[gypsyFreak]

Originally Posted by Ajitsingh208

Hi guys,

I am planning to do Pune-Leh -Pune around mid August in my Safari. Is there anyone else from anywhere who has a plan of starting on similar dates?

I too have plans for ladakh in August. Will be travelling from Bangalore in my Scorpio 4wd.
Looking for companions from Bangalore or enroute.
I'll send you a personal mail to workout things.

[Renjith_Mani]

Hi
We are planning to drive to Ladakh in coming October. If all plans go well, we will be at Keylong by evening of 17th October. Could you please advice on below.

1. If we plan to drive direct to Pangong from Keylong (without going to Leh), can we find an accommodation near Martselang, Karu, Hemis, Chemrey area. HVK sir advised that we should not consider staying at Pangong as it is difficult to get the cars to start the next morning. Please advice if its the same story at these places also?
Or is it better to drive to Leh and stay there as Leh is only 35 Km from the junction at Karu?
2. How is the accommodation availability in general in and around Leh during this time?
3. We are planning to drive through Spiti valley. When does Kunzum La closes usually?
4. Given the extreme weather conditions in October, we plan to visit only one lake (Pangong) and one Valley. Which valley is the best to visit in October

Cheers
Renjith

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

1. If we plan to drive direct to Pangong from Keylong (without going to Leh), can we find an accommodation near Martselang, Karu, Hemis, Chemrey area. HVK sir advised that we should not consider staying at Pangong as it is difficult to get the cars to start the next morning. Please advice if its the same story at these places also?
Or is it better to drive to Leh and stay there as Leh is only 35 Km from the junction at Karu?

Diesel cars may have some problem but you can always warm up cars at night and cover front grill with tarp. Its mentioned in opening posts

2. How is the accommodation availability in general in and around Leh during this time?
3. We are planning to drive through Spiti valley. When does Kunzum La closes usually?
4. Given the extreme weather conditions in October, we plan to visit only one lake (Pangong) and one Valley. Which valley is the best to visit in October

Cheers
Renjith

You will get accomodation easily in Leh and even at Pangong lake. But Tso moriri may have some issues.

Since you want to visit only one lake and one valley I would recommend zanskar valley and Pangong lake.

[tsk1979]

Two wheelers banned from Rohtang
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...ml#post3748219

[Shabzhere]

Returned from Paradise on 7th of July. Here is a short jist of Present road conditions.

Srinagar--> Sonmarg--> Road Good
Zojila Pass--> 2 routes opened now. One is complete mud road and other one half tar and half stone. lot of potholes to bother But it is worth the climb.

Zojila-->Drass-> very bad road with potholes all over the place, due to rains we were not able to judge the depth of the potholes. You will get small strectch where you can speed above 20 kms/hr

Drass--> Kargil--> This road is awesome to ride/drive . Thanks to BRO.

Kargil to Leh--> First 15 kms for Kargil is kachha road but later on BRO have done a commendable job to make ride smooth and steady.

Changla Pass --> Was snowy at the top. Road is kaccha top half ascend and descend.

khardungla pass --> There were landslides, so faced delay. BRO also taking up widening work over khardungla.

Changla--> Pangong--> Nice Road condition.

Regards,
Shabarinath

[Renjith_Mani]

I have read through up to page 35 of this beauty of a thread and now suffering from a serious problem “information overflow disorder”. No matter what the weather conditions are, we will have to extend the Ladakh stay beyond the planned 2 days. Below is a tentative plan we hope to cover.

Day 22- 18 October, 2015 Sunday - Drive from Keylong to Pangong
Day 23 - 19 October, 2015 Monday Pangong to Leh
Day 24 - 20 October, 2015 Tuesday - Leh to Kargil and Kargil to Padum. Planning early morning start from Leh.
Day 25 - 21 October, 2015 Wednesday - Padum to Dras/Sonamarg

We would be driving a Mahindra Thar CRDE and a Bolero Stinger 4WD.

Our key queries are :-
1. How far should we go on our Pangong drive to enjoy the lake - Spagmik/ Man /Merak? We wish to drive only the distance worth driving.
2. Which is the ideal place to stay for the night near Pangong?
3. It looks like our return journey from Pangong to Leh is going to be on the same route as the onward journey. Is there any alternative routes worth taking or should we just stick to the same route?
4. Is our Day 24 plan impossible to achieve?
5. Which is the best route to take from Leh to Kargil (considering we have to reach Padum the same night)?
6. Can we be assured that absolutely no permits are required at Leh to cover the route above?
7. Our Onward trip to Leh is planned through Spiti Valley. Is it worth considering Dalhousie- Udaipur – Keylong route? What is the difficulty level on this route on a scale on 1 to 10?
8. The Spiti Valley route we wish to cover in 3 days. Shimla – Nako, Nako – Keylong and Keylong – Leh. Can we do the Dalhousie route within same duration?
9. Is there any roads connecting Padum to Killar? I guess no there isn’t but just being ambitious.
10. Can we cover Killar to Pathankot via Dalhousie in one day?
11. If we choose to continue with Spiti Valley for onward and choose Dalhousie route for return can we cover Keylong to Dalhousie in one day drive?

