[avimal]

Yes. No prepaid from other state will work there. You should either take BSNL postpaid there or buy BSNL prepaid SIM there.

[pcpranav]

In entire J&K state, no pre-paid SIM from other state will work. So only carry your post-paid.



Within the Ladakh region, best coverage will be BSNL (or MTNL SIM on Roaming mode), and other good will be Airtel, however many interior sites would have no network, so be prepared accordingly. By coverage I mean Voice services as its most important, and Data services would be available within prominent places only, and that too not guaranteed.

[guptavis]

Hi all,

I am planning to go to ladakh via manali-leh starting from chandigarh on 28 July in my Alto Lx 2007 which has done 78K Kms.
First thing is, will an 11 year old petrol car be given permit to cross rohtang towards leh? I read somewhere that permits are not being issued to cars older than 10 years.
I have driven the same car to kinnaur in Mar 2014 ( sangla, reckong peo, kalpa) and spiti in Nov 2015 (Nako, Kaza).
What i am worried about is the stream/nalla crossings on the way.
Have read travelouges of people having done it in an Alto K10
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-alto-k10.html
and M800
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...uti-800-a.html

The tyres are worn out Apollo Amazer 3G in stock size 145/80/R12 on stock rims.
DO i replace tyres of same size? Any recommendation for sturdy ones?
Is it better to upsize to gain some ground clearance. 155/70R13 (GC increase of 5mm) with new rims or any other size.

[srikanthpotluri]

Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri

Dear All,

Change of plans, we both are driving down to Ladakh from Bangalore in a Ritz, a third friend could join us from Srinagar upto Hanle.

Here is the listed itinerary after going through this log in detail -

Dates Day # Departure Arrival Kms Apprx. Time
Jun-30 Day 1 Bengaluru Mumbai 995 16 hrs
Jul-01 Day 2 Mumbai Udaipur 753 13 hrs
Jul-02 Day 3 Udaipur Amritsar 985 16 hrs
Jul-03 Day 4 Amritsar Srinagar 436 12 hrs
Jul-04 Day 5 Srinagar Kargil 202 6 hrs
Jul-05 Day 6 Kargil Leh 220 5 hrs
Jul-06 Day 7 Leh Leh 0
Jul-07 Day 8 Leh- Hunder-Turtuk 200 8 hrs
Jul-08 Day 9 Turtuk Spangmik 251 7 hrs
Jul-09 Day 10 Spangmik-Hanle 210 7 hrs
Jul-10 Day 11 Hanle TsoMoriri 200 6 hrs
Jul-11 Day 12 Tso Moriri Sarchu 230 8 hrs
Jul-12 Day 13 Sarchu Manila 230 6 hrs
Jul-13 Day 14 Manali Delhi 550 12 hrs
Jul-14 Day 15 Delhi Nagpur 1060 17 hrs
Jul-15 Day 16 Nagpur Bangalore 1089 17 hrs
Jul-16 Day 17 Buffer Buffer

Few questions -

1. Is Day 10 & Day 11 - trip doable in Ritz given Chushul and Shyok river routes?

2. I saw in the first page of this great guide - that no need of permits for most places basis new rule, however i also see alot of people posting a day for permits? Completely confused, are the permits needed? If yes - can we get them all done in Leh?

3. Please do confirm if i need to make any changes in the plan as i need to complete the accommodation bookings given peak season and all, planning to book from Srinagar till Tso Moriri, rest we will check and get in as we go., hope this is fine? (of course now searching the logs for options to stay as well).

4. Any other risks or news I need to know of? Like bandh's/strikes etc?

Regards
Sri

Dear All,

Thank you for all the guidance and support, completed the trip as per plan., couldn't make it to Turtuk and TsoMoriri - one due to timings, the other due to health concerns. Overall had a great experience.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri

Dear All,

Thank you for all the guidance and support, completed the trip as per plan., couldn't make it to Turtuk and TsoMoriri - one due to timings, the other due to health concerns. Overall had a great experience.

How was the Delhi-Nagpur-Bangalore stretch? Was okay driving so much in a day?

[srikanthpotluri]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

How was the Delhi-Nagpur-Bangalore stretch? Was okay driving so much in a day?

We did this over 2 days, Delhi-Agra was excellent, post which took a while to reach Sagar, post Sagar roads improved until Seoni, once you enter Andhra, its a different game upto Bangalore.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri

We did this over 2 days, Delhi-Agra was excellent, post which took a while to reach Sagar, post Sagar roads improved until Seoni, once you enter Andhra, its a different game upto Bangalore.

Yes, i meant over 2 days ofcourse. So it does look doable. Since you did it

[saurabh89]

Originally Posted by saurabh89

Dear All,

I am planning for my first long tour on my bullet for Ladakh this June.

