Manali Leh Highway is one of the roads that lead to heaven on earth called Leh – Ladakh (Srinagar – Leh Highway is the other one). It is one of those Highways in the world which offers almost everything nature has to offer to an adventure lover.
Serious travelers in India and abroad do have a dream of traveling on this dangerous and beautiful Highway at least once in their lifetime. I am one of those honored souls to have experienced this journey of my life multiple times.
Having said that, the journey on Manali Leh Highway could be a bit tricky to plan if you haven’t researched well enough. Almost more than 350 km out of 474 km long Manali Leh Highway (430 km now after Atal Tunnel) does not have any civilization, and hence you would be the only soul wandering on most of your journey here. Even one cannot find fuel (petrol/diesel) for 365 KMs on Manali – Leh Highway.
2021 Update: With the opening of the Rohtang Pass Tunnel or Atal Tunnel in 2020, the distance of Manali – Leh Highway has been reduced by 45 km and brought it down to a total of 430 km from Manali to Leh. It is not just the distance but the overall time to reach Keylong from Manali is reduced by 3.5-4 hrs and that means Manali to Leh journey can be done in about 13-14 hrs. This 9.02 km Atal Tunnel connects Manali to Keylong in Lahaul Valley. You are no longer required to travel over Rohtang Pass which means there is no longer a dependency on its opening date to travel to Keylong from Manali. Along with it, you no longer have to worry about avalanches, bad roads, traffic jams, landslides which were pretty common when traveling to Leh from Manali via Rohtang Pass.
Therefore, adequate planning is very well required to travel on Manali – Leh Highway so as to make it a memorable experience.
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Let's quickly dive into the details:
Manali Leh Highway Travel Guide – Detailed & Complete
I hope the below information in this detailed travel guide of Manali Leh Highway will be helpful for someone planning a journey on Manali – Leh Highway.
Should I travel to Leh Ladakh via Manali or Leh to Manali?
Before anything, if you want to enjoy Manali – Leh Highway then does it from Leh side. That is travel from Leh to Manali NOT Manali to Leh. This direction will help you enjoy the Manali – Leh highway without bothering to rush through the place or worry about AMS or driving with nausea, headaches, etc.
1. Better Acclimatization
Traveling from Manali to Leh will hold you back from the enjoyment. Mostly due to AMS and its symptoms because of the majority of the time, you are above 4000 Mtrs of altitude, which your body cannot adapt easily so quickly. But, while coming from Leh towards Manali, your body will be acclimatized for the high altitudes much more than when you travel to Ladakh from Manali.
If you still prefer to travel to Leh Ladakh via Manali, then you can follow the most common itinerary to travel to Ladakh from Manali.
2. Avoid sleeping at Sarchu
Secondly, travel from Leh to Manali will also help you halt your journey at Sarchu which is at an even distance between Manali and Leh and offers a varied amount of accommodation options. Otherwise, you will end up doing Manali – Keylong on one day and push from Keylong to Leh on the second.
Sleeping at Sarchu is not recommended if you are coming from Manali unless your body has completely acclimatized to Sarchu altitude by staying in Spiti and Lahaul Valley for about 4-5 days.
Hence, always try to plan a journey to Ladakh in such a manner that you enter Leh via Srinagar side and then after exploring Leh – Ladakh for few days come back via Manali – Leh Highway. You should also read: 5 Reasons to choose Srinagar – Leh Road to enter Leh over Manali – Leh Road.
Season to travel on Manali – Leh Highway
Usually, the opening of Rohtang Pass and Baralacha La majorly governs the travel time on Manali – Leh Highway. The average time for the opening of Rohtang Pass every year is around May, and Baralacha La usually opens up close to May end.
Best time to travel on Manali Leh Highway
Hence, June to September is the time window when the Manali – Leh Highway is open and is considered as the only time for traveling on Manali – Leh Highway.
Road Conditions June – July
In the early stages, i.e., June, one can find huge stocks of snow en-route, but the road conditions may be a challenge to drive. While in the later stages, i.e., August to September, the conditions of the roads are almost perfect in shape with all the mud dried out, maintenance work almost completed on these roads by BRO but your eyes will be devoid of the snow mostly.
The weather in June is always unpredictable and the chances of rain are also bright. This leads to the closure of certain sections on Manali – Leh Highway due to landslides triggered by rains.
However, you may be lucky in June as well to cruise this Highway in bright sunshine. June is not exactly the ideal time when one wants to be in Manali due to mad tourist influx.
Should I plan Manali Leh Highway in August?
As the July – August comes, the Monsoon comes as well in the Northern parts of India. However, the regions on the Northern side of Rohtang Pass that is Keylong and beyond mostly remain untouched by these monsoon rains (except the year 2010, which was an exception).
So in July-August, though you may need to cross the Southern side of Rohtang Pass in Monsoon rains that is Manali and lower hills, after especially Keylong, you are almost good to go without much trouble with these rains.
Dodging the Water Crossings & Slush in June – August
June – July is also the time window when the snow melts on high passes creating almost tiny rivers or water crossings (nallas) on roads in the early stages. This high gush of water is quite a challenge to dodge, especially with the vehicles having a low ground clearance.
Post afternoon, when the sun is burning at its best, some of these water crossings or nallas becomes so violent that they are almost impossible to cross. This gushing water may force you to halt the journey of the day in the middle of nowhere or return to some civilized place for a night halt. The best way to overcome these water crossings or nallas is to know the specific nallas on Manali – Leh Highway and plan to cross them as early in the morning as possible.
In recent years, one of the major hurdles was water crossing or nalla just near Zingzing Bar even though bridges have been built on many of the water crossings up to 2018.
Another major one was between Rohtang Pass and Sissu. In the early stages (June), even crossing Baralacha La is a big challenge due to melting snow, which creates some deep water streams on the road itself.
Slush is also bound to be present on Baralcha La in the early stages of the season and is also quite a challenge to negotiate without proper skills even on SUV/MUV. This mud is generally created by the constantly moving traffic, which beats the snow present on the road or aside.
Hence, try to cover these sections of Manali – Leh Highway in the early part of the day, when the snow melts very slowly and traffic is less.
Are you planning your trip on Manali – Leh Highway in late September and October? If yes, then you must read my article about 5 Reasons to Avoid Manali – Leh Highway in Late September or October
Road Conditions
Below is the general idea of road conditions on Manali Leh Highway. Of course, they are subject to change with the season, time of travel, and weather conditions. However, in general, you will get an idea of road conditions from Manali to Leh road.
- Manali To Rohtang Pass – Average
- Rohtang To Kokhsar – Bad, Slushy
- Kokhsar To Sissu – Average
- Sissu To Keylong – Very Good
- Keylong To Jispa – Good
- Jispa To Zingzing Bar – Good
- Zing zing Bar To Baralacha Pass – Good
- Baralacha To Sarchu – Bad, Dirt Track
- Sarchu To Pang – Bad, Bumpy, Dirt Track
- Pang To Moore Plains – Good, Bad, Bumpy
- Moore Plains To Tanglang La Pass – Very Good
- Tanglang La Pass To Rumste – Very Good
- Rumste To Leh – Very Good
2021 Update: You no longer need to travel from Manali to Rohtang Pass to Keylong. You can take the route from Manali to Keylong via Atal Tunnel to reach Keylong in just 2 hrs from Manali and avoid all the bad roads of Rohtang Pass.
Modes of travel on Manali – Leh Highway
IMPORTANT NOTE: Himachal Pradesh Govt. has banned the movement of vehicles without any permit on Manali – Rohtang Pass road and visiting Rohtang Pass for tourism purposes. If you are going towards Leh – Ladakh or Keylong or Spiti Valley from Manali side then you need to get permits for Rohtang Pass available online. Please note that Bikes also need a permit to cross Rohtang Pass
Private Vehicles i.e. Cars and Bikes | Self Drive or Ride to Ladakh
Most people prefer to travel from Manali to Leh on a bike or self-drive to Ladakh in their own car. Some people also prefer to self-drive or self-ride to Ladakh by hiring a rental bike or car on rental from the cities. In any case, a hired car/bike or personal car/bike, the idea is to live the passion of driving or riding through one of the toughest and adventurous terrains accessible in India.
You can take your own or rented, car or bike to Ladakh on Manali Leh Highway, but one must be careful while driving or riding through slushy roads, snow and water crossing or nallas. Also, it is always handy to learn little maintenance tasks of your vehicle before the start of this arduous and desolate journey.
For cars, although an SUV/MUV is good to have and a 4WD SUV will definitely help but I have seen hatchbacks (including Altos and Nano) and sedans doing good enough job on Manali – Leh Highway.
Please note that when you are planning from Manali to Leh on bike, the bike registered in Manali will not be allowed for sightseeing in Ladakh. You will need to rent a bike again in Leh again for sightseeing in Ladakh.
Can I do Manali Leh trip in a small car?
With sedans/hatchbacks or small cars on Manali Leh Highway, one must drive with extra care and caution. Also, be ready for few scratches or sacrifice some parts on your sedans/hatchbacks under-belly due to the lack of enough ground clearance required in some water crossings or landslides on Manali – Leh Highway.
If you are trying to travel on Manali Leh Highway in a small car or a hatchback or sedan, I will suggest planning the journey late in the season ( September) when the roads are in good shape than the early season.
Are you planning to hire or rent a bike from Manali? If yes, then you must go through the article on How to Hire or Rent a Bike or Motorcycle in Manali?
Tips for a Self-drive to Manali – Leh
If you are traveling on Manali to Leh by car, whenever in doubt, always step out of your car, walk down the path, inspect with your foot and plan the path of exit before crossing a dangerous landslide or water crossing on your vehicle. You can also park aside and see how others are crossing the risky section to plan your route of escape.
In deep water-crossings try to maintain the momentum without any half clutch measures and complete the entire stretch in one go only.
Similarly, in slush stretches, do not force the issue rather keep the smooth momentum with the required speed to pass you through, without half clutch measures. Do keep an eye on the direction of the vehicle too.
If you get stuck in the mud, then try to back and forth your vehicles to get out of the stuck position. It is always handy to ask your fellow co-travelers to get out of the car and push the vehicle from behind in case the car is struggling to pass through the mud or water crossing stretch.
These tips will certainly help you on your trip from Manali to Leh by car.
Things to carry
Basic toolkit, screwdriver set, small hammer, puncture repair kit, iron rod, two or three “2 ltr” empty bottles of Pepsi / Coke / Limca, etc. to carry extra petrol or diesel (jerry cans will leak, cold drink bottles do not leak), funnel, towing rope, spare tube (must for bikes), Elfy or Fevi quick (2-3 sachets), jump-start cables/wires, M-seal to prevent leakage, etc. were among the few things which I carried along on my trip to Ladakh.
Also, do not forget to get your vehicle (car/bike) serviced about 2-3 weeks before the start of the Ladakh journey. Having it serviced will ensure that you have proper time in advance to test your serviced vehicle and get fixed any hitches that may have been introduced in that service.
You can prepare the checklist from my list of 40 must have things to carry on Ladakh self drive trip
Hiring a Private Taxi | Taxi Number or Private Number
All taxis (except Ladakh registration number) having taxi number or tourist permits number plates are only allowed for a drop in Leh – Ladakh. You cannot drive them in Leh – Ladakh ou cand as per the taxi union rules, only taxis with Ladakh number are allowed to roam in the Ladakh region for sightseeing.
If you want to travel within Leh – Ladakh in your private taxi hired from a place other than Ladakh, then, in that case, you need to hire a taxi with a private number plate only. However, in the latter case, be ready for some queries by the local taxi drivers in Ladakh or police constables on your route. You need to ensure everyone interrogating with you that the vehicle is not a rental.
Should I hire a taxi from Manali for Ladakh?
Whenever you need to hire a taxi, always try to hire it from Manali, as the drivers of Manali will always be more skilled and more accustomed to the route or current conditions of Manali – Leh Highway. Secondly, the locals always have a majority with an advantage of local support in any hurdle you might face on the way towards Leh.
To hire a taxi, go directly to the Manali taxi stand and bargain hard with the local drivers only, for a drop to Leh. Do not involve any tour operator or hotel staff at any stage to save costs.
Manali to Leh Taxi Fare
The local taxi drivers will charge about Rs 1500 extra for a planned night halt on the way to Leh. The private taxi fare from Manali to Leh is close to Rs 16000 to Rs 18000 for a drop to Leh from Manali, depending on your bargaining power, tourist rush, and time when you are visiting the place. June is the highest-paid and September – August being the less paid.
On the Manali bus stand, the taxis that drop people coming from Ladakh are also available sometimes. Since the same local sightseeing rules are applied to Ladakh taxis as well in Manali, they are bound to return without any tourists from Manali side, officially. If you can catch any of those Ladakhi drivers, you might save yourself Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 for a drop to Leh from Manali.
The same rule is applicable from Leh to Manali side as well and hence, if you can get hold of some Himachali driver at Leh taxi stand, you will again save about Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 on your return drop to Manali.
However, you need to be a bit careful from local drivers while fixing a deal with non-local drivers. So, it is always nice if you have some references for either place upfront and call them directly to fix the deal. Secondly, it might be hard that these taxis will agree for any night halt on the way, but it depends on how you gel up in the negotiations and bargaining.
You can check the Leh – Ladakh taxi union rate list 2020 – 21 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh. You can get about 10-12% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
Manali to Leh Bus Service, HPTDC | Good for a solo traveler or a couple
Perhaps if you are traveling alone or with one or two friends, you can buy or book tickets for the Manali – Leh bus service of HPTDC. This semi-deluxe bus covers the 474 Km long Manali – Leh stretch with a night halt at HPTDC Hotel Chandrabhaga, Keylong on coming from either side.
Bus Fare
The ticket costs Rs about 2900 per person (as of 2020), which includes a stay at HPTDC Hotel Chandrabhaga, Keylong, and two meals, i.e., dinner and breakfast at the same hotel. Earlier was also an option to buy the ticket only without hotel stay and meals for Rs 1500, but HPTDC no longer offers it.
The prices mentioned here may change anytime though, so please check the HPTDC website for updated info. The overall comfort level of the bus is much better than other HRTC buses that ply on Manali – Leh Highway.
Schedule
You can check the updated schedule of Manali Leh bus at the HPTDC website. The tickets can be bought or booked at the HPTDC office on mall road, Manali or you may like to contact at HPTDC Office in your local town (HPTDC Contact Details).
Do not book the seats at the back and confirm before booking regarding the location of the seats. In the back seats, you may have trouble when the road gets bad, especially on the second day, i.e., Keylong to Leh. The bus departs at 11 AM from Manali on the first day and 5 AM from Keylong on the second day to reach Leh about 7 PM. These timings will change with the introduction of the Atal Tunnel that will reduce the time to travel to Keylong from Manali to just 2 hrs in total.
Read my detailed article on Manali to Leh Bus Service.
