When it comes to motorcycle travel in India, one route that is spoken about the most is the Leh-Manali Highway! And why not? It offers a rider every bit of thrill, heavenly views, moody weather and curves to die for. On this ride, you’ll cross over from the Indian State of Himachal Pradesh in Manali to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Planning Your Ride on the Leh-Manali Highway
For majority of the year, this route remains closed since it is covered with a thick blanket of snow from October to May. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) does the job of clearing snow, managing the roads and as a result, the route remains open from June- October when there is hardly any snowfall.
Credit: getridingyoubum.in The 480 odd kilometres from Manali to LEH have quite a lot of diversity in terms of climatic conditions. The route takes you through some of the highest mountain passes of India like Baralacha La, Lachung La and Tanglang La in the Lahaul mountain region, making it a mountainous and cold affair. You will pass through various villages and towns on the way like Keylong, Jispa, Sarchu, Pang, Upshi and then move onto LEH. Keylong and Jispa are quite close to each other while the rest are separated by an average of almost 90 kilometres.
There are ample places on the way to fill your tummy up with chai and good food but fuel could be a concern as there are no fuel stations for a distance of approximately 360 kilometres after the town of Tandi. It would be wise to tank up in Tandi and carry extra fuel in jerry cans.
Photo credit: www.getridingyoubum.in It is important to have plenty of time in hand on this route as some points on the way are prone to landslides. Progress can be halted in case of a huge landslide that takes a longer time to clear. Plan your ride in a way where you have enough time to acclimatise on the way, leave early and ride for 80 to 100 kms in a day considering the stops you’ll be making for hydration, food and photography and also since you’ll be riding through high mountain passes that go all the way up to 17000 feet.
Road conditions
Road conditions on the Leh-Manali Highway are always a mixed bag. The first mountain pass 30 kilometres after Manali is called Rohtang pass at 12500 feet. The road condition is fine until here but begins to deteriorate after you begin to descend. The for the next 250 kilometers until Pang is a mix of broken roads, gravel, loose mud, rocky terrain and occasionally tarred roads. After crossing Pang though, the Road conditions are excellent until LEH. You will also encounter numerous water crossing on the way that have formed due to the melting of snow, so it would be ideal to start early as the force of the streams could be higher in the afternoons.
Photo credit: www.getridingyoubum.in Weather conditions
Weather in the Himalayan region is quite unpredictable. From June to August, average day temperature hovers around 23 degrees centigrade and night temperatures come down to as low as five or sometimes, zero degrees celsius. Rains too are unpredictable, especially in places above 14000 feet. High mountain passes above 16000 feet do encounter snowfall occasionally. But otherwise, the weather is proper and ideal to be riding on a motorcycle.
Altitude sickness
Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a concern for most riders on the Leh-Manali Highway but it could be sorted with a little bit of patience. The climb to LEH must be done gradually in order to allow the body to get used to low oxygen levels at high altitudes and it doesn’t matter if you’re extremely fit, or not. The ideal way to do this would be to stay in Manali for 2 days and hike around. An environmental permit is required from the local DC office to ride through Rohtang Pass so you could obtain that. You could then ride to keylong and Jispa, stay in each of the places for a night before moving onto Sarchu where you should spend two nights. Sarchu to LEH is a distance of approximately 220 kilometers which can be covered in a single day since the roads after Pang are in great condition and LEH being at a lower altitude (11000 feet). In case you feel dizzy, nauseous, have a headache or run short of breath, it is advised to descend altitude as soon as possible. In case you’re not confident of doing the run due to the altitude sickness factor, consult your physician and carry tablets with you that prevent AMS.
Photo credit: www.getridingyoubum.in Other points
Make your ride on the Leh-Manali Highway a safe and memorable one. It is advised to not ride at high speeds and check with your doctor about the possibility of this ride if you have respiratory issues. Only local BSNL postpaid connections work in some regions of Ladakh (manali to Jispa and in LEH). However, satellite phone service could be used at Indian Army posts in Sarchu and Pang. They also have oxygen cylinders in case you run out of breath.
While it may sound like a serious adventure, the Manali- LEH route it is fun- filled and entertaining as you get to mingle with a lot of the local mountain people, interact with other riders at dhabhas and most importantly, the opportunities this route provides for nature photography with landscapes and terrains that seem like they’re from another world.
Photo credit: www.getridingyoubum.in
