[mpksuhas]

Does any one have information on one way taxi rate between Srinagar and Leh with a stopover at Kargil for night.
Thanks

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Does any one have information on one way taxi rate between Srinagar and Leh with a stopover at Kargil for night.
Thanks

Don't know from Srinagar->Leh, but the other way rates from Leh->Srinagar are on http://leh.gov.in/pages/Taxi-list.pdf .

[bullrun87]

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/him...pt/112034.html

Lahaul in HP to be connected directly to Zanskar and Kargil bypassing Leh. Road could be operational for 4WD vehicles this september and all vehicles by next year. The road when completed will make it possible to travel to zanskar from manali in one day.
Who wants to travel on a new road? .

"For the first time, the state will be connected with the picturesque Zanskar valley in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir by road in September this year.
The road will be connected through Darcha in Lahaul valley. With the completion of this road, it would not only lessen the distance, but also reduce time for the Army to take its supplies to the bordering Kargil district.
Presently, the Army has to take its supplies to Kargil via Sarchu-Leh road. With completion of the road, the distance would be reduced by nearly 100 km.
Sources said the road could be opened for all vehicles by next year."

[mannubhai]

Is there any updates on the private vehicle ban to Leh ? Has the situation improved ?

[TheDesertRat]

Just got back from the 15 day trip to Leh via Srinagar. A detailed travelogue will be published shortly. Here are the updates that could benefit travelers:

1. Delhi to Pathankot - excellent roads with a few bad patches around Ludhiana and Jalandhar. Expect traffic around Ludhiana.

2. Pathankot to Patnitop - excellent roads with a few bad patches after Jammu bye-pass. Lots of traffic (trucks)

3. Patnitop to Srinagar - good roads with bad patches

4. Srinagar to Sonamarg - This used to be good but is now pretty bad.

5. Sonamarg to Zojila - Good roads

6. Zojila - There are two routes to cross Zojila. While coming from Sonamarg, keep following the track. At one point, you will notice one track going upwards and another continuing straight. Take the straight track.

7. Zojila to Kargil - Really bad roads with a few good patches.

8. Kargil to Leh - A runway!

9. Leh to Nubra - Good roads. The ascent to Khardung la is really bad. There are/were at least 5-6 tricky patches. DO NOT attempt this if you are a first timer on a low slung car. The descent is ok.

10. Leh to Pangong - Good roads. Chang la is doable with a couple of tricky patches.

11. Taxi Union Update - Private vehicles are plying on the roads. There is and will be a bit of uneasiness as you will hear stories/rumors/threats. Ignore them and stay calm and nice to the taxi guys. If stopped, offer them a smile and some cash. You can take a self drive rental or a taxi from outside Leh till your hotel/accommodation in Leh.

12. Leh Manali - I cannot give a first hand account of the road conditions on this route but none of the people/experts/taxi drivers/guides advised me to even attempt this route on my car at this time of the year.

13. Last but not least, if you want to test your mental and physical strength, go get leh'd!

Cheers,
Saurabh

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by TheDesertRat

11. Taxi Union Update - Private vehicles are plying on the roads. There is and will be a bit of uneasiness as you will hear stories/rumors/threats. Ignore them and stay calm and nice to the taxi guys. If stopped, offer them a smile and some cash. You can take a self drive rental or a taxi from outside Leh till your hotel/accommodation in Leh.

Can you elaborate on this? Are they soliciting cash? If so, it seems its a "Hafta" racket starting up

[TheDesertRat]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Can you elaborate on this? Are they soliciting cash? If so, it seems its a "Hafta" racket starting up

Hello Tanveer,

First of all, I cannot thank you enough for all the guidance and help you provided that made this trip possible.

This did not happen with me but I witnessed this myself. While doing our circuit from Leh to Pangong, all the vehicles were being stopped by 4-5 guys at Karu. We were in a local taxi and stopped promptly. I then saw a few private registered vehicles whiz past that gave me hope that they are allowed. Then came a group of bikers and cars with a few rented bikes (non Ladakh). They were stopped and an argument broke out ("Tumko bhi todenge aur tumhari bikes bhi todenge") which was ended by offer of cash.

At the end, I think it was always about money. The taxi union were obscuring this fact behind other issues:
1. Our livelihood being impacted because of Zoom Car
2. Non Ladakhi people causing a nuisance in the "quiet" and "peaceful" region
3. People off-roading where they are not supposed to.
4. People driving dangerously
5. Ladakh and its ecological system not ready for the sudden influx of tourists.

The above points were mentioned by an influential person within the taxi union I spoke to (He is the owner of one of the bigger fleet of taxis).

[lucifer1881]

Originally Posted by TheDesertRat

We were in a local taxi and stopped promptly...

So basically, you do not know the extent to which private cars are being stopped or otherwise.

[TheDesertRat]

Originally Posted by lucifer1881

So basically, you do not know the extent to which private cars are being stopped or otherwise.

I took my own car till Leh. The day we arrived in Leh, a "chukka jam" was called upon by the taxi union for this very issue.

Since I was traveling with my wife, sense prevailed and I decided not to take my car out for local circuits. I did see a few private cars plying in and around the local circuit destinations. However, 90% of the people were traveling with local taxis.

[TheDesertRat]

A few more points worth mentioning:

1. This is an expensive trip if you decide to fly/drive to Leh. For a 15 day trip from Delhi and back, you are looking at upwards of Rs.1,00,000 for a couple.