Delhi – Keylong – Leh Bus Service, HRTC | Cheapest mode of travel
HRTC also runs a regular bus service to Leh from Manali (started in 2018) and also from Delhi and Keylong. You can book tickets for connecting buses (Manali – Keylong, and Keylong – Leh) from Manali bus depot itself or even ISBT, Delhi. You can also reach Keylong by getting a seat in numerous shared taxis that ply between Manali – Keylong every day. The HRTC buses may not be as comfortable though, but comfort comes with the price.
The ticket between Manali – Keylong costs about Rs 174 and then Keylong – Leh it costs about Rs 550 and Delhi to Leh costs about Rs 1380, in HRTC buses. The direct bus from Manali to Leh costs Rs 833, which started in 2018. The bus departs at 5 AM from Keylong and reaches Leh about 7 PM.
You can also read the details of HRTC Delhi Leh Bus Service
Shared Taxi | A Cannonball run
You can also buy yourself a seat in a shared taxi which runs every mid-night from Manali and reaches Leh on the next evening without any night halt. In the same way, shared taxis are run from Leh to Manali as well.
You need to pay about Rs 1800 to Rs 2000 per person for a drop to Leh from Manali or a drop to Manali from Leh. Of course, since it is shared with 7-8 other people plus the driver and completes the back-breaking cannonball run of Manali – Leh in 15-17 hours, you can imagine the level of comfort yourself.
This one is the second cheapest mode of travel on Manali – Leh Highway but mind you, it could be the toughest on the body too 🙂
Other travel modes
You can also get in touch with some travel agent or taxi union in Manali who also runs their private buses or Tempo Travelers on Manali – Leh Highway. They also run according to dates and hence you may not find the immediate bookings for them.
Some travel agencies also offer Manali to Leh road trip packages including stay and travel. Let me know in case you are interested to know about them.
Planning Night Stay or Accommodation on Manali – Leh Highway
Based on my experience, you can opt to plan a journey on Manali – Leh Highway in one of the following ways –
Two Day Journey on Manali – Leh Highway
The options of stay or accommodation are very limited on Manali – Leh Highway due to the limited civilization. Hence, a two-day journey on Manali – Leh Highway is the most common among all travelers. Private Taxis and buses run by HPTDC or HRTC also cover the Manali – Leh Highway in two days. Mostly, people break up the journey on Manali – Leh Highway in the following two ways over two days –
Manali – Keylong / Jispa (Day 1) and Keylong / Jispa – Leh (Day 2)
This option is mostly preferred by people who do not want to run the risk of acute mountain sickness (AMS) by staying at higher altitudes than Keylong or Jispa. However, on the second day, you need to leave early in the morning like by 6 AM from Keylong or Jispa to reach Leh in time. Public buses including HPTDC / HRTC halt for a night at Keylong and leave at 6 AM the next morning, too.
Personally, out of Keylong or Jispa, I will always prefer to stay at Jispa if traveling on your own or privately hired vehicle. Jispa has situated right on the banks of river Bhaga and is further 20 KMs away from Keylong town. Spending the evening at this place is extremely refreshing and is a far better experience than the boring Keylong town.
While Keylong town offers varied accommodation options, Jispa has only a few options available for a stay, and hence, you must pre-book them. Secondly, if you are traveling by public transport, i.e., HRTC or HPTDC buses, then you need to stay at Keylong only else you need to manage the travel up to Jispa yourself and then fix the pickup too with the driver or conductor. Mobile phones may or may not work in Jispa.
Manali – Sarchu / Pang (Day 1) and Sarchu / Pang – Leh (Day 2)
After Keylong and Jispa, you will find accommodation majorly at Sarchu and Pang only. Many travelers also take this option. However, Sarchu and Pang being at much higher altitudes, many people suffer from headaches, vomiting, or sleepless nights.
Hence, if you have plans to stay either at Sarchu or Pang, then it is critical that you stay at Solang Valley not in Manali to acclimatize your body a little bit. Solang Valley also may not help altogether though, but Manali will certainly not help the cause.
Both Pang and Sarchu are close to midway between Manali and Leh. So, a stay at any of these places evenly distributes the time and fatigue over two days. This way, it helps you better enjoy the journey on each of the two days.
Again in between Sarchu and Pang, I will suggest a stay at Sarchu due to its lower altitude than Pang. Pang has lesser and cheaper options available, but Sarchu has varied options, including the Swiss tents with attached toilets. In the end, if you are coming from Leh, then you can stay at either Pang or Sarchu without any trouble because by then your body will be acclimatized to handle such altitudes.
One Day Journey on Manali – Leh Highway
Manali – Leh (Day 1)
This option of completing the journey of Manali – Leh in a single day is most common among local people or people who are in a high rush and is least recommended if you want to enjoy your travel. Shared taxis are the preferred way to avail of this option.
Although it could be the cheapest or time saving for you, this back-breaking, cannonball run of 15-16 Hrs with least stoppages does put a heavy toll on the body as well as the mind of an average traveler. This long journey is extremely tiring, and by traversing through the varied amount of altitudes ranging from 1900 Mtrs to over 5000 Mtrs in a single day, you are running a risk of acute mountain sickness (AMS) or some severe headaches or disorientation en-route. This option will certainly kill the joy of the journey.
Keep in mind that you are most likely to hit with mountain sickness in this option. If you get away with it, consider yourself extremely lucky. Otherwise, keep in mind that any breakdown of the vehicle like puncture, engine heat down, etc. at some high altitude (Tanglang La, Nakee La, Lachulung La, etc.) with you suffering from mountain sickness may lead to very very ugly outcomes. Hence, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take the acclimatization factor lightly.
Three Day Journey on Manali – Leh Highway
Manali – Keylong / Jispa (Day 1) and Keylong / Jispa – Sarchu / Pang (Day 2) and Sarchu / Pang – Leh (Day 3)
Well, this option is nothing but the combination of the other two to cover Manali – Leh Highway in three days. This option will require more time, as well as more money. This option is the best way to thoroughly enjoy the beauty of nature that is offered by Manali – Leh Highway, with some worries of mountain sickness. There are plenty of places/vistas and picture taking points on Manali – Leh Highway that is worth spending this extra time and money.
I suggest this option of travel or, in particular, overnight stay at Sarchu/Pang only when you are coming from Leh towards Manali. I DO NOT recommend it while going towards Leh from Manali side unless you are coming from Manali side after spending some nights in Spiti and Lahaul Valley. Sarchu and Pang are both above 4K altitude, which requires your body to have few nights at 3K and 2K Mtrs of altitudes to acclimatize your body. If you traveled to Leh via Srinagar side and coming from Leh after spending a few days, your body will be acclimatized better to minimize the chances of AMS at Sarchu or Pang.
Very few people follow this option due to lack of time and to save money for the ultimate heaven. If these two things have no place for consideration at your grounds, then I will say go with it, and you will make your journey on Manali – Leh Highway much more than a memorable experience :).
The comparison of night halts is already made in the first option, so opt as per your taste. Again if possible, do stay at Solang Valley not in Manali to minimize the chances or effects of mountain sickness.
This option will mostly be available if you are traveling by your private vehicle. You will even have tough time bargaining with drivers at Manali taxi stand for 2-night halts unless you are ready to pay them handsomely.
List of Accommodation or Stay Options on Manali – Leh Highway
Its always better to know or have the list of all accommodation places on Manali – Leh Highway before you travel on it because in such unpredictable terrain you can never predict what can come to your rescue. So, having as many details as possible about the place is always favorable.
I have compiled the list of accommodation or stay options on Manali – Leh Highway at the below link which includes the information about their contacts, location, price range, experiences, etc. Refer the link below for details – List of Accommodation Options on Manali – Leh Highway
Acclimatization and its importance on Manali – Leh Highway
The journey on Manali – Leh Highway goes through a series of high altitudes passes which are good enough to cause headaches, vomiting, disorientation and mountain sickness to the best in the business.
After crossing Patseo or Deepak Tal you are bound to run this high road to Ladakh above 4000 Mtrs until you descend from Taglang La towards Rumste / Upshi. However, with little prevention and care, you can combat or minimize the effects of altitude sickness.
Here are some tips which will help to fight the AMS on Manali – Leh Highway –
- Avoid overnight stay at Manali rather stay at Solang Valley which helps in the acclimatization whereas Manali does not. You always have an option to roam around in Manali and come back for a night’s sleep at some hotel in Solang Valley. This will help your body acclimatize to a certain extent at the start of your journey.
- On Manali – Leh Highway, do stay at either Keylong or Jispa which are lower in altitude than Sarchu and Pang to minimize the effects of mountain sickness.
- Keep your body properly hydrated.
- Avoid sleeping at high altitudes.
- Avoid overexertion.
- Avoid tobacco and smoking and alcohol and other depressant drugs.
- Keep your body warm and eat lots of carbohydrates.
- Avoid sleep during the day.
- Sleep in an upright position, if possible.
- Carry preventive medicines for AMS.
- Immediately descend, if symptoms increase
For more information on Acute Mountain Sickness and all above acclimatization tips, please refer my article on Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization
The FAQ on Leh Manali Highway
What will be the cost of Manali Leh Highway road trip?
Usually, Manali to Leh road trip cost should come around Rs 3500 if you plan to travel on HPTDC Manali to Leh bus service. Traveling HRTC Manali to Leh bus in a single day should not cost you more than Rs 1000 if you are on a budget.
What is the status of Manali Leh Highway 2020?
You can track Manali Leh Highway’s status on my blog. Every year I start a dedicated thread to track the Manali Leh Road status and post regular updates. As of today (December 2019), Manali Leh Highway is closed due to heavy snowfall.
What is the Manali Leh Highway opening date 2020?
Usually, Manali Leh Highway is opened in the last week of May or the first week of June, officially. In 2019, Manali Leh Highway opened on 10th June 2019, and in 2018, Manali Leh Highway was opened on 13th May 2018. After many years, in 2018, Manali Leh Highway was opened by mid of May.
What are the road conditions on Manali Leh Highway?
As of 2019, the road conditions on Manali Leh Highway has been improved considerably over the last few years. Most of the water crossings now have been covered with bridges. The conditions on Rohtang Pass have improved a lot, many metalled road sections including Pang to Taglang La via More Plains. People are doing Leh to Keylong in a single day at a comfortable pace nowadays.
Fuel or Petrol Pump on Manali – Leh Highway
After Manali town, there is only one Petrol Pump at Tandi on the entire Manali – Leh Highway before Upshi / Karu. DO NOT forget to get the full tank fuel at this petrol pump, even if you had it filled at Manali. The more you have, the better it will be for you.
ATM on Manali – Leh Highway
Do carry enough cash with you as the ATM is available only in Keylong and Manali town. If you have no plans to stay at Keylong, then do not forget to withdraw cash from Manali town. After Keylong, you will get hold of an ATM only at Leh town.
Video – Places to Visit on Manali – Leh Highway
For a detailed description of the major places to visit on Manali Leh Highway including the distance between them and their respective altitudes, please refer to the article Places on Manali – Leh Highway | A Detailed Description
Summarized View of Facilities or Amenities on Manali – Leh Highway
| Facility | Places |
| Hotel / Guest Houses | Khoksar, Sissu, Gondola, Patseo, Tandi, Keylong (Many options), Jispa, Upshi |
| Tents / Camps(Dhaba / Swiss / Normal) | Jispa, Darcha, Zingzing Bar, Bharatpur, Sarchu (Many options), Pang |
| Food / Beverages | Marhi, Khoksar, Sissu, Keylong, Jispa, Darcha, Deepak Tal, Zingzing Bar, Bharatpur, Sarchu, Pang, Rumste, Upshi |
| Diesel / Petrol Pumps | Tandi (107 KMs from Manali), Karu (36 KMs from Leh) |
| Mobile Connectivity | In our case, the mobile signal of Airtel worked till Keylong only and then faded rapidly. The signals were restored after crossing Upshi for Airtel. Of course, BSNL has more coverage and better connectivity within this range than any other operator. SMS does work fine for both BSNL and Airtel. Reliance Jio is making inroads and covering a lot of parts of Manali to Leh. Vodafone did not work for us at all after crossing Marhi and not even in Leh -Ladakh. Packet data also works up to Keylong and Leh packet data is available only with BSNL edge. Prepaid connections do not work in Leh – Ladakh. |
| Fixed Phones | Keylong, Jispa, Darcha, Upshi |
| Electricity | Sissu, Gondola, Keylong, Jispa, Darcha, Upshi |
| Medical Facilities | Sissu, Keylong but Sarchu, Pang has army camps |
| ATMs | Keylong |
| Police Checkpoints | Darcha, Sarchu, Upshi, Khoksar (For foreigners only) |
| Mechanic / Puncture Shops | Khoksar, Tandi (not sure), Keylong, Darcha, Sarchu, Upshi |
| Liquor Shops | Keylong, Darcha, Upshi |
| Natural Highlights | Rohtang Pass, Tandi Confluence, Sissu Waterfall, Deepak Tal, Suraj Tal, Baralacha La, Strange Soil formations, Moore Plains (Wildlife too), Taglang La or Tanglang La, Gata Loops, Lachung La, Naki La, Atal Tunnel |
Article Last Updated February 2022 with up-to-date information for planning a road trip on Manali Leh Highway.
Conclusion
In the end, if you have been to Manali – Leh Highway, then please share your valuable thoughts or suggestions which can make the above information more concrete and useful for someone planning to cover Manali – Leh Highway. Your comments and inputs are most welcome.
I hope this travel guide will help you make a wonderful trip to these dangerous yet beautiful roads in the world.
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812 Comments
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Hi Dheeraj,
We are 3 people, planning trip from Pune to Ladakh via Delhi-Manali-Leh-Srinagar for 9-10 days.
29th june : flying from pune to delhi in evening
taking overnight bus from delhi to manali
30th june : day-night stay in solang valley and sightseeing in Manali
1st july : Travelling from Manali to Sarchu(overnight stay) – should we hire a private car or prefer a bus?
2nd july : Travelling from Sarchu to Leh
3rd july : SightSeeing at Leh
4th july : Leh to Nubra valley(Early morning bike trip)
: In afternoon, Leaving Nubra to reach pangong by evening(overnight stay)
Question(How is the road condition from Nubra to Pangong and do you recommand us to go Nubra to Pangong?)
5th july : Return to leh from Pangong
6th/7th july : Travel to Kargil/Drass then to Sonmarg/Srinagar
1. Do we need to prebook the car or can we do it at the time there in Leh
2. Can we reach Sonmarg the same day and stay there or do we need to halt around Kargil
8th July : Local sightseeing at Srinagar and fly back to Pune.
Please provide your guidance on the plan.
Thank you
Avinash, my inputs are below
1. Avoid sleeping at Sarchu, sleep at Jispa and do Jispa to Leh
2. You can do Leh to Nubra Valley only and then next day Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso and then 6th July Pangong Tso to Leh or further to Lamayuru
3. Then 7th July do Leh to Sonamarg and then 8th Sonamarg to Srinagar else do Lamayuru to Srinagar
Hi Dheeraj,
Really So Awesome blog thank u for providing very useful information
We are about 6 persons for the first time planning for Manali-Leh in early august we have only 7 days in Hand we want to go by bike by rental can u please provide me best iternary it will be very useful for us.
