yes.. thanks rachitkohli for sharing these maps.. just wanted to ask which road would be better. Manali - Leh or Shrinagar..

I Will be heading towards leh via srinagar route from 25th may till 4 th june... So if anybody interested can PM.....
Starting point will be delhi for me....

If you ask me, the Srinagar route roads are better, no much challenge really. The scenes are beautiful and you see people all the time. The Manali Leh route if if you want the adventure, adreline pumping, challenge your patience and all the last remaining will power you have. Roads are non existence most of the way, the roads ahead are unpredictable. However the picture is breathtaking, unlike any other you can experience.

Experienced riders will always recommend you to start via Srinagar mostly because you get used to the altitude.

The Leh 2013 Planner

Its been long time I started dreaming of riding to LEH, hope I don't miss it this year. I am planning to ride to LEH during 1st and 2nd week of June. I haven't started my homework yet.

Thanks,
Shreeni

A Prep Ride for Leh-Ladakh.?

Hello guys.
I have finally managed to somehow convince my parents for the leh-ladakh trip and also thanks to nearly 2 years of savings I have a decent amount of money saved as well.
But the problem is I have almost no experience of riding on highways or riding for long distances in a stretch. My Dukes going to be a year old this month and thats all the experience I have, a year of city riding, basically up and downs from college to home and a few short rides here and there , amounting to some 7k odd kilometers.

So, coming to the point, I was advised by someone to go for a prep ride with all the luggage and stuff to some hill station. My question is do I really need to ?
In case Its is absolutely necessary I only have a weeks time from 9th to 14th March. I only know a few places which can be done, i.e.
1. Manali
2. Dharamashala and Mc.leod Ganj
3. Chopta
4. Dhanaulti
Any other suggestions would be great and I have no clue if these can be done in March, so any information on that would be great as well.

And I am planning a whole month trip for leh, I noticed that there is no leh 2013 planner yet so where do I ask questions regarding that ?
Thanks in advance for the Help

Approved and Merged

Bangalore-Leh-Srinagar-Bangalore APril 2013

Hi Guys,

Me and my Friend have done around 6-10 tours. We have done Trip to Goa, Kerala, Kodai, Pondicherry, hyderabad, Pune etc...We finally decided to tour Leh and We decided to leave in 3rd week of April 2013. I know Leh is altogether at different level. so can you please help me with some of qustions i have.


1) what can be the medical issues which we might come accross in Leh and what are the remidies?
2) Do we need to pay any transit fees of any sort in any states Between Bangalore and Leh?
3) Can you please suggest some hotels for us in Leh, Dras and Srinagar?
4) Also Can You please suggest any special eccquipment required for the tour?
5) will we have snow in Leh or any other places in Jammu i.e. srinagar or gulmarg?

Thread Approved and Merged
Note 1: Roads will be closed in April. You won't be able to make it to Leh by road.

Ans 1: Please check http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/touring-...2-planner.html .
Ans 2: No, there is nothing of that sort. If riding, be sure to preserve fuel receipts wherever you fill up.
Ans 3: Srinagar: Head to Dal Lake, stay in a houseboat. Don't go to Jhelum houseboats.
Leh: Head to Leh market, there will be plenty of places to stay.

Phone no. is wrong. I stayed here for 2 nights in August 2012 @Rs.200/night in a clean carpeted room which had 5 beds with adequate no. of blankets. Hot water was charged extra (Rs. 10/bucket).
Edit: Here are the contact details:
Semnet Guest House
Mobile : +919419177404
Landline : 01982257494

Ans 4: Nothing more than what you would carry on any other generic road trip.
Ans 5: Moot question. You can't go to Leh in April. But yes, Gulmarg will have snow in April (and May too).

When do you plan to head towards leh?????
I will be going to leh from 25th may till 4/5th of june...
If you want to ride together PM me...

Hi Friends,
me and my friends wi be going to LEH coming 1st week of June.
Plan is prepared and days are being counted..
is anyone have their inital plan? can you share here??

This image may help you some extend...

Abhishek, since you have almost no highway and hill riding experience, its imperative that you do a few prep rides. I would suggest Auli if you have 3 days in hand. This will also give you some idea how comfortable you are off-road as there are some bad sections and on single lane hill roads. The stretch from Joshi math to Auli (14km) will be a nice workout for you and the machine.
If you have only two days in hand, then i would suggest that you to Narkanda or, if you are willing to stretch, do the delhi - Narkanda - jalori - shoja - mandi - delhi circuit. Crossing Jalori pass will teach you a lot about ascent and descent.
It would be also good if you can get some rain rides in. You will know how good your tyres are, and whether your luggage set-up for Leh is weather proof.
Among the options you have given, you will mostly get tarmac so it wont really be challenging. (I have never been to chopta so can't say about that)

A whole month on the Leh circuit means that you should carry some spares too apart from regular stuff. Learn up some basic things like repairing tubeless tyre puncture.
Also, keep reading all the logs and keep asking questions. :-)

Hey,
Thanks for replying.
I can take out around 4-5 days starting 9th march, but the thing is would the Jalori pass be doable during that time ?

And I have been reading they leh logs from around 3 years now! also I can perform a few basic repair works on my Duke.
Another thing is I am planning to buy a new set of tires as these I have heard might not be so good on the off road sections, so shall i Get them installed right now or in march before the prep ride ?

