Planning long holiday, Delhi-Leh-Delhi, Delhi-Gangotri-Delhi by road

[arunforu1]

I have kept slot of 3 weeks from 20th June 2009 till 11th july 2009 for holidays.

Trips I am planning :

1. Delhi-Leh-Delhi: 1 week
2. Delhi-Gangotri-Delhi: 1 week
3. Delhi-Jaiselmer by night-Delhi: 2-3 days
4. rest around & in delhi sight seeing.

Travellers: Me+Wife & one freind, one slot is still empty as my other friend is still planning his leaves.

Car would be my Ford Fiesta 1.4 ZXI duratorque.

Suggestions needed:
1. Route & sightseeing guidance.
2. Planning time for each spot & places to stay (minimum budget).
3. Things to carry.
4. Special things like counter moutain sickness medicines, what should be there in first aid kit, special clothing etc.

[hvkumar]

I would keep aside at least 10 days for Leh, assuming that I return to Delhi via Manali, the same way I went.

Uttarakhand will be raining by the time you get there and expect landlsides and dislocation. Road can be nasty after you cross Uttarkashi.

Even assuming a break-neck drive, you need a full day to reach Jaisalmer. After spending a day sightseeing in Jaisalmer (ideally should be 2), take one more day to return to Delhi.

As far as Leh is concerned, I am sure there is a lot of discussion in the forum on the route and other details. Ideal plan would be night stopovers in Manali, Sarchu and Leh, same on return.

For the Gangotri trip, it may be tough to reach Gangotri the same day, assuming some dislocation en route thanks to road repair, landslide clearances, etc. May be appropriate to stop over for the night at either New Tehri or Uttarkashiu (the first preferred thanks to better hotels). This assumes you will go via Rishikesh. If you are planning to come via Herbertpur, then Uttarkashi may be the only good choice to stay. At New Tehri, the GMVN hotel is good, as is the GMVN hotel at Gangotri.

For Leh, apart from heavy woollens, be prepared with high-0altitude sickness medicines like Diamox, lots of water, sun block creams, spares, etc.

[arunforu1]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

I would keep aside at least 10 days for Leh, assuming that I return to Delhi via Manali, the same way I went.

Uttarakhand will be raining by the time you get there and expect landlsides and dislocation. Road can be nasty after you cross Uttarkashi.

For the Gangotri trip, it may be tough to reach Gangotri the same day, assuming some dislocation en route thanks to road repair
For Leh, apart from heavy woollens, be prepared with high-0altitude sickness medicines like Diamox, lots of water, sun block creams, spares, etc.

Dear kumar sir, thanks for the info, one thing more should I take my one year old fiesta diesel, or my 5.5 year old Indica, or hire a cab. I have decent experince in driving in slush/mud/snow.

With my experience Indica manages slush more easily, I know both my cars have low ground clearance. one of the stuck tavera photos on TBHP scares me.I dont mind a slow a drive.

[hvkumar]

Indica preferred mainly because getting spares for it, or repairs, would be easier compared to the Ford Fiesta

[arunforu1]

Thanks kumar, sir . Although a lot has been said & discussed about leh, but Gangotri is still a lesser travelled destination. For me personally i ll be going first time , although I have done Jaislemer with Indica in past.

Kindly eloborate on Gangotri thing. Yes I ll take haridwar-rishikesh route. I have heard one have to trek to reach source of ganga. How long that trek is, is it safe to leave the car while on trek or avoid it. Is there any possibilty to stay uphill if i decide to trek till source.

Well I ll be buying a searchlight, torch, rope, sleeping bag, hydraulic jack, a foot pump etc for the trip.

About the medicine you mentioned for mountain sickness, is it over the counter medicine or should i consult a doctor first?

Thanks & Regards

[hvkumar]

H V Kumar - Driving Log Books - KUMAR'S DRIVING LOG BOOKS Uttaranchal, Sep 2005

You can use the log book in the above link for planning your own drive. The Gangotri drive was part of a larger drive and if you are coming from Delhi, you can trace the route from New Tehri and Uttarkashi.

Gangotri is the end of the motorable road, where the Ganga Mai temple is located. It is 3,000 metres high. You have several hotels, betetr one being the GMVN hotel. Cars can be parked in Gangotri.

The source of the Ganga is at Tapovan/Gaumukh which is a day's trel away. THis will also mean you stay back overnight there. You will need the permission of the Forest Department to go on the trek. I have never been on this trek, but I am told the trek till Gaumukh is moderate. You have to stay over at Gaumukh. Howver, the final ascent to Tapovan is steep and arduous.

Being at an altitude of 4000 metres +, you may have to guard against high-altitude sickness. Diamox is normally recommended, no doctor's prescription required. No after-effects.

[arunforu1]

Thanks a lot, no body has mentioned Pangong tso in ladakh region, is it on manali-leh route.

I want to cover it, what route to take. or it can be done after reaching leh?