2.Is it possible to visit pang pong lake
Thank U
Opt to go via Manali – Leh Highway and I will suggest that you refer the thread for more details on the route and night halts though it is of 9 days: Manali – Leh – Ladakh – Manali | Itinerary for 9 Days. You can fit in plan I suggested in above para in this plan
GOOD JOB DONE
Nice article …full of nformation
Hi Dheeraj,
I’m planning for this trip in July or August 2018, so is it a right time to go and where can I get Bikes for rent in cheap price?
Thanks,
Sujit
Avoid August, better go in July Sujit.
Thanks Dheeraj. Any particular reason to avoid August? may be because of the rain?… I want to go in sunny time. As I have checked previous years weather forecast and it suggested July onwards weather will be sunny.
Sujit August is peak monsoon in North INdia. There will be lot of challenges in terms of road blocks and landslides in the lower hill. If you plan to fly to Leh directly, then may be yes, itis fine.
Hi Dheeraj, pl let me know if the leh-manali highway would be open in late October. Also, last September I had travelled through this route and stayed on my first night at Tso Kar. There are some decent accommodations there. Next day I was in manali by 4 pm. For some reason I can’t see a mention of tsokar in your blog. Any specific reasons for the same. Thanks.
Hi Nikunj,
Tso Kar is off Manali – Leh Highway and hence, there is no mention in the article. However, you will find plenty of places in blog where it is mentioned. Manali – Leh Highway remains open in general but traveling is very risky in late October. Please read: 5 Reasons to Avoid Manali – Leh Highway in October
Hi there
Very informative post! I have a question. Is last half of September is good time to travel Leh Ladakh Srinagar?
Yes Ashok, though the night gets a bit cold but second half of September is my favourite time to travel Leh – Ladakh because of beautiful colors and less crowd.
Thanks dear friend. I saw in YouTube the road somewhere is very risky. We want to avoid that but still want to visit leh, Ladakh, lake, sreenagar, pegelgam etc.
Would you please make a plan for us from your experience the best road root avoiding the most risky roads?
Thanks a lot 🙂
Well, the roads are risky for sure and there is no road in Leh – Ladakh where risk can be avoided. So, in case you have to make a trip to Leh – LAdakh you have to take risk which is always there with any kind of adventure. You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
Hi Dheeraj,
Your blogs on all topics were very informative, Thanks for the same.
We 2 couples are planning to do Leh-Ladakh between 20, Jul to 1, Aug and initial plan was to travel by road from Manali to Leh and then fly out of Leh. (Initially wanted to fly till Srinagar and then travel by road till Manali by owing to the ever changing situations in Srinagar doesnt want take risk as travelling with family).
1. But now after reading several blogs of your confused whether to change my plan to Fly into Leh and then travel by road to Manali.
2. If I chose to travel by road while coming back will I be able to avoid reaching back to Leh from Tsomoriri and directly head to Saarchu and next day to Manali.
3. We want to hire a RE for a day or 2 in Leh and cover any of the routes from your most-common-itinerary-for-leh-ladakh, please suggest which would be good for the same as although we 2 are very good Riders dont want to take much riskier route accompanied by our partners.
4. We wanted to ride to Kargil and stay there for the night and next day to be back in Leh, please suggest will it be feasible to cover this route by bike and cover the places en-route too like Pathar Saheb, Zanskar – Indus Sangam, Dras War Memorial, Magnetic Hill etc.
Regards,
Harsha Hegde
Hi Harsha,
1. I will suggest that you better skip the situation in Kashmir as in doubt, it is always best to play safe than sorry or being worried all the time. Max you can do is make a two day trip to Kargil – Drass and come back to Leh to fly out from there only.
2. I could not understand this but still, try. Tso Moriri is on a different route, you can travel to Sarchu directly from Leh without touching Tso Moriri. In case you go to Tso Moriri, there is a direct route that meets at Manali – Leh Highway so you do not need to come back to Leh. I hope it answers
3. Yes, sure you can rent the bikes from Leh and move around Leh where roads and connectivity are present.
4. Yes, the road from Leh to Kargil covering places of Sham Valley is in mostly good conditions and in general safe to travel
Hi Dheeraj
Need your suggestion as I am getting conflicting opinions . Is it possible to do Tso Moriri- Manali in one day looking at the road conditions . I am travelling in an SUV. We travel next month .
Thanks
Nikheel
Possible = Yes, Hectic = Very Hectic. It takes about 12 Hrs to reach Keylong from Tso Moriri on an average with very short breaks. Then Keylong to Manali is another 4.5-5 Hrs with very short breaks.
Hi Dheeraj,
First of all, let me thank you for maintaining such a huge informative blog. You are really helping all the travelers out there! I am leaving on 24th June from Chandigarh and have a couple of questions for you –
1. I wanted to ask how many major water crossings are there in the way and their location, so that I could plan accordingly?
2. Considering the recent rains in Manali regions, till what point i will experience the rains in between Manali to Leh? I mean from where the rain shadow region starts?
3. Approximately how much food and accommodation would cost for 2 people (14 days trip)?
Thanks in advance
Sushant
Guess I just replied to your other comment.
hello
i m plan to journey in my own car jalandhar to leh via srinagar and come back from leh to jalandhar via manali. I plan next month 10 july the tour 10-12 days its enough
Leave the comment its good or not
Yes, 12 days is a good time to visit Ladakh. You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
You can skip the rest day in Leh after Pangong tso to make the trip in 12 days
Hi Dheeraj,
First of all, thank you so much for this detailed blog. This single post is enough for all the information.
Me and my one friend is planning to travel by Bike to Leh via Manali -Leh highway (MANALI – halt at JISPA – LEH ), we are planning to leave Manali on 8th July, will that be good time to travel ? Shall we expect some snow en route to Leh ? And as I read in your post, shall we expect road river(snow melt) at that time?
We are planning to go by our own , is it a good idea or we should go with some group/organizer ?what challenges we may face if we go by our own ?
Also,it would be very grateful of you if you could share number of some good bike rental in Manali.
Thanks in Advance 🙂
This website has sufficient information on making a trip to Ladakh and you do not need any group or organizer. You will rock !! You can get connected with info@offbeatescapes.com for bike rentals and also they provide Rs 50 discount per bike per day for all DoW Readers and Members 🙂
Thank you pal 🙂
Yes Ankur, early July is good time to travel to Ladakh and Manali – Leh Highway. There will be water crossings for sure in July as well but well, that’s where adventure lies. Leave early in the day so that water is less.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
We are 3 people planning our leh trip from 10 June. We have around 14 days.
We are planning to go with Fiat Linea (this one is not so great with ground clearance).
We will be taking the Srinagar route to reach leh. And then would like to return through Leh-manali route(mostly 20 to 22 June).
My question is – Is it impossible to do Leh-Manali in June month with a low GC Sedan car? I read that road conditions are improved from past few years. Please tell me that should we attempt the Leh-Manali for coming back with Fiat Linea or not? or we should just take the Srinagar route to come back?
Also Can we do Leh – Nubra – Leh AND Leh – Pangong – Leh with Linea at this period of time? We have no plans to do the direct Nubra-Pangong route.
Hi Hiren,
More or less you should be good with most of the route. I will not stay the car will not struggle but still you should be able to make it with careful and cautious driving. For hatchback/sedan taking on Manali – Leh Highway Or Spiti Valley via Manali Or Ladakh, please refer the link: FAQ | Can I do Leh – Ladakh / Spiti / Manali – Leh trip in Hatchback or Sedan? for more details.
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
Hi Dheeraj
Comprehensive post. I am planning a trip in Mid July ie Manali to Leh and back in an SUV . Dates are leave Manali on 13th and reach Leh on 14th with a halt in Jispa for the night . Will rest in Leh for a day and apply for ILP and take off from Leh on 15th . Cover Nubra – Turtuk (2 days) – Pangong Tso night halt – Hanle night halt – Tso Moriri a night or 2 and back to Manali on 20th /21st. Is this doable or pushing it ? Your suggestions please . Also can you advice on opening of Rohtang pass?
Nikheel, the plan looks doable and I believe you have days to adjust in case there is a need. Go with it and take a call once you reach Leh. You have to ensure that you carry enough fuel from Leh to do about 950 KMs without fuel pump. Manali – Leh Highway is expected to open by 25th May. 5 KMs of road is left to be cleared from Baralacha La Pass.
Thanks Dheeraj . Much appreciated
Hi Dheeraj
Further to my post below. Need some info on Rohtang pass permit and ILP . We reach Manali late afternoon. How long do you think should it take me to procure the Rohtang pass permit? Since I do not want to waste much time in Manali, some heads up on how to expedite procurement of pass will be a big help.
Also some similar info on ILP from Leh.
Thanks in advance
You have to take the permit in 2 days advance from the online website. Permits are vanishing in just 12 minutes, you make sure you hook on to it by 12.00 with fast internet connection.
For details on inner line permits process and to download application form read the link All you want to know about Inner Line Permits for Ladakh. Page 1 is Protected Area Permit applicable for foreigners. Fill in Page 2, 3 for Inner Line Permit applicable for Indians, got to DC office in Leh and submit the application with valid Photo ID nationality proof and pay the required fee of Rs 400 + Rs 20 x number of days you will be in Ladakh.
Thanks Dheeraj . Once again much appreciated
Hi dheeraj…Are there tour operators who offer bike trip from leh to manali….I find few operators providing from.manali to leh.but could not find bike trips from leh to manali. .
Can you or anybody pls post any good operators …Thanks in advance
You can write to info@offbeatescapes.com and ask for bikes to be dropped at Manali from Leh. They also offer Rs 50 per day discount on bike union rates for all readers of DoW. Please note that pickup charges can make a big dent in the pocket, about 10K per bike for a pickup or drop 😉
What about nature’s call during the 475 km journey on manali – leh highway. Is it possible if we plan the trip with tents?
You can plan the trip with tents. Mostly it will be wide open nature for its call 🙂 , rest you will be staying either at Jispa or Keylong which will not make it 474 KMs long.
Hi Dheeraj,
First and foremost, thanks for all the details. This is such an amazing place to explore for travelling enthusiast . 🙂
We are 5 ppl ( 3 M + 2 F ) , planning a maiden for a Leh- ladakh trip coming June- July -17.
As everyone can’t get the desired 2 weeks off so we have to curb our plan for 9 days.
Here is the overview of itinerary. FYI everything is in planning stage as of yet.
23rd June – Leaving from Delhi to Manali.
24th June- Reaching Manali by 11 am tentatively . Leaving to Leh – Ladakh, Overnight stay at Jispa.
25th June- Jispa to Leh
26th June- Local Sightseeing in Leh
27th June- Leh to Nubra (Overnight At Nubra)
28th June- Nubra to Leh (Overnight at Leh)
29th June – Leh to Tso Pangong (Overnight @ Tso Pangong)
30th June – Tso Pangong to Manali return (Overnight Stay at Sarchu)
1st July – Sarchu to Manali by Evening. Return to Delhi
Is the above schedule is good & sounds doable? If there is anything which needs to be taken care of or we are missing, please suggest.
Also is it possible to twist it this ways too
28th June – Nubra to Tso Pangong ( Direct travel ) ( Overnight @ Tso Pangong)
29th June – Tso Pangong to Tso Moriri ( Stay overnight )
30th June – Tso Moriri to Manali return ( Overnight stay @ Sarchu)
Just wanted to make sure that in process of seeing everything we should not miss the real fun and beauty of the place.
Please provide your guidance on same.
Thanks !
Regards
Saurabh
Hey Saurabh,
The plan sounds doable to me. You must take care of Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization. Rest looks at least doable.
I will recommend to skip Tso Moriri for some other time and dont over burn your bodies with fatigue.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are back with our memorable LEH trip. Thanks to you & DOW for all the vital information.
Regards.
Saurabh
P.S: We could not make to Tso Pangong from Nubra as the direct route via Shyok was closed.
Hey Saurabh,
It is wonderful to know that you had a wonderful trip to Ladakh. If possible, do share some updates or road conditions on the route or any tips worth sharing which can help others plan better too 🙂 …
Regards
Dheeraj
Once we reach Hunder from Leh while visiting Khardung La and Dikskit so shall we do night stay at Hunder or come back to Leh in same hotel ?
Thanks in advance!
It is better to halt for a night at Hunder to ease out the journey otherwise it will be tiring. Please add more days to your plan.
Hi Dheeraj,
i and my wife are going for Manali to leh in 3rd week of august for 7-8 days trip, we will go on Bike from Manali but as i will be riding bike and my wife will be sitting at back, We will take 2 bags with us so what you suggest for carrying bags in most convenient way.
Thanks in advvance
Hi Arjun,
Are you experienced with long rides and your wife too? Also, 8 days you are saying from Manali? Best is to have Ladakh carrier installed on the bike.
Hello Dheeraj
Excellent post.
Planning to visit Leh Laddakh in May end or June 1st week.
Is Leh Manali route open by that time !
Some apprehensions also – because of 5 and 7 yr old kid with us. what medical facilities are available on route!
what are your inputs -if we reach directly to leh by flight.
Shashank
Manali – Leh may not open by that time of the year. It is not recommended to travel that early on Manali – Leh Highway with kids as road closure are pretty common during that time.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Shashank
HI Dheeraj ,
Have planned for Leh by road from Chandigarh to leh via Srinagar and then back to Chandigarh via manali.
can you please help us to know where to take proper stops for the above trip. and as well we will be traveling from 2 Sep to 10 Sep is this enough time for this trip ?
Thank you
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
With 9 days in hand, it is very difficult to get a good trip of Ladakh
Hi, loved the detailing in your blog.. i m planning to travel to Leh on the 10th of July from Manali.. is it advisable to visit Tso Moriri on our way to Leh from Manali?? Or should we visit it once we have reached Leh?
Thank you. Not at all advisable to visit tso Moriri from Manali side. You should visit it in the last after Nubra, Pangong tso and then while coming back to Manali from Leh.
Hi. We have already booked our flight tickets based on a travel agent’s recommendation (and I am cursing myself for the plan). The route is Manali – Leh – Srinagar exactly the opp of what you have recommended & also, we are planning to go by bike. Can you pls suggest a suitable plan or recommend training such that AMS issue doesn’t come up? And also, such that we reach Leh within 2 days?
Hi Darshana,
You should read about AMS and acclimatization including the tips to combat AMS at the link: Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization. The article details out all the necessary things you need to know to go over with your journey over Manali to Leh. Even if the trip is planned by tour operator avoid staying at Sarchu while going to Leh even in case it means spending a bit more money in cancellation and all.
Ok, thank you for the inputs!
Best wishes for the trip, feel free to post any further questions./
Hi,
Am planning to ride leh from Bangalore in this April last week or first week of May…Will my plan works out considering about 3-4 weeks time?
Would appreciate your suggestions.
Thanks.
The roads from Manali to Leh will open by second week of June and hence, in April you cannot make a road trip to Ladakh.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning to go from Manali to Leh on 11th of June. Can you please let us know if by that time the roads will open or do I need to change my plans. I have booked my Hotels.
