[paulabhishekdex]

Journey to Leh

Me with my Punch in Khardungla

Let me be honest, when I brought my Tata Punch back in 2021, I never thought I would take it to Ladakh one day. Heck I didn’t even think I would love driving so much. But fast forward in present I have covered 50,000 KM in it and still planning to do more. But in this thread let’s talk about my most memorable self-drive trip to Leh Ladakh - The land of high passes.

The planning of this started in early 2024, and at the beginning the plan was to start the trip around July. But due to work schedules and other engagements, the plan was postponed till September, 2024. Now as this was my first ever driving in real mountain roads (not the small mountains of Maharashtra), I wanted the trip to be safe and well planned and not take any unnecessary risks. For this trip I decided to follow the most common route and back from Leh-Ladakh and skip Zanskar for time being. Below is what my trip route looked like.

Way to/from Ladakh

• Maharashtra -> Chandigarh -> Patnitop (J&K) -> Srinagar -> Kargil (via Srinagar-Leh Highway) -> Leh City
• Leh City -> Nubra Valley (via Khardungla) -> Turtuk -> Tyakshi -> Thang -> Leh
• Leh -> Pangong Lake -> Leh
• Leh -> Tso Moriri -> Manali (via Leh Manali Highway)

In this blog I will talk about our journey to Leh. In further blogs I will keep covering the rest of the journey as we go.
As you can see the above route makes Leh city as center point of our travel and then we visited places around. Also, we didn’t take the Nubra -> Pangong route directly via Shyok as in 2024 this route occasionally used to get flooded and the route itself was not very suited to someone driving in mountains for first time. As I said before I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks with my FWD Tata Punch.

Last minute checks before journey starts

Anyways the trip started in mid of September and I’m not gonna bore you with details of travel from Maharashtra -> Jaipur -> Chandigarh, as it was entirely highway travel where Tata Punch performed flawlessly as expected. Notable points in this stretch is the Ambala-Narnaul Trans Haryana expressway which is a delight to drive. We took a night halt in Chandigarh outer, and next day started for Patnitop. Again lots of highway runs, but thing to note is once we reached the J&K border the traffic started changing. Military presence and amount of military vehicles were increasing exponentially. On entering J&K all our Airtel & Vodafone sims stopped receiving signals, but we carried a BSNL Postpaid sim which we connected on entering J&K. Now as we planned to take halt at Patnitop, we took a detour from Srinagar highway and started climbing the old Srinagar Highway towards Patnitop. The route was scenic, and we gained some altitude pretty quickly. This is the first time I was driving the Punch in some big mountains and I was surprised how I was able to use 2nd-3rd gears to maintain momentum during climb, at times even engaged 4th but for very limited time and not recommended . Anyways to sum it up the performance of the car in mountains helped me gain some confidence for upcoming roads.

View of Patnitop

Next day from Patnitop travelled to Srinagar. The route was again mostly highway runs, but the military presence is enormous. We reached Srinagar by 11 AM, and found a good hotel to stay. Stays in Srinagar are costly to say the least. Also in this trip we didn’t book any hotels as we wanted to keep the plan flexible. On reaching Srinagar we went for sightseeing in Tulip gardens, Khushro Bagh, Daal lake, Laal Chowk. Ended the day with a hot cup of Kawa and some shopping in Laal Chowk.

Famous Daal Lake

In Laal Chowk

Crossing first mountain pass of my life (lot more to come)
Next day we started early from Srinagar. I was worried to say the least as today I will have to cross the mighty Zoji la pass in my pursuit for Kargil town. Although my wife was very encouraging, but I was having some fear still. Anyways with full confidence in my driving ability we crossed Sonamarg, and started the climb to Zoji la. The road was definitely not good, with big potholes, slush and mud all the way. There are heavy construction works going on as well, that added difficulty in the climb. But again I was very surprised with Tata Punch as I was always able to find more than enough power to make the climb look very easy. With high ground clearance this car dodges all the potholes and obstacles like a boss. Only thing I noted was that I need to be little pro active with the gearing to have the power available at all times. But I was able to cross Zoji la in 2nd - 3rd gear comfortably.

