[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Zahoor23

Hi Tanveer/BHPians,
I am pretty sure there are many others in the same boat as mine. With the advent of local taxi mafia going to the extent of vandalizing even private cars(apart from self drive cars) is it really worth taking that extra risk and go ahead with the trip which i had planned in september first week or wait for a couple of weeks and then decide

Keep a low profile. That's all I can say. I feel that first they banned taxis, next came self drive cars, and now they will try and harass private cars too(Sikkim). But September being a low rush time should be okay.

[bullrun87]

Originally Posted by Rippon

Before the trip get your car serviced thoroughly. Your tires, brake discs, pads and car fluids should be in excellent condition - no compromises there. While leaving from Srinagar I had reduced my car tire pressure by few points from the recommended 33 psi because as you go further above sea level the air expands further. This along with brand new tires and nitrogen might have helped in giving me a puncture-less journey. 2 of our potato chips packets had exploded during Pangong and Khardungla trip, reiterating the effects of high air pressure. I got an average mileage of 11.5 km/litre which is very good for my car though I have a K&N air filter fitted.

Finally, yes a road journey to Leh is worth it, it is a journey of a life time so go for it.

Congratulations on completing a successful journey to ladakh, loved reading your account of the trip. You should post a proper travelogue of your trip, we would love to see your photographs .

Ladakh journey can be taxing for both man and machine and those underbody hits can be scary especially when driving in night time.

I am not sure though that reducing the tyre pressure is the wise thing to do. A pack of chips explodes because it was packed at lower altitude where pressure is HIGH and if you take it on a plane or ladakh where pressure is LOW a pressure difference is created causing the packet to rupture as it is not designed to withstand this difference. Your tyre on the other hand can comfortably handle this difference as it holds significantly higher pressure than those bags of chips.It wont rupture because of pressure difference unless you go way above the recommended pressure. Now consider that the manufacturer recommends you to keep pressure at 30 psi and you kept it at say 28 in the plains or lower altitudes and go on to ladakh. Now temperature is significantly lower in ladakh as compared to srinagar and as pressure is directly related to temperature your tyre pressure is now less than 28psi say 26 or 25psi. So you will end up running the car at much lower than the recommended pressure INCREASING the likelihood of punctures. I hope I made sense

[KEN-RAND]

Just got back from doing the whole Leh thing, fantastic trip, however from Goa (Panjim) it took 4 days driving to get to Srinager. it could have been done quicker but then you are driving for so long that you would be worn out before the fun part starts.
I went in my XUV AWD with a friend from Goa and we had a good time. We have both been wanting to do this trip for some time and we both found the time to do it and it's a place all drivers should go to once in there life.

Enjoy and beware the local taxi drivers they all have a death wish thinking
'I know this road I drive it every day" how many don't make to tomorrow I have no idea but a few have to end up going over the edge.

Ken

[heatednemz]

Hi, I am looking to make a trip for a long time now. Was supposed to go originally last year but work got in the way. Tried this year too in my terrano but kind find much company. I dont mind riding shotgun [I would love to drive too]. Im from mumbai. So get in touch with me if you please, If the dates work out I would love to go.

[shardil]

Hi.

Most amazing & fascinating post. Love reading your posts, always! However i have few questions and want your expert advice. I will deeply value your effort in removing my queries as result of which i can buy my new car with greater confidence & peace of mind - xuv w10 awd or Scorpio S10 4wd?

This time, I too want to undertake the journey TO LOCATIONS/ TRACKS/ ROUTES IN LEH/ LADAKH REGION FOLLOWING YOUR MAP AS IT IS (which you did in your safari). And just to give you more background - currently i own a Scorpio (CRDE model) & i too love driving in the mountains to locations where the roads may be badly broken with deep pot holes, deep pits, jutting stones, partially muddy tracks (result of road braking/ landslides/ partial made roads etc) but by no means into true/ hardcore off roading. Because of the GC i dont have to bother about the bottom scraping, so i drive through them freely now.

Hence i need your suggestions:

1. Due you think the new XUV500 w10 AWD will be able to successfully go to all the places/ tracks/ nallah crossings etc that you covered in the map with 4 people in it & without the risk of getting its underside damaged because of its low GC?

2. If XUV w10 AWD engine guard (put for tax saving purposes) is removed will it have sufficient GC for it to go through? Is it advisable/ to remove for this journey?

3. If the answer to both is negative then it leaves me with the new Scorpio S 10 4wd as my option. My biggest concern with Scorpio is the huge "body roll & sway" it had in Old model, making it extremely uncomfortable & tiring for long journeys. Has the new Scorpio S10 4wd very significantly reduced the fatigue & discomfort for long distance traveling?