Regards,
Sam
Samya, Manali – Leh road will be open by that time of the year.
Hi Dheeraj,
i’m planning manali – leh road trip and in the month of July. My travel dates are 1st July to 12th July.
So, my question is can we travel in the month of July. or else, which is the best month to visit by road.
And, 12 days would be sufficient for this trip?
please suggest me.
thanks for your time.
Regards,
Abbas
First half of July is a good time to travel Ladakh, 12 days is also a good time period. You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
Hi, I wanted your advice on my trip which we are planning this 1 July to 9 July 2017 with a group of 6 age from 21 to 35 years. 2 people have hypertension problem among them. I wanted to know will it be safe to travel at this height. We are planning Mumbai -chandigarh flight,chandigarh -manali bus, manali -leh rent a vehicle. Please can you guide on where to stay and how to plan the trip in these many days. Can you also guide whether we should pre book the vehicle or go to manali and then look into it? Thanks in advance.
It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi with stop overs at Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi with stopovers at Sarchu, Manali. This makes it 7 days. 1 Day is required in Leh for acclimatization. You have about 10 days. 1 Day can be used as Day trip to Pangong Tso and other day can be used as day trip to Nubra Valley or just Khardung La pass.
Opt to go via Manali – Leh Highway and I will suggest that you refer the thread for more details on the route and night halts though it is of 9 days: Manali – Leh – Ladakh – Manali | Itinerary for 9 Days. You can fit in plan I suggested in above para in this plan
You can call the local drivers directly to connect with them and check the comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.
I would be interested in some feedback on my plan below please.
18th June: Arrive Dehli
19th June: Dehli > Shimla (354 km 7 hrs)
20th June: Shimla > Manali (250 km 6 hrs)
21st June: Manali > Keylong (128 km) ** Rohtang Pass
22nd June: Keylong > Sarchu (111 km)
23rd June: Sarchu > Leh (265 km)** Zingzingbar Highest
24th June: Leh > Kargil (5-6 hrs)
25th June: Kargil > Srinagar (3-4 hrs)
26th June: Srinagar > Jammu (7 hrs)
27th June: Jammu > Dehli (9 Hrs) ** Return Motorcycle
28th June: Dehli (Express Train from Delhi to Agra Taj Mahal RETURN)
29th June: **** Contingency day ****
30th June: Fly Dehli to Nepal Kathmandu
1st July: Nepal
2nd July: Nepal
3rd July: Nepal
4th July: Nepal
5th July: Fly Australia (Thailand for Koh)
Hey James,
Well, plan looks OK but if you will do it from the other side, it will make more sense. I mean enter from Srinagar side and exit from Manali side. Also, It will be much better that you skip the Shimla as it is nothing but concrete jungle in comparison to what you will see in rest of the journey. Use that day to make a day trip to Khardung La pass and use your contingency day to rest in Leh after reaching from Kargil. Times, don’t go by what you have mentioned it will take more what you have mentioned there.
Hi Dheeraj
Your article on Manali Leh highway is thorough and answers all the questions.
Too bad it is not open in March – we were planning to go to Keylong.
Deepak even the road to Keylong from Manali will not be open 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
I have a plan to visit Ladakh by this year September.
My route will be like below:
Day 1 : Manali – Keylong
Day 2 : Keylong Sightseeing & travel upto Jispa
Day 3 : Jispa – Leh
Day 4 : Leh Sight seeing
Day 5 : Leh – Nubra
Day 6 : Nubra Sight seeing
Day 7 : Nubra – Pangong
Day 8 : Pangong – Leh
Day 9 : Leh – Tsomoriri
Day 10 : Tsomoriri – Leh
Day 11 : Leh – Lamayuru
Day 12 : Lamayuru – Leh
Day 13 : Leaving Leh by flight
Want to hire exclusive Xylo for the entire tour. What should be the cost for Car [including cost for driver, inter state toll / permit etc].
Please advice.
Regards,
As per the taxi union rates of year 2016-17 (https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/leh-ladakh-taxi-rates-2016-17/) following is the break up
Srinagar – Leh in 2 days = 18400
Leh Local sightseeing = 2500-3000
Leh – Nubra Valley 2 Day = 10566
Leh – Pangong Tso 2 Day = 10301
Leh – Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Sarchu – Manali 2-3 days = 29056
Leh – Manali 2 Days = 21588
Leh – Pangong Tso 1 Day = 8653
Leh – Nubra Valley 1 Day = 8053
You can usually get about 10-15% discount on these taxi rates after getting in touch with the driver directly.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thank you for your reply. Please let me know, if I need any special permit to travel through the below route.
Day 1 : Manali – Keylong
Day 2 : Keylong Sightseeing & travel upto Jispa
Day 3 : Jispa – Leh
Day 4 : Leh Sight seeing
Day 5 : Leh – Nubra
Day 6 : Nubra Sight seeing
Day 7 : Nubra – Pangong
Day 8 : Pangong – Leh
Day 9 : Leh – Tsomoriri
Day 10 : Tsomoriri – Leh
Day 11 : Leh – Lamayuru
Day 12 : Lamayuru – Leh
Day 13 : Leaving Leh by flight
I am Indian citizen and will carry my photo identity card [adhar & passport] with me. Tell me if anything more is required.
Regards,
Bhaskar
Bhaskar, in case you are traveling by road in your own car from Manali side, then well you need permit but I see you flying out of Leh so assuming you are traveling by taxi or other means, you will not need any permits.
Hi Dhiraj,
Your Blog is wonderful.
We are planning a family trip to by our own SUV to Delhi-Manali-Leh and back by the same route between 20 April to 03 May 17.
We are parents to 16 and 20 years old kids. Also, our 2 years old PUG would be accompanying us.
Duration is 14 days(02 weeks)
Kindly suggest us the itinerary.
with warm regards
Guru
Hello Guru,
The road from Manali to Ladakh is not open during that time of the year. It will open around June, please refer: Manali Leh Highway Status 2017
Hi !!,
we are planning a 15 day trip from delhi-rampur bushahr-kaza-zingzing-leh-kargil-srinagar-patnitop-ludhiana-delhi in august this year. Mode of transport in bikes.
few questions:
1. possibility of doing kaza to zing zing in 10-12 hours ?
2. can we find places to stay at zing zing ??
3. possibility of doing zing zing to leh in 10-12 hours ?
let me know your email address, can share the detailed itinerary as well.
Regards
Srijan
Hi Srijan,
1. In 12 Hrs, you should be able to hit Zing Zing Bar from Kaza but I will suggest to stop at Jispa
2. There are only dhabha dorm tents available at Zing zing bar, no other accommodation
3. Jispa to Leh can be done in 12 hrs.
Thanks for the quick input Dheeraj. Ok, another quick question. How about rampur bushahr to kaza, looks good on paper in 10-12 hours with stops but what does your experience say??
Regards
Srijan
Srijan, for sure Kaza to Rampur is a long and tiring ride/drive owing to the bad roads and you will just be rushing. With stops it will be 12+ hrs of drive only. If you say possible, I will say yes but for sure tiring.
Hey Dheeraj, thank you for oyur valuable insights on the manali-leh road trip. Me and my husband have booked the tickets from mumbai to leh from 27th may – 2nd june. Although we have booked our flight tickets from mumbai to leh. But we are of the opinion of travelling from Leh to Manali by road. By halting at Sarchu. Could you please help me with deatils of how to take this trip from Leh to Manali to Delhi By Road. It would be of great help if you could provide me the some contact details for taxis or buses(mode of public transport).
Awaiting Eagerly for your expert advice! 🙂
Hi Jyoti,
Unfortunately, you do not have enough time to make Ladakh trip as well as do Manali – Leh journey. With just 6 days in hand, two days will be just for acclimatization and rest in Leh when you land by flight. Then you should be doing sightseeing as well in Ladakh. Leh to Chandigarh via MAnali – Leh Highway will take about 3 days of road journey, so you will not have enough days for sightseeing in Ladakh in such a case. Also, Manali – Leh Highway opens by last week of May and first week of June, so it is touch and go with respect to your dates as well.
Regards
Dheeraj
Thanks for the very useful post.
We have come up with the itinerary based on your inputs.
We are 9 ppl with 2 kids (aged 3yrs and 2.5yrs) travelling from Srinagar to Leh to Manali to Chandigarh in the month of May. We will reach Srinagar airport around 3pm. Please do let us know if this is feasible.
Hire a TT to drop us at Leh
Day 1: Srinagar (Start at 4pm) to Kargil
Day 2: Next day – Kargil – Leh
Day 3 and Day 4: Hire a local TT to roam around Leh for 2 days
Day 5 : Leh to Manali
Day 6 and Day 7 : Manali sight seeing
Day 8: to Chandigarh airport
Thanks in advance.
Ashok, I will highly not recommend taking Manali – Leh Highway that time of the year with kids and family. More or less it will be closed but even if it is open, DO NOT take this trip.
Also, considering kids and family and large group, your plan is too hectic nad it will be very taxing on them. The journey is not a leisure journey, so please consider before making such a trip.
Also read: Traveling to Ladakh with Kids or Babies
Even if you make the trip, you must fly out of Leh to save some days for rest in Ladakh
Nice blog Dheeraj, well explained and covered almost everyting
Could you shed some light on how likely is it that my bike’s tyres would get punctured or fuel run out cuz these are the scariest scenarios for me and I want to clear my head around these issues before planing for rest of the things.
PS – I would def plan to keep extra fuel but want to know if i tank up at manali would my fuel run out before tandi.
Thanks
Vaibhav
Vaibhav, puncture is the main issue and you must plan for it. You must carry foam based solutions with you which can buy you time and help in not being stuck in the middle of no where.
Petrol, you can still work out after carrying some extra. Black fuel is available almost at each small dhabha settlements, so in worst case you end up buy that to save yourself reach Leh or Tandi. In most case it is not required unless you do Leh to Tso moriri to Manali direclty. This should help you: Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
Hello Dheeraj
This blog is really informative for us. I am from Dhaka, Bangladesh. We are planning a tour from manali to leh to Srinagar in September 2017. But I m worried about the situation of kashmir. Is there foreigners are allowed at this time? Please ensure me about it.
Things have settled quite a lot in Kashmir as compared to the season season this year. You should be OK else you can follow the Manali – Leh route only
Hey Dheeraj,
Thanks for the information. Very useful.
Best wishes for your trip Rutvi, feel free to post any queries you have.
Hey dheeraj thanks a lot for giving such a detail description ur post will be my commandment for planning my journey
First of all I would like u to know about us we are group of six guys aged between 29 to 36 and married(do we need to say something more)go for a road trip once every year in our scorpio this year july 2016 we went to manali and rohtang from delhi we started at 12.00 am in the night and reached manali in 13 hours we are 3 good drivers in the group and next day we went to rohtang pass and we reached there in 2.5 hours after wasting around half an hour at permit and one of the nullah were we took some photos
Now coming to point we are planning to go to leh from delhi next year june end 2017 what we are planning that we start one hour early like 11.00 in the night and reach manali by 11.00 in the morning since we need waste any time in photos and selfies as it has already been done this year and than we continue till keylong before 5 evening on day 1 , I know it will be hectic but we can save 1 day from our 7 day trip than on day 2 keylong to leh starting early in morning 5.00 am reach leh by evening adjust there and local sighseeing on day 3 than day 4 and day 5 your recommendations like some famous lake I dont remember the name than back on day 6 reach keylong night stay and than day 7 keylong to manali to delhi .. now u guide me how much is this feasable and if take 3 days while going than we get only 2 days in leh so please guide us and we have 3 driver all who have travelled and driven a lot..
Please reply me dheeraj
It is not at all recommended that you continue driving over Rohtang Pass and sleep at Keylong at your first night. It will make you all vulnerable to AMS which can cause serious issues over Manali – Leh Highway. Hence, keep two days to reach KEylong with overnight halt at Solang. Then next day leave for Leh at 5 AM from either Keylong or Jispa. Then, one day complete rest in Leh. This makes it 4 days for you without seeing anything in Ladakh. Now on 5th day, go over as day trip to Khardung La pass, Day 6, go over as day trip to Pangong Tso lake and while comping back go towards Manali and sleep at Upshi. Day 7 start the journey back to Manali from Upshi and you can reach Sissu or Khoksar if you start at 5 AM from Upshi by 7 PM. Day 8 from Sissu/Khoksar go over Rohtang Pass and reach Delhi without stopping at Manali
It is not at all recommended that you continue driving over Rohtang Pass and sleep at Keylong at your first night. It will make you all vulnerable to AMS which can cause serious issues over Manali – Leh Highway. Hence, keep two days to reach KEylong with overnight halt at Solang. Then next day leave for Leh at 5 AM from either Keylong or Jispa. Then, one day complete rest in Leh. This makes it 4 days for you without seeing anything in Ladakh. Now on 5th day, go over as day trip to Khardung La pass, Day 6, go over as day trip to Pangong Tso lake and while comping back go towards Manali and sleep at Upshi. Day 7 start the journey back to Manali from Upshi and you can reach Sissu or Khoksar if you start at 5 AM from Upshi by 7 PM. Day 8 from Sissu/Khoksar go over Rohtang Pass and reach Delhi without stopping at Manali
hello, i am about be the weirdest person on the planet please bear me.
i wanna go for a manali-leh walk trip nor bike nor bus or anything but i am not able to plan properly sometimes it’s the issue of food and sometimes it’s about the altitude sickness if not i occurred to the biggest problem for this trip is WATER I’ll be walking for around 500km (with breaks in the middle wherever i get accommodation and pitching tents by myself) if anyone can give me some suggestions, please do help me if you’ve got a idea!
Aprameya, dont worry people have asked this to me many times. Now let’s work out few things. How many days do you have in hand, if doing it from Leh to Manali side, is it OK for you? Which month are you planning it?
I have plenty of time, so it doesn’t matter, and yes it doesn’t matter Manali to leh or vice versa it’s going to be the same! Any month but ASAP…!
Then spend few weeks in Leh and sightseeing in Leh living in high altitude villages for few nights and start your journey from Tso Moriri to Tso Kar to Debring to Pang to Sarchu to Bharatpur to Zingzingbar to Darcha to Keylong – Manali. The moment you reach Darcha, you are out of trouble. You cannot sleep at any high altitude pass and hence you have to go down to base of the pass. Somewhere in the altitude of 4000-4500 shall be fine after you have spent few nights at Tso Moriri lake for acclimatization at that altitude.
Have you ever done any high altitude trek before? If not, start by some short high altitude treks gradually and see how your body reacts. Then make a call of this months of travel.
Only months possible are July – August – September.
Just an update on road condition from Manali towards leh
Manali – rothang ( good road till uphill of rothang )
Rothang – kelyong ( absolutely no road, kind of nightmare )
Kelyong – pang ( except 20-30 km the roads will punish your vehicle )
Pang – leh ( beautiful road, you can hit easily 60+ )
* Most of the tents would be closing
* No water streams to cross through
* Please carry sufficient warm clothes/thermals.