At Zoji la top

After this with added confidence in my driving skills we pushed towards Kargil. The road was tarred and in very good condition thanks to BRO. This is where we also started getting acclimatised in the high altitudes. The altitude gain was gradual which definitely decreased our chance of getting AMS. Also we started taking Diamox as precautionary measure.

So happy to finally able to drive in mountains

Anyways we reached Kargil by 3:30 PM. But as now there was enough day light to push even further, we crossed Kargil town and carried on. Not to forget we visited Kargil war memorial to pay our tribute to the brave souls of India who lost their life in the Kargil conflict. Finally by 6 PM we reached Mulbekh, a small quiet village, where we booked a guest house. The owner was kind enough of provide us some vegetables from his garden so that we can prepare our dinner. Just FYI we were carrying all the utensils and butane stove so that we can prepare meals on the go.

Kargil war memorial

Our stay at Mulbekh

Next morning we woke up early and started our journey towards Leh. Apart from the sceneries which are mesmerising, we visited Lamayuru Monastery, Lamayuru moonland, Indus-Zanskar Confluence, Magnetic hill & Gurudwara Pathar Sahib on the way before reaching Leh city that afternoon.

https://youtu.be/rnquXHsDLqQ

Overall till Leh the car performed more than expected, I gained lots of confidence in mountain driving, and no issues encountered. Also while travelling in Srinagar-Leh highway you don’t need to carry extra petrol as you can fill while leaving Srinagar and it will reach you to Leh in single tank. But again you will also find petrol pumps in and around Kargil, one in Khaltsi as well, so absolutely no issues with fuel.

Some memorable moments

Magnetic hill

Indus-Zanskar Confluence

The mountain GOAT Tata Punch

At our guest house in Leh

[Phantom 510]

That's one great travelogue!

[Rohitthebest]

Terrific.
Looking forward to the next part.

I did the same circuit solo in my Brezza in 2023, keen to read about your experience from Leh - Sarchu - Manali or your exit from Leh, going by your map need to know how and from where you exited.

[toppor]

Lovely travelogue so far, interesting to read about Tata Punch doing this circuit that too very comfortably. As a first time driver on hills that inherent fear is always there, but I guess the Tata is giving you that extra Punch to keep calm and drive on. Looking forward to the remaining log.

[paulabhishekdex]

Journey to Pangong Lake
Part 2 - Leh Ladakh Road Trip

The journey to Leh was epic, but there are more to come in this trip. The idea here was after reaching Leh we will give a halt for a day or two to acclimatise ourselves with the high altitude before starting the onwards journey. So next day after we woke up and had some dry fruits as breakfast, we didn’t waste any time and quickly went ahead with the sightseeing of the Leh city. Leh city itself is not that big but there are some good sightseeing places to visit and awesome eateries where you can have some good food. One such place where we went was Pumpernickel which is a German bakery and cafe located in Leh market. Apart from that there are long list of cafe and food street (Gezmo, Tibetian Kitchen, Wazwan planet) in and near Leh market which you can definitely check out.

https://youtu.be/BUfNVAcz9dQ

Apart from Leh market where we spent considerable time, we visited Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace and Jorawar Fort.

Shanti Stupa

Everything was great, but then came a PROBLEM. Ideally next day as per the original plan we were supposed to travel towards Nubra valley via Khardungla, but what we heard was next day there was a Himalayan rally planned in that route and so that route is closed for normal traffic movement. As disheartening as it might sound, but this is the whole reason why we didn’t booked any stays beforehand we kept our plan flexible as in mountains these are things which is bound to happen. Anyways, we instantly switched our next destination and planned to start for Pangong the next day. So next day we started early for Pangong and on the way there is Changla pass (second big pass of the trip) to cross.

