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Old 10th June 2018, 03:50   #46
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

The day started as planned but as we are a big team we managed to start our most feared day by 6:30 am.

Just to guide others who would be wishing to travel this route in future with small (Low GC) cars, I am going to provide maximum videos possible.


Currently the good road after Kaza is till Rangrik



Rest of the Part towards Losar is not in good shape




You will also find some Colorful Hills after Kaza




Reaching Kunjom Top is a bit of challenge with broken roads and stream of water




At Kunjom Top

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We were lucky to find snow wall just after the pass while coming down towards Batal




Swifty rubbing shoulder with Snow at Kunjom

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Driving after Batal is different and the more you go the more you enjoy




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Before Chota Dhura we actually driven on the Chenab river bed



We didn't get much water in any of the water crossing but we were extremely lucky to find Chota Dhura almost dry




After crossing it we thought that our life will become a bit easy till we reach Chhatru, but man proposes and god (Here Nature) disposes






After crossing many more such places for which I don't have videos we reached Chhatru.

By then we were such tensed that we decided not to have an elaborate lunch and continue till Gramphu after buying some snacks for controlling our ever increasing Hunger.


After Crossing the Chenab river at Chhatru you have around 18 kms left to reach Gramphu and it is almost a continuous climb. To make things more interesting you will get lots of small water crossing.



The story continues till you reach Gramphu




For us, we reached Gramphu by 3:30 in the afternoon which means a 9 hour journey for this stretch.

Reaching Gramphu



Waiting at Gramphu for other team members

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While climbing Rohtang we got some water flowing over the road and started enjoying that after this grueling drive




Soon we reached Rohtang top and finding convoy of vehicles and innumerable number of people we decided not to stop there




But a picture is also required to keep the memory

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We reached Manali by Sun Down and checked into Ride Inn. Next day was a rest day for all of us and the first of its kind in the trip and we all decided not to drive our vehicles except taking it for washing.

I like dirty cars while in this kind of trip and concentrated on cleaning the lungs of my beauty while Samba took pictures of the fine arts that Spiti has created on my car

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Up Close

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Picture of our Stay

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A Panorama from the Hotel Balcony

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We spend the day being a Foody with Trouts Dessert and Drinks and ended the day early as we need to reach Delhi the next day.

Last edited by SouraC : 10th June 2018 at 03:55. Reason: Photo Add
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Old 10th June 2018, 04:16   #47
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

While coming back from Delhi we were forced by our better halves to stay one extra day at Varanasi and that means a mandatory boat ride in the evening to see the Aarati at Ganges.

Sharing some pictures of the same

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Now All's Well that End's Well, we have traveled around 4800 km. Traveled to more than one Highest of the World, driven through one of the toughest route for small cars and came back Safe and Sound. That is a satisfaction we all are engrossed into.

I would like to thank our Families for supporting us in such a hectic journey and smilingly cooperating with us in every possible situations.

I would also like to thank everyone who has helped us in planning and executing this wonderful drive.

We as a team hope to complete many more such trips together and will be eager to share the stories with all of you in this forum.
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Old 10th June 2018, 07:19   #48
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Awesome guys! Missing you all a lot. Wonderful pictures and the travelogue as usual is awesome. I am sure you all had a great drive and enjoyed every bit of the adventure. Rated 5 Star
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Old 10th June 2018, 11:47   #49
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Nako Lake was the biggest anticlimax of the lot.

No one mentioned anything about the Loser - Kaza Road - this was the highlight of my trip
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Old 10th June 2018, 12:08   #50
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & suv's

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samba View Post
... Feeling happy to receive the letter yesterday!
Wonderful! The letter has reached you just in the right time. It was great to read your another blockbuster "Sailed through" travelogue on the high roads of the Himalayas. Keep driving and keep writing!

Best,
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Old 10th June 2018, 14:41   #51
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Thanks a ton everyone for your valuable comments and appreciation's.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hikersoul View Post
Did you get the chance to do Bawa pass beyond Pin Valley?
No, we have not been to Bawa pass. Right after Tara Guest house at Mud, there was a nasty water crossing where a Delhi registered Scorpio got stuck. So we refrained ourselves from taking a chance of crossing that water crossing. With careful driving my assumption was, it could have been tackled with our cars but chances were there of getting stuck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SouraC View Post
While coming back from Delhi we were forced by our better halves to stay one extra day at Varanasi and that means a mandatory boat ride in the evening to see the Aarati at Ganges.
Excellent narration and pics. This could have been a separate travelogue as well! Thanks to you for choosing to post in this travelogue!

The Varanashi pics are excellent! You have very well captured the essence of the place. Now am feeling, i should have stayed an extra day at Varanashi and enjoyed! Your pictures remind me of my last stay at Varanashi while coming back from Rajasthan.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajmat View Post
No one mentioned anything about the Loser - Kaza Road - this was the highlight of my trip
Very true, that's a bad omission from my part. The scenic beauty of this stretch was beautiful and worth a mention.

Actually what happened is that, we were pushing a bit to cross Kunzum fast, so we can reach Koksar as early as possible. As the day progress the water crossing level increases on the Batal to Koksar stretch.

