As I sit and start writing my experiences of a beautiful journey, I start to fall short of words to express it. I know by now, it is going to take months until I pen down the final line.

After a year or so of planning, the day had come when we set off for, maybe the road trip of lifetime. Astounding roads, curves and altitude is what was waiting for us. It all started with a trip to Manali, which made us fall in love with the mighty Himalayas. Its vastness and serene beauty had already caught us wondering, how it would feel to ride through the passes. And in my honest opinion, no matter how much ever you are mentally prepared watching vlogs/pictures, Himalayas will awestruck you with its sheer majesty.

The journey provides a sensory, somatic and psychological escape from our anxious information-rich, screen filled lives. Although you will engage with your phones along the way to click, a landscape memory but rest-assured there will be no network for the next 3 days.

I am going to at least try and take you through the altitudes in teeth-chattering temperatures. Our journey took us through Manali – Rohtang- Keylong – Jispa – Darcha – Zingzingbar – Baralacha La – Bharatpur – Sarchu – Gata Loops – Nakee La – Lachulung La – Pang – Tanglang La – Gya – Upshi – Karu – Leh.

Before planning it is advised to do some research, have some know-how of what to carry, in-line permits etc. Reaching Manali will be as simple as it gets, we took an overnight bus from Delhi, got into a house stay, started with a good heavy breakfast- buttery parathas, bread and eggs.

Arranging few bikes out for rent is not that difficult either, when you have some contacts over there. Royal enfields are the way to go. It has the stability and the suspension to get you through everything.That said, feel free to choose any bike of your choice, preferably 200cc or above. It should cost you approximately 1.5k/day or so. It is not recommended to start your journey after 12pm. That is because you would like to be somewhere near your scheduled base stations before dusk. For us, we had planned for Jipsa and Pang as two of our night halts. However, keylong and sarchu are also opted for.On a separate note, roads to these from Manali are often cut off from heavy snowfall during oct-apr.

Delhi to Manali: will be an overnight bus journey and too mainstream to talk about.

Once we reached Manali, we had our room ready for us. Some hot delectable breakfast to start our day with as well. Then we headed to grab our bike, few shining RE 500s.  

Day 1 was all about setting up stuffs, dry run for bikes and local delicacies.The day will eke by with cool breeze of ethereal quality and plenty of apples. It is recommended to have extra fuel, a mechanic with you. People do travel without a mechanic but not without extra fuel. For us we had arranged a jeep to carry our extra stuffs and fuel.

Day1 starts with such an excitement, all set and ready to roll. It’s about an hour of drive to  Rohtang pass, this is where the first check post is. With all your documents clear, you should be good to cross. There might be some queue delays but lush grasslands and waterfalls lend themselves to a tranquil state of mind as you wait.

Rohtang  at an altitude of 13051 FT is a route that leads to places such as Pangi, Lahaul Spiti and Leh. You get views of beautiful snow-capped peaks and glaciers from here. Moreover, a back-breaking road for around 20 kms meanders over the mountain at 3,528 meters, with no barrier on one side and just the hard rock face on the other. Definitely not for anyone suffering from vertigo or fear of landslides.  

Jispa

While people prefer Keylong for a stay, we preferred Jispa, a few miles further.Due to its location, around 10,000 ft above the sea level, it offers panoramic views of the surrounding like no other regions we had seen yet. A perfect setting for an overnight stay, there are numerous camping destinations in this village. While in this settlement, the different marvels of the nature will surely keep you spellbound.

On the banks of Bhaga river and surrounded by mountains, Jispa gives a postcard perfect picture. All you will hear is the river and few occasional vehicle passing by. Tranquility by the banks and stars overhead, we couldn’t wait to see how morning looks like here. So with drizzle on the face we stepped out early morning to soak in the misty looking mountains and the river drifting by, only this time the sound will be much pleasing. I can just sit here gaze the cloud smogged mountain until the sheeps abseil home. After having some parathas to gulp, we started moving ahead again. For few miles, there was a majestic mountain right in front of us, snow caped and cloud dressed. It was a gratifying start to Day2 indeed.