On the way to Pangong once you leave Leh city there are quite a few ancient and famous monasteries that you should visit. Some of those are mentioned below that we visited on the way:

• Shey Gompa
• Thicksey Gompa
• Stakna Gompa
• Druk Padma Karpo School, also known as Rancho's school (3 idiots)

Shey monastery - 12 meters tall statue of Buddha built in 1655 by a Nepalese sculptor with the help of Ladakhi craftsmen.

Thiksey Monastery

Rancho School

The way from Leh till the climb of Changla was wide and in very good condition. But it’s from Changla pass ascent where the road starts narrowing and the climb intensifies. One more thing to note here is that having layered clothing is very important as it starts getting very cold as we go towards Pangong.

In Changla Top

First view of Pangong lake

The thing to note here is even though we became exhausted at times, but the car showed no sign of exhaustion. It delivered constant power during ascents. Brake bite is sufficient to slow down the car in steep descents as well. Till now I didn’t find any issues driving a small 3 cylinder car in high passes as the performance is flawless. Also another thing i mastered during this journey is how to start and move a car in steep incline using clutch modulation and at times handbrake.

https://youtu.be/Ip7SykJVKGg

The divine views of Pangong Lake
We arrived in Pangong lake by 2:30 PM and quickly booked a tent for our stay. Pangong has lots of stay option spread all around it's banks, so getting dhaba tent is not a problem at all. One pro-tip is go further down the lake before you book a tent, don't book the first tent you see as those will be costly. But once we arrived at the Lake we were very disheartened as the wether that afternoon was very gloomy & cloudy . It was very chilly and windy as well. Not an ideal situation. But I guess it is what it is. We soaked up the beauty of the surroundings and ended the day with a piping hot coffee and Thupka soup that we loved.

However, the next morning brought a huge SURPRISE. The weather cleared completely overnight and now the lake looks magnificent with its exceptionally clear water, allowing light to penetrate deep and reflect the blue wavelengths, resulting in a vibrant blue hue. What followed is a marathon of photos, videos and vlog recording. It was magical to say the least.

Now before closing this post I would like to quickly tell you about 1 more incident that happened. While returning from Pangong to Leh we went to visit Hemis monastery. It’s another very beautiful monastery which also has a museum which you definitely should visit. But apart from that we had an incident there. The parking of this monastery is in a steep incline and when we reached there, it was almost full. Now we went inside the parking and there was one tiny spot where we can parallel park. But as it's very steep and full of other vehicles, while trying to park I came very close to a parked Innova and was about to scratch it. Now as it's in a steep incline, whenever I was trying to back off the car instead of going in reverse (in reverse gear) simply goes forward under influence of gravity. It was a scary moment. Now to not hit the Innova, we put two stones in front of my rear tyres, so that whenever I let go of the clutch the car should not go forward right away and should be in standstill just for few milliseconds so that I can give it enough gas. It like a hill decent assist but with desi jugaad. Anyways it worked finally and we were able to park properly.

Hemis Gompa

That's all about the Pangong Lake trip. I hope you liked it and thanks a lot for liking the first blog of this series.

Next Part - Journey to Nubra Valley: Where the cold desert meets breathtaking beauty.

[Balamurugan]

Originally Posted by paulabhishekdex

Journey to Pangong Lake
Part 2 - Leh Ladakh Road Trip

Attachment 2775561

You explained your travel story in an awesome way. After reading this, even I feel like planning a trip to Ladakh soon. Driving the Punch in Leh Ladakh must be a super special feeling. Big respect for your first mountain pass drive and photos are beautiful.

