[Slipstream11]

Originally Posted by Engine_Roars

That is a relief, I was worried if I was being too optimistic. Thank you .

Highly optimistic. Not sure how members are advising you in favour of this.

Pune Delhi Leh (and return) is going to cost you two complete days straight. You should spend at least one day in Leh to acclimatize. You don't want to be hit by AMS.

With such little time at hand you will barely see the Leh town and a few of the attractions in and around Leh.

Mind you, the best scenery is quite some distance away from Leh. You wouldn't want to miss places like Nubra, Hunder, Turtuk, Hanle etc. Getting to these places require driving through passes where road conditions will not be the best in April.

Given the time constraints, I'd rather suggest you pick a difficult place to visit. The time you have is definitely not suited for a Leh trip.

[hs_maverick]

We have lots of apprehensions on the Jammu - Srinagar route. Heard it is bad and is one way at times having cut off times at various locations.

Can someone throw some light here so that we can plan accordingly?

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

The Rohtang Pass which usually had snow over 10-12 feet, has only 4 feet of snow this year, and will be opened soon.

With Atal Tunnel commissioned, opening of Rohtang La should not be a factor to embark upon Manali-Leh circuit anyways.

[Engine_Roars]

Originally Posted by Slipstream11

Highly optimistic. Not sure how members are advising you in favour of this.

Pune Delhi Leh (and return) is going to cost you two complete days straight. You should spend at least one day in Leh to acclimatize. You don't want to be hit by AMS.

With such little time at hand you will barely see the Leh town and a few of the attractions in and around Leh.

Mind you, the best scenery is quite some distance away from Leh. You wouldn't want to miss places like Nubra, Hunder, Turtuk, Hanle etc. Getting to these places require driving through passes where road conditions will not be the best in April.

Given the time constraints, I'd rather suggest you pick a difficult place to visit. The time you have is definitely not suited for a Leh trip.

Appreciate the feedback, I know it is a little tight but I get 7 days in hand even if I take out 2 days of travel & I thought that could work. Any how, the plan hang as of now due to this Covid resurfacing again.

[Slipstream11]

Originally Posted by Engine_Roars

Appreciate the feedback, I know it is a little tight but I get 7 days in hand even if I take out 2 days of travel & I thought that could work. Any how, the plan hang as of now due to this Covid resurfacing again.

You might rather want to plan this trip during June/July when the snow has melted. Though tourist season, the roads become more traversable and you might just be able to cramp in the key locations.

If you look at the map you'd realize how far each location is from Leh and it would take you a lot of time getting there and back - leaving you very little time to really soak in the beauty of the place.

And flying into Leh provides a classic foundation for getting hit by AMS. At least a day's rest is required to get used to the altitude.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

With Atal Tunnel commissioned, opening of Rohtang La should not be a factor to embark upon Manali-Leh circuit anyways.

The essence of writing about Rohtang is to tell that the amount of snowfall has been very less on all the passes on the route, I just have information about Rohtang, not others.

Even after opening of the Atal Tunnel every traveller has to pass through Baralacha La Pass, Naki La, Shinku La etc, depending on the route they take to complete the circuit. Take the information in a broad sense, considering the heights of the passes, not the name of any specific one.

Hope I have made my previous statement clear!!

P.S. - There has been snowfall near Manali since last evening, and the forecast is of snowfall till 24th afternoon, so the chances of opening of the passes may change again with this recent episode of snowfall.

[Ragavsr]

Has anyone done the new routes from Shinku La to Padum and the Padum-Nimoo - Darcha route through Lingshed? I was able to see a few videos of the place as early as 2019 . Any pointers ? Planning a long solo trip or with a friend in September . 20 days to cover whole of kashmir and zanskar alone. Been to Ladakh earlier and covered all other places like Turtuk, Hanle, Pangong , Tso Moriri. Only place /route left is the Shyok route from Nubra to Pangong

https://youtu.be/sRYT1DjYlJY

https://youtu.be/TvSa_URXnAo

One of the videos explaining the route in a detailed way.

Hope Kashmir stays free of violence. Kashmir in autumn can be breath taking and comparable to all the wonderful sights of Autumn people from the West post.

Cold weather is no issue. Can withstand upto -20℃ easily .

[MNITDEVIL]

Planning to do Gurgaon-Srinagar-Leh-Manali-Gurgaon road trip (incl. all locations such as Nubra valley, Pangong etc.) from mid-may (spread over 15 days) in my 4x2 Tucson GLS AT. Need help with below questions:

1. Any view on the road conditions on this route? will the route open by then since snowfall has been poor last winter
2. Can the 4x2 make it? Not that I have a choice to get a 4x4 but still "forewarned is forearmed"
3. OT : What are the recommended accessories I should carry? e.g. tow rope, puncture repair kit etc. just to be on the safer side

[AdityaDeane]

https://youtu.be/yf2WRyxfbAI

Seems like the higher passes have finally opened for connectivity between Manali and Leh

[LONG_TOURER]

Hello friends, i hope you all are doing well in these hard times as lockdown/restrictions have hit us hard both mentally and Financially. My favourite pass time now a days has been to prepare travel iteneraries to various places across our nation by road ofcourse ( do we BHPians really need to mention this ?). Now i am fascinated by one travel itenerary which i prepared recently and i really look forward to make this a reality once both restrictions and covid cases ease out, hopefully soon. So my itenerary goes as follows :-

