[faustus77]

Motomaverick
Hi
As mentioned by HVK saar the staff go out of their way to help.
In sep 2011 I went there for my permit.As there was no enquiry desk I walked into the deputy director of planning to ask directions.He called his secretary,helped me fill in the form,sent her with me to the counter where the permits were issued and on top of that she took me to another senior's office where the permits were countersigned.
Some more.When I went back to thank him he made photocopies of the permit for me.
Top that,can you.
As TSK1979 has mentioned,don't worry.Ample hotels.
Regards

[kshivaa]

Dear Friends, I am planning to take My THAR CRDe (4 WD) to Leh-Ladakh this June. Planning to also go to Khardung La and Marsimik La. Will I need to change my tires to AT tyres or will the current Bridgestone HT tires be okay to drive there ? I read about the road conditions / incline for Marsimik La - Will I be able to do it in a Thar CRDe? I have read about one person having done it on Tata Safari - any other BHP'ians who have done this before? Will I need to carry snow / mud chains if using HT tire?

thanks
Siva

[cataclysm]

Originally Posted by kshivaa

Dear Friends, I am planning to take My THAR CRDe (4 WD) to Leh-Ladakh this June. Planning to also go to Khardung La and Marsimik La. Will I need to change my tires to AT tyres or will the current Bridgestone HT tires be okay to drive there ? I read about the road conditions / incline for Marsimik La - Will I be able to do it in a Thar CRDe? I have read about one person having done it on Tata Safari - any other BHP'ians who have done this before? Will I need to carry snow / mud chains if using HT tire?

thanks
Siva

A friend of mine did it on his Thar CRDe in July 2011 with stock Bridgestone HT tyres and had absolutely no problems. Though he got stuck twice, once in Moreh plains and once near Kargil but 4L came to the rescue. That said if you are planning to go for AT tyres just for this trip then I don't think it's recommended. Bridgestone HT would do just fine. In June, due to snow melt there would be some muddy/snowy stretches but nothing that would require snow/mud chains. If you encounter too much ice on the road, best is to reduce tyre pressure and use 4L.

[~ H O N D A ~]

Ah ha..
The thread i've been waiting for, have driven 4 times to mumbai - rajasthan - mumbai. Once to Mumbai - Delhi - Mumbai

I have been planning a trip to leh for a long time in my mind.

I have 2 Cars but don't know if any one is good enough to endure such terrain.

Honda City 1.3 Exi - 2000 - Driven 65K+
Tata Safari 3.0 Lxi - 2005 - Drivel 75K+

I think leaving my cars behind and travelling as co-passenger would be a good idea, but being a huge driving enthusiast that will take out all the fun part from the trip just sitting in the passenger seat.

What do you suggest guys.

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by ~ H O N D A ~

Ah ha..
The thread i've been waiting for, have driven 4 times to mumbai - rajasthan - mumbai. Once to Mumbai - Delhi - Mumbai

I have been planning a trip to leh for a long time in my mind.

I have 2 Cars but don't know if any one is good enough to endure such terrain.

Honda City 1.3 Exi - 2000 - Driven 65K+
Tata Safari 3.0 Lxi - 2005 - Drivel 75K+

I think leaving my cars behind and travelling as co-passenger would be a good idea, but being a huge driving enthusiast that will take out all the fun part from the trip just sitting in the passenger seat.

What do you suggest guys.

If your Safari is maintained well then you should take that. 75+ is nothing for a diesel car but knowing Tata its best to get everything checked. Besides you have ample time to fix anything that might be wrong. The reason for suggesting Safari is for the GC peace of mind.

[~ H O N D A ~]

thanks motomaverick

you are right, its a TATA so i dont think it would be a good idea

i had read in some other thread a person travelling to ladakh in a safari and had trouble with his safari even after he was preparing the car for the journey for last few months.

[honeybee]

Considering your vehicle would be exposed to some of the harshest conditions, and without knowing what the specific trouble was, or how the vehicle was prepared, it would be ambitious to write off any particular make/model like that.

Whether Tata or any other manufacturer, it would be prudent to get everything checked.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by ~ H O N D A ~

i had read in some other thread a person travelling to ladakh in a safari and had trouble with his safari even after he was preparing the car for the journey for last few months.

