My Himalayan Bike Trip: Day 1 to Day 10 on the Himalayan Roads

It was 2016. August, when I took this Bike trip across the Himalayan Roads on my Royal Enfield. I rode from Delhi to Leh via Ludhiana and Srinagar and then stayed at Leh. The after riding over the Khardung La Pass, which is the Highest Motorable road of the world, I rode back to Delhi, via the Leh- Manali Highway. Here is the details fo the journey, from Day 1 to Day 10.

Also Read: What routes you can take to explore the audacious Himalayan Roads? Do it because you know you want it.

Day #1: Delhi to Jammu

I started from Delhi for the first leg of my bike ride journey across the Himalayan road and stopped at Murthal (A popular restaurant on the outskirts of Delhi) for a quick breakfast and then headed forward for our Journey to Jammu on day one.
Murthal serves the best Parathas in Delhi. If you're in Delhi then you cannot miss out on this wonderful place to grab a traditional plate.

Also Check: 10 lip-smacking food in Delhi which is the best-kept secret of the locals

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On the way to Jammu, I cross Sonipat, Panipat, Ambala, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar.
As I approach Punjab, the lush greens of the Agricultural basket of the country welcomed me. Its beauty is truly mesmerizing. I grabbed lunch at the famous highway dhabas (camp hotels) of Ludhiana and enjoyed a quintessential Punjabi thali (traditional plate).
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After that, I finished off my day by entering into Jammu.

Day #2: Jammu to Srinagar

From Jammu my next stop was Srinagar. It’s a 280km drive, but I would suggest starting your day well in advance as you can never trust the Himalayan weather and most importantly the rules of the military in this particular region.
The ride from Jammu to Srinagar is just jaw dropping as I entered into the silence of the Himalayas. Although, I encountered some typical bad traffic jams here the beautiful scenery around makes up for the wait is certainly the best possible way.
As I cross the river Jhelum, I was in Srinagar.

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You can book hotels or houseboats in advance to spend the night in Srinagar. I stayed on a houseboat. The people in Srinagar are very warm and helpful to travelers.
The next day I started for Kargil.

Day #3: Srinagar to Kargil

From Srinagar starts the heavenly beauty of the Kashmir Valley and by the time I reached Sonamarg, it’s as if I was in heaven.
The lush green landscapes, clear pastel blue skies and snowy mountains and alpine vegetation around me appear like a natural dreamscape.
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As I cross the Sindh River, I cross the Zoji La pass. This part of the Himalayan roads is challenging and really unpredictable, nevertheless, it’s worth the risk.
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As I ascended over to Zojila Pass, I saw the Zojila war memorial and further the Kargil war memorial as well.

The Kargil War Memorial
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There I halted for the night in Kargil and start the last leg of my Himalayan Trip to Leh the next day.

Day #4: Kargil to Leh

Kargil to Leh is not as picturesque as the previous Himalayan roads.
The Kargil to Leh Highway
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It’s mostly barren mountains with no civilizations till far stretches. I stopped at Mulbekh to witness one of the oldest sculptures of Buddha dating back to the 1^st century here.
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From here I crossed the Namik La.
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The Namik La has better road conditions except for the sharps turns which just doesn’t seem to end. After that, I crossed the Futu La.
After crossing these two passes I crossed the town of Lamayuru and from there I headed straight to Leh crossing Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and Magnetic Hill.
Gurudwara Pather Saheb
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Magnetic Hill
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The landscape changed significantly as I neared the town of Leh. It got colder and the high altitude got me a bit dizzy. High Altitude does that to you, so it is very important that you spend some 12 hours in Leh before starting the next leg of the journey to get acclimatized to the mountain weather conditions.