4. Between the 2 which is the one you would suggest given my kind of driving expectations.

I will deeply appreciate your help on the matter to make up my decision

Thanks
Shardil

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Hanle,Loma,Nyoma enough

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by shardil

Hi.

Most amazing & fascinating post. Love reading your posts, always! However i have few questions and want your expert advice. I will deeply value your effort in removing my queries as result of which i can buy my new car with greater confidence & peace of mind - xuv w10 awd or Scorpio S10 4wd?l

I would recommend Scorpio 4WD. That said, if the tracks are in good condition, even XUV AWD should be able to do it. But why take the risk!

[Zahoor23]

Hello Tanveer/BHPians
I wanted to know if i should include these places is my Ladakh trip or i can give them a miss and spend time elsewhere. Parkachik, Panikhar, Rangdum, Pensi La.. I'll be covering the majority of Ladakh circuit. If i don't visit these places i can carry on with Sonmarg-Kargil-Leh and rest of the circuit. It would be really helpful if you can shed some light on the latest road condition on this stretch of the above mentioned places. I'll be going through Srinagar route and come back via Manali. Thank you!

[ToyotaFan]

Originally Posted by Zahoor23

Hello Tanveer/BHPians
I wanted to know if i should include these places is my Ladakh trip or i can give them a miss and spend time elsewhere. Parkachik, Panikhar, Rangdum, Pensi La.. I'll be covering the majority of Ladakh circuit. If i don't visit these places i can carry on with Sonmarg-Kargil-Leh and rest of the circuit. It would be really helpful if you can shed some light on the latest road condition on this stretch of the above mentioned places. I'll be going through Srinagar route and come back via Manali. Thank you!

I did the zanskar circuit in Last week of June this year. I had been to ladakh twice before but the beauty of this route is greater than anything else in ladakh. I would you drive this route positively. The road is bad with no obvious improvement from what tanveer mentioned. The road is full of tyre shredders with a couple of water crossings which become a cause of concern in the evening. The road is desolate with very less traffic and new glaciers at every turn. I did not go to padum only till the descent of penzi la to witness the drung drang due to paucity of time. I would recommend a high gc vehicle with extra spare tire for complete peace of mind. I stayed the night in Rangdum which is a beautiful valley with a 3 room JKTDC alpine hut along with a couple of other dhabas with a few rooms. The Rangdum monastery is also perched on top of a small hill offering great views. This road is an under rated jewel which should be savored. It's a 6 hour drive from Kargil - Rangdum and further 2.5 hr to penzi la top.

[mannubhai]

Guys,

Im driving up Leh in my XUV 500 starting 31st July. A friend in his ecosport joins in from Mumbai.

The current plan is

Blore-Mumbai-Behror-Udhampur-Sonamarg-Kargil-Leh .

We plan to leave on 31st at 3am from bangalore to Mumbai. Reach there in the evening. The first Query is, considering the Pune-Mumbai expressway landslides leading to its possible closure on these days, and huge traffic pile up thats expected, is there an alternate route to Mumbai or to even Behror that I can look at. Or is there another way out ?

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by mannubhai

Guys,

Im driving up Leh in my XUV 500 starting 31st July. A friend in his ecosport joins in from Mumbai.

The current plan is

Blore-Mumbai-Behror-Udhampur-Sonamarg-Kargil-Leh .

We plan to leave on 31st at 3am from bangalore to Mumbai. Reach there in the evening. The first Query is, considering the Pune-Mumbai expressway landslides leading to its possible closure on these days, and huge traffic pile up thats expected, is there an alternate route to Mumbai or to even Behror that I can look at. Or is there another way out ?

The expressway may only be diverted to the old highway for the ghat section so it should not be very bad, maybe add an hour or two to the travel time. That is, if you're able to cross pune on a Friday afternoon before 3pm, the weekend traffic may not have started by then.

If you're okay to skip the mumbai stopover then you can bypass it via Nashik and join near Valsad directly. You'll need to find a decent place to stay though. Pune-Nasik road will mostly be in decent condition but I'm not sure on the Nasik-Valsad stretch of about 100kms. This route may also save you from the monsoon wrath in Mumbai if you happen to be there at the wrong time.

Hope this helps.

[gragusha]

Just returned from Spiti and Ladakh. A quick introduction to a new restaurant outside Leh - just beyond Thiksey called Cafe Cloud. It has excellent food and beverages and all day dining from 6 am onwards. Great ambience - really liked the place.

The other place that continues to delight (I visited it after 5 years) is Bon Apetit on Changspa road.

