Road Trip from Manali to Srinagar via Ladakh and Leh

I always wanted to do a road-trip to Ladakh with friends. But when it finally came to being there for a holiday, I had but a chance to fly half way and go up there. So I took it. From Hyderabad to New Delhi in couple of hours and almost 24 hours of local bus journey from Delhi to Manali through the longest traffic jam of my life due to rock sliding (our bus had to cross over 1000 trucks) to start off on a 10 days long , 1500 Kms bike ride. Crazy ? I’d say completely worth it. :)

This wasn’t just about riding/travelling on a bike to Ladakh and Leh. But of the Lamas and monasteries, butter tea and gently grunting yaks, there's much more to Ladakh than just spectacular scenery and deep blue lakes.

Most of Ladakh still remains largely unexplored. So covering its gompas and stupas, riding to the confluence of turquoise Indus and the muddy Zanskar rivers and for its lovely silences that just don't need to be filled. Spending a morning in prayer with monks at Thiksey Monastery or horse riding beside Pangong Tso and come back with equally memorable photographs.

While the blue shades of Pangong Tso allures, riding via The mighty Khardungla Pass at 18000+ feet altitude (One of the highest motorable roads in the world) and some more high altitude motorable passes with low oxygen levels and equally low power in your 500 CC bike, it still does give you an adventure high. While the mystic monasteries amaze you, the Nubra Valley awaits to welcomes you with an unexpected Sand storm (if you’re lucky enough) with double hump back camels gazing silently in the scintillating sand dunes.

The mesmerizing Star gazing at night, spent in Batalik and Aryan valley during the ride before paying tribute to the Soldiers at Kargil war memorial and move towards Kashmir, A valley between the Great Himalayan range and the Pir Panjal mountain range, a place of beautiful simplicity and pristine natural beauty to end the ride. An extra day spent in Srinagar by the Beauty of Dal Lake with incredible backdrops and the sight of primitive boats traversing a mirror like lake with reflections of snow covered mountains before heading back home….

All in all, Felt like being tossed off a frying pan directly into a refrigerator. I was suddenly 7000 – 19000 feet closer to the sun amid severe cold, and mountains alien to the concept of our everyday hustle and bustle of the city. Barren mountains, that cold expansiveness, a beautiful calm broken only by frigid winds whistling past my ears, and the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere is unforgettable !!!

Lingeshwar Reddy

About the Guest Author:

This article is a Guest Post by Lingeshwar Reddy. Lingeshwar is a self motivated adrenaline junkie. Worked in the IT industry as a Project Manager in the Support Industry and now as a Customer Success Manager, takes interest in occasional offbeat trips.