Kindly advice us please.

Cheers
Renjith

[shreyasmrao]

Gragusha, don't look for specific restaurants in these areas, you should eat wherever you feel hungry and find a place to eat. Monastery Cafe's and Army Cafe's have reasonable food. Carry your own ready to cook packets and give it to them, most of these shacks will cook them for you for a small fee.

The Taxi Unions are there only in specific places. I know Karu and I showed them my insurance papers and my driving licence. No RC. I have a leased car which is in my company's name and did not want hassles. The insurance cover note was addressed to me which is what I used. The people there are upset with the loss of revenue, but even if they do check, their knowledge levels are pretty low with respect to what all commercial deals are possible. I had written "build your story", I mean build a good convincing story, keep photos and have some nice photocopied documents that say whatever you want. If they are not within the legal system, there is no need that you need to be. But yellow boards... Check if you can pay them their margin if you want to retain your own vehicles. I would hate to move out of a packed and settled vehicle for no reason.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

I

Day 22- 18 October, 2015 Sunday - Drive from Keylong to Pangong
Day 23 - 19 October, 2015 Monday Pangong to Leh
Day 24 - 20 October, 2015 Tuesday - Leh to Kargil and Kargil to Padum. Planning early morning start from Leh.
Day 25 - 21 October, 2015 Wednesday - Padum to Dras/Sonamarg

We would be driving a Mahindra Thar CRDE and a Bolero Stinger 4WD.

Keylong to Pangong will be around 18-19 hours. If you want to drive to Pangong do it from Sarchu(15 hours)
Leh to Padum is again 18 hours minimum
Padum to Sonmarg is about 18 hours again

With your tight schedule, I would recommend skip Ladakh, go to spiti, see chandertaal(if its open)

That's it

Our key queries are :-

Renjith

Skip Sach pass(esp if weather starts turning)
Either skip spiti, or skip Ladakh, or if you really want to do both, skip Zanskar

Your plan is not doable. You are talking about continous 18 hour runs. No sleep plan at all?

[sudev]

More than 18 hours from Keylong this is too much change in altitude on a tiring day

[Renjith_Mani]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Keylong to Pangong will be around 18-19 hours. If you want to drive to Pangong do it from Sarchu(15 hours)
Leh to Padum is again 18 hours minimum
Padum to Sonmarg is about 18 hours again

With your tight schedule, I would recommend skip Ladakh, go to spiti, see chandertaal(if its open)

That's it

[b]
Skip Sach pass(esp if weather starts turning)
Either skip spiti, or skip Ladakh, or if you really want to do both, skip Zanskar

Your plan is not doable. You are talking about continous 18 hour runs. No sleep plan at all?

Thanks a million Tanveer.
I think for this trip we will just have to be content with Pangong and Nubra. This is part of an all India trip in 32 days. We have already made major adjustments to the initial plan thanks to advices from fellow BHPians. For this trip to happen, I think we will have to be realistic on all route plans. More than 12 to 14 hours of drive is impossible any day given we will be driving all 32 days.

What do you think of the below?

Day X1 Keylong to Leh
Day X2 Pangong and back to Leh
Day X3 Nubra Valley and proceed to Kargil
Day X4 Kargil to Srinagar

This was somewhat our original plan!!!

Cheers
Renjith

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

Day X1 Keylong to Leh
Day X2 Pangong and back to Leh
Day X3 Nubra Valley and proceed to Kargil
Day X4 Kargil to Srinagar

This was somewhat our original plan!!!

Cheers
Renjith

Where are you starting from to reach Keylong. If its Losar/Kaza or Manali, you can head to Sarchu
So you can do
Sarchu - Pangong : 10 -11 hours
Pangong - Nubra via Agham shyok or Wari La 7 hours or 11 hours
Nubra - Lamayuru - 8-9 hours
Lamayuru - Sonmarg/Srinagar - 12 hours approx or less

This is definitely doable.
Leh-nubra-kargil is impossible

If you do not get accomodation at Pangong, you can do a night stay at Tangste(1 hour before Pangong)
But I think you will get places to stay at Spangmik, and even make a day trip to Merak village(last point you can go to)

[Renjith_Mani]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Where are you starting from to reach Keylong.

Unfortunately we are starting from Nako to reach Keylong. The previous days are-
Delhi-Shimla/Rampur,
Shimla/Rampur-Nako,
Nako- Keylong.

If we drive from Nako could we reach beyond Keylong on the same day?

My colleagues are real adrenalin junkies and they are still keen on Sach Pass. I have seen few videos and pictures of the pass and it doesn't look like a great idea. But in a team everybody's opinion should be given a thought before accepting or rejecting it - right?