[hvkumar]

Pangong Tso is 150 kms from Leh - a drive of around 5-6 hours - via Karu, Shakti, Chang la and Tangtse. It is off the Leh-Upshi-Manali road, but ideally you must do a Leh-Pangong-Leh drive because there are no petrol stations in Pangong area. You will have to budget 1-1.5 days for this trip ex-Leh, obtain permits from the DC's Office in Leh and combat the 5300 m high altitude Chang la, the broken Pagal Nallah bridge before Luking and not-so-great accomodation in Lukung and/ or Tangtse.

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

the broken Pagal Nallah bridge before Luking and not-so-great accomodation in Lukung and/ or Tangtse.

Hello Kumarji, just wanted to ask a quick question:
What time should I leave from Leh for the Leh-Pangong journey? I am asking this cause I've read many times that Pagal Nallah (for that matter any water crossing) is easy to cross if you reach it by noon. Is that correct?

[hvkumar]

Water crossings will mostly dry up now that most of the snow melt is over (May-Jun). I never had water crossing problems at Pagal Nallah because I did both my trips in Sep and Oct. Both occasions, I crossed it in the morning (once at 1130 am, next time at 7 am). So, ideally, if you leave Leh by 5-6 am, you should reach Pangong before noon.

[arunforu1]

One of my German friend is accompanying me to the leh, can somebody tell me where & when we need permissions for the journey. What are the documents we need to carry?

[Khandelwal]

Arun,
I just came back from Gangotri-Yamunotri Trip this Sunday.

Though I don't have a habit of writing travelogues, but still I would try and give some idea about the route and my trip.

The route to Gangotri is: Rishikesh - Chamba - Uttarkashi - Gangotri.
I read that you have plans to visit 'Gomukh' - the source of ganga. Please be advised that only 15 people can go to Gomukh everyday. The permission has to be taken from DFO or similar authority (you need to enquire about it). Violation will attract a fine of Rs. 25000 (as told to me).
Till last year, the limit was 150 people per day, but due to global warming and shrinking glacier, the number of people visiting Gomukh has been reduced. We didn't visit Gomukh. If at all you are preparing to go there be prepared to have the right gear and clothing. There is a GMVN hotel at Gangotri. (near Surya Kund)

Your car can go to Gangotri and from there it is 200 meters walk to the temple.

The road till uttarkashi is good. Rishikesh to Uttarkashi is over 200 Km. From Uttarkashi till Gangotri (110 km) , a number of hydro power stations are being constructed (by NTPC and Uttarakhand govt), the state of roads is not good.
I could see people getting out of a fully loaded dZire do avoid scraping the underbody of the car.

You cannot drive from Rishikesh to Gangotri directly, you would have to stop enroute. If you are not a habitual driver in the hilly region, park your car at Uttarkashi and hire a jeep (Bolero) or take a bus to Gangotri (prefer to leave uttarkashi by 4:30/5:00am). There are plenty of hotels at uttarkashi.

Enroute Gangotri you may halt at Gangnani for refreshments. There is a hot water spring there.
Harshil provies some good views to the hills and the rivers.

There is a bridge (called Lanka Bridge) - the highest I have seen personally.

Also, it would be good if you have a BSNL SIM - that would help a lot as most of the other operators do not work there. I ended up paying Rs. 40 for a 5 min. phone call to Delhi to the PCO operator there !

Get prasad and other stuff from Uttarkashi/your home - the vendors at Gangotri charge at least 10 times the base price (personal experience)

[ramkya1]

Hai People,

Have been updating the LADAKH-DRIVE-DIRECTION map based in inputs from various sites, maps, Dr.Bharat's latest logs, other logs and working mainly after 10 PM, some sleepless nights, but enjoyable...

Lots of corrections are made, updating going on. Attaching the PDF herewith....

Hope prospective users would find this one a simple too use reference tool on their Ledakh trips.

Please point out gross errors.

@Arun: Also enclosed herewith are the logs of my Uttranchal trip in 2006.

Happy Driving,

--Ramky

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Hai People,

Have been updating the LADAKH-DRIVE-DIRECTION map based in inputs from various sites, maps, Dr.Bharat's latest logs, other logs and working mainly after 10 PM, some sleepless nights, but enjoyable...

Happy Driving,

--Ramky

Hey Ramky, you're doing a commendable job mate!
Your PDF document on Manali-Leh has been of great help to me. Thanks for all your efforts.

[arunforu1]

Done the holidays with lots of adventure with my fiesta. Route taken was:
Delhi-chandigarh-Manali-Rohtangla-sarchu-Leh-Changla-Pangongtso-Changla-Leh-Kargil-Drass-sonemarg-Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi-haridwar-rishikesh-chamba-uttarkashi-gangotri-uttarkashi-chamba-rishikesh-chamba-dhanoltey-mussorie-dhanoltey-dehradoon-rishikesh-delhi.

Had lot of fun & adventure, plus a small trouble with fiesta.