Day #5: Leh to Nubra Valley

Leh is a beautiful city and very different from other Indian cities. It’s very clean and very well maintained.
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From Leh, I Nubra, via the Khardung La pass, which is the highest motorable pass in the world at a height of 18,380 ft.
Khardungla
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The road to Khardung La pass is the most audacious of Himalayan roads you’ll ever encounter.
Khardung La passes roads is steep, curvy and narrow, making it really difficult when a vehicle from opposite direction overtakes you. The view around is beautiful. The steep valleys with streams of melting ice enamored amidst floating clouds are just beautiful.
However, without the Khardung La, my Himalayan bike trip would be incomplete!
The Khardung La temperature is around 6 to 7 degrees in the morning, during August, when I visited.
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After I crossed the beautiful Khardung La pass, I took the day off at Hunder at Nubra Valley and started my next day for Pangong Tso.

Day #6: Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso

From Nubra, you can either take the Wari La or Shyok route to reach Pangong Tso.
I took the Shyok route along the gushing streams of Shyok River. It is very challenging and requires riding through 3-4 muddy streams.
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It gets really cold in here during the winters but even during the summer months of August and September, when I visited, I encounter some fresh snowfall.
I decided to spend the night at Pangong Tso and head back to Leh the next day.
Pangong Tso is a rural area and you might find some tourists on your way there and get some handy and snacky dinner to survive the night.
This was the hardest time of my Himalayan Bike trip. It got really cold here at night and also started snowing.
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Day #7: Pangong Tso to Leh

From Pangong Tso, I decided to head back to Leh following the same route which merges with the Leh-Manali Highway on the way.
On your route, I had to cross the Chang La.
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This is said to be the second highest pass after Khardung La.
Then I reached Leh and stayed there for the night.
You can spend your day in Leh and enjoy the beauty of the city or you can head straight to Manali.

Day #8: Leh to Sarchu

Leh - Manali highway is a plain wide road with some sharp curves and passes along the way. The scenery around is beautiful with snowy mountains.
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The Lachalung La and Lakee La are two passes I encountered on the way before I hit the popular Gata loops which are a series of 21 loops in 6.5 km stretch.
This rollercoaster steep and curvy loop is every adrenaline junkies dream ride.
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I was surprised to see some mountain goats along the sharps cliffs next to me. As I finish the drive across the Gata loop I landed in Sarchu.
This place is quite renowned for break journeys of travelers going either way. I decided to spend the night in the tent house camps over there.
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Day #9: Sarchu to Manali

The next ride was from Sarchu to Manali.
On my way to Manali, I encountered two steep ascends over the Barlach La and Rohtang La.
While the road to Barlach La is easy and free of hazards but the Rohtang La is a steep ascend along patches of snow and rugged cliffs.
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As I rode down to Keylong, I started to ascent to the Rohtang La which has sharp curvy roads across the rocky mountains with the lovely panorama of dramatic mountains and lush greens around me. As I reached Manali, I enjoyed the beauty of Himachal Pradesh for the best.
It’s one of the most beautiful states in India, with its lush greenery and quaint villages in the picturesque backdrop of the snow-capped Himalayas.
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I decided to spend the night in Manali and start for Delhi the next day.

Day #10: Manali to Delhi

From Manali, I reached down to Chandigarh.
Chandigarh is the capital city of the state of Punjab and is known for its planned beauty. It takes approximately 6 to 7 hours to reach down to Chandigarh. From Chandigarh, I grabbed a bite and rode down further to Delhi and finished off my Himalayan bike trip.
It takes around 3 to 4 hours from Chandigarh to Delhi, mostly depending on the traffic conditions.
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So this was a through guide across the Himalayas if you are taking the Delhi to Srinagar to Leh to Manali route. There are other routes as well like you can start from Delhi and go via the opposite direction via Shimla. Shimla is a popular tourist destination tucked in the underbelly of Himalayas and from there you can take the Manali - Leh route. You'd love Shimla. Do spend a day here if you can. This city was the summer capital of India during the reign if the Britishers and till dates its architecture and poetic culture makes you feel as if you are in little London.

Whichever route you take, a journey across the Himalayan Roads shall change your outlook on