[DirtyDan]

You can go to Leh in a Maruti 800 or a Nano. That was never the question. The question is whether it's a good idea.

You can cross the Atlantic in a life boat, too.

The thing to realize is that it is not the same as jumping into your buggy and bopping down to the local convenience store for a bag of chips. To me its a question of acceptable risk and frankly I just wouldn't do it. Ground clearance is the main problem for a normal drive to Leh. Of course, the huge storm 2 years ago killed 500+ people around Leh and nothing much was moving including 4x4s for a few days. Be advised, Leh ain't Mumbai.

[AbhishekB86]

I would not put in a query if it was as easy as picking up a pack of chips now would I?

Thanks for sharing your opinion. I wanted the other side too. Opinions against doing this. However, there is risk in pretty much everything. Yes I realize ground clearance is an issue hence I am looking for opinions. Would I say its a good enough reason to call it off? Well maybe not because that is why I am looking for suggestions.

Daily driving is risky too. You never know when a drunk man runs into your vehicle.

However I appreciate the fact that you took the pain of writing. It helps.

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

You can go to Leh in a Maruti 800 or a Nano. That was never the question. The question is whether it's a good idea.

You can cross the Atlantic in a life boat, too.

The thing to realize is that it is not the same as jumping into your buggy and bopping down to the local convenience store for a bag of chips. To me its a question of acceptable risk and frankly I just wouldn't do it. Ground clearance is the main problem for a normal drive to Leh. Of course, the huge storm 2 years ago killed 500+ people around Leh and nothing much was moving including 4x4s for a few days. Be advised, Leh ain't Mumbai.

[valapad]

Dear Brothers,

I am planning a road trip to LEH via Manali startng 30th august,
A friend of mine told me that the cars registered outside Himachal, i.e. a car with Delhi registration number are not allowed to LEH and one has to take a taxi from Manali.
Is it true or a rumor ??
Is there any place from where I can info ??

Please reply

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by valapad

Dear Brothers,

I am planning a road trip to LEH via Manali startng 30th august,
A friend of mine told me that the cars registered outside Himachal, i.e. a car with Delhi registration number are not allowed to LEH and one has to take a taxi from Manali.
Is it true or a rumor ??
Is there any place from where I can info ??

Please reply

Taxis not belonging to Leh taxi union are not allowed to do local sight seeing in Leh area.
For private vehicles from outside HP, you need to take permit from SDM manali to cross rohtang pass. Permits are issues from 10am-5pm on all days (including sundays), but if I were you, try to aim for a working day.
you can also pay some hotel chap to get permit for you, so you do not waste a day in Manali.

[faustus77]

Abhishek
Hi.
I had not done anything to the underbody.
My car was under warranty and I did not want to jeopardise it.Neither did I want to add any weight.Just drove carefully.
If you are spending some time in Srinagar or Pathankot do meet the Chevy guys.
Very helpful.(In case you need names please PM)
Regards

[rahul_sinha]

Guys,
We are a group of three, all drivers , planned the following itinerary for Leh. Leh permits have already been arranged, and we have hired an Innova (black plated, yellow lettered).
Pls suggest whether the below mentioned plan looks feasible or not. I guess we will be required to show booking documents of car at most of the checkposts, but otherwise, taking a self-driven-rental car shouldnt be a show-stopper?

Date (Day)
10th Fri Thane to Kishangarh
11th Sat Kishangarh to Pathankot/Samba
12th Sun Samba to Kargil/Drass
13th Mon Kargil/Drass to Leh
14th Tue Leh sightseeing
15th Wed Leh - Khardung La - Diskit - Hunder - Panamik - Diskit
16th Thurs Diskit - Wari La - Pangong Tso (maybe via Wari La)
17th Fri Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri
18th Sat Tso Moriri to Keylong
19th Sun Keylong to Manali
20th Mon Manali - Ludhiana - Moga - Abohar - Hanumangarh
21st Tue Hanumangarh - Kishangarh - Udaipur
22nd Wed Udaipur to Pune

[eMGee]

Hello veterans!

4 of us guys are doing a trip to Ladakh (driving on our own) in the coming week, and while all the bookings etc. are done, I'd still like to get some feedback from you on possible modifications to the itinerary. Our existing plan is:

10-Aug: Del to Manali
11-Aug: Manali to Sarchu
12-Aug: Sarchu to Leh
13-Aug: Leh (for ILP and local sightseeing)
14-Aug: Leh - Pangong - Leh
15-Aug: Leh to Kargil
16-Aug: Kargil to Srinagar
17-Aug: Srinagar to Del (by flight, while a driver gets the vehicle back to Del)

I know the general recommendation is to do the other way round, but I guess we're booked for now - so will take this chance. A few questions for you all though:

a) Is it possible to do Sarchu to Pangong Tso directly? That way, we might end up saving a day in Leh. Need confirmation both from a road/terrain and ILP perspective.
b) Can Leh - Nubra Valley - Leh be done as a day trip (if we were able to either extend our plans by a day or save one day due to a) above)?
c) Is it possible to get the ILP's done before hand to save some time?
d) Anything glaring that you feel we should address ASAP?