Reading through multiple forums, I have come up with following itinerary. Need suggestions on few questions mentioned after the plan:

19 June: Delhi to Pathankot/Patnitop
20 June: Pathankot to Sonmarg
21 June: Sonmarg to Leh via Kargil
22 June: Rest day/Permit
23 June: Rest day/Permit
24 June: Leh to nubra valley (Hunder), still contemplating on turtok
25 June: Hunder to Pangong Tso (stay in camps near the lake, hill or Merak?)
26 June: Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri
27 June: Tso Moriri to Key-long
28 June: Keylong to Manali
29 June: Manali to Chandigarh
30 June: Chandigarh to Delhi

Few questions:

1) Is this itinerary too stretched, since I need to be back by 30th June, should I skip something?
2) Since I will be riding with a pillion, would fitting up a Ladakh carrier create discomfort for the pillion?
3) What all details are required for the permit?
4) I read that camps are not put near Pangong Tso lake, any contacts for camps would help

Thanks!
Saurabh Sathe

Completed the circuit successfully last month. All the places covered. Have shared the details in a post in travelouge section.

Cheers!

[mani_jeenu]

Can anybody confirm the current situation about the taxi mafia in Leh?

Are they still stopping cars/bikes at self made check-posts to check your documents?

[SJM1214]

Originally Posted by SJM1214

That will be tricky.
I noticed that locals(At Shakti, Tangste and Hunder villages) check the document of private car and also check if the owner is present in the car or not. I don't know if they allow a third party's car with NOC.

Originally Posted by mani_jeenu

Are they still stopping cars/bikes at self made check-posts to check your documents?

Yes, they do. Not only Taxi unions but local traffic cops also check the documents of private cars.

[Krishroy]

Originally Posted by mani_jeenu

Can anybody confirm the current situation about the taxi mafia in Leh?

Are they still stopping cars/bikes at self made check-posts to check your documents?

Yes, they stopped us while travelling from Leh to Nubra last month. However, I was driving my own car, hence they allowed us

[dsnaveen21]

Day1:- MUMBAI to Leh stay@LEH
Day2:- Monasteries and Palaces (Thiskey Gompa,Shey Palace,Hemis) LEH Stay@LEH
Day3:- Leh to Nubra Via Khardungla Pass stay@Hunder.
Day4:- Hunder to Pangong Lake Stay@Pangong
Day5:- Pangong to LEH Stay@LEH
Day6:- LEH to Tso moriri via Chumathang stay@Korzok
Day7:- Korzok to LEH Stay@LEH
Day8:- LEH to Kargil (visiting Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, Magnetic Hill, Sangam) stay@Kargil
Day9:- Kargil via SRINAGAR stay@SRINAGAR
Day10:-SRINAGAR to MUMBAI

Completed the trip as per above plan, stayed at the below hotels, hired a Innova.

Taka Residency, Leh -- Preferred
Goba Guest House, Hunder -- Preferred
Auspicous Camp, Spangmik -- Preferred
Barath Hotel n Guest House, Leh -- Preferred
Dolphin Guest House, Korzak -- Preferred
Niri-la Ladakh Guest House, Leh -- Avoid
Hotel Siachen, Kargil -- Preferred
Taj Residency, Srinigar -- Avoid

Thank you for all the guidance and support. Overall had a great experience

[SJM1214]

Starting 2018-19 season, now tourists travelling to Rohtang Pass can apply for Rohtang Pass permit and Beyond Rohtang Pass permit using the newly launched mobile apps by Kullu administration. The Rohtang Pass Permit mobile app is available on both Android Play Store as well as iOS App Store.





Source & Full details:
https://devilonwheels.com/rohtang-pa...dates-2018-19/

[SJM1214]

Leh administration asked to remove all structures around Pangong Lake.

The High Court has directed the Leh district administration to remove all structures around the Pangong Lake.
A bench of Justice Tashi Rabstan also directed the administration to take up the issue of shifting of the structures erected by army around the lake to any other area.

“Not only this, a scheme/policy is also important to be formulated by the state government, if not already formulated, for preservation and conservation of Pangong Lake,” the court said.

The court held the district administration should also endeavour to save, protect and preserve the flora and fauna in and around Lake.
“Insofar as bore wells and hand pumps are concerned, the administration shall seal all bore wells and hand pumps which are operating illegally, unauthorisedly and without permission from the authority,” it added.
Observing that the lakes are an important feature of earth’s landscape, the court said these water bodies are extremely valuable ecosystems and provide a range of goods and services to humankind.

Pointing out that Pangong Lake is one of the biggest tourist attractions of the country, the court said: “Pangong requires preservation and conservation from being contaminated and polluted under the guise of developmental works, construction and erection of structures around the lake”.
The court issued the directions after it was informed that several camps, restaurants and other structures have been set up illegally along the bank of Pangong Lake without any permission, generating all type of effluents and contaminants which pose serious threat to the very existence of the lake beside threatening the ecologically fragile region as also the wildlife.

News Source : https://m.greaterkashmir.com/news/ka...ke/294653.html

IMO, this is a good news. Locations/villages like Lukung, Spangmik and Man are like un-organised towns of tents and dhabas. They look like huge Refugee Camps. However, as per local sources, camps and dhabas with proper licence will keep functioning.

Travellers who are planning for a night stay at Pangong lake should go to Merak village which has three or four decent homestay options.

Spangmik Village, 16/05/2018.

[BunnyPunia]

This is true and happening. Only legal ones remain. So those planning please take extra precaution before booking. Our campsite, 1km from lukung, thankfully stays as its on the govt provided legal area (for campsite)