* Good stays at jispa
Thank you Anoop for the updates. I have posted them in the Manali – Leh status thread.
Awesome Blog , got so much of information about leh manali journey. Thats what i am looking for.
Its not easy to plan a trip like this but after seeing the post i got aware of the things to keep in mind while travelling via manali leh route.
Thanks for the post..cheers
Hello Dheeraj,
First of all, thank you for all the valuable information shared here.
Secondly, as most people here, I am also planning a trip to Ladakh in september, so my plan is like this:
16 September: Delhi – Leh (by plane, 05:45 – 07:15); rest of the day in Leh for acclimatization and some sightseeing
17 September: one day trip to Numbra Valley (I know it’s quite short time, but possible in one day if we start at 6am)
18 September: one day trip to Pangong Lake
19 September: monasteries around Leh: Shey, Thiksey, Hemis, etc.
20 September: Leh – Keylong
21 September: Keylong – Manali
22 September: Manali (Kulu) – Delhi by plane
My questions are:
1. Would you change anything to this schedule?
2. Do you recommend any particular driver for these days (except 16th of September), or we can arrange locally at the hotel?
3. If we find a driver, can he arrange the permits on the first day? (16th of September), so we can start traveling the next day, or we have to arrange them ourselves?
Thank you again…
Hi Dan, I think I replied to your other comment but I will suggest again:
1. You should take complete two days rest and little sightseeing on first two days. Then go for two day trip to Nubra Valley, then a day trip to Pangong Tso and then take the bus to Keylong from Leh and next day reach Manali from Keylong
2. If you have a group you can get in touch with any driver but in case you planning alone or couple then it is better to rely on shared taxis to thse places on the spot.
Hello Dheeraj,
Thank you for your advice. You didn’t reply to any other comment, because this is the only one I wrote 🙂 It might be another Dan or a similar itinerary 🙂
Anyway, yes, I will take two days rest. Afterwards I have to vsit Nubra Valey and Pangong Tso in one day (each), because I have no more time. Hope it’s manageable
Afterwards I will take two more days to get to Kullu, as I have a plane to catch…
Hope to be able to do it…
Hmm, it will be difficult like 12+ Hrs a day each and then arduous journey over Manali – Leh Highway. So, it is very tight schedule I will say.
Hi Dheeraj, Its me again.
Due to unrest in srinagar, we had to make major changes in our plan, now we have decided to go via manali. So had to bug you again mate. 😐
Here are the details, which might help you to give us better planning.
We will reach Delhi on 10th Sept @ 3AM and need to be back to Delhi by 21st 11AM to catch a flight back to blore and we are planning to take flight from leh-Delh on 21st morning,if time is not feasible.
Few question,
1.We are thinking of taking a cab/taxi to manali from Delhi airport @ 4AM, do we get a cab from Delhi airport to manali without any fuss and how much would it cost and also what would be the journey time?
2.Major concern is taking a cab from Manali to Leh along with the Rothang pass permit, we have no idea whom to contact regarding the permit and afraid we might get ripped off.
We have to take care of cab/taxi booking and permit in the manali on the 10th evening/night only, so that we can leave for Jispa in the early morning. So your inputs are very much needed here.
3. is it possible to visit Tso Morori while on the way to Leh?
To include in Itinerary,
-We are thinking of covering Kargil,Magnetic hills and other near by places to kargil, which we would have visited if we had come from srinagar side. We will be going by rented Bikes . So we need you to include this in the itinerary.
-We are thinking staying overnight at Pangong lake and Numbar valley(if time allows) and we wouldn’t want to miss out anything which is near by Leh or can be visited from Leh
So can you please consider all this and give us a Itinerary.
Nischit,
1. No you will need to pre-arrange a taxi and could cost you around 12-14K. Manali – Delhi takes about 14 Hrs.
2. Well, if you are hiring taxi from taxi stand, the permit is headache of driver. You can also book HPTDC manali – leh bus
3. You should read: 5 reasons not to visit Tso Moriri from Manali side
Hi Dheeraj,
Planning for a Leh trip in mid august. The situation in srinagar doesn’t seem good. So good chances are to take the Manali – Leh -Manali bike ride. Will reach manali 13th morning. Please suggest an itenary for 13th morning to 18th (on which i should be back to manali) for the bike ride. Thanks in advance 🙂
With just 5 days not sure it makes sense to make a Ladakh trip.
Day 1 | Manali/Solang Valley – Keylong/Jispa
— It is always better to stay either at Keylong/Jispa so that you do not feel sick or hit by AMS.
— Avoid sleeping at Sarchu at any cost while going to Leh from Manali because your body will not be acclimatized by the time you reach there.
— I prefer staying at Jispa more because Keylong gives the feeling of a town while Jispa is more closer to nature having Bhaga river running just aside the Manali – Leh Highway at Jispa.
— Overnight at Keylong/Jispa
Day 2 | Keylong/Jispa – Leh
— Leave Keylong/Jispa early next morning, say by 4/5 AM types, so that you reach Leh in the evening.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 4 | Leh – Taglang La – Pang – Sarchu
— Try to start early in the day so that you reach Sarchu where the accommodation options are better than Pang
— Overnight at Sarchu or Pang
Day 5 | Sarchu – Baralacha La – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali
— On the way cover Suraj Tal, Deepak Tal which are on the road sides only
— Overnight at Manali
Leaving from manali on ¹st aug. Anyone interested can join.
Anyone travelling on 12th/13th august?
hey m Mayank here, m traveling whr r u frm and how many ppl r with u??
ss…me and my frnd are travelling from 13th august from manali to srinagar via leh.10 days..
hey there…
we will be reaching leh by 11th aug.
our trip is for 10 days and you may contact me on this no. 9166285328/ 9982241199.
thanks
Arun
Superb blog. Got so many details from a single post. Thanks for sharing the experience and contact details 🙂
Regards,
Suvesh
Best wishes for the trip Suvesh, glad you liked the info. on the DoW Blog.
Hey Dheeraj!
Awesome blog man. I am planning to travel to Ladakh from Manali on 17 July. Many articles & blogs say that travelling on the manali – leh road gets quite tricky during July. Would you recommend traveling on the manali leh road around 17-19 July ? Would it be very risky because of the monsoon ?
Also are you aware whether if its possible to rent a self drive car from Manali, which can be left at Ladakh , as we want to come back to delhi via plane. Most of the sites I found online, offer taxis from manali to leh, but not self drive cars.
Thanks so much!
Apoorv
Hi Apoorv,
I am also leaving on 16th from manali to Leh.
Please call me on 9953646006 so that we can coordinate.
Regards,
Piyush
Hey guys, hey DHEERAJ SHARMA! 🙂
I am planning to do this route in 2 or 3 days (havent decided yet)
I am gonna to leave Delhi on the 7th or 8th of August 2016. iS there anyone who would like to join me ??
The dream would be to drive it with my own car and stop everywhere!
But for now… I have to do it probably with a bus
Dam!!
Ola
Ola, you should check DoW Travel Calendar if you are looking for travel partners. If you are going by bus, especially HPTDC, many tourists will already be there in the bus to travel with you.
Thanks for replay!
Where is the best place to stay overnight to avoid hight attitude sicness??
Keylong seems to be located to low and Sarchu too high. Anything between?
Best is to stay at Jispa, ahead of Keylong and then make a trip next day to Leh by leaving at 5-6 AM
thanks 🙂
We are 5 friends
Can we come by swift ??
What about route conditions of jammu to leh or manali to leh?
We have 10 days.
Hi Dheeraj,
I have read the post and comments mentioned above ,still i have some queries
I am a female 29 want to travel alone to Leh trip-please suggest what is best way to plan keeping security and fun in mind.
I can also plan for few more friends but not confirmed hence i am planning alone.
I am planning in the month of sept early ( for ten day )
I will travel from Bangalore
You should consider to travel with HPTDC bus of Manali to Leh and back. Then, You are alone/couple and private taxis are very costly in Leh but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in worst case you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meet new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
If you are interested in Leh trip by bike one side(Manali-Leh, Leh -Delhi by Air ). I f you want we can together make a plan.
we are 3 guys going on 25th june . i have 2 questions
1. will xuv500 be a good option on the route.
2. shud we prefer manali route for going or srinagar route while going or coming back?
Hi dheeraj
This is shraddha and i am planning a trip to leh with all of my family including my grandparents and cousions … So i had certain queries
First of all being a punjabi family i dnt think anybody is fit enough soo is it okay for everone to travel to leh… And wat wid u suggest satying overnight at jispa or sarchu
Shraddha, well, you should seriously plan to go from Srinagar side and come back from Manali side especially with your grand parents on the trip. You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2016 – 17 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
hello dheeraj ji
i am plan to travel manali to leh by bike but bike owner is my friend, they have not travel with me, please you suggest to me :-
1. why ? i am travel other owner bike
2. yes, document formalities .
3. any permit query . related to bike
hello dheeraj ji
we are 2friends toplaning to visit leh ladhak by own. EON car HR.N. We have plane to go on 05/06 june 2016 from manali to leh
my question is this date malini leh highway open?
Any other formalities req. for hr. no. vehicle.
Rohtang Pass Green tax as applicable
Most popular visiting place.
REq. Items.
Approximately Budget.
Road Conditions, my tour are complete with in 7 Days
Manali – Leh is already open yesterday unofficially. You need to get Rohtang Pass permit from SDM office as it is not yet available online. 7 days is less, you need at least 9-10 days for hectic tour.
hello dheeraj ji,
I am planning with my family (02 kids 3, and 09 years). to visit Manali & leh ladhak as per below schedule.
11 June Leaving from Delhi to Manali.
12 June one day stay at Manali.
13 June leh ladhak by hiring local taxi, with night stay at Jispa.
14 June we will reach at leh ladhak and will spend three days there.
19 June I will take flight from Leh to Delhi.
Please confirm if this schedule is OK or you can help us on same. please also help us to estimate cost of this package for Travelling + accomodation.
Seconly Manali to leh OR Manali to Kaza which will be best option. I am travelling first time to both places.
Plan looks fine but you may not be able to see things in Ladakh. Also, with small kids doing Manali – Leh can be tricky what I personally feel and that too early in the season.
We are two friends as well planning for leh in next week karam veer and we are from faridabad ! So if you want we all 4 together can make a plan !
We are a 3 girls travelling from Delhi to Leh via Manali route. We’ll start from Delhi on 2nd June.
Couple of things we wanted to know
1. Is the Manali – Leh highway open
2. In case we are hiring a taxi/ cab do we need to take route permits or the taxi provider usually takes care of these things
3. Anyone interested in sharing a cab/ taxi from Manali – Leh?
Thanks 🙂
1. No Manali leh is not open yet, expected to open by first week of June
2. Yes, the taxi will need the permit to cross Rohtang pass
3. You can check DoW Travel Calendar from the main menu
we are a couple leaving for leh from manali on 31 st may we can do sharing unto leh
pls call 9899800330
vimal
We also going on 2 june with 3 friends from jaipur 9829006520
We are also planning ,we can share
taxi,plz send msg 9812935999
Hye.
1. Manali leh highway is open now as you can check the status from the leh official site.
Secondly,we r also going to leh from manali on 3 june in a grp of boys and girls ,you can join us
For any further communication.
Note my id – abhinavgrover268@gmail.com
You are three and we are two friends planning exactly for the 3rd June ! We are not taking our car instead we are intrested in hiring a taxi so if you think we can share our taxi then please let me know !
i am intrested in taxi sharing …
we are only 2
plz contact
rajputhitesh01@gmail.com
Massive respect for your brilliant blog,
We are planning a trip starting 3rd June, ending 11th June. Manali – Leh – Manali.
Is it the right time for a bike trip ? If not , Could you please suggest how to complete this trip ? during this time. As we have booked all the tickets 🙁 and have taken leave to complete this dream.
Appreciate your help!
Thank you David. I will suggest that you push your dates by couple of weeks and allow Manali – Leh to settle down. Or start from Srinagar side and come back from Manali side. Also, 9 days is very less time for Ladakh trip.
Thanks for your reply. Our bad we have a solid constraint on the dates.
We will be reaching Manali on June 2nd and have to head back to Manali on June 11th.
Do you think the bike trip during this period, is viable at all ?
If not could you please suggest the most suitable mode of transportation during this time?
It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi. This makes it 7 days. 1 Day is required in Leh for acclimatization.
Thank’s for the info, Dheeraj.
Our aim/dream is to have a bike trip from Manali – Leh – Manali.
How feasible would it be for us to drive during the first week of June ?
David, first week of June from srinagar to Leh to Manali should be OK time to travel
hi Dheeraj,
Could you please let us know, how feasible would it be for us to drive a bike during the first week of June ?
The Highways will be open and many people will be riding the bike on Manali – Leh Highway during that time of the year.
Hi,
Me and my friends are planing a trip to leh via the Manali-Leh highway starting from 30th may 2016 to 10th of june 2016. As per your articles and my research i think the highway would be open by this time . But still i want to make sure is this a good time to start the trip?
Hey Ashish
Are you guys going ? We are planning a trip for the same starting 3rd June from Manali. Is it the right time to go ?
hi, I am Dibyendu Das ,we are 3 persons (my wife,son and me) want to manali to leh. we are join to your trip if you want to us. please call me how many cost the trip. which time you start go and which date you will back ? My best time is end on May,2016 and back on 10th June,2016. Please send reply our mail : dibyendud56@gmail.com
Hi dheeraj ,we r planning to go to leh on 9th july to 20 july from Chandigarh via manali on bike (bullet or avenger)..but m little worried about mountain sickness .so please suggest me the best plan for the road trip and how to get over mountain sickness .
Since you are going from Manali, you will have some sort of mountain sickness. You can refer: Ladakh from Manali – Most Common Itinerary
Hi all,
We are planning a trip to Leh starting from odisha. We would be requiring the service of a experienced Ladakhi driver ( only ) having a fare bit of experience in manali – leh- kargil- Srinagar – Jammu route. He may join us from Chandigarh and drop us in Jammu after a round trip. The approximate time would be for 6 days.
Anybody who knows a driver of aforesaid condition, please let us know. My contact is given below.
Regds
Divyajyoti Hota
mail – divyajyoti.hota@gmail.com
Cell – 8908360072
It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi. This makes it 7 days. 1 Day is required in Leh for acclimatization. You have about just 6 days?
Hi Dheeraj,
I am bit confused regarding going to Tso-Moriri directly from Sarchu and then to Pangong tso and then Leh. as I dont know the availability of Petrol Pump.
