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Originally Posted by jacs Based on all the inputs gathered, my team met yesterday and decided on the date of travel based on everyone's convenience. It will be 30th June 2017 as official start from Kochi, Kerala targeting to cross Jammu by 3rd July 2017.
We are 12 guys on 5 SUVs and hence one anxiety is on accommodation since its would be peak season by then. Is it advisable to pre-book accommodation? I always thought its difficult to predict the destination of stay on each nights once we enter Himalayas.
Our wish-list in terms of stay are as below. We are not very particular about a star rated hotel, home-stays if they could accommodate us in near proximity with safe parking is really what we look forward. Please guide.
Srinagar/Sonmarg (1 night)
Lamayuru (1 night)
Leh (1 day & night) + (1 night buffer)
Turtuk (1 night)
Nubra Valley (1 night)
Pangong Tso (1 night)
Tso Moriri (1 night)
Sarchu (1 night)
Manali (1 night)
Also is it possible to camp ourselves in areas like Nubra, Pangong etc if we carry tent, sleeping bags and basic cooking utilities? |
Jacs, don't worry too much about prior booking through the J&K leg as it can can be tricky about the time you would get there. You are right about being unpredictable. Have apps of makemytrip and booking.com on your phones will help for all the hotels at the lower reaches but again remember the net is very slow around Sonmarg and Kargil. IMHO, you can get the list of hotels on the net beforehand and you can carry their phone numbers. There is definitely a danger of the hotels quoting higher as you will be calling them closer to your stay but I guess with your flexibility you will be able to get some deal. There is another thing you need to remember that you are going into the peak season and the areas you are travelling will have quite a crowd so at least in Leh it would be better to check the availability just to be sure. Your carrying the tents can really be handy and it could be the best backup in case everything fails.
Off your list
1. Try Sonmarg than Srinagar as the crowd would be lesser. Secondly, you will be closer to Leh which could also give you an alternative to stay at Kargil.
2. Stay at Kargil would give you more time to stop and enjoy the scenery around and take more photographs. Also, you could spend time at the Kargil Memorial which is a must on this route.
3. You could drive through Lamayuru after spending time at the Monastery if you are keen or drive straight to Leh. There are plenty of hotels but Lingtzi is a good suggestion as it is very close to the markets and eating centers so you could walk it up. The other option is Hotel Nalanda which has ample car parking but here again it would probably help to book before you hit the hotel.
4. Nubra Valley should be first on your list as you will Nubra/Hunder on your way to Turtuk. These places have various camping hotels and you could possibly pitch a tent adjacent to these places. There could be an issue of washrooms which you might have to request these places. Also, these places will go down to 10 degrees during late evenings and nights so take sufficient care if you like to pitch your own tents
5. Pangong also has camping hotels and you could your own tents
6. You can drive to Tso Moriri from Pangong but that will require you to travel through Hanle and two things you have to remember here. One, take a permit from the Magistrate for all of you and secondly you will have to stay at Hanle for a night. The other route will be to come back to Karu and then go to Tso Moriri which is long-about route. The best option to stay at Hanle is Padma guest house but they do not confirm the booking without payment so you will have to call them take their account number and transfer the amount. Then the second day you will drive to Tso moriri. At all these places you can use your tents extensively. So, worst come to worst, you could simply drive there and pitch your tents if you don't get accommodation.
7. From Tso Moriri you could travel to Manali via Sarchu. I'm unware of this route so you could take some tips there with the locals. Again at Sarchu, you could use the tents which you have or try the camps. Use makemytrip or booking.com for Manali and you will get good deals under the circumstances.
A note of caution is that between Nubra Valley and Pangong, the only petrol station is at Diskit and that has a varied timings. They are open after 8 am in the morning and close anytime in the evenings after 1700 hrs as the traffic reduces considerably and the lone operator goes home. Every car should have at least a 30-ltr can with diesel so that you have no concerns en-route. Again, from Tso Moriri to Manali there is only one petrol station at Tandi which is about 120 km to Manali.
If you are carrying your own tents to accommodate all of you then except at Leh you could use it at all other places you have mentioned above as most of these places boast of camping hotels rather than the regular ones for a fantastic experience so I guess it should be okay as long as you are up for surprises.