[guptavis]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

End of June is expensive time. Any decent guest house will charge around 1000-1200/couple. If its fully crowded, rates may go as high as 1400/night in Leh city.

AS for brand, I have very good experience with apollo acelere on mountain terrain on indica. As for alto, its a light car. Do not bother with 13" etc., Simply get a plastic or aluminum guard under engine sump. You will be able to cross tricky sections without much drama. Only killing Sarai on manali leh highway is a trouble spot.

Thanks for the quick reply tanveer,
how about if we take our own tent (quechua T3), can we pitch it wherever we want ? I think it will take temperatures upto -5 with sleeping bags inside. This will save money (2-3 nights) and the time required for looking at and bargaining for rooms, and also give a lot more flexibility in the stoppages.

Will keep a couple of tubes. I have good experience with apollo acelere too but their minimum size is 13", so i think ill go for apollo 3g tyres.
Will look at the possibility of sump cover if i find a reliable mechanic for it.

Im off to shimla for the weekend in a couple of hours. Will see how the car performs and what all needs to be changed/repaired.

[manolin]

Tanveer,

Excellent job. One request. If at the end, you can update the post as 'a Driving Holidays to Leh pdf'. Infact just compile it at and release it in the android and Iphone bookstore as a free 10 page pdf. People will be grateful, and pdf/word makes it handy for people to check on their phones when they are making the trip.

I can see Koko Singh's book sales coming down.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by guptavis

Thanks for the quick reply tanveer,
how about if we take our own tent (quechua T3), can we pitch it wherever we want ? I think it will take temperatures upto -5 with sleeping bags inside. This will save money (2-3 nights) and the time required for looking at and bargaining for rooms, and also give a lot more flexibility in the stoppages.

Will keep a couple of tubes. I have good experience with apollo acelere too but their minimum size is 13", so i think ill go for apollo 3g tyres.
Will look at the possibility of sump cover if i find a reliable mechanic for it.

Im off to shimla for the weekend in a couple of hours. Will see how the car performs and what all needs to be changed/repaired.

Do not skimp on the sump guard. Its a must. As for tent, good idea. It will save you money on your excursion circuits.
For example, pangong where stay can be 2000-3000 for 2 people in peak season.

Originally Posted by manolin

Tanveer,

Excellent job. One request. If at the end, you can update the post as 'a Driving Holidays to Leh pdf'. Infact just compile it at and release it in the android and Iphone bookstore as a free 10 page pdf. People will be grateful, and pdf/word makes it handy for people to check on their phones when they are making the trip.

I can see Koko Singh's book sales coming down.

Thanks manolin, lemme see what can be done to make this possible.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

1. Introduction
2. Inner line Permit and the Protected Area Permits
3. Getting to Leh
4. Leh and Around
5. Circuits
6. Off the Beaten Path
7. Off Shoots
8. Vehicle instructions, and list of items to carry
9. FAQ (Constantly updating)

Wow!

Tanveer sir, I don't really have words to express. You have just compiled a definitive 'Ladakh' guide that's going to become as popular as the "Team-BHP PDI Checklist" that has become the norm these days for taking delivery of a new car.

Hats off to the effort you have put in to share your wealth of experiences of traveling to the region with all of us in the forum and the general public. If there is a rating that's more than 5 stars, I would have gone for it. Thanks again!

[ssmani]

Dear Tanveer,

One of the best travelog I had ever come across. It is a "reference" guide for ever, five star rating may not enough, an award should be given. I felt like reading a novel. I am planning to have a road trip from Chennai, I bought a Duster for that purpose, though it is not a 4WD. I had travelled nearly 30+ states in USA by car, to name a few, Canyon, Yellowstone, Rocky-mountains, Keywest, usual Niagara-NYC and Washington-dc, yet to do such things in my own country. Before going through your guide, I had a vague idea about Ladakh, now I can visualize the geography of the place.

Please could you tell me how long it took for your trip?

Thank you,
Mani

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by ssmani

Dear Tanveer,

One of the best travelog I had ever come across. It is a "reference" guide for ever, five star rating may not enough, an award should be given. I felt like reading a novel. I am planning to have a road trip from Chennai, I bought a Duster for that purpose, though it is not a 4WD. I had travelled nearly 30+ states in USA by car, to name a few, Canyon, Yellowstone, Rocky-mountains, Keywest, usual Niagara-NYC and Washington-dc, yet to do such things in my own country. Before going through your guide, I had a vague idea about Ladakh, now I can visualize the geography of the place.

Please could you tell me how long it took for your trip?