Can I keep below as an "if weather permits" plan

Day X1 Keylong to Leh
Day X2 Leh to Leh to Pangong and Pangong to Hemis/Upshi/Miru
Day X3 Hemis/Upshi/Miru to Killar
Day X4 Killar to Chamba via Sach Pass
Day X5 Chamba to Pathankhot

In this case I will keep the option you have suggested (Sarchu - Pangong Nubra - Lamayuru - Sonmarg/Srinagar) as plan A, and this as plan B.

Tanveer, this discussion with you is adding real value to the plan.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

Unfortunately we are starting from Nako to reach Keylong. The previous days are-
Delhi-Shimla/Rampur,
Shimla/Rampur-Nako,
Nako- Keylong.

If we drive from Nako could we reach beyond Keylong on the same day?

My colleagues are real adrenalin junkies and they are still keen on Sach Pass. I have seen few videos and pictures of the pass and it doesn't look like a great idea. But in a team everybody's opinion should be given a thought before accepting or rejecting it - right?

Can I keep below as an "if weather permits" plan

Day X1 Keylong to Leh
Day X2 Leh to Leh to Pangong and Pangong to Hemis/Upshi/Miru
Day X3 Hemis/Upshi/Miru to Killar
Day X4 Killar to Chamba via Sach Pass
Day X5 Chamba to Pathankhot

In this case I will keep the option you have suggested (Sarchu - Pangong Nubra - Lamayuru - Sonmarg/Srinagar) as plan A, and this as plan B.

Tanveer, this discussion with you is adding real value to the plan.

Okay, whats the point of Rampur/Nako etc., circuit. The road is bad, so Rampur to Nako will be 12-13 hours, then you drive 15 hours to keylong and then 18 hours to pangong.
Unless you have a bed in your car where one person sleeps and other drives, there is no point.

If you follow this plan, here is what I predict will happen.
You will reach leh, spend one night there and then head back.

As for Sach Pass, it may even be closed. If you still want to do it, then forget Shimla circuit. Go towards killar. If its closed, you head on the Mughal road towards Leh via Srinagar route.

The fastest plan I can give you is this
1. Delhi - Chamba/killer area - Ask for Sach pass
2. If its open head to Keylong
3. Keylong - Leh
4 - Leh nubra
5 Nubra Pangong
6 Pangong - Lamayuru(or even kargil)
7 Srinagar

Plan B sach pass is closed
2. Chamba area - Srinagar via Mughal road
3. Srinagar - Leh
4. Leh - Nubra
5. Nubra - Pangong
6. Pangong - Pang
7. Pang - Manali

These are the fastest options if you want to do Sach Pass. There is no other way


Regarding Adrenanin junkie stuff trust me, Agham Shyok road will give you enough thrills. Ditto for Wari La esp if it has snow. Then its only 4WD passable, and even that with great difficulty. Agham shyok has ample rocky river crossings and is a 5 hours shortcut from nubra to Pangong.

[Renjith_Mani]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

The fastest plan I can give you is this
1. Delhi - Chamba/killer area - Ask for Sach pass
2. If its open head to Keylong
3. Keylong - Leh
4 - Leh nubra
5 Nubra Pangong
6 Pangong - Lamayuru(or even kargil)
7 Srinagar

Plan B sach pass is closed
2. Chamba area - Srinagar via Mughal road
3. Srinagar - Leh
4. Leh - Nubra
5. Nubra - Pangong
6. Pangong - Pang
7. Pang - Manali

These are the fastest options if you want to do Sach Pass. There is no other way

I think we finally have a plan. We will stick to the above two options. Both these plans are making sense
The only reason we chose Rampur-Kaza route was that both our cars (Thar and Bolero) are diesel and diesel cars are now not allowed through Rohthang. So we chose the obvious alternative, the Spiti Valley.

Since we cannot do Pang-Manali (with our diesel cars) on second option we may have to go back through Srinagar right?

As of now our scheduled arrival date to Leh is 20th October, if we pre-pone the arrival by 10 days will it make a lot of difference in weather conditions?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

I think we finally have a plan. We will stick to the above two options. Both these plans are making sense
The only reason we chose Rampur-Kaza route was that both our cars (Thar and Bolero) are diesel and diesel cars are now not allowed through Rohthang. So we chose the obvious alternative, the Spiti Valley.

Since we cannot do Pang-Manali (with our diesel cars) on second option we may have to go back through Srinagar right?

As of now our scheduled arrival date to Leh is 20th October, if we pre-pone the arrival by 10 days will it make a lot of difference in weather conditions?

The problem is for vehicles going towards Leh from Manali side. While coming back, as long as you have pollution certificate, there is no issues.
The orders are very specific to vehicles climbing towards Rohtang for Manali. Locals regularly do it from the other side.
So you do not have to come back via Srinagar. You can come back via Manali

Moreover in October, even the checkposts vanish.
The problem is 4000 vehicles at Rohtang, when NGT wants 1000.
In October, you won't even find 100 vehicles.

June July August are the trouble months.
So do not worry about coming back via Manali

That said, carry snow chains. If Agham Shyok is blocked due to landslide after snow/rain, it means Wari La would have 6-10 inches of snow. If you have chains, you can easily do Wari La. Otherwise, even with 4x4 it may be tough