Plus to our bad luck Bollywood star Akshay Kumar was shooting for his upcoming film 'Kesari' near Losar & we had to drive behind his convoy from Rangrik to Losar. Due to security reasons his convoy was not ready to let us go ahead of them and we had to drive behind them, whereas they were driving at their own desired pace. This whole scenario delayed our timing and acted as a deterrent on that stretch.

A pic of his shooting unit.

Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs-untitled.jpg

Last edited by Samba : 10th June 2018 at 14:46.
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Old 10th June 2018, 15:22   #52
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Well full points on doing this in sedans. I had a tough task doing it in the rains with four wheel drive, so salute to your cajunas!!
And now you've given me justification for a revisit, because I didn't see the snow....
Snow nahi dekha to kya dekha.
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Old 10th June 2018, 16:26   #53
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

One more fantastic travelogue from you, Samba! I thoroughly enjoyed it. And thanks for linking those videos as well.

Coordinating a group drive for such a long drive/tough terrains is always a challenge. If it’s going to include family as well, then its even bigger a challenge. Now if it includes kids as well, this requires tons of planning and effort. Hats off to you and your team for completing this trip successfully.
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Old 11th June 2018, 11:39   #54
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

@Samba Excellent travelogue mate. It's always nice to read travel stories from your end. This trip of yours brought back fond memories of the the Spiti Valley road trip which I did in Swift Dzire way back in October 2015 and had posted the travelogue of the same which you too had read and appreciated. Since then I was quite hopeful that you too will come up with your travel experience from the Spiti Valley. It's quite natural to relate with a fellow BHPian who too believes in pushing the sedan to the limits in the treacherous SUV domains.

Here is the link to Spiti Valley road trip: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ure-sedan.html

Couldn't agree more with you that the worst stretch of the Kaza-Manali route is between Batal and Gramphoo. This 49 kms stretch is a hell of a ride with no road at all. The fact is that the Manali-Leh route is a cakewalk in comparison to Kaza-Manali route and I discovered this after I went on Ladakh road trip the very next year after this trip. Here is the link to Ladakh road trip travelogue: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...uti-dzire.html Like you have very well mentioned I too feel that although Kaza-Manali route is doable on hatchbacks and sedans but nonetheless its not advisable due to treacherous road conditions which can take heavy toll on low ground clearance vehicles. During my Spiti trip the Dzire also took a few non injurious underbelly hits between the notorious Batal-Gramphoo stretch otherwise overall it was a smooth sailing.

Would like to share some memories from the trip...

Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs-shot-1.jpg

Hotel Spiti Valley where we stayed in Kaza. Guess that this the same Hotel where you all stayed.
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Kunzum Pass
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Descending towards Batal from Kunzum Pass
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The beginning of treacherous ride from Batal onwards towards Gramphoo


In the middle of nowhere...The road vanishes after Batal.
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The seeds of a road trip to Spiti Valley were sown in my mind way back in 2011 when I made a road trip to Kinnaur and Sangla Valleys on a Maruti 800.

Here is the link to Kinnaur & Sangla Valley road trip: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...uti-800-a.html

Some memories from that trip:

At Chitkul Village (Sangla Valley)
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Heading to Nako Lake
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Nako Village & Lake
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Once again thanks a lot for a yet another lovely travelogue and congratulations to you and your travel buddies. Rated 5 stars. Keep posting.

GODSPEED
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Old 11th June 2018, 19:31   #55
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Fabulous travelogue and superlative pictures Samba !!! Such attention to detail is only possible from you.

Rated 5 Stars !!!

Warm regards,

Siddhartha
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Old 12th June 2018, 01:01   #56
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Brilliant travelogue Samba as usual !! Read and enjoyed it thoroughly ! Informative to the core as well as so interesting write-up. The photographs and videos are extraordinary. Loved them so much.

Always wait fot one of your post tour travelogues !
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Old 12th June 2018, 02:48   #57
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Quote:
Originally Posted by SouraC View Post
Lovely pictures and updates to an already enchanting travelogue. Here is a very short video from our trip in the Thar -

The Thar is not a comfortable vehicle in the plains, but provides great peace of mind on the bad stretches
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Old 12th June 2018, 08:41   #58
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Excellent travelogue! Surprisingly elaborate and lucid to get a real feel of the places!
Kudos to both Samba & SouroC.
Also, a big cheers to the entire team that successfully completed such a tough yet amazingly beautiful trip, vividly portrayed through the words and photographs of Samba and Souro, enticing the readers to push their instincts to drive through the enchanting Himalayan terrains.

Thanks and regards!
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Old 12th June 2018, 13:38   #59
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Wow. The pictures are literally breathtaking. Thank you for showing us Spiti the Samba way. The ease with which the gang did it in sedans & hatches is commendable. I really appreciate how the group enjoys so much travelling together. I am sure with so many trips under the belt, the chemistry would be perfect.

Our spiti trip is still in our minds. Have not been able to materialize the trip yet. The vistas shown by you really entice me to do it in 2019.

Once again, the pics by you & SouraC are amazing.

Rated 5 Stars,

Cheers,

Pawan
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Old 12th June 2018, 17:29   #60
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Re: Sailed through Lahaul & Spiti in hatchbacks, sedans & SUVs

Awesome pictures and beautiful descriptions SouraC Dada. It really gives many of us courage to take our small cars to these terrains. Kudos to the team.
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