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Thank you. I had planned lot in Jan-Feb 2020 but after that covid happened and made me forget all the stuff. Plan was for a 3 week trip covering Spiti then Ladakh. This time only planning for Ladakh.

Last time for Ladakh i had planned this trip with night's stay at Manali -> Leh -> Hunder -> Turtuk -> Spangmik -> Karzok -> Sarchu -> Manali

Does this cover most of the locations? And how would you suggest changing it up.

Standard itenerary for Ladakh.

Start city - Srinagar- Zojila- Leh - Turtuk- Thang - Panamik - Sasoma - Pangong / Spangmik (direct or via Leh) - Chushul - Hanle - Tso Moriri / Karzok - Tandi (fuel) - Rohtang tunnel - Manali - Home.

This covers all the regular routes of Ladakh. From Srinagar you climb gradually so chances of AMS is less.
Spend 2-3 days in Leh for permits and visiting nearby sites.

Panamik - Sasoma can be omitted and you can spend one more day at Deskit or Hundar to enjoy double humped camel ride.

If you go direct to Pangong from Nubra valley, then make sure you have enough fuel, as for the entire stretch till Tandi, you do not have a pump.

How feasible is doing this trip on a bike? I was wondering if instead of taking my car all the way there, to fly to Srinagar and rent bikes from there?

This trip can be done by a bike but it should be your own.
Reasons:
1) Your own bike will defintely be more well maintained than a rented one.
2) Srinagar rented bike can only be used upto Leh. You cannot even use it for places around Leh. Same goes for Manali rented bike. A Manali rented bike can only be used upto Leh. The unions are quite strong and this applies to rented cars as well.
3) For Leh sightseeing and other places like Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri you need another rented bike from Leh.
4) Renting multiple bikes is not feasible and you have to return it back to the owner in the same city. So if you start from Srinagar, you end in Srinagar.

All the rental issues started sometime in 2014-15 when people started taking self drive cars like Zoom etc. and this created a big hue and cry in Ladakh. There were physical attacks on cars and bikes as well.
It is even said to have the owner of the car traveling in the car to avoid any issues, which means that you should not drive or ride a friends or relatives car or bike.

Nowadays everyone takes their own bike or car. If you have issues riding it to Srinagar, then you can put it in a train and travel by the same train. On the return, you can ride upto Chandigarh or Ambala and put it in a train. There is a procedure and is doable.

Checking Gmaps, filling up at Diskit or Leh and as per the trip then at Tandi is approx 800kms (+/- 10kms) for both routes. So does it make sense to go back to Leh from Nubra if going to Pangong as i will have to carry fuel anyway?

Also can Srinagar to Leh be done in a day or should we spend a night in the middle?

Yes absolutely with an early start. But my suggestion is to stay at Sonmarg and then do Sonmarg to Leh in one day with all sightseeing and stops enroute.
Eg. Draupadi kund, Kargil war memorial after Dras, Lamayuru, Moonland, Sangam point, Magnetic hill, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, Hall of Fame etc. These are all in a line on the highway (National Highway 1D).

Thanks again. A question about night stops.

In your suggested route we can go directly from Spangmik to Hanle correct without having to stop at Chushul for the night? Similarly can Karzok - Manali be done in one day? I had planned Karzok - Sarchu - Manali in my previous itinerary or is Karzok - Tandi - Manali better?

Yes. Spangmik to Hanle via Chushul can be done in one day and is recommended that way.


You are a bit confused. There is only one direct way from Karzok to Manali via Sarchu, Tandi and Atal tunnel / Rohtang pass. From Karzok, you join the Leh-Manali highway south of Debring. Once you are on the highway, it's a straight route to Manali. Take the Atal tunnel to save time.
You will have to tank full at Indian oil, Tandi, which will come on your right and you can't miss it.
This is along drive and I would recommend an early start, by 6 am.

I suggest you read the various travelogues on TBhp and on other sites. Most of these travelogues contain the standard itenarary we are discussing. There are also various YouTube videos for Ladakh.

I meant to ask if we should stop for the night in between Karzok to Manali as its a long drive. And if we should stop somewhere should it be in Sarchu or Tandi. I understand there is only one route as you said.

Just drive straight upto Manali.
If you want to take it easy, stay at Keylong and then next day just bypass Manali straight towards Chandigarh, unless you want to do some sightseeing in Manali.

What’s the best path from Bangalore to Manali on the way to Leh Ladhak? I want to skip the places where cops do strict checking on cars. My Gypsy has a bullbar and I plan to put a roll cage to support a roof carrier etc and I also have 70% sunfilm.

Thanks

Latest communication between Manali and Ladakh bikers association.

Hi guys! I am planning a road trip to Ladakh with some friends in mid July. The car we propose to take is a Hyundai Venue which has about 11k on the odo.

Can I please speak with someone here who has been to Ladakh recently? I am available at +91-8584966853.

Also, can someone tell me whether such a trip will be feasible in July and in a car like the Venue?

Are all the Ladakh bike rentals only done in Leh? As per my trip i dont plan to come back to Leh and the only part where we come back is in Nubra when going from Diskit to Turtuk and returning next day. If i only wanted to rent a bike for a trip to Turtuk, can the bike be rented in Diskit/Hunder?

All the bike rentals are in Leh and Manali and you have to come back to return the bike. This is not like Europe where you rent the car at one end and return at another.
I am stirctly against rental bikes. I always prefer mine.