How To Fit In A Ladakh Motorcycle Trip In 15 Days Starting From Delhi

A Ladakh motorcycle trip is something that is on the mind of a lot of people but planning it out seems very difficult. When I travelled I had the luxury of time. A lot of people do not have the same luxury and I'll try to plan a rough itinerary of a possible motorcycle trip to Ladakh and try to fit it in 15 days. Keep in note I am keeping the starting point as Delhi. The route mentioned is Delhi -> Pathankot- > Srinagar -> Leh -> places around Leh -> Manali and finally back to Delhi.

Most importantly keep these pointers in mind before starting the trip. One thing I forgot here was that prepaid numbers from non J & K states won't work here. So make sure you have a postpaid connection on your cell phone. A lot of areas in Ladakh, you might not catch a signal even then. But a vacation without cell phones is not really that bad a deal. :)

Day 1 - Delhi to Pathankot

• Distance : 486.5 Kms
• Yes you would have to push yourself a bit. But then its the plains and the highways are good enough.
• Start early morning by 5 if possible and beat the city traffic. It easily saves you an hour or more
• It should take you 12 to 14 hours including food breaks and all
• You want to spend more time in Ladakh, trust me. So push yourself a bit on these initial days

Day 2 Pathankot to Srinagar

• Distance: 363 Kms
• Yes start early. I mean its always advisable
• There is a route which you can take to bypass Jammu and reach Udhampur directly. Check on it. I had to go to a friends place in Jammu, so I never bothered. Moreover I always had the luxury of time
• 12 - 13 hrs including food breaks. You will start spending time to click pictures

Day 3: Rest in Srinagar and roam around Srinagar

Somewhere close to the Hazrat Bal mosque

• If you have never visited Srinagar before do spend a day here
• Check out the Shankaracharya Mandir, Nishat garden, Shalimar garden, Hazratbal mosque. All of them overlook the Dal lake
• For more pictures of Srinagar check out this link  

Day 4: Srinagar to Kargil

Enroute Kargil after the Zojila pass

• Distance - 204 Kms
• You will cross the Zojila pass, Dras town, Kargil war memorial before reaching the Kargil town
• The roads aren't that great but I think its the view that slows you down more
• You are sure to spend more time clicking pictures
• Take it slow. Spend 14 hours on the road if you have to. The views are breathtaking.
• Fill up petrol in Srinagar for sure. Although you will find some 3 to 4 petrol pumps on the way but still be on the safer side
• After Kargil the next place you will find hotel rooms is probably Lamayuru some 100 Kms away. So stay the night at Kargil

Day 5: Kargil to Leh

Enroute Leh

• Distance - 210 Kms
• Fill up petrol in Kargil just to be on the safer side. Although you may find 3 to 4 petrol pumps on the way
• You will pass through Lamayuru and the Magnetic hill
• Finally you made into Leh. You will just love this feeling. But the best is yet to come, trust me
• You can check the pictures of Srinagar to Leh ride here

Day 6: Leh

Leh city 

• Get your permits for Nubra valley, Pangong Tso lake, Tso Moriri lake
• Roam around Leh city. Check out the Hemis monastery some 40 odd kms from Leh
• Get your bike checked and fixed in one of the workshops. After Leh the next place to find mechanics easily is in Manali
• Although I have heard that from May 1st 2014, Indian citizens do not need a inner line permit for visiting these places. If true its a major relief. Foreign nationals would still need a Protected area permit though.
• You can ask any travel agent in Leh for the permits or get it yourself from the DC office in Leh
• For more pictures of Leh check out this link

Day 7: Leh to Nubra and back

Enroute Khardungla

• Distance : 230 Km (115 Km one way)
• It should take you approximately 14 hours including stops for pictures and everything. 
• Start very early from Leh by 5 am
• You will be passing through Khardung La - the worlds highest motorable point
• When you reach Khardung la, click your pictures and continue forward towards Nubra. Since it is at such a high altitude. locals advise that you don't spend more than 30 minutes there
• I just went till Khardung la and came back. I did not go to Nubra. I had to wait for 2 days in Leh before the Khardung la road opened because of unexpected bad weather. I did not want to risk going to Nubra and getting stuck there. When I went the weather played a little spoilsport
• So yes the weather can be a bitch. Keep that into consideration
• Be very careful on these roads. The roads can be very slippery at places. Drive carefully. Do not drive in the dark if possible. If you reach Nubra and you feel getting back to Leh before dark is tricky don't push it. Stay in Nubra for the night and come back the next day
• FILL UP PETROL IN LEH
• You can check out the Leh Khardung la pictures here