Day1 Chandigarh- Manali (Night stay @ Manali)
Day2 Manali (Night stay @ Manali)
Day3 Manali-Sarchu (Night stay @ Sarchu)
Day4 Sarchu-Tso Moriri (Night stay @ Rso-Moriri)
Day5 Tso Moriri- Pangong So (Night stay @ Pangong)
Day6 Pangong So- Leh (Night stay @ Leh)
Day7 Leh (Night stay @ Leh)
Day8 Leh- Nubra (Night stay @ Nibra)
Day9 Nubra -Leh (Night stay @ Leh)
Day10 Leh (Night stay @ Leh)
Day11 Leh- Kargil (Night stay @ Kargil)
Day12 Kargil- Srinagar (Night stay @ Srinagar)
Day13 Srinagar (Night stay @ Srinagar)
Day14 Srinagar-Patnitop (Night stay @ Patnitop)
Day15 Jammu- Delhi Train @night
Let me know if my itinerary is ok.
Thanks in Advance.
Viraj
Replied to other comment
We am planning to visit Ladakh via Manali-Leh highway from 25th June to 9th July by Bullet Classic 350.
Below is my itinerary.
I am bit confused regarding going to Tso-Moriri directly from Sarchu and then to Pangong tso and then Leh. as I dont know the availability of Petrol Pump.
Date Night stay @ Brief Itinerary
25th june Manali Chandigarh- Manali
26th june Manali Manali
27th june Sarchu Manali-Sarchu
28th june Tso Moriri Sarchu-Tso Moriri
29th june Pangong So Tso Moriri- Pangong So
30th june Leh Pangong So- Leh
1st july Leh Leh
2nd july Nubra Leh- Nubra
3rd july Leh Nubra -Leh
4th july Leh Leh
5th july Kargil Leh- Kargil
6th july Srinagar Kargil- Srinagar
7th july Srinagar Srinagar
8th july patnitop srinagar-Patnitop
9th july Train journey Jammu- Delhi Train
Let me know if my itinerary is ok.
Thanks in Advance.
Viraj
I think I replied to it Viraj, right? You made other comment.
Yes Dheeraj.
Thanks Again..
Hi Dheeraj,
I am travelling to Manali with family (3 kids 6,7 and 10 years). I will be in Manal from may 6 to May 9th. I am planning for a trip to Balaracha la pass by taking a night stay in keylong – and return back to manali the second day. Is this a good plan?
Jinu, yes you can give an attempt or at least go over to Jispa/Keylong. Stay at Jispa instead of Keylong as it is more close to nature.
Hii
I and my friends were planning to travel to leh this august that is 2016 by a car,
i had few questions about manali-leh route i will be very thankful if you can help
1. we are hiring a self drive cab for our trip so do we need any permits to travel from manali to leh, and if yes where can we get those permits?
2. If we start early, say 3 am is it possible to reach leh same day or we have to stay at some place in between?
thank you hoping for your earliest reply
Thank you
Hello Nakul,
1. You will need permits for Rohtang PAss: How to get Rohtang Pass Permit Online
2. Best is not to do it and commit this mistake. You should take a night halt at Jispa and then next day leave at 5 AM to reach LEh by evening. Keeping in mind that acclimatization is the key to success of LAdakh trip. IF you oversee it, it can easily be a misadventure of life.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GUIDANCE…AND I WANTED TO ASK THAT IF I GO TO MANALI FIRST AND THAN RENT A BIKE FROM THERE…THAN WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE TO GO TO LEH FROM MANALI?..WILL THAT BE SAFE?…IF NOT THAN WHICH OTHER ROUTE SHOULD I PREFER…AND WILL THE ROADS GET CLEAR BY THE MID OF JUNE?
Please DO NOT use CAPS
You can rent the bike from Manali but only to reach Leh. Then once you reach Leh, you will need to hire local Ladakh bike again. Roads will be clear by mid of June.
Hello Dheeraj…
According to me manali leh highway will be opened by late April. ..
After so many years, the volume of snow in manali leh highway is so less…
I went to rohtang pass in the starting of this month and according to B.R.O., they will be able to open it by April end.
Yogesh, there have been 2 spells of heavy snowfall this month already, the clearance operations were all on hold. Rohtang was expected to open by mid of March this year breaking all BUT weather had the last say. Rohtang Pass is expected to open around mid of April now. So, I do not expect at all that rest of the 4 passes will within 15 days.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for all the articles. After reading your blogs, We are planning for a trip to Leh. This will be our first trip but not sure what would be the best itinerary.
We have only 10 days and wants to do manali-leh highway with rented bikes. Could you please suggest what is best for us.We are planning to travel by bus from delhi to manali and then with bikes.
Also we are thinking to reach leh from delhi via manali by Innova. And there we can hire bikes to roam around ladakh for 2 days and then come back with our innova. Would this be feasible? or Travelling with innova on manali-leh highway is enjoyable as compared with rented bikes?
Bikes rented outside Leh are not allowed for sightseeing inside Ladakh except Tso Moriri and Tso Kar lakes which can be done while going to Manali from Leh. Private bikes are completely allowed. You can use the outside rented bike to reach Leh but then for going to Pangong Tso, nubra Valley, etc.. you need to hire rented bikes from Leh only.
To know more about this rule and present situation, please refer the link: Bikes Rented Outside Leh Banned in Ladakh
This year as per reports, rule is going to be stricter. Manali rental guys have formalized a deal that for the days Manali bike is parked in Leh and Leh bike is rented, they will charge 50% of the rent of the bike. So, confirm with Manali rental guys first about this signoff.
For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2015 – 16 & Reliable Shops
The one way bike rental is quite costly and leave a big dent in pocket for you, sometimes like 12K for just the pickup from Manali. Be sure if you are ready to make that investment or not or if at all it is worth the money spent. My suggestion is unless you are hard core biker and cannot live up the passion of biking, it is not wise to spend that much money just for the pickup of bike.
I will suggest that you go through the articles mentioned under the DwD Community thread for bike trip to Ladakh or any other part of Himalayas at the link: All About Bike Ride to Ladakh & Himalayas. This will help you cover almost all your queries related to bike trip to Ladakh or Himalayas.
It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi. This makes it 7 days. 1 Day is required in Leh for acclimatization. You have about 10 days. 1 Day can be used as Day trip to Pangong Tso and other day can be used as day trip to Nubra Valley or just Khardung La pass.
hi dheeraj…i saw the news of manali-leh highway opening a liitle soon this time…I am planing for a bike trip to leh say in june most probably…And i have never travelled so long on bike…Maybe my love for nature is giving me this unresistable urge to travel to leh…can u please suggest me the preferable and safe route…And what can be the rent of bullet if i rent it from manali?…and would it be prefarable if i set up a tent in the middle of manali leh highway…I would prefer to stay in the lap of mother nature rather than staying in some hotel…Can u please guide me with all this things?…it would be a big help for me…and even give me some suggestion from your side as it is my trip…thank you
And yes one more thing i almost forgot…what can be the minimum expense for this trip if i am planing for 20 days…5 day stay in leh and other days in manali and surrounding
(including bike rent and petrol expense etc)….
For doubts related to budget for Leh – Ladakh trip, I am sure the link below will help you alot for getting an idea of overall budget:
How to calculate cost or budget for Leh – Ladakh trip
Also, check the article: 5 Tips for a Budget Trip to Ladakh
Hello Hridhant,
Bikes rented outside Leh are not allowed for sightseeing inside Ladakh except Tso Moriri and Tso Kar lakes which can be done while going to Manali from Leh. Private bikes are completely allowed. You can use the outside rented bike to reach Leh but then for going to Pangong Tso, nubra Valley, etc.. you need to hire rented bikes from Leh only.
To know more about this rule and present situation, please refer the link: Bikes Rented Outside Leh Banned in Ladakh
This year as per reports, rule is going to be stricter. Manali rental guys have formalized a deal that for the days Manali bike is parked in Leh and Leh bike is rented, they will charge 50% of the rent of the bike. So, confirm with Manali rental guys first about this signoff.
For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2015 – 16 & Reliable Shops
The one way bike rental is quite costly and leave a big dent in pocket for you, sometimes like 12K for just the pickup from Manali. Be sure if you are ready to make that investment or not or if at all it is worth the money spent. My suggestion is unless you are hard core biker and cannot live up the passion of biking, it is not wise to spend that much money just for the pickup of bike.
I will suggest that you go through the articles mentioned under the DwD Community thread for bike trip to Ladakh or any other part of Himalayas at the link: All About Bike Ride to Ladakh & Himalayas. This will help you cover almost all your queries related to bike trip to Ladakh or Himalayas.
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
Dear Dheeraj,
As suggested by you we will be driving thru Spiti from Shimla, it will be a ten day tour and will end at Chandratal on July 18th.After this can we get back via Keylong/Leh/Srinagar/Chandigarh rather than rothang/Manali/Chandigarh. Number of days is not a problem, just wanted to know if its too taxing,
Regards,
Ravi Benne
Yes Ravi, you can surely return from that route as well. Here is what you can follow and may skip at your need:
Day 11 | Chandratal – Jispa / Keylong, leave early in the day
Day 12 | Keylong/Jispa – Leh
— Leave Keylong/Jispa early next morning, say by 4/5 AM types, so that you reach Leh in the evening.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 13 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 14 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 15 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 16 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 17 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 18 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
— Cover Karzok Monastery
— Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
Day 19 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Upshi – Leh
— Come back via Tso Kar and Manali – Leh Highway to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 20 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping
— Overnight at Leh
Day 21 | Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil
— Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Kargil
Day 22 | Kargil – Drass – Zozi La – Sonamarg – Srinagar
— Enjoy the vistas enroute
— Have late drunch meal at Sonamarg
— Overnight at Srinagar
Day 23 | Srinagar – Jammu
— Overnight at Jammu
Day 24 | Jammu – Ambala – Delhi
— Back Home
Dear Dheeraj,
Many thanks for your immediate reply, much appreciated. Two questions – can we do Tso Moriri from Jispa enroute to Leh, and what is the mileage I can expect in these terrains, I will be driving my recently bought Pajero Sport Automatic(2WD), on highways its giving 10kms/lt and 8.5kms in city,
Regards,
Ravi Benne
No Ravi, doing Tso Moriri from Jispa is not recommended as it is high altitude lake and your body will not be acclimatized at all to sleep that early at Tso Moriri. Other way round is still holds true as after being in Ladakh, the body adapts to the high altitude after doing all the sightseeing in Ladakh. Regarding mileage, consider about 30% drop.
Hi Dheeraj,
I’m visiting India in August and would like to do Manali-Leh-Ladakh on motorbike. Can you suggest any agency that offers group travels and bikes. And is it best time to visit these places. The only reason I am choosing agency is coz I don’t have bike in India now. Do you suggest going without any agency?
Thanks
Theja, you can surely go without the agency too. You should be able to get the bike on rent in Manali without it as well. You can ride that bike up to Leh and then from there you can hire a local Leh bike for sightseeing in Ladakh after parking manali bike in hotel. Then you can return the Manali bike once you reach back to Manali from it.
Hello , Thanks for all the information. I am planning for Ladakh this year (aug/sep). My initial plan is Chandigarh–>Manali–>Leh–>(Nubra+Pangong+Tso moriri+Hemis & Thikse)–>Leh–>Srinagar–>Jammu–>back to my home. I will have budget around 30k (Manali–>Leh–>Jammu , excluding my train fare) and time span : 14-15 days (excluding my train journey). Now please suggest me in bit details that what my plan should be as per you (keeping those facts : my budget , time span and being solo) .
Hi Subhro,
Firstly, I will suggest you that please plan it in other direction as going via Srinagar – Leh Highway will be much much easier on your body and help you acclimatize to the high altitude of Manali – Leh Highway. Also, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of Manali – Leh by splitting the journey almost evenly in two days which is very difficult in the other direction. Thirdly, it will allow you to fit Tso Moriri lake into the itinerary in better way. You can read more reasons on the link here
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
You should check: Top 10 Tips for a Solo Trip to Ladakh or Spiti Valley
Alright. I will go for Srinagar-Leh highway and will also try to follow your itinerary .Now please enlighten me about the cars which i should take from Srinagar or Jammu to reach Leh. Actually I had plan to take shared taxi but as you said that the journey wont be comfortable at all in shared taxis , i got confused about cars. Which travel mode i should take ? Bus ? or is it possible to get a group and hire a car ? If yes then how ? And after reaching Leh should i contact some agent or guide to go for some further destinations like Nubra , Pangong ?Here is also my same question about travel mode . Which i should take : shared taxi, bus or hire a car by joining some group or few people?
Hello Subhro,
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2016 – 17 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
While going from Srinagar to Leh, you might need to work out few things as there have been some tensions now in taxi unions and to settle it out what they have done is that they have a transit point just before Fotu La while going to Leh from Kargil. All Leh taxis stop there and kargil taxis too. They exchange passengers and move back in respective directions. Leh taxis take passengers to Leh coming from Srinagar/Kargil and Kargil guys take passengers to Srinagar/kargil coming from Leh
Try to get a group formed, may be post or find travel partners through travel calendar from the menu of the site.
private taxis are very costly in Leh but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in worst case you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meet new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
Hi Dheeraj (wiki of Himalayas)
Thanks alot for all info you providing, you are doing a great job. respect \O/
I just wanted to know, is there any AMS problem to stay at SARCHU/PANG if we are coming from srinagar-leh highway?
Thanks & Regards,
Adnan
Thank you so much Adnan. If you come from Srinagar side and then do whole ladakh stay at places overnight at Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri, mostly the body adapts to high altitude and you do good at Sarchu and Pang. Chances of getting hit with AMS on return are very very very slim but not 0 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for your reply,
Based on info and rough itinerary you provided, i have finalized my own itinerary with following dates.
Please review it and give your valueable feedbacks.
Our Itinerary (15days) Ghaziabad-Srinagar-Leh-Manali-Ghaziabad
Day 1: 29th May (Ghaziabad-Jammu)
• Overnight at Jammu
Day 2: 30th May (Jammu-Srinagar)
• Can we cover Local sightseeing in Srinagar at same day (Dal lake/Shikara ride)
• Overnight at Srinagar
Day 3: 31st May (Srinagar-Sonamarg-Zozi La-Drass-Kargil)
• Overnight at Kargil
Day 4: 1st June (Kargil via foti la-Lamayuru-Leh
• Can we Cover these Places (Magnetic Hills, Pather sahib Gurudwara, Mulbekh maitrey, Lunar landscapes, Lamayuru monastery & Confluence at Nimmu) at same day, and if not then what your prefer.
• Overnight at Leh
Day 5: 2nd June (Leh-Khardung La-Diskit-Hundar)
• Can we cover Diskit monasteries and hundar bactrian camel safari in sand dunes at the same day?
• Overnight at Hundar (ie. Snow leopard guest house)
Day 6: 3rd June (Hundar-Turtuk-TYAKSHI-Hundar)
• Overnight at Hundar
Day 7: 4th June (Hundar-Sumur-Panamik-Sumur-Khardugla-Leh)
• Can we cover Sumur monastery and Panamik hot water springs on same day?
• Overnight at Leh
Day 8: 5th june (Leh local sightseeing)
• Cover places (Shanti stupa, Hall of fame, Hamis, Shey, alchi and Thiksey Monasteries)
Day 9: 6th June (Leh-Karu-Changla-Pangong Tso lake)
• Overnight at pangong Tso lake
Day 10: 7th June (Pangong-Changla-Karu-Upshi)
• Overnight at Upshi
Day 11: 8th June (Upshi-chumathang-Mahe-Sumdo-Tso Moriri)
• Overnight at Tso Moriri (Tented accommodation)
• we will carry extra fuel for 550 kms from KAARU before Start
• can we cover Karzok monastery at the same day?