Day 1: Durgapur, West Bengal to Lucknow UP
Distance 850kms
Travel time 17 hours

Day 2: Lucknow, UP to Chandigarh, Punjab
Distance 820kms
Travel time 12 Hours

Day 3: Chandigarh to Sonamarg
Distance 700kms
Travel time 16 Hours

Day 4: Stay at Sonamarg

Day 5: Sonamarg to Leh, Ladakh
Distance 350kms
Travel time 9 hours

Day 6: Stay at Leh for permits and explore

Day 7: Leh to Nubra Valley
Distance 150kms
Travel time 7 hours
Day 8: Stay at Nubra Valley

Day 9: Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso
Distance 260kms
Travel Time 7 hours

Day 10: Pangong Tso to Hanle
Distance 320kms
Travel time 8 hours

Day 11: Hanle to Tso Morir
Distance 170kms
Travel time 5 hours

Day 12: Tso moriri to Jispa
Distance 320kms
Travel time 10hours

Day 13: Jispa to Chandigarh
Distance 410kms
Travel time 10 hours

Day 14: Chandigarh to Lucknow
Distance 820kms
Travel time 11 hours

Day 15: Lucknow to Durgapur( WB)
Distance 850kms
Travel time 17 hours.

Now i want to ask if this itenerary is doable in the 3rd week of August? I can add two more days in between and i am only going to be driving this whole trip. It would also be helpful if you could guide me regarding entry and exit time at various checkpost in Srinagar, Kargil, Drass etc ( if at all there is any). The vehicle which i am going to be using is Tucson CRDi FWD which does not have good ground clearance although being an SUV.

Thanks
LONG_TOURER

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by LONG_TOURER

Day 7: Leh to Nubra Valley
Distance 150kms
Travel time 7 hours
Day 8: Stay at Nubra Valley


[/left]Now i want to ask if this itenerary is doable in the 3rd week of August? I can add two more days in between and i am only going to be driving this whole trip. It would also be helpful if you could guide me regarding entry and exit time at various checkpost in Srinagar, Kargil, Drass etc ( if at all there is any). The vehicle which i am going to be using is Tucson CRDi FWD which does not have good ground clearance although being an SUV.

LONG_TOURER

The itenerary is good and doable.
For Nubra valley there are two circuits.
One upto Thang ahead of Turtuk and the other upto Sasoma. Your permit needs to clearly mention these names.
To visits both arms of the Nubra valley, you need to plan your night stay. Also enjoy the double humped camel rides near Deskit.

On the west wing is Turtuk village, which was take by Pakistan in 1947 and then retaken by India in 1971 war. Ancient and beautiful village. Ahead is Thang, from where you can see POK.


Source: https://travellingslacker.com/thang-...oc-turtuk/amp/

Read about Thang in above link.

[AnandB]

Is Leh-Ladakh completely open for tourists? I am wondering if i can do my last years planned trip this September.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by AnandB

Is Leh-Ladakh completely open for tourists? I am wondering if i can do my last years planned trip this September.

Yes Ladakh is open but with some restrictions like Covid test and all. September is the best month when tourists are less and the weather is best. By October autumn sets in and brings wonderful views all around.
However anytime after October 15 , it would be risky for a single vehicle as it can snow anytime at the high passes and one can get stuck.
September 15 to October 15 is best time for Ladakh in my opinion.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

The itenerary is good and doable.
For Nubra valley there are two circuits.
One upto Thang ahead of Turtuk and the other upto Sasoma. Your permit needs to clearly mention these names.
To visits both arms of the Nubra valley, you need to plan your night stay. Also enjoy the double humped camel rides near Deskit.

On the west wing is Turtuk village, which was take by Pakistan in 1947 and then retaken by India in 1971 war. Ancient and beautiful village. Ahead is Thang, from where you can see POK.

Do we need our own tents and camping gear to go here or is there local accommodation available?

Edit: I am planning my trip from Bangalore - How many days minimum would youy guys recommend to cover from start to Finish?
Bangalore to Nubra and back. I am not a believer in once-in-a-lifetime experiences and intend to repeat hence I can limit my trips to one extraordinary/exotic target destination per trip considering that getting 3 weeks leave is tough for me. Two-weeks leave is easily doable - but I am aiming for three weeks.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by Ragul

Do we need our own tents and camping gear to go here or is there local accommodation available?

You have to stay at Turtuk village which has a couple of guesthouses. Just google Turtuk. You cannot stay at Thang as it is on the LOC.

Edit: I am planning my trip from Bangalore - How many days minimum would youy guys recommend to cover from start to Finish?
Bangalore to Nubra and back. I am not a believer in once-in-a-lifetime experiences and intend to repeat hence I can limit my trips to one extraordinary/exotic target destination per trip considering that getting 3 weeks leave is tough for me. Two-weeks leave is easily doable - but I am aiming for three weeks.

Depending on your itenerary, a 18 day trip from Bangalore is doable for the standard itenerary. You cannot complete everything in one go and multiple trips are recommended.