We will know from you whether it was doable or not :-) There is this thing i have seen over the last 6 years of touring in North India. Second hand knowledge, while always welcome, is never to be taken to heart. Even if someone says - the road is closed, you must go check it out yourself. Even a few hours old info is stale and not reliable. You can always turn back, richer with experience. Last time on Jalori pass in Dec end with hardly any snow , i had a chat with the tea shop owner and he said that Jalori is kept open most days of the year. There are bull dozers on either side of the pass.
5 days is a good chunk of time. You can go to Kinnaur i.e Delhi - Narkanda - Rampur - Sangla - Chitkul - turn back (there is no road beyond that) - Rampur - Jalori pass - Shoja - Mandi - Delhi.
A few things you should keep in mind
1. While duke is a crazy bike, better to maintain constant sub 100 speeds in the plains so that you don't tire out easily while climbing hills.
2. Keep yourself hydrated but don't take too many breaks. It will be good to build endurance so take a break only when you need it.
3. About tyres - last year many KTMs went to Ladakh on stock tyres. You can get their opinion about how the tyres performed on gravel/sandy/icy roads. Maybe you can give stock tyres a shot on the prep ride.
4. I presume, you have all the safety gear.
5. For really cold weather which you might encounter on the Leh ride - it is important not to have any spaces in your clothing from where air can get in. Eg. boots, gloves, collar. The more insulated you are, the more comfortable you will be. Same goes for rain water.

Okay so here is our plan on riding to Leh via the Srinagar route on our Electra 5s, CI.


Since we are not really going to be on a tight deadline as far as how many days we have for the trip, we have included some leisure days - to really take in the sights as we go along this trip of a lifetime


One of the must-visits we have planned for is the Hemis Festival (18th and 19th June 2013), and we have worked around these dates.
Those who have visited during this time will be able to guide us better - Is it a good time to be in Leh? As far as accommodation and crowds are concerned?
Another concern of mine is that if we leave after the festival, will we encounter giant crowds wherever we go?
All concerns aside - since we are planning this as a solo ride, we would be happy if there are always people around!




Please do share your views about this travel plan...






DAY 1 – JUNE 6th – Mumbai to Amritsar on Golden Temple Express


DAY 2 – JUNE 7th – Day in train


DAY 3 – JUNE 8th – Arrive in Amrtisar. Visit Golden Temple.


DAY 4 – JUNE 9th – Stay in Amritsar. Visit Wagha Border.


DAY 5 – JUNE 10th – Ride Begins. RIDE DAY 1. Leave Amritsar and head towards Jammu. (219 kms)


DAY 6 – JUNE 11th – Jammu to Srinagar. RIDE DAY 2. (258 kms)


DAY 7 – JUNE 12th – Srinagar stay. Visit Dal Lake. Stay in House Boat.


DAY 8 – JUNE 13th – Srinagar Stay. Last rest day and last night in House Boat.


DAY 9 – JUNE 14th – Leave Srinagar and head towards Drass. RIDE DAY 3 (142 kms). Visit war memorial.


DAY 10 – JUNE 15th – Drass to Lamayaru. RIDE DAY 4 (135 kms). Visit Lamayaru Monastery.


DAY 11 – JUNE 16th – Lamayaru to LEH! RIDE DAY 5 (116 kms)


DAY 12 – JUNE 17th – LEH stay begins. Get necessary permits and bike check time.


DAY 13 – JUNE 18th – LEH. Hemis Festival – ENJOY!


DAY 14 – JUNE 19th – LEH. Hemis Festival – ENJOY!


DAY 15 – JUNE 20th – LEH. Last day in Leh for sightseeing and relaxing.


DAY 16 – JUNE 21st – Leh – K.Top – Diskit – Hunder. RIDE DAY 6 (123 kms)


DAY 17 – JUNE 22nd – Hunder – Nubra (Panamik). RIDE DAY 7 (68 kms)


DAY 18 – JUNE 23rd – Nubra – Khalsar – Shyok – Pangong. RIDE DAY 8 (184 kms)


DAY 19 – JUNE 24th – Pangong – Stay at Lake one additional night.


DAY 20 – JUNE 25th – Pangong – Karu. RIDE DAY 9 (135 kms)


DAY 21 – JUNE 26th – Karu – Pang. RIDE DAY 10 (80 kms approx.)


DAY 22 – JUNE 27th – Pang – Sarchu. RIDE DAY 11 (74 kms)


DAY 23 – JUNE 28th – Sarchu – Tandi. RIDE DAY 12 (119 kms)


DAY 24 – JUNE 29th – Tandi – Manali. RIDE DAY 13 (95 kms)


DAY 25 – JUNE 30th – Manali Stay.


DAY 26 – JULY 1st – Manali Stay.


DAY 27 – JULY 2nd – Manali to Chandigarh. RIDE DAY 14 (250 kms)


DAY 28 – JULY 3rd – Board CDG BDTS SP EXP from Chandigarh.


DAY 29 – JULY 4th – Train Journey


DAY 30 – JULY 5th – Arrive in Mumbai, Bandra Terminus.






Looking forward to invaluable comments