[paulabhishekdex]

Journey to Nubra Valley: Where the Desert Meets the Himalayas
Part 3 - Leh Ladakh Road Trip

Me with my Punch in Khardungla top

With fresh memories of the divine beauty of Pangong Lake we started our journey towards Nubra Valley the next day. But this time I’m even more excited as today I will be conquering the mighty Khardungla Pass. As a kid I always dreamt about crossing Khardungla in my bike or car one day. And that day is today. Khardungla might no longer be the highest motorable road anymore, but for me it’s still a dream come true. With all this emotions we started the journey around 7 AM in the morning, filled up our tank and off we go. 1 pro tip about crossing Khardungla is that try to cross this pass as early as possible. Post 11 AM the traffic and people starts increasing drastically as people takes long stops in the Khardungla top for photos and videos. To avoid these crowd we decided to start early.

From Leh toward the road of Khardungla there are multiple petrol pumps where you can fill up before you start the climb of Khardungla. 1 full tank is enough for the trip, but we still kept some reserve with us for safety purpose. P.S. Just make sure you have paid green tax online and taken Ladakh inner line permit before you start with the sightseeing as permits will be checked twice on the way. The first check post would be North Pullu where you need to do entry of your vehicle and show permit if asked. After you cross Khardungla towards other side there will be another check post called South Pullu where again entry would be made. This system essentially ensures vehicles are tracked and in case anyone gets stuck at least there will be some record with the authority.

Some view on the way

Anyways the road to Khardungla is let’s say less than ideal. Heavy construction is going on everywhere and most of the road till the top is totally rocky and dusty. There are few photo points on the way, but because we started early there were very less vehicles that time. Too much dust changed the color of my Punch altogether, God bless the people going in bikes. The climb is gradual and it’s not that tough as per me. Even in such high altitude Tata Punch packed some lukewarm punch and got me to the top in no time .

In the top

Once we reached the top it started snowing and the temperature suddenly dropped quite a lot. Because there were less people we took photos and videos, but the views were breathtaking. It suddenly occurred to me that my dream to be on Khardungla suddenly became a realty. We took little time to soak all the beauty and then started our descent toward Nubra. Now while entering the valley near Diskit you will start seeing lots of sand. It’s something like being in Rajasthan, just a lot more colder.

On our way

The first stop in Nubra is Diskit Monastery, a very old sacred place to be. The vibe here is amazing and once you visit here you will really appreciate the calmness of the people and the surroundings. Diskit monastery is a place where Dalai Lama used to stay and he spend a lot of time here. The room where he stayed in also there for display. This place is rich in history and culture. Inside the Diskit gompa campus is a big and colourful statue of Buddha overlooking the Shyok river which you might have seen in other youtube videos. It’s some of those place which will give amazing views for flying drones if you have one.

Diskit Gompa


Massive statue of Buddha

Post Diskit gompa we went to Hunder and had lunch near dunes. For today’s lunch we had Ladakh’s local cuisine Thengthuk and Chuttagi. We loved it and with full stomach we started making our way towards Turtuk. We won't stop at Hunder today but will visit it while coming back. For today the halt will be at Turtuk. Distance between Hunder to Turtuk is around 75 kms with some amazing views on the way. The roads post Hunder widened and there were very less traffic. It’s a quiet and blissful journey to Turtuk. One thing to note here is on the way there are quite a few Army camps where photography and flying drones are strictly prohibited. So if you visit these route be mindful of that.

On our way to Turtuk


IN Turtuk

Turtuk - Small village with natural water flowing throughout
We reached Turtuk around 4:30 PM. There are quite a few sightseeing like Yabgo palace, natural spring, bridge over the waterfall with amazing views etc. One thing to note is from main road, Turtuk village does not seems much, but it’s only after you enter the village on foot you will start seeing the real and natural beauty of the place. It’s heaven on earth (quite literally). The people here uses natural water coming from the waterfall that flows throughout the village. This water freezes during winter month and resumes post March till next winter. The village is full of fruit trees (like apple and nashpati) and is a treat to our eyes. This along with two more villages (Thang and Tyakshi) is what was captured from Pakistan during the 1971 war as part of Baltistan. Post war these 3 villages stayed with India and the people who lives here are known as Balti people. They are not only the sweetest people on earth but they are also known for their unique Balti cuisines that is most delicious.