Thank you,
Mani

Hi Mani
I have been to ladakh 3 times, and this guide has all the information I could gleam from my trips.
glad you liked it

[sharninder]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

After crossing these you reach Pang, a traditional lunch stop. Some very adventurous people stay the night here, but at 4500mts, its not a comfortable place

Excellent guide Tanvir, as usual.

The above line cracked me up, considering I've done this route twice on my motorcycle and stayed at Pang both the times, I still wouldn't suggest anyone to do what we did.

Keylong-Sarchu or Manali-Jispa are much better for pitstops.

Staying a night at Pang is truly humbling and you realise that we humans are nothing but puppets in front of nature.

We were lucky to have the luxury of Army accommodation but some even more brave souls stay in those tents along the road. I bow to those adventurers.

Unloading and loading our bikes, walking 20-30 mtr with the luggage was such a pain at that altitude that I'd rather not go through it again. Trust me, walking alone felt as if I'd come back from running a marathon. One of us suffered from AMS and thankfully the Army transit camp had medical aid otherwise it could have been really bad.

That said, it was an unforgettable experience I doubt I'll change anything about our trip if I have to do it again

[Nisarg80]

Hi Tanveer,

This is the most comprehensive and interesting posts / guide I have ever read for Leh - Ladakh.

Thank you for all the information. I am going to recommend this post to all who I come across that fancy going to Leh-Ladakh by road.

I have a small question, and it would be great if you could help.

Is it necessary to have All-Terrain / Off - Road shoes on your vehicle, I am asking this because I have a Skoda Yeti 4 x 4 and I am sure you are already aware about the tire size issue with the Yeti in India.

It has 215/60 R16 and we do not have any SUV tires in this size, I can only get some good car tires, the stock tires are pathetic that would definitely need replacement before attempting this route.

Regards,
Nisarg

[mobix]

Very well written indeed and an 'absolute must-have' for folks planning trip to Leh-Ladakh

Originally Posted by manolin

.....Infact just compile it at and release it in the android and Iphone bookstore as a free 10 page pdf. People will be grateful, and pdf/word makes it handy for people to check on their phones when they are making the trip.

I agree with manolin, you should publish a short version for mobile/handheld devices, it would really help a lot.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Nisarg80

Is it necessary to have All-Terrain / Off - Road shoes on your vehicle, I am asking this because I have a Skoda Yeti 4 x 4 and I am sure you are already aware about the tire size issue with the Yeti in India.

It has 215/60 R16 and we do not have any SUV tires in this size, I can only get some good car tires, the stock tires are pathetic that would definitely need replacement before attempting this route.

For Yeti 4wd, Ground clearance will be more important than traction for such terrain, the stock tires will be more than capable for this kind of terrain.

Finding good A/T tires for Yeti will be a difficult task, the stock tires have weak sidewalls.

If you are really concerned about tires, try to carry one extra spare tire. It can be mounted on some old second hand rim.

BTW, which all areas do you plan to cover? My Laura did most of the regular Ladakh circuit without any issues on Yokohama A Drive tires.

[contactme27]

Too good article. I have been planning for this trip for last 10 years. I am hoping to do this year. Thank you very much for putting the information at one place.

Couple of questions : I do not see any one pickup Toyota fortuner for this trip ? Do you oversee any problem pickup up this huge hulk on these roads ? Handling fortuner will be a issue in these small width roads ?

[Nonstop-driver]

About this Zozi La gate stuff, someone said that it is closed on Mondays. Is this true?

[Jignesh]

Hello Tanveer,

Thank you very much. Rated 5 stars, the minimum that I could do to appreciate your efforts in putting this guide up here.

As someone earlier mentioned, it is high time to write a Ultimate Guide Book to Leh / Ladakh by Tanveer Singh.

I am part of a fairly large group of people planning to go to Leh / Ladakh this year in August / September & this thread will defenitely prove to be great source of information.

I can only imagive the time & efforts you would have put-in to gather & organize the detailed information & absolutely stunning pictures in this thread.

Thanks,

[Spark]

Hi Tanveer,
sheer work of brilliance!!

Shall be using this guide whenever I plan for the route - No doubt.
Have a rather uncommon query for you - In Things to Carry - you suggested to fill up from tap water than to buy packet water - is there any specific reason for that?

Also can you cover if there are any special rules/precautions/tips for driving in mountain region?

Thanks in Advance.
Regards

[Bapu]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Organization of the guide

1. Introduction
   
2. FAQ (Constantly updating)

Tanveer,

Fantastic guide to Ladakh !! Covers almost all the aspects required for the trip. Have already shared with quite a few people who will be going this year.

And as someone rightly requested, do share a PDF.

Rated it a very well deserved 5 Stars.