Thats me. I suffered two breakdowns. First breakdown delayed me by 1.5 hours. Second breakdown resulted in car out of action for a day and half, and us taking a local cab for the duration for sight seeing.

[~ H O N D A ~]

Hey tsk1979 i had read your post and saw the awsome pictures of your journey.

the problem is my safari is not that well maintained always some noise coming from here and there.. my check engine light up all the time...

plus just the thought of driving a Tata Safari all the way leh and back gives my chills. its not that i have not driven safari on long runs. have driven my safari twice to rajasthan and back (1000 kms non-stop drive one side)

what do you suggest.
i have a Safari 3.0 Dicor 2005, which i bought in 2008

[honeybee]

It's still a lot of time till the Leh trip, so why don't you start using the Safari? Regular use would identify most niggles and you can get them all sorted out.

It's important that you have confidence in the vehicle you take with you.

[sierrakamat]

For that matter one of my friends took his Sierra 1995 model non turbo vehicle there in 2012 not a single breakdown performed flawlessly .
If your vehicle has to breakdown it will. There was a AUDI going up in flames in Mumbai recently so how does brand matter ?.

[motomaverick]

I would go with what honeybee has said, start using the Safari regularly from now and slow but surely iron out all the issue. You said the other vehicle is a Honda City, which I might say would be tough due to its ground clearance. If I were you and want to drive to Leh I would still pick the Safari come what may.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by ~ H O N D A ~

Hey tsk1979 i had read your post and saw the awsome pictures of your journey.

the problem is my safari is not that well maintained always some noise coming from here and there.. my check engine light up all the time...

My safari also has lot of noises here and there. Steering jams up on its own, etc., etc.,
However, if you are getting check engine light, it could be a serious issue

plus just the thought of driving a Tata Safari all the way leh and back gives my chills. its not that i have not driven safari on long runs. have driven my safari twice to rajasthan and back (1000 kms non-stop drive one side)

what do you suggest.
i have a Safari 3.0 Dicor 2005, which i bought in 2008

If you can sort out the check engine light issue, you are good. The 3.0 is a hardy beast. Just make sure all hoses and belts are in good condition.

[kicksperliter]

Originally Posted by kshivaa

Dear Friends, I am planning to take My THAR CRDe (4 WD) to Leh-Ladakh this June. Planning to also go to Khardung La and Marsimik La. Will I need to change my tires to AT tyres or will the current Bridgestone HT tires be okay to drive there ? I read about the road conditions / incline for Marsimik La - Will I be able to do it in a Thar CRDe? I have read about one person having done it on Tata Safari - any other BHP'ians who have done this before? Will I need to carry snow / mud chains if using HT tire?

thanks
Siva

Hi Shiva,

I am doing leh ladakh trip this June/August in my Thar CRDe from bangalore. If you are interested to accompany our vehicle nothing beats that. I am reachable on my 9742955155

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by kicksperliter

Hey Folks,

Looking at the map which is via Mumbai is a Longer route compared to the one I have planned.

The route I have planned is

Day 1: Bangalore - Hyderabad - Nagpur = 1 day travel (night halt at nagpur)
Day 2: Nagpur - Jhansi (UP) - Delhi = 1 day travel (either night stay at Delhi or Chandigarh)

Day 3: New Delhi - Chandigarh - Manali - Leh (stay for 3-4 days at leh ladakh)

Would be taking kargil - Drass sector route to Srinagar.

I was contemplating on reaching Jammu thru Mughal Road (which is once is a life time experience more exquisite than Leh, which is very LESS travelled route or preferred route)

Check out HVK sir's post about Mughal Road drive in his posts.

Return journey would be the route planned via Guj - Mumbai - Pune - Tumkur and Bangalore.

I am keeping 3 weeks of timeline to achieve this.

Hi kicksperliter, your observations are fair enough, the reason for taking the Mumbai route is below

1. The Mumbai route will be much faster compared to the other as it falls under the GQ.
2. We want to visit Wagah border & Khajjiar as well
3. Our drives will be less than 1000 kms in a day so taking it in a relaxed manner even in the plains since its a holiday

Our total days on road will be 23.