Riding on, a high mountain pass- Baralacha La at 16k ft welcomes you with the chilliest wind that we encountered yet. Taking off the helmet for some photo shoot needed some nerve. You will have to deal with pathways with just gravel and waterfall, riding through them asserts a sense of achievement within you. Few miles down the road, you might get some shops serving maggi, apart from that there will be nothing around. It is recommended to grab some snickers when in need, and do not liter.

Sarchu

At an altitude of 14300 FT, expect the winds to be cooler than usual, but refreshing nevertheless! You are encompassed by the scenic Himalayas, the road meanders through the canyons and it will feel never-ending.

One of the memorable trails will be gata loops, mesmerizing assortments of 21 hairpins. When you complete all of them, stop for a while and look back.

This leads to Nakeela Pass at 15k Ft.

Moving ahead will be some back breaking and exhausting stretch that will test your patience again. At one point, we felt like the never-ending road leads nowhere. No milestones, steep edges and few to none roads. This lead us to Pang.

Pang

This is the place where the highest army transit camp exists. Our camp had 4 houses side by side ran by locals offering overnight stay and food and that’s all it had just 4 small houses and a heart clearing stillness. This is probably when the dizziness starts to hit. Breathlessness and nausea half of them slept already by 10p fighting the fatigue. This place is certainly demanding. Running on 30% of oxygen compared to what we are used to is no joke. Remind yourself to drink plenty of fluids when here and consult a doctor on popping in Diamox or anything relevant before starting your trip. With no network, your only option to connect home is satellite phone at the army camp. For that however you need to walk a bit. That is a challenging task I must say when you are running out of breath every two steps. With most of our friends asleep two went ahead to the army camp to connect back home.

The cost is around 10rs/call. After a while, when few of us sat down, caught our breath and looked up, what we noticed was spellbound. Twinkling night sky will be breathtakingly relaxing. Having a walk or just laying down gazing at the sky. It will be no less than a wonder. So enchanting yet humbling to see millions of stars above you. Stargaze for a while at the inimitable sky, that certainly made me realize what we miss within the city space. If you are still at dilettante level of appreciation, look a bit deeper and I am quite sure you will certainly recall your school classes on constellations. Most of all this will make you forget the discomfort of altitude sickness that you initially got when you reached here. Few bulbs and radio running with generator and locals here just serve for this limited time. Before the winter comes, they move to neighboring villages. During winter this gets completely cut off with around 30 Ft of snow on both the side. This stay is certainly an experience of lifetime, which comes with its level of uneasiness while falling asleep.

Moore Plains

The next day starts bright and sunny. And just when you think the scenes can’t get any better, you will be awestruck with what comes next. It begins with an uphill drive to what I may call, “A gateway to heaven”. Alluring flat valley stretch and a blue canvas above that seemed to reflect the hues of the road below. The roads are splendid but no one rushes here, you just drive slowly into this heart clearing stillness. So picturesque was the clouds moving and their shadows painting on the mountain.   

Tanglang la

The road leads to 2nd highest motor able road; at 17480 Ft above sea level Tanglang la certainly is breathtaking both literally and figuratively. Gasping for more air, we walked around for a bit there soaking in all we can of the snow, cloud and mountain that are within reach. Headache is normal here, and 15-20 minutes halt is what recommended here.

The roads that descends is smooth as butter and you won’t notice, but you will be riding at 70-80 kmph downhill. It shall lead you to Karu through Rumtse and Gya which welcomes you with a myriad texture of red soil mountain, few green trees, blue gushing arm of Indus River and do I need to say it again – blue sky.

The ride along as few kms to a small bridge with mighty Indus below and town of Karu. An ideal place for some tea. With a postpaid sim, you should start getting your network here.

Leh is a beautiful and lively place. I was so happy to see so many cafes there, catering different cuisines. From Leh the journey goes ahead with Khardung la, Pang gong and Nubra Valley.

Given the time and money, I wouldn’t say no to a second trip ever. Until next time..