2. The taxi fares for Leh --> Pangong and Leh --> Nubra average at Rs.9500 for a Scorpio.

3. You and all others traveling with you will need a lot of mental and physical strength to complete the trip. Don't be fooled in believing that this is going to be another jolly road trip.

4. Females will find it tougher as not a lot of places offer hygienic washrooms. You will be hard pressed to even find one at a few stretches.

5. Avoid the month of July! Amarnath Yatra traffic coupled with relentless rains will make the journey extremely taxing. I learnt it the hard way.

6. Keep at least a couple of days of buffer while preparing your travel plans.

7. Travel with appropriate quantity of food and water. I saw water being sold at Rs.400 while we were stuck in a jam. Tea costed Rs.50.

8. Travel with an electronic kettle or a stove of some kind. Biscuits and Kurkure can only go so far.

9. Be "extra" polite to the taxi and truck drivers and they will give you way. A little "sir ji" got me out of a few tricky places.

10. If you want to shop for local souvenirs, do it from the monastery/army shops. This will ensure genuine pricing and no haggling.

[sami316]

TheDesertRat: Thanks for the updates. There was a lot of confusion these past few days regarding private cars plying in Ladakh region.

Had a couple of queries to you all. We are 6 guys planning to go in a Xylo E8 travelling from Bangalore to Ladakh. We got around 22 days in hand.

1. 6 guys in a Xylo, is it feasible. The guys know that its not a luxury cruise and ready to bear the brunt. We are carrying minimal luggage and have a roof rack on the car. Have done trips to Goa, Ooty, Kerala, Hyderabad etc with 7 guys without any issues or discomfort.

2. We are planning to leave on 22nd August and be back by 12th Sept. Need some help in planning the route from Bangalore to Srinagar side and then will be getting down from Manali-Dehradun-Delhi-Ajmer-Mumbai and back to Bangalore.

Please share your inputs accordingly. Thanks again.

[hridayjyoti]

Amidst of all unfortunate events taking place in Ladakh, I have decided go along with my dream drive. Lots of mixed experiences have been reported, I am not quite sure what to believe! As of now I am little flexible with my plan, in case locals don’t allow private vehicle to go to sightseeing places, I will have Spiti valley at disposal. No exotic route plan, we will just follow the most common itinerary:
29-Aug-15 Gurgaon- Patni top/Udhampur
30-Aug-15 Patni top/Udhampur-Srinagar
31-Aug-15 Srinagar- Kargil
1-Sep-15 Kargil-Leh
2-Sep-15 Rest in Leh, local sightseeing
3-Sep-15 Leh-Nubra Valley
4-Sep-15 Nubra Valley-Leh
5-Sep-15 Leh-Pangong Tso
6-Sep-15 Pangong Tso-Leh
7-Sep-15 Leh-Tso Moriri
8-Sep-15 Stay in Tso-moriri, Rest
9-Sep-15 Tso Moriri-Sarchu
10-Sep-15 Sarchu-Manali
11-Sep-15 Manali-Gurgaon
12-Sep-15 Reserve day
Couple of concerns which required your inputs:
1. Reaching Patnitop on day 1. Problem is we won’t be able to start before 6am as my friends will be reaching late night on the day before. Say, if we start at 6am when can we expect to reach Patnitop considering maximum speed of 100km/hr?
2. I will be taking my Safari 4x2, I would love to save a day by doing Nubra-Pangong direct. Has anyone driven on that road recently? How is road like?
Regarding other queries and preparation, Tanveer, this thread of your’s is a bible. Thanks a million!

[TheDesertRat]

Originally Posted by hridayjyoti

1. Reaching Patnitop on day 1. Problem is we won’t be able to start before 6am as my friends will be reaching late night on the day before. Say, if we start at 6am when can we expect to reach Patnitop considering maximum speed of 100km/hr?

You can reach Patnitop on day 1 but it will be quite late at night. If you start at 6 in the morning, expect traffic while:
1. Crossing Delhi
2. Crossing Ludhiana

Originally Posted by hridayjyoti

2. I will be taking my Safari 4x2, I would love to save a day by doing Nubra-Pangong direct. Has anyone driven on that road recently? How is road like?
Regarding other queries and preparation, Tanveer, this thread of your’s is a bible. Thanks a million!

The last update I had was on 24/07/2015 was that a bridge was broken at Sarchu. Hence, the route was closed. It might have been repaired but expect a bumpy ride. The region has experienced unprecedented rainfalls and landslides this year.

[goswami.j]

Originally Posted by TheDesertRat

11. Taxi Union Update - Private vehicles are plying on the roads. There is and will be a bit of uneasiness as you will hear stories/rumors/threats. Ignore them and stay calm and nice to the taxi guys. If stopped, offer them a smile and some cash. You can take a self drive rental or a taxi from outside Leh till your hotel/accommodation in Leh.

Each man to his own ! I would never offer cash to these goons !
The Leh boycott remains & crossed out from the destinations I will visit in the near future/advise my friends and spend money on.

[hridayjyoti]

Originally Posted by TheDesertRat

The last update I had was on 24/07/2015 was that a bridge was broken at Sarchu. Hence, the route was closed. It might have been repaired but expect a bumpy ride. The region has experienced unprecedented rainfalls and landslides this year.

Thanks for your reply. However I was asking about the direct route from Nubra to Pangong, i.e. Diskit-Wari la-Shakti – Chang La – Durbuk – Tanksey – Lukung – Pangong Tso. Has anyone traveled that route recently?