1st gear only. Carry minimum luggage. We had done without luggage anbd we did not face any issues.

With just ten days in hand, i am not sure whether we can touch Kashmir.
Also, we will start from the Manali side. (Don't wanna be near Srinagar on 14th/15th August)

So, dear veterans of Leh - please help me chalk out my itinerary.
I am not a saddlesore kind of guy. Can do a sun rise to sun down DEL-Auli or DEL-Sarahan.

A rough idea i have (minus the Kashmir route )
Day 1:
Delhi - Manali
Day 2:
Manali-Sarchu
Day 3:
(If we get permits before hand - can we go to tso moriri from there ?)
Sarchu-Leh
Day 4:
Leh
Day 5:
Leh - Khardung la - a little further ahead and back to Leh.
Day 6:
Leh - Pangong Tso
Day 7:
Pangong Tso - Tso moriri - a little ahead maybe/tso kar/pang?
Day 8:
? - Sarchu/Keylong
Day 9 and 10:
Sarchu - manali/kullu - delhi

Let us know of any better/alternate itinerary we can to take.

@ Mik - my answers in bold. Hope it helps. Also you can try to fax the docs to any hotel owner in Leh to get the permits. We actually had contacted a hotelk owner from Leh and he had agreed to do this way. But we did not get time to fax and all so went in Leh and got the permits cleared by noon and did K-Top and back. The first post of this thread is our group and we left to Leh via Srinagar route from Delhi on 30 May.


Regards,
Deepan

[GuRpReEt SiNgH]

Me and another xbhp-ian (devilish) are leavin for spiti on 1st july and coming back on 6th, anyone from here(north india) who wants to accompany

I was planning to do a similar trip with a freind of mine. Can you share your travel plans, and if you do not mind then we can form a group and then leave for the trip...

[prateek2210]

I was planning to do a similar trip with a freind of mine. Can you share your travel plans, and if you do not mind then we can form a group and then leave for the trip...

@Gurpreet : You have met me, remember. You can come to dhabha on Sunday or can call me on 9716376874 on sunday morning to discuss with me.
Our tentative dates are 2nd July to 7th July

[Sachinnair]

Sorry for the delay in this post but we are back from our Ladakh & Lahaul ride.

Could not do Spiti as Kunzum La pass was closed.

We went via Srinagar route and came back via Rohtang Manali route. We also did some parts of Lahaul valley like Kalpa, Nako, etc.

Ladakh was an experience of a lifetime. Enjoyed it to the fullest.

Best of luck to everyone else going there this year