Day 8: Leh to Pangong lake

Image Source

• Distance - 214 Kms
• Fill up petrol in Leh and carry some extra petrol with you - 10 litres. I am assuming you will come back to Leh the next day
• I skipped Pangong lake because of some issues.
• I do regret that

Day 9: Back to Leh from Pangong

• There is a route which can take you from Pangong to Tso Moriri directly. This would save you a day
• However I am not sure of the permits thing in that route. I am more or less sure that foreign nationals are not allowed on that road. Check up on that. 
• If you are taking that route and subsequently you are heading to Manali, make sure you are carrying enough petrol to last you some 800 - 900 Kms when you start from Leh on Day 8

Day 10: Leh to Tso Moriri

• Distance - Around 230 Kms. Google maps doesn't show it but I know since I did it
• After travelling some 200 Kms you will find a beautiful lake and most probably you would assume it to be the Tso Moriri lake
• But its not. The road disappears when you almost pass this lake
• The last 20 Kms is a stretch without any roads. These are just jeep tracks. Pray that you don't encounter any flat tires but be prepared for it
• Fill up in Leh when you start and carry enough petrol to last you some 600 to 650 Kms.
• The 600 - 650 Kms is including the petrol already in your tank

Day 11: Tso Moriri to Sarchu

Somewhere on the TsoMoriri - Tsokar - Sarchu route

A place to sleep for the night in Sarchu

• Distance approximately 220 to 250 Kms
• The roads from Tso Moriri via Tso Kar to Sarchu alternates between good and non existent till you hit the Leh Manali highway some 40 odd Kms before Pang
• You might only find very modest places to sleep like the tent dhaba in the picture above
• They are quite comfortable and one bed was available at Rs 100 a night. 
• I do hope you still have some petrol left for atleast another 100 to 150 Kms :)

Day 12: Sarchu to Manali

Sarchu - Manali route

• Distance - around 230 Kms
• You will be crossing Rohtang pass before reaching Manali
• Reach there and relax a bit. Its all downhill after that. Literally
• You can check out the pics from Leh onwards here

Days 13 to 15: The boring part

• Its all downhill from here
• Maybe spend a day in Manali, fix your bike and do the stuff you want to :)
• Manali to Delhi is 539 Kms. Maybe you want to split it in two days or do it in one by pushing yourself
• Figure it out yourself. 

General tips

• Once you cross the Zojila pass after Srinagar and enter Ladakh population is very sparse. So take care of your diet and hydration and keep ample stock. You might encounter places where you travel for some 100 - 150 odd kms without spotting any shops or civilization
• Always carry extra cash around 4000 to 5000 bucks just in case of an emergency. ATM's may be sparse once you leave the towns.
• It does get cold. Make sure you have sufficient woolens. Keep spare dry woolen socks handy. A lot of places you may be crossing streams and you might feel the need for a fresh pair of socks.
• Woolen caps that cover ears under your helmet, woolen gloves under your biking gloves and anything woolen is strongly advisable
• I tried to fit it in 15 days. Obviously there are a lot more places to see in Ladakh. 
• Please do feel free to add stuff in the comments section which can make this itinerary a lot more better and other places whch could be fitted in.
• This is a rough itinerary. Do you research and skip parts you are not very keen on and add some other which you can fit in
• I hope this does help a bit. 

About Me:

A 7 month motorcycle ride that took me to every state in India, parts of Nepal and Bhutan and one town in Burma. These blog entries are inspired by this trip. Stories about people I met, stories about places I saw. Things that intrigued me, things that amused me. They say traveling changes you, they say traveling inspires you and they say a lot of other stuff. I don't know. I think a gun on the head is a better way to change people. I just hope that my travel stories entertain you

Right now I am in the process of writing a book based on this trip and figuring out the difference between a writer's block and procrastination.

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