Many thanks in advance!

eMGee

[DirtyDan]

Day trip to Nubra? Yes, you can get over the pass and into the valley and back in one day but I think a more leisurely 2 day trip is better. There are cheap guest houses in the valley. Take a good flashlight (torch for you Brits) because they don't keep the lights on long up there at night. The valley is like looking at a different planet. Steep sand colored mountains line the valley and it's hard to put the size of the mountains in perspective because the dry air lets you see far things and high things in great detail.

You might read up on the geology of the place before you go. You will appreciate what you are seeing a bit more that way. Not everybody likes it. To some it looks like a great sand colored waste land. Others see nuance and subtlety. I am one of the latter.
The air, the altitude and the mountain sunlight are far different from the flat, humid Indian plains for sure.

[.anshuman]

What are my chances of encountering clear blue sky in last week of August? I am planning road trip in either of my cars.

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

I would not put in a query if it was as easy as picking up a pack of chips now would I?

Just prepare for this if you are going to do it, okay? You can puncture your oil pan, crack your transaxle, rip off a wheel...lots of good stuff like that, by hitting unseen rocks and bottoming out in ruts or fording flooding streams.
If you break down up there it could be weeks before you get your car out of there. There are no service stations or mechanics up there. It's a long walk back. Brigands may ride down on you and molest your modesty and steal your chips.

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Daily driving is risky too. You never know when a drunk man runs into your vehicle.

Yeah but you can mitigate the risks. You can keep your trips thru the bar district at night down to a minimum, 'ay?

Originally Posted by .anshuman

What are my chances of encountering clear blue sky in last week of August? I am planning road trip in either of my cars.

Chances are pretty good but partly cloudy is more likely. Leh is mostly in the monsoon rain shadow due to the mountains MOST years. August late should be okay rain wise but CLEAR BLUE....? How about lots of blue?

[AbhishekB86]

Thank you. I shall prepare for it. I could do with a little bit of optimism though? I am not driving to a mall, I know. I could end with whatever you think can happen, I would calculate and be prepared for such eventualities.

On the other side, like many have stated above, I might just come back alive. Maybe you'll get to see me on 'I shouldn't be Alive' on Discovery?

I'd sure send you a pack of chips for the warnings as a token of thanks.

My trips to the bar district are a bare minimum anyway, but I'll share a beer with you if I come back alive. We'll hire a cab

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

Just prepare for this if you are going to do it, okay? You can puncture your oil pan, crack your transaxle, rip off a wheel...lots of good stuff like that, by hitting unseen rocks and bottoming out in ruts or fording flooding streams.
If you break down up there it could be weeks before you get your car out of there. There are no service stations or mechanics up there. It's a long walk back. Brigands may ride down on you and molest your modesty and steal your chips.




Yeah but you can mitigate the risks. You can keep your trips thru the bar district at night down to a minimum, 'ay?

[Irish]

Hi All,

There are news of heavy rains, land slides and cloud burst from Kashmir and Himachal (Kullu).

The Kashmir valley was cut off from the rest of the country this morning after the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed due to landslides, triggered by heavy rains since last night. Heavy rains triggered landslides and shooting stones between Batri Cheshma and Ramban on the highway, the only road linking the valley with the rest of the country.

News : Rain claims 13 lives in north India, many rivers cross danger mark - The Times of India

Manali-Rohtang Pass Closed After Cloudburst: Manali-Rohtang Pass Closed After Cloudburst
One dead, village cut off after flashfloods in Kullu - Hindustan Times

Too many vehicles are stranded on the roads. No sign of quick relief for them. Looks like it will take 3-4 days to normalize the roads and traffic. Sincerely hope that all the tourists are safe.


PLEASE PLAN YOUR LEH TRIPS ACCORDINGLY!


- Irish

[amolpol]

Been waiting for this day since last year...reached Leh yesterday after a rocking time in Zanskar. If there are any TBhpians in Leh today/tomorrow, lets catch up.

[verditer]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Been waiting for this day since last year...reached Leh yesterday after a rocking time in Zanskar. If there are any TBhpians in Leh today/tomorrow, lets catch up.

Attachment 966662

That is just very good to hear you are there now. I was reading the news about bad weather and was wondering where you are.
Be safe. Best wishes for a fantastic time there and back.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by verditer

That is just very good to hear you are there now. I was reading the news about bad weather and was wondering where you are.
Be safe. Best wishes for a fantastic time there and back.

Fortunately we've been a little ahead of the bad weather till now. Honestly, I didn't know about the Manali situation until I saw this thread yesterday. So now we may exit through Spiti if the road condition to Manali and beyond doesn't improve (which was the original plan anyway).

With my 2.5 year old daughter accompanying us on the trip, the last thing I need is to get stuck in the middle of traffic because of a road block. Let's see how things unfold over the next few days!