Adventure of a Lifetime - Motorcycle Trip from Manali to Leh

"Mountains are calling and I must go" said John Muir. I can easily relate to the love he had for the mountains during my visits to the national parks of California - Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon. The beauty of those places were so overwhelming, anyone looking at it can become a poet.


In my case, the mountains weren't actually calling. My friend called me to join him to celebrate our 40th birthday with a motorcycle trip from Manali to Leh and I did not hesitate. I decided I must go, regardless of the consequences. The thought of riding into endless wilderness and exploring it's beauty left untouched by human greed was so exciting, I forgot the fact that I had to first get two approvals, vacation from work and permission from home. Both came through much easier than I thought and the planning began.

Dates: Jun 23, 2017 to Jul 2, 2017
Group: 13 riders on 9 motorcycles with 4 support personnel. A Mahindra Bolero Camper 4x4 sweeping us
Route: Manali, HP to Leh, JK and back
Duration: 8 days on the road
Total Distance: 1,000 kms on motorcycle and 300 kms in Tempo Traveller
Vehicle: Royal Enfield Bullet 350 cc
Altitude: 6,700 ft to 18,380 ft above sea level
Tour Manager:
Roads: Managed by BRO (Border Roads Organization) which is a joint venture between Indian Army and civilians.



Following were the highlights

  • Day 1 - Rode 120 kms from Manali to Keylong through Rohtang pass at 13,000 ft above sea level, with beautiful view of Lahaul valley reach Keylong at 4 pm. Ride down from Rohtang pass was on a road that did not exist yet, so the real adventure did begin here. After a tiring ride, stayed in Keylong for the night.
  • Day 2 - Rode 100 kms from Keylong to Dorje Camps in Sarchu through Baralacha pass at 15,000 ft above sea level. We were told to prepare for rides through water in several places and also prepare for high altitude stay. We were nervous but excited about the overnight stay in tents.
  • Day 3 - Rode 250 kms to Leh, passing through the second highest motorable pass in the world, Tanglang La at 17,480 ft. While the distance doubled and our minds were troubled, we were told, most of our ride will be on flatlands crossing More plains and reach Leh riding on relatively better roads. Check into Hotel Munshi International in Leh.
  • Day 4 - Rode 80 kms to and from world's highest motorable pass, Khardung La at 18,380 ft above sea level. The roads were being fixed after a landslide the previous day but nothing stopped us from riding up to the pass. Roads were very bad, wet, it rained first and as we continued to climb it snowed. After we returned, stopped by at Tibet Kitchen restaurant for a variety of momos.
  • Day 5 - Since we were all exhausted to ride, we decided to take Tempo Traveller to Pangong Lake (remember the last scene in 3 Idiots movie), the largest brackish water lake (not fresh water) in Asia situated in Tibet border. The drive of 150 kms through Changa La pass at 17,400 ft, that took more than 7 hours due to roads that disappeared due to landslides the previous day. 
  • Day 6 - Enjoyed the beauty of Pangong Lake and returned to Leh. On the way back, visited Thiksey monastry. Checked in again to Hotel Munshi International. 
  • Day 7 - Our ride back to Manali started with 250 kms ride to Dorje Camps at Sarchu. It was relatively a smooth ride since we were all expert riders by now, easily navigating the rough roads while still having a lot of fun.
  • Day 8 - This was by far the most challenging stretch where we rode 230 kms from Sarchu all the way to Manali. We passed Baralacha and Rohtang passes in one single day, and rode through almost 100 kms of roads that were even hard to walk on.
The 8 days of adventure on the road, riding though the breathtaking beauty of Himalayas on roads that were just not easy to lay and maintain did not drain any bit of energy in any of the riders in the group. After the long ride back, reached Manali at 5.30 pm and took a bus back to New Delhi all by myself to end this memorable adventure and a great 40th birthday celebration with my friend.

(to be continued... one post per day of the adventure)

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