[aviddenis]

Originally Posted by amolpol

The expressway may only be diverted to the old highway for the ghat section so it should not be very bad, maybe add an hour or two to the travel time. That is, if you're able to cross pune on a Friday afternoon before 3pm, the weekend traffic may not have started by then.

If you're okay to skip the mumbai stopover then you can bypass it via Nashik and join near Valsad directly. You'll need to find a decent place to stay though. Pune-Nasik road will mostly be in decent condition but I'm not sure on the Nasik-Valsad stretch of about 100kms. This route may also save you from the monsoon wrath in Mumbai if you happen to be there at the wrong time.

Hope this helps.

Hi, Pune - Nashik - Valsad is indeed a good option. However, the road from Nasik to Saputara is really really bad especially the last few KMs. Also, the traffic is not allowed to ply after 7 pm through the Vansda forest stretch. Decent stay options are Nasik and Saputara (Gujarat's only hill stattion).

[redracham]

(Posted this in Facebook HVK Forum & Indian Roadie)

Newbie Alert ! Yet another Ladakh wannabe...

But I am just trying to be sure. I value the suggestions from this group, and I trust them with my child. So...

Here is the plan, kindly request you to validate it. Basic Info/Constraints:
- Safari Storme 2WD.
- 2 families, 4 adults, 2 kids (3.5 yrs & 7yrs)
- Ladies and kids flying into Srinagar
- One of the kids and his mother flying back from Leh
- Flight tickets already booked
- Del-Srinagar on 25 Sep
- Leh-Del on 5 Oct
- Must reach Delhi by 8th mid night



Day 01 23-Sep Wed Delhi ?
Day 02 24-Sep Thu ? Srinagar
Day 03 25-Sep Fri Srinagar Sonmarg
Day 04 26-Sep Sat Sonmarg Kargil
Day 05 27-Sep Sun Kargil Penzi La
Day 06 28-Sep Mon Rangdum Kargil
Day 07 29-Sep Tue Kargil Leh
Day 08 30-Sep Wed Leh
Day 09 01-Oct Thu Leh Panamik
Day 10 02-Oct Fri Leh Pangong
Day 11 03-Oct Sat Pangong Leh
Day 12 04-Oct Sun Leh Hunder
Day 13 05-Oct Mon Leh Tso Moriri
Day 14 06-Oct Tue Tso Moriri Sarchu
Day 15 07-Oct Wed Sarchu Manali
Day 16 08-Oct Thu Manali Delhi

Products I am planning to buy from HVK Store, let me know if I am missing anything.

1. Ladakh 951
2. 1-year Club Membership
3. Tyre Inflator
4. Hydraulic Trolley Jack
5. Tubeless Tyre Puncture Repair Kit
6. Tow/ Recovery Rope - 5 Ton for SUVs
7. Firex - Fire Extinguisher

Q1 - With 4 adults, 2 kids and humongous amount of luggage, courtesy the ladies, is it recommended to take 2 cars because of the load? The other car is a Honda Mobilio petrol. Note, 2 adults and 2 kids joining at Srinagar and 1 adult and 1 child flying back from Leh on 5 Oct.

Q2 - Are there any updates on the road condition between Panikhar to Penzi La? Are they still tyre killers? If so, should I take an extra tyre?

Q3 - Between Turtuk and Panamik in Nubra, which one should I choose? We prefer scenic drives rather than monasteries or hot springs.

Q4 - Can Pangong Tso be done as a day trip from Leh or is it recommended that we halt for the night at Pangong, considering kids will become restless, get sick, etc? Same question for Tso Moriri.

Q4 - If we have a day to spare, could we opt for Chumathang or Mahe? If not, what could be our options for a short day trip?

Q5 - How much should we budget for accommodation in Leh per room per night, considering there are kids and family?

Q6 - Toilets for ladies between (a) Sonamarg & Kargil (b) Kargil & Rangdum (c) Kargil & Leh (d) Nubra routes (e) Leh & Pangong? I once saw a nice foldable cover for such necessities in HVK Store. Is it not available anymore?

Sorry for the long post with with questions probably asked umpteenth times. But guys help me out here...

[TheDesertRat]

Update from the region.

Leh was shutdown for a day on 22nd by the taxi union.

You can get your own vehicle but do so at your own risk. You will be threatened with dire consequences.

Most of the roads are in pretty bad state with no possible exits either from the Manali or Srinagar side. A novice driver is going to struggle getting to Leh from either Sonamarg or Manali.

We still do not have an exit route from Leh as of today.

[Renjith_Mani]

Hi
I am not sure if Tanveer mentioned the info I want anywhere else on this massive post. If yes my apologies.

Can you please tell me if there is any particular timings to pass Zoji La for vehicles passing from Dras side?