1. I never knew that it is illegal to purchase / wear any item of army related clothing. Otherwise, I would have rethought about purchasing it.
2. I did not purchase cloth / used clothing. I purchased brand new clothes with original markings intact.

Absolutely no need for extra halt at Dras / kargil. Namik La is a breeze to ride.


If you plan your ride properly, you will find good quality accommodation at the end of the day. So carrying all those items would be too much to carry.

Puncture kit and knowledge on how to use it is really mandatory for everyone going on this ride.

1) The Kargil - Batalik - Hanu thang - Dha - Khaltse route is far better (road conditions) and scenic that the Namik la - Fotula - Lamayuru route. But for that you require a permit which you can obtain from kargil. This route is devoid of any traffic as well. Though you are stopped at 4 places for entering your details as it is quite a sensitive area.

2) Tourists with ILP are permitted till Sasoma.

3) Fotula is higher that Namik la (infact it is the highest point on the Srinagar - Leh road. It is 13479 feet. You don't need to rest for an extra day in Kargil as the road from Srinagar provides gradual ascend throughout and AMS issues are bare minimum (unlike Manali - Leh)

Refer : "Absolutely no need for extra halt at Dras / kargil. Namik La is a breeze to ride."

Normally, in the vast majority of situations/circumstances, yes, no need for extra halt at Dras / kargil.

Under some rare circumstances, (eg road getting blocked, bad weather etc), a halt would help.

Refer : "If you plan your ride properly, you will find good quality accommodation at the end of the day. So carrying all those items would be too much to carry."

Even if you are slightly careless (only slightly, OK ?), you can get along in most circumstances. The items may be carried as insurance, to cater for the unexpected. In the vast majority of situations, they will not be required.

Refer : "The Kargil - Batalik - Hanu thang - Dha - Khaltse route is far better (road conditions) and scenic that the Namik la - Fotula - Lamayuru route. But for that you require a permit which you can obtain from kargil."

There is yet another way, in case one is interested. Head from Kargil to Khangral Village (enroute Khalsi/ Khalatse), turn left off the highway, and follow the road, it leads you to a village called Sanjak on the Batalik - Khalatse road. Then turn right for hanuthang and Khalatse.

I liked the Lamayuru monsatery and the 'Moonscape' and the old road ahead of Lamayuru ('Jalebi Mod') on the Kargil - Namki La - Khalsi/ Khalatse road. And of course, the statue of the Buddha.

On the kargil - Batalik - Hanuthang - Khalsi/ Khalatse route, the things that I liked were : the sheer beauty of the route which lies in a gorge with the Indus flowing below, the small villages, the Hanu people.
"Fotula is higher that Namik la." You are right. Thanks.

Hi Icemang,

I guess you might have already scanned this thread but couldnt stop from sharing it with you.



Sid

I am interested for this ride. I am researching about Leh-Ladakh and nearby places from the last 3-4 months and have also read many articles related to roadtrips to this place. Me and my frnd (both tourers) are ready to join the ride if more people are willing to ride from Pune.
I have few questions:
1) Is Khardungla (world's highest motorable road) somewhere in between the places we gonna ride?
2) If you can provide an estimated amount of the expenses it will be helpful.
3) I own a yamaha fazer, will this 153 cc engine be able to roll tat distance and conditions ??

How about transporting the bikes to Delhi/Jammu while going and come back riding till our doorsteps?

That is the scene with 99.9% of civilians and is no fault of yours, Vishwas.

I will tell you how you got that when we meet at the next G2G. Suffice to say here that its presence where you got it from was also wrong. What to do, how many loopholes to plug...


I too feel so, maybe we will take some extra care.


Agreed in toto.

Sumit, you hit the nail on the head. That would be a great idea; it would save us the hassle of return train reservations and extend the tour by a couple of days. I am game.

Ans 1. A little research will reveal that K' Top will indeed be on our itinerary.

Ans 2. I will give you a ball park figure later.

Ans 3. I don't see any issues barring the track-oriented rear tyre. Ask Vishwas at trustvishwas; he rode up on a similar bike and he did not report any major hassles.

Cold weather clothing

Different people have reaction physiology and therefore their bodies react quite differently to cold. I personally thrive in cold climate, adjust well to pure heat but have a torrid time in humid weather.

Each aspirant on this tour should think of the weather which suits her/him the best and correspondingly, carry the appropriate quantity and intensity of cold weather clothing.

A word about wind chill factor. It could be just 5 degrees Celsius but a light breeze of only 10 kmph will lower the FELT, PALPABLE temp to minus 10 degrees!

Here is an excellent guide:





Please pay close attention to frostbite times. THIS IS NOT A JOKE, I have experienced such low temperatures and would advice extreme caution with them.

So this issue too has to be factored in (pun intended) in the choice of winter clothing.

Some common symptoms that one experiencing extreme cold are are:

First, the body's extremities - ears, nose tip, fingertips, toes - start feeling very cold followed by slight numbness. Then the whole body starts feeling cold, the shivers set in and teeth may start chattering, all of which is involuntary. The next stage is when the cold reaches the larger organs, paving the way for hypothermia. A note of caution: frostbite of the fingers and toes can occur without passing thru such stages if exposed to extreme cold for even brief periods of time.

Thanks for the info, Icemang.

You are welcome, more to come in the days ahead.

Tentative expenses

I have made this expense sheet based on my bike, a Pulsar 150 Classic. In the city, she easily runs 40 kms per litres. I presume she will return about 28 kms per litre. The figures are approximations. Distances are 40% more than what Google maps and TTK maps say in order to cater for the meandering mountainous driving style. So here goes:

1. FUEL Total distance all inclusive approx 3000kms. 3000 @ 28 kmpl= 108 litres, 108 litres @ Rs 80 per litre (at this rate of increase...)= Rs 8640 = Rs 9000.

2. Accommodation 16 nights on road + 2 nights reserve + 18 nights @ Rs 1000 per night = Rs 18000.

3. Total Rs 9000 + Rs 18000 = Rs 27000

4. Reserve At least 50% of main = RS 13000 approx.

5. Grand Total Rs 40,000.

All readers, please give inputs. All figures are inflated to cater for inflation in cost, distances etc, so do bear this in mind before shooting off flames

1. Khardung La is only 40 km away from Leh and lies in between Leh - Hunder/Diskit and it IS in between the places you gonna ride.
2. Will update estimated expenses shortly.
3. I rode a borrowed FZ16 on my Leh ride. Rear tyre of FZ/fazer is prone to punctures. I had fitted alternate tyre. You can go through my log for detailed information about preparation required, what to expect etc. http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/1...-motorabl.html

For me the total 'ride' expense , doing Mumbai-Ladakh-Mumbai two times was no more than 25k.
In a group of 3-4