Balti cuisines


Inside village

Visiting India - Pak border
Next morning we started from Turtuk to Thang which is the last village of India. The journey takes around 1.5 hours and roads are ok without and major disruptions thanks to BRO. Once at Thang there is a dedicated point to see the border and people are there to rent you binoculars for seeing. A crazy story I heard from an old man there about what happened during the war. So as per the story he was a Pakistani citizen before the war and stayed in Frano village which is in Pakistan. Now during the day of the war he came to visit Thang for some work. At night Indian army captured the village, and so suddenly he just became part of India. At that time as no one was allowed to cross the border anymore so he stayed back, while his parents, wife were left in Pakistan. He remarried here and just started a new life. Life is crazy sometimes I guess.

Tyakshi Village

At Tyakshi village - A nerve wrecking moment
On the way back from border we thought to take a halt in Tyakshi village, where there is an old school which was actually built by Pakistan authority, but after war it was run by India. As it was the only local school here and for few other villages, it's the place where lots of kids used to come for study. The school is now a wreak as a new school is built near the main highway, but nevertheless it’s still a place worth visiting. Anyways the thing is the actual village is quite high up from the main road and there is only one road leading to the village. We took our car and crossed half that road, but after that the road was completely in rubbles and surrounded by massive boulders and soft sand which nearly made it impossible to cross for a FWD vehicle. So we decided to keep the car parked at a hairpin and cross the last two hairpin on foot. What we were unaware at that time is the road was heavily under construction and there are massive digging happening at the top of this mountain. Anyways, after we visited the school and the beautiful village of Tyakshi we came down where we parked our vehicle, and we were shocked to see the sight. Just a hairpin before where we parked the car, there were massive boulders being rolled down from top of the hill creating an avalanche like situation. The thing is it didn't only blocked the road completely, but it also created a situation where stones were shooting everywhere. As we were still not able to see our car, we feared that stones fell on that as well as it will simply crush the car beneath. WHAT A MESS.
Anyways somehow we managed to get down though a narrow foot trail and I ran towards my car. I was relived when I saw the car was intact and all the shooting stones fell all around it but somehow missed the car. I was never so happy to see my car. We got in quickly and rushed out of hell’s way. MORAL of the story is never park your vehicle in unknown mountain roads as you never know when a shooting stone will come flying around.

School at Tyakshi

Hunder Dunes - The cold desert in Himalayas
We took a halt in Turtuk for lunch and had piping hot biriyani which smelled and tasted heavenly. Post that we made our way to Hunder dunes and stayed there for the night. Stays in and near dunes are plenty and affordable. Hunder dunes are famously known for the double humped bacterian camels which can only be found here. It was a lovely and uneventful evening as we ended the day in dunes with a hot tea from a stall and quietly watching the sun go down. What an amazing view to have.

https://youtu.be/Qu6tAqYqipM

Bactrian Camels in Hunder dunes




Sipping evening tea

This is all about our journey to Nubra valley. Thanks for reading PART 2- Journey to Pangong. If you havent done it already you can read it in above thread.

Next Part - Journey towards Manali via the ferocious Leh-Manali highway.

[paulabhishekdex]

Tso Moriri Lake: Journey towards Manali via the ferocious Leh-Manali highway
Part 4 - Leh Ladakh Road Trip

So finally it’s time to say goodbye to the beautiful city of Leh and head back to plains. But before going back, there is one more place which we had in our bucket list and that is Tso Moriri. It’s situated at altitude of 4,522 m above sea level and is little offbeat but incredibly beautiful location. The journey from Leh started early in the morning towards Tso Moriri. Now the plan here is from Tso Moriri we will take the exit via Leh-Manali Highway which in itself is a big big challenge. As post Karu there won’t be any petrol pumps till Keylong of Himachal, so we kept some petrol in reserves just in case. However in our journey we didn't need it at all, as we were able to make it to Manali easily in 1 tank petrol.