Day 12: 9th June (Tso Moriri-Sumdo-Tso Kar-Moore plains-Pang)
• Overnight at Pang
Day 13: 10th June (Pang-Lachangla-Sarchu-Baralacha la-Jispa)
• Overnight at Jispa
Day 14: 11th June (Jispa-Keylong-Tandi-Rohtang La-Manali)
• Overnight at Manali
Day 15: 12th June (Manali-Delhi)
thanks,
best regards,
Adnan
Adnan, most part looks good to go for me JUST please keep the rest day in Leh before you leave for Nubra Valley s that you have some acclimatization before climbing Khardung La
Hey thanks,
One more question
I know i m questioning like a kid, ok here it is
If i will go with this itinerary, i will miss tanglang la, and if i will cover tanglang la
I will miss tso moriri…
Which one u prefer?
Best regards,
Adnan
I will prefer Tso Moriri over Taglang pass. If you have time on hand, you can take the route to Taglang back from Debring (where Tso Kar route meets Manali – Leh) and then come back to stay at Pang. Sarchu might get 1 Hr far in this way.
you mean we can cover this route (Tso moriri – tanglang la – pang) in one day, it is around 210 kms
Yes Adnan, you can do so. I am talking about, you start from Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring – Taglang La – Debring (back again) – Pang – Sarchu. You will need to come back to Debring from Taglang La.
Hi Dheeraj,
Again i am here to take your expert advise.
I read the update that leh-manali highway is still closed.
As per my itinerary, i will coming back from upshi to tso moriri on 7th june.
tso moriri to pang on 8th june
pang to manali on 9th june.
What is your thought, manali to leh highway will be operational by then?
Thanks,
Best regards,
Adnan
Hi Dheeraj,
Massive respect for your brilliant blog, and the amount of information you’ve obtained. My friends and I are trying to create a custom itinerary of Manali-Spiti-(Keylong/Zinging)- (if possible Tsomo riri)-Leh in mid-June
Would this be feasible across a 5-6 day period? And do local travel agencies support such a customer itinerary?
Thanks
Tauseef
Ahmed, Tso MOriri is out of context here. You want Manali – Spiti or Manali – Lahaul? Keylong/Zingzing bar are in Lahaul not Spiti. With just 6 days in hand from Manali you can do something like below:
Day 1 : Reach Manali by overnight volvo of 28 and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
Day 2 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
Day 3 : Kaza – Dhangkar – Tabo – Kaza OR Kaza – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Kaza
Day 4 : Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Chandratal
Day 5 : Chandratal – Manali
Day 6 : Chill around Manali and take evening Volvo
Day 7 : Reach Delhi by overnight Volvo from Manali
Thanks Dheeraj!
What we were planning was to start with Manali-Spiti, then u-turn and do Spiti-Leh
(Fly back from Leh to Delhi)
It’s a very long journey, which is why I was asking if such a plan is feasible, and if any tour operators can help us with such a complicated route 🙂
Would you advise against doing Manali-Spiti and Spiti-Leh in one trip?
(By car/SUV, with a local driver)
Hi Ahmed,
If you have enough days, you can surely do. I am sharing a tentative plan of entire circuit Delhi – Kinnaur – Spiti – Ladakh – Srinagar – Jammu – Delhi. You can opt to fly from Leh instead coming down to Srinagar and then to Delhi by road.
Day 1 | Chandigarh/Ambala – Narkanda – Sarahan
Day 2 | Sarahan – Rakcham/Sangla/Chitkul
Day 3 | Rakcham/Sangla/Chitkul – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Ki, Kibber, Gette, Tashigang
Day 6 | Kaza – Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit – Kaza
Day 7 | Kaza – Sissu / Keylong, leave early in the day
Day 8 | Keylong/Jispa – Leh
— Leave Keylong/Jispa early next morning, say by 4/5 AM types, so that you reach Leh in the evening.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 9 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 10 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 11 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 12 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 13 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 14 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
— Cover Karzok Monastery
— Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
Day 15 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Upshi – Leh
— Come back via Tso Kar and Manali – Leh Highway to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 16 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping
— Overnight at Leh
Day 17 | Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil
— Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Kargil
Day 18 | Kargil – Drass – Zozi La – Sonamarg – Srinagar
— Enjoy the vistas enroute
— Have late drunch meal at Sonamarg
— Overnight at Srinagar
Day 19 | Srinagar – Jammu
— Overnight at Jammu
Day 20 | Jammu – Ambala – Delhi
— Back Home
BTW, you will get all the info. up here even to make any of complex to complex trips, so if you can spare some time to plan your trip and read articles on DoW, you can save good amount of money 🙂
This itinerary is amazing, thank you so much!
Will definitely do so, since we have time till April to plan!
Best wishes for your Ladakh trip.
I was visited Spiti like below plan
Day 1, July 10: Delhi to Manali (Boarded Bus from Majnu ka Teela and left around 7:00 PM)
Day 2, July 11: Manali to Losar (Reached Manali in the morning of 9:00 AM and left for Losar around 11:00 AM)
Day 3, July 12: Losar to Tabo (covered Losar, Key, Kibber and Dhankar)
Day 4, July 13: Tabo to Losar (covered Tabo, Kaza, Komic, and Langza)
Day 5, July 14: Losar to Chandratal (covered Kunzum Pass, Chandratal Lake)
Day 6, July 15: Chandratal to Manali (reached Manali around 3:30 PM and boarded bus for Delhi around 5:00 PM)
Day 7, July 16: Reached Delhi in the morning around 9:00 AM
Very starnge to see Losar all over night stays and doing long hops when Kaza seems more practical. Also, the second day I am glad to know that you do not have any health issues of AMS going by the plan in case it would have been caused, you might have been in bad shape. But, anyways good that you were able to make it sound. I am just commenting here so that NO ONE else tries this plan because AMS can be FATAL too at times.
Thanks Dheeraj for valid point. Actually, second day I was planned for night stay in Kaza but we were started late from Manali (Delhi to Manali bus was late due to rain) and reached Losar around 9 PM. There was raining too, so we decided to stay at Losar because road was very bad and Losar to Kaza was further 2 hour journey.
Some of member between us feel little headache; yes I think due to AMS issue. But our driver was very expert and he come with a lot of fruits juice and three dozen water bottle from Manali (Also advised us to drink a lot of water and juice to avoid AMS). I think this advice help us for night stay at Losar.
In return time, all of us were adjusted with Spiti environment. So night stay at Losar didn’t cause any issue.
Good to know that Vivek, glad your driver proved as a true guide and well wisher for you. Had it been otherwise you know what could have been ended up in 🙁 … I just commented because sometimes people read comments and due to pressing time they follow something which might not work for them assuming it worked for someone else. Hence, dont want any of the DoW reader to end up in mess
Thank you for explaining it, it will help others make a wise call !! Appreciate it.
Hello, Dheeraj. Massive respect to you for maintaining this kind of the blog and replying to comments promptly. I have few suggestion before going into my questions i.e. please can you add right click button so that it will help in opening the multiple tabs in without interrupting the existing page what we are reading., second one please add copy or pdf so we can take printout while going to trip.
Coming to my queries,
Basically, I am from Delhi and planning Leh trip somewhere in July end. I would like to make this trip by bike from Chandigarh. This would be my first trip to this Himalayas though I have been to Manali by car from Delhi.
I am considering my trip from chandigarh>>Manali>>Leh>>Srinagar>>Chandigarh.
1. Which is the good place/vendor to hire a bike from Chandigarh (if you are aware of any vendor).
2. I would like to take RE classic only, however, do have any suggestions for Displacement/Capacity/CC of the bike. I am planning by 350 CC. Doe 350 CC will have any issues in terms of pick/performance and all.
3. Most of the vendors are quoting Rs 1200-1500 for 350CC and 1800Rs for 500CC. is this okay cost? or can I get the even lesser price?
4. I am planning 14days for an entire trip. do you think it will be sufficient?
5. how many liters should I carry with bottle apart from filled tank? I am planning not carry extra petrol bottle from Chandigarh to Manali and will fill everything over there and continue the journey.
Thanks in advance for you suggestions.
Hello Shree,
Thank you for suggestions, I have re-enabled the support for right click now, you should be good with that. The Print/PDF can be done using the vertical buttons on the left that slide with the articles along with other social media icons. There is a button with Printer sign on it, You can click on that to get the print and then say save as PDF to any article.
1. Bikes rented outside Leh are not allowed for sightseeing inside Ladakh except Tso Moriri and Tso Kar lakes which can be done while going to Manali from Leh. Private bikes are completely allowed. You can use the outside rented bike to reach Leh but then for going to Pangong Tso, nubra Valley, etc.. you need to hire rented bikes from Leh only.
To know more about this rule and present situation, please refer the link: Bikes Rented Outside Leh Banned in Ladakh
This year as per reports, rule is going to be stricter. Manali rental guys have formalized a deal that for the days Manali bike is parked in Leh and Leh bike is rented, they will charge 50% of the rent of the bike. So, confirm with Manali rental guys first about this signoff.
For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2015 – 16 & Reliable Shops
The one way bike rental is quite costly and leave a big dent in pocket for you, sometimes like 12K for just the pickup from Manali. Be sure if you are ready to make that investment or not or if at all it is worth the money spent. My suggestion is unless you are hard core biker and cannot live up the passion of biking, it is not wise to spend that much money just for the pickup of bike.
I will suggest that you go through the articles mentioned under the DwD Community thread for bike trip to Ladakh or any other part of Himalayas at the link: All About Bike Ride to Ladakh & Himalayas. This will help you cover almost all your queries related to bike trip to Ladakh or Himalayas.
4. I will suggest you that please plan it in other direction as going via Srinagar – Leh Highway will be much much easier on your body and help you acclimatize to the high altitude of Manali – Leh Highway. Also, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of Manali – Leh by splitting the journey almost evenly in two days which is very difficult in the other direction. Thirdly, it will allow you to fit Tso Moriri lake into the itinerary in better way. You can read more reasons on the link here
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
5. Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
hi,
I am not bother about bikes renting at leh. i am bothering about bikes at chandigarh as of now. and CC of the bike. can you throw some light on that.
Ok, I am not sure what you will do with bikes rented in Chandigarh which cannot be used in Leh. Anyways, Chandigarh does have few shops where bikes are available on rent though I do not have contact for them. I suggested a link of DoW Comunity about bikes in previous article, you can post under the forum and tag PreetKamal who can help you with some contacts.
Regarding CC, all depends upon your wit and determination as a rider to complete the trip. Well though it is not required to have more powerful bike like Bullet/RE but always preferable. 100cc might be able to do it as I known people and have read many accounts of it in the past but surely will struggle at some places where it might be required to push manually, especially I believe if you get stuck in some water crossing. DO NOT push the bike beyond its limit in case your stuck rather user your own physical power to get it out. Also, the speed will be slow when you ride near the high mountain passes on a lower cc bike.
Thanks dheeraj, as i mentioned i am planning my journey from chandigarh and gonna hire bike from there. Hence i am insisting bikes in chandgarh. Yea, your correct i need to take bikes in leh too. it can be avoided.
Shree, please contact PreetKamal in the DwD Community. He should be able to help with the contacts
The last entry having been made in June, 2015, I am not sure if Dheeraj is still available for answering my query or not. But what I am sure of is that he has written one the best pieces on travel on the Leh-Manali Road. Thank you Dheeraj for that. Reading the article and all the queries and their answers, I now have answers to most of my questions. One nagging doubt still remains.
I will be driving my Dzire diesel sedan. I am a fairly good driver and have driven to Lahaul valley, Badrinath, Gulmarg etc. and have enjoyed driving on each trip.
i) How difficult is it to cross nallahs/rivulets in this sedan? There will be 4 passengers including me (not-so-young passengers who can be expected to get out and push the car).
ii) Which time will be more suitable for the Leh to Manali journey? Mid June (say around June 15 ) or last week of June (say around 28)? The only slot available to me is from June 1 to June 30. Thats why this predicament.
Thank you so much PP, I am still around here and will always be in Discover with Dheeraj for the love of travel in Himalayas 🙂 🙂
1. For hatchback/sedan taking on Manali – Leh Highway and Ladakh, I will say:
You will indeed face few tough challenges on the route. The hatchback/sedan will increase the level of every challenge even further, sedan is the worst candidate. My suggestion will be to go via Srinagar route as it will help you feel comfortable with the driving, provide more acclimatization and then once you have done the local Leh-Ladakh, then come back via Manali side. Secondly, since you are in hatch/sedan, then you need to drive with extra care as well. There will be some sections on the Manali – Leh highway in which you might need to sacrifice some scratches on the underbelly. Just make sure you do not bump the engine sump (know it before where it is placed in your car). You need to protect it all around the trip. Thirdly, whenever in doubt do not rush into the section rather park aside and feel the section with your foot, see how other vehicles are crossing it and make a planned route in your mind to cross that section. At the very least do carry Mseal, quick fix, funnel, jerry cans and towing rope with you all the time.
Also, I will strongly suggest that you go through and read my series on Ladakh Self Drive tips at the links below:
7 Useful Tips for a Self Drive to Leh – Ladakh, Routes and Road Conditions In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips, Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
FAQ | Can I do Leh – Ladakh / Spiti / Manali – Leh trip in Hatchback or Sedan?
2. You can plan anytime between 15th – 30th June as by then the Manali – Leh will be stabilzied. In fact it might openin winters as per local newspapaer due to not much snow at all this massive strange year. So, you have a good window even if it snows in March too much.
Hi,
Very Well written. I am planning for a bike trip from Manali to leh during June end it will be a 14-15 day trip. l am from Mumbai and will be travelling from mumbai to Delhi by flight and the Delhi to manali by Bus. The main journey starts here. I have many questions and would like to get some advice from you.
1) Where to Hire bikes from in Manali?- I would like a classic 350 newer model.
2) What is the price of the Bike?
3) Apart from the rent how much the rentals charge for the deposit money?
4) what will be the overall expenditure (Average) including everything (Stay, food, petrol , etc) The places can be basic camps nothing fancy.
5) Which are the best places where we should halt during the stay? Dont want to make it too hectic
6) Incase of brakedows, what do do? Do we carry extra clutch cables and other minor equipments?
7) Are there enough petrol pumps in the way or we need to carry some extra cans of petrol?
8) Is getting permits difficult?
9) Can you provide with some bike rental agencies?
These are some questions i have in my mind. i await your reply.
Thanks
Naren
This blog cannot be printed 🙁 can you provide a pdf so that i can print this… This will be very informative.
Will look into to add this feature.
