MANALI LEH SRINAGAR KISHTWAR KILLAR MANALI
Duration: 14 Days.
Start/End: Meet in Delhi. Kickstart in Manali. End in Manali.
Departing: 12 June. 10 July. 2 Aug. 2023
Bikes: Royal Enfield Himalayan 411cc or Classic 500CC.
Group Size: Min 4 to maximum 10 riders.
Tour Cost: US$2990 per person for 4pax and above.
HIGHLIGHTS: 12 high passes including Khardungla 5360m. Nubra Valley. Pangong Lake. Alchi, Lamayuru. Kargil. Dzojilla. A rest day in Srinagar in British style houseboats. Kishtwar to Manali via Killar’s most amazing cliff road.
DETAIL TRIP ITINERARY
DAY 1: Arrive in Delhi. Check into a 5 star hotel in Gurgaon.
We will receive you at the airport. Drive to our 5 star hotel in Gurgaon.
DAY 2: Early morning fly to Buntar Airport. Drive to Manali. Check into our luxury hotel.
Early morning fly to Buntar Airport. Drive to Manali. Check into our luxury hotel in Manali. Breakfast and dinner. Bikes will be at the hotel.
DAY 3: Ride to Sarchu via Rohtang Pass 4000M, Baralachala Pass 4890M. 225KM.
Ride starts at 8:00am. Beautifully winding road till Rohtang Pass top which is our first highest pass. After Rohtang exciting downhill through 22 hairpin bends. Permit Entry at Gramphu and first tea stop. Beautiful mountain views and river valley on the way. Refuel our bikes at Tandi. Lunch stop either at Keylong or Zispa approx. 140km from Manali. Continue ride to Sarchu (4290m) over Baralachala Pass and Suraj Taal.
Sarchu is a beautiful open meadow often filled with grazing sheep and mountain goats famous for making pashmina. In Sarchu we spend the night in deluxe camps having attached restrooms. Once the sun sets, Sarchu is cold. Warm clothes will be needed in the evening and morning. Dinner served in big dining all. 80% blacktopped, 20% dirt.
DAY 4: Sarchu to Leh via Tanglangla Pass 5330m. Lachulungla Pass 5060M. 250km.
Leave Sarchu at 8:00am. Amazing ride through the famous Gata Loops where the road snakes uphill making a total of 21 loops. The bottom of the loop stands at 4100M while the top majestically stands at 4668M. There is a high pass once again named Lachulungla (5060M). Stop for lunch on the roadside camps at Pang. These camps sell simple food like rice and chapatti or India’s famous instant noodle Maggi, very basic food and tea. A few kilometers up we will arrive at Moore Plain, one of the most beautiful landscapes of the entire ride. Wide open meadows surrounded by snow capped hills. This used to be the home of the wild ass. Many people have sighted these shy animals while riding. The road stretches like runway making the ride simply mind blowing. We start climbing to the third highest motorable road on Tanglangla 5330M. Continue ride till Upshi, where we will stop for the tastiest Tibetan noodles and beef/mutton momos. The last stretch from here to Leh, our destination is just 48km. We will check into Hotel Auspicious, located in a quiet neighbourhood away from the hustle and bustle of the Leh city. Our dinner is at the Tibetan Kitchen, 10 minutes walk from our hotel. Dinner of your choices.
DAY 5: Rest and Sightseeing day in Leh.
Aroun 09:00am we ride 16km to Thiksey Monastery. The most beautiful monastery sitting on top of a hill overlooking the entire valley resembles that of Potala Palace of Tibet. You will see the biggest Buddha Maitreya (Buddha of Compassion) statue ever. Lunch at a nearby Restaurant. Ride back and visit the Shey Palace. Ride back to the city and to the World Peace Pagoda. The view of the entire Leh city can be enjoyed from the Pagoda around sunset time. Before dark we return back to our hotel and go for a walk around the town. Dinner of your choice at the Tibetan Kitchen, the best food available in town.
DAY 6: Leh to Nubra via Khardungla Pass 5360m. 125km.
We start around 8:30am and head towards Khardungla, the world’s highest motorable road at 5360M. Take a break at the top and enjoy the breathtaking sceneries of the snowcapped mountains. We continue our ride downhill and enter yet another magnificent Nubra Valley. This is where double humped camels roam around on high altitude sand dunes. We check into a beautiful homestay with a family in Hunder, enjoy freshly cooked lunch and go see the double humped camel on sand dunes. Diskit Monastery built around 11th century is worth a visit. A more recently built giant Buddha statue can be seen from the monastery. Dinner is fixed buffet.
DAY 7: Nubra to Pangong Tso Lake. 4225m. 240km.
After breakfast, around 8:30am we start the ride towards Pangong Lake that is said to be 134km long and stretches into Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is also a high altitude salt lake. The beautiful blacktopped road offers awesome ride following the wide Shyok river beds till Durbuk and Tangtse. We will pass thru some really interesting military training areas. Stop at Tangtse to take care of the permit entry and have lunch in one of the small restaurants. The riding distance is roughly 250KM. We will check into one of the many beautiful deluxe camps and enjoy the spectacular turquoise blue lake surrounded by moonlike landscape. Once again, it is cold after the sunset. Warm clothes recommended. Woolen hat covering your ears is highly recommended. Dinner will be served inside a dining tent.
DAY 8: Pangong to Leh via Changla Top. 5350m. 220km.
We will leave Pangong behind and ride back to Leh via Changla Pass, considered as the Second Highest Motorable road. Check into our favorite Hotel. We should arrive in Leh by afternoon. Evening dinner of your choice at The Tibetan Kitchen.
DAY 9: Leh to Kargil via Lamayuru. 215km.
We leave Leh and ride towards Kargil with a quick visit to Alchi and Lamayuru. A few kilometer after Leh lies the beautiful confluence of two famous rivers Indus and Zanskar. We continue our ride to Lamayuru - famous for moonlike landscape and Himalayan Ibex. Lunch at Lamayuru and continue to Kargil. If time allows, we will visit the Silk Road museum owned by Gulzar Sahib in Kargil. In 1996 a war between Pakistani Army and Indian Border Security Force nearly destroyed half of the city. It took them few years to rise, however the city never returned back to it’s previous glory. You can feel the warn torn city struggling to return back to normalcy. We will stay in the beautiful Dzojilla Residency located next to a raging Suru river.
DAY 10: Kargil to Srinagar, Kashmir's beautiful lakecity. 200km.
After breakfast, start ride at 8:00am to Sri Nagar via Dras – second coldest place on earth. Dras is another Indian Military training ground that also has the war memorial museum. We will stop and visit the museum that showcase the remnants of the war between Pakistan and India in 1996. Continue our ride thru Dzojilla Pass 3528m, where road is built thru cliff. At Sonamarg, a small town we will stop for lunch. Food of your choice both veg and non veg meals are available. Continue ride to the beautiful city of Srinagar. We will check into British style Houseboats in Dal Lake. Leaving the bikes in a safe parking area, we will hop onto a small shikara boat and float to our houseboats where we will relax the next whole day.
DAY 11: Rest day in Srinagar.
Explore the floating vegetable markets, visit Mugal garden and enjoy some Mughal style lunch. For bird lovers, Dal Lake offers excellent opportunity for bird watching. Late afternoon we will go for a shikara ride on the Dal Lake to visit floating Lotus garden. This is the best day to take care of your laundry too. Local vendors in small wooden boats will arrive at our door trying to sell their products like Pashmina, Silk Carpets, papermache products, cold drinks, snacks, etc. NOTE: if you are interested to buy pure pashminas, or Kashmiri silk carpets, bargain hard. For lunch we will go into town to enjoy food of your choice. Dinner is set buffet in the houseboat.
DAY 12: Srinagar to Kishtwar. 215km.
We leave Srinagar's lake city to head towards Kishtiwar. One of the most beautiful valleys of lower Kashmir. Stay in a hotel.
DAY 13: Kishtwar to Manali via Killar. 300km.
This is the day we ride on one of the most amazing roads ever. From Kistiwar to Killar. The views are amazing but the ride could be spine chilling. Upon arrival in Manali we check into our hotel. Rest and enjoy much deserved celebration drinks and say bye bye to our bikes.
DAY 14: Fly out of Buntar Aiport to Delhi. Check into a 5 star hotel.
Fly out of Buntar Airport to Delhi. Drive to a 5 star hotel in Gurgaon. B&B Only.
INCLUDES: Airport pickup in Delhi. Delhi Manali round trip domestic flight. RE Himalayan 411cc with electric start, fuel for the entire trip, hotel with breakfast and dinner on twin sharing basis as per itinerary. Permits. British style houseboat accommodation in Srinagar with breakfast and dinner. Shikara tour in Srinagar’s Dal lake. Mechanic support and SUV.
EXCLUDES: International airfare, Indian Visa fee, lunch and dinner in Delhi, Lunch during the tour. Bar bills and soft drinks throughout the tour, laundry, personal travel medical insurance, emergency rescue.
OUR BIKES: We use Royal Enfield 411CC Himalayan with left gear shift & electric start. Bikes are only third party insured.
NOTE: Please note that we are climbing to 5360M at Khardungla, you must consult your doctor and seek advice regarding altitude issues. No need of international driving license as long as you have a valid driving license from your own country. Riders must bring your own personal riding gears.