Some photoshoot on the way

The road till Upshi is same as what we take for Pangong Tso lake. For Pangong Tso we take left road while for Tso Moriri and Leh-Manali highway we will take right turn. The roads till Debring are in awesome condition and good speeds can be maintained. Post Debring we took the turn towards Tso Kar and started ascent. The roads become little steep after that, but nothing Punch cannot manage. Also, important thing to mention here, the road post Debring till Tso Moriri was having some construction works going on for widening the road. Also the views are mesmerising and on the way we saw Tso Kar and Puga hot springs. The temperature kept plummeting all the way till Tso Moriri.

Puga hot spring


Tso Kar Lake

We reached Tso Moriri by 11 AM and started looking for somewhere to stay. Now here is the thing, near Tso Moriri lake there is only one village called Korzok where there are some accommodations. As the number of accommodations are very less, so prices are expensive and amenities are very limited. Some places don’t even have water and electricity running 24 hrs. So what I’m trying to say is if you are visiting here, just have that mindset of not having a luxury stay. But the lake itself is amazing, and as it’s situated in some altitude the temperature drops pretty low here. It is cold, chilly and very windy. But I think it’s one of those off beat place which is a must visit as well. Also, as this place is near the exit of Leh-Manali highway, so if you are planning to take that it’s a place which will anyways come one the way.

At Tso Moriri


Korzok Village

Leh-Manali Highway - Where adventure meets altitude
The next day we started very early. Now as I said before the temperature at night here plummets a lot. So in early morning even inside the car we were shivering (quite literally). Anyways we came back towards Debring to take the Leh-Manali exit. Once in the highway we encountered very broad and straight roads of Moray plains which was very encouraging. Little did we know what awaits ahead . Till Pang everything was well and good and roads were in good shape. Once in Pang the roads started getting bad drastically. Post Pang the roads were literally becoming non-existent at times with massive dust clouds and rocks all over the place. While going through this route we will encounter quite few ferocious passes namely - Lachung la, Nakheela, deadly Gata Loops & Baralacha la. These passes are notorious for bad roads, steep climbs, deadly drops and no mobile network. What that means is if anything happens to you between Pang and Baralachala there won’t be lot of help available. So the challenge was real.

Dusty near non-existent roads

Now let's start with the road conditions. Lachung la & Nakheela pass are not so bad and you will cross them quickly. Starting from Gata loops thing gets very very challenging as the roads are narrow and filled with trucks. Thing is the roads are so narrow at times that 2 vehicles cannot cross parallelly let alone trucks, so you need to give pass which definitely takes some good understanding about your car width, so that you won’t fall off a cliff.

Post Sarchu roads will improve for sometime till Baralacha la. Sarchu is the first village in Himachal post Ladakh and you will find dhaba tent type accommodation there as well. But we continued our journey. Roads in Baralacha la again becomes very challenging with some steep climbs and very bad roads full of rocks and ruts. There might be times if you stopped in a slope for giving pass or something, it will be difficult to get moving again, only way to do it is by either using handbrake or putting rocks behind the rear wheel.

Just after coming down from Baralachala you will see Suraj Tal on your left hand side which is very beautiful. Post crossing Zing Zing bar roads till Manali improved significantly. The road will have some small towns and lakes on the way like Deepak Tal, Darcha, Jispa, Keylong, Sissu before making a turn for Atal tunnel finally reaching Manali.

https://youtu.be/glkzV58xB0M

So that brings us to the end of our long awaited trip to Leh. This journey not only did made be a better driver, but taught be a lot on how to drive in high altitudes, high passes and finally made me fulfil my dreams to conquer parts of mighty Himalayas. Tata Punch performed flawlessly in every situation and I’m happy with its performance.

Thanks for reading this thread. As I know this is not the end and lot more trips will happen in future, probably towards Zanskar but for now it’s time to end here. If you have any similar travel experience, feel free to share it in this thread.