Please respond to this comment
Just did it, please read them and make a wise choice 🙂
Hi Narendra,
Firstly, I will suggest you that please plan it in other direction as going via Srinagar – Leh Highway will be much much easier on your body and help you acclimatize to the high altitude of Manali – Leh Highway. Also, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of Manali – Leh by splitting the journey almost evenly in two days which is very difficult in the other direction. Thirdly, it will allow you to fit Tso Moriri lake into the itinerary in better way. You can read more reasons on the link here
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
To know about AMS and acclimatization including the tips to combat AMS, please DO READ: Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization
Bikes rented outside Leh are not allowed for sightseeing inside Ladakh except Tso Moriri and Tso Kar lakes which can be done while going to Manali from Leh. Private bikes are completely allowed. You can use the outside rented bike to reach Leh but then for going to Pangong Tso, nubra Valley, etc.. you need to hire rented bikes from Leh only.
To know more about this rule and present situation, please refer the link: Bikes Rented Outside Leh Banned in Ladakh
This year as per reports, rule is going to be stricter. Manali rental guys have formalized a deal that for the days Manali bike is parked in Leh and Leh bike is rented, they will charge 50% of the rent of the bike. So, confirm with Manali rental guys first about this signoff.
For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2015 – 16 & Reliable Shops
The one way bike rental is quite costly and leave a big dent in pocket for you, sometimes like 12K for just the pickup from Manali. Be sure if you are ready to make that investment or not or if at all it is worth the money spent. My suggestion is unless you are hard core biker and cannot live up the passion of biking, it is not wise to spend that much money just for the pickup of bike.
I will suggest that you go through the articles mentioned under the DwD Community thread for bike trip to Ladakh or any other part of Himalayas at the link: All About Bike Ride to Ladakh & Himalayas. This will help you cover almost all your queries related to bike trip to Ladakh or Himalayas.
1,2,3 Read above
4) For doubts related to budget for Leh – Ladakh trip, I am sure the link below will help you alot for getting an idea of overall budget:
How to calculate cost or budget for Leh – Ladakh trip
Also, check the article: 5 Tips for a Budget Trip to Ladakh
5) Read above
6) Read above
7) Yes, you need to carry extra fuel. Read the entire series, 7 Useful Tips for a Self Drive to Leh – Ladakh, Routes and Road Conditions In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips, Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
8) You do not need permits within Ladakh now since 2014. If you travel in direcion from Manali to Leh still reading above, you need permit from Manali to Rohtang Pass for which you can read: How to get Rohtang Pass Permit Online
9) Can you provide with some bike rental agencies?
we are planning to go leh-manali in the time of jan by car could you please suggest the road conditions are favourable or not
Rakes, Manali – Leh opens in end of May or early June. So, please plan it accordingly.
Hello Dheeraj,
First of all #MassiveRespect to you and commendable work on this website. The detailed inputs about any / every place Himalayan places by you calls for an applaud sir 🙂
I am a software engineer by profession and an avid traveler who along with 3 friends (guys) are planning a trip to Leh-Laddakh by the end of June or beginning of July 2016. I have been re-searching, following your threads regarding this place and according to the time we have, the 9 day trip suits us the best. I read the related itinerary written on
Manali – Leh – Ladakh – Manali | Itinerary for 9 Days
As this will be my first trip I am a bit confused hence the below queries (hope they make sense :P)
1) We want to go Leh via Manali route and return via Srinagar (Delhi-Manali-Leh; Leh-Srinagar-Delhi). Is it possible on a 9 day trip ? If yes what should be the ideal itinerary ?
2) Had a word with few travel agencies operate in those regions plus few friends who went to Leh via themselves (renting bikes, cars and pre-booking hotels). The cost estimation I received crosses 30 K per person approx but the travel agencies giving package ranges from 35-40 K per person ! Which is preferable & cost effective ?
3) Apart from all the details and precautions mentioned on your thread/link anything special to be taken care off as well ?
Awaiting your response and if possible willing to talk to you prior we set for this trip. Would be really helpful 🙂
Regards
Hi,
Still awaiting a reply on this … If anybody can throw some light, it would really be helpful 🙂
Regards
Just replied here: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/how-to-plan-a-journey-on-manali-leh-highway/comment-page-5/#comment-364022
Thank you so much Deep. I am just in transition of a new home, so spending a bit less time here online. The DwD Community is alive as ever and in case you see delayed reply here on the blog, you can always post it under DwD Community (refer link from Menu)
Regarding your current queries:
1. Well, it will take 3 days from Delhi to Leh via Manali with overnight halts at Manali/Solang, Keylong/Jispa and then finally Leh. One day at least you need to rest in Leh for acclimatization. This makes your 4 days. Now, 4 days are required for return from Srinagar – Leh Highway as night halts Kargil, Srinagar, Jammu and then finally 9th day you reach Delhi. Now, in between you have 5th day left for you on which you can either make a day trip to Khardung La or Pangong Tso, your choice. All in all a very hectic trip with just being on the road and seeing nothing much in Ladakh apart from Srinagar – Leh Highway and Manali – Leh highway
2. Cost effective will always be if you plan on your own and with all the help available on DoW, I see no reason you cant plan unless you do not want to read at all and prepare yourself. In the latter case you can always give a shot to travel agent.
3. Read the article on Acclimatization and tips for taking clothes to Ladakh from menu of Ladakh above.
Hello Dheeraj,
Thank You for replying. I will plan accordingly as advised.
Will bug you again here if required 😉
Regards
Sure, Deep, anytime. Before new year, you might see some delay but post that replies will be much faster
Hi I am Ankith, we 5 friends are planning a road trip from Bangalore to Leh ladak in a Innova car.
Our plan is for 9 days road trip. Can anyone suggest the places in Leh ladak which we can cover in this span.
Opt to go via Manali – Leh Highway and I will suggest that you refer the thread for more details on the route and night halts though it is of 9 days: Manali – Leh – Ladakh – Manali | Itinerary for 9 Days.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for the reply
As we are planning for this trip on Mid December this year, whether it will be a right time to visit?
9 days include travel from bangalore to Leh and back to bangalore by car. We may get not more than 4.5 days to see all the paces. So please suggest some places in this span and information about permits at this season.
Ankith, roads to Ladakh will now open back in next year mid May or June
Me and my friend planning to travel keylong from Chandigarh in our personal car (around September 10) our trip duration is of 3 days only, Please guide us about the whole procedure, like permission for rohtang pass, accommodation, travel time and hotels etc
Gurpritam, you can check: Rohtang Pass Rules & Restriction of Vehicles – Demystified
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning this trek (the way you have suggested Leh to Manali) with family. Is it ok to take our kids aged btw 10-12. If yes, what are the challenges or risks involved. Is it advisable to take at the first place and if so pls help out in suggesting precautionary elements.
Regards
Kusuma
In general, it is fine to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any fitness level. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness I shall say :D.. The issue with children is that they tend to exert the body considering it the same kind of place they belong to and this elevates the chances of getting struck with AMS. Secondly, they are not much expressive about their uneasy feelings, so it is parents who need to watch out and take care that the child is not suffering from uneasy feelings, headache or nausea and is behaving properly. With 5+ year child, I think he/she would be able to convey the uneasiness with little efforts. If you notice any such feeling or he/she tells you about such a feeling then please do not ascend anywhere, either descend to lower altitude or stay at the same place to watch things overnight and if symptom increase then start descending immediately. Same is applicable for any adult as well. And yes, do keep the body adequately hydrated!!
Also, PLEASE read the article: Traveling to Ladakh with Kids or Babies. This article covers this topic in complete detail.
I wid my 5 frnz planning to visit leh via srinagar-leh-manali…1st week of sept is safe or not by own private four wheeler..and all passes ll be opened.
Jayant, September is quite a good time to travel
Looks like a great adventure here. thanks for the tips. I hope I can go to Manali too
Hi Dheeraj,
May i know on an average how much time it takes from Manali to Keylong and Keylong to Leh in shared taxi. i am planning to take shared taxi/public transport to reach Leh from Manali. And halting a night at Keylong? That would be fine? Will be reaching Manli on Aug 14th. Other than Keylong any place to stay ? whats your suggestion.
Dinkan, Manali to Keylong will take around 5-6 Hrs types and Keylong to Leh will take around 12-14 Hrs. You can extend to Jispa rather Keylong which is about 1 hr ahead of Keylong.
Sorry but I am firm supporter of Manali to Leh than opposite as recommended above. I have both many times, yes, opposite its easier but the challenge of Manali to Leh is special. The barren valley unfolding it as we travel along is a privil that is missed while returning….SIn all, Manali to Leh for me always…
Vishard, may be yes in case all goes well but when that 5% chances hits you back it spoils the trip 🙂
hey guys; i and a friend of mine, are planning to go to leh from manali around the 10th of july.so anyones intrested cn let us know, as we are looking for company. Any other leads on bike rentals and stuff are welcome.
#9972282626
Better check Travel Calendar from the menu and filter the entries based on your preferences.
Hey Dheeraj,
I tried calling few people who are offering d bikes on rent…but all of them are saying that this season no bikes are available….as all are booked…
can u gv me some contacts who can provide us bikes from 25th june……..
You can connect with info@offbeatescapes.com as most of the readers in the past couple of years have had very good feedback about them and their transparent policies.
We are four person….on bike…
any1 ready to join…..
can contact me….8889088999
I am trying to plan as per your advice…
on bikes from shrinagar-leh-manali…
Is it possible to get bikes from shrinagar that we can drop at manali…nd wht ll b d cost in that case…?
The drop only rates or loading charges per biek comes out to be 10-12K. Are you sure you want to go with one way bike rental?
Hi Dhheraj ,
Me and MY husband planning for leh bike trip from manali . we have booked our ticket from mumbai 11th JULY 2015 . we have our bike TB350 but we are going alone is it ok or we have join any group. if yes could you please help to find any group .
hey poonam,
We are doing a chandigarh-srinagar-leh-manali-chandigarh starting 13th july, ending 25th july.
cheers!!
Vachan
Hey vachan ,
Thanks for replying .
Could you please share your email or contact details , so we can contact you . or if possible could you please share you plan so if possible we will join you guys in chandigarh .
Thanks ,
Poonam Kharya
Replied here: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/about/comment-page-12/#comment-335275
Hi dheeraj, Kindly suggest some bike rentals at srinagar for renting bikes from srinagar to manali – one way without extra charges or else atleast from leh to manali-oneway trip.
Thank you
Samson, there are no such bike rentals who can provide you bikes without charging extra for one way trip 🙂 … It is about 10-12K they charge per bike for loading charges on one way trips. Best is if you are not hard core biker then avoid it.
Hi,
We are group of 6 guys and planning a road trip. Could you please suggest if this iternary is good or need modifications. Also can you please suggest some semi-luxury hotel in Leh. We have our flight tickets booked from Mumbai to Chandigarh and from Srinagar to Mumbai so that can’t be changed, the rest of the trip is flexible.
CHANDIGARH – MANALI – LADAKH – SRINAGAR JEEP SAFARI
Duration: 14 Nights & 15 Days
Travel Dates: 25 July to 08 August
Synopsis: Chandigarh – Manali – Rohtang – Keylong – Jispa – Baralacha pass – Sarchu – Morre Plains – Tsokar – Tso Moriri – Mahe Bridge – Leh – Sangam – Pangong Lake – Khardungla Pass – Nubra – Panamik – Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil – Drass – Sonmarg – Srinagar
ITINERARY:
Day 01: Chandigarh – Manali
Travel to Manali and stay overnight
Day 02: Manali
Sightseeing and overnight stay.
Day 03: Manali – Jispa/Sarchu
Drive to Sarchu (or Jispa) for night stay.
Day 04: Jispa/Sarchu – Tso Moriri
Meal: Breakfast and Dinner
Visit Tso Moriri and overnight stay
Day 05: Tso Moriri – Leh (7-8 hours) – 220 kms
Tour Tso Moriri and overnight stay
Day 06: Leh
Sightseeing in Leh and overnight stay
Day 07: Leh – Pangong Lake (5-6 hours) ( 225 to 290 kms )
Stay near Pangong lake
Day 08: Pangong-Leh (7-8 hours) ( 225 to 290 kms )
Return back to Leh
Day 09: Leh – Khandrungla Top – Nubra Valley-
Visit to Nubra valley and stay overnight
Day 10: Nubra Valley
Sightseeing and stay in Nubra valley
Day 11: Nubra Valley – Leh (7-8 hours) (120 kms )
Drive down to Leh and stay there
Day 12: Leh
Sightseeing in Leh
Day 13: Leh – Kargil (211 kms)
Drive down to Kargil and visit any tourist places on the way.
Day 14: Kargil – Drass – Sonamarg – Srinagar (202 kms)
Drive down to Srinagar and stay overnight
Firstly, I will suggest you that please plan it in other direction as going via Srinagar – Leh Highway will be much much easier on your body and help you acclimatize to the high altitude of Manali – Leh Highway. Also, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of Manali – Leh by splitting the journey almost evenly in two days which is very difficult in the other direction. Thirdly, it will allow you to fit Tso Moriri lake into the itinerary in better way. You can read more reasons on the link here
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
Excellent inputs. Thanks. Taking these inputs have planned to drive entering Srinagar from 12th September. Need your advise / confirmation on:
1. Drive Leh to Pangon Lake on 18th Sept. Stay Spangmik for night.
2. On 19th, wish to drive from Spangmik to Tso Moriri- please advise route, condition & will you recommend?
3. On 20th drive from Tso Moriri to Sarchu – advise route and condition. Stay night at Sarchu – next day to Manali.
4. Will we need to take permit for Pangong and Tso Moriri?
5. Booking hotels through your website at both lakes. Any recommendation for Leh Hotel?
Will drive Toyota Qualis.
Thanks for your reply.
Hi Dileep,
Regarding Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri, please read: Tips for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri Direct Route
Yes, you need to take inner line permit to take direct route from Pangong Tso to Tso moriri and even after permits it will not be confirmed that rmy will let you pass through or not. For inner line permit download form and complete process, refer: Inner Line Permits for Leh – Ladakh
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
I and my wife are planning Leh trip via road from Delhi – Manali – Leh – Manali – Delhi.
Please contact me if any other couple is also looking for Car Pool partners.
Note: (For couple only and Serious Traveler)
Hi Jai,
Where are you from and when are you planning to travel? We might go in august 2nd week? Hw about you? I am from Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Regards,
Pooja
Hi Dheeraj, we a group of 4 friends are planning a trip to leh on 1 bike and 1 car. We are carrying camping tents with us, can you please suggest us the sites that would be best for camping on manali – leh highway. Plus is there any danger of staying in our own tents at a foreign place?
Vivek, there is no issue in camping in case you have camped earlier in remote areas and used to it. Else mostly it is mental outfit towards the camping in remote areas that is the major bottleneck. For information on pitching your own camps in Leh – Ladakh, please refer our FAQ in the community: FAQ | Can I pitch my own tents or camps anywhere in Ladakh?
You can camp at Jispa, Darcha before Baralacha La and then may be Rumtse after getting down from Taglang La. If you coming from Leh, then you can also consider Pang and Sarchu but while going from Manali side it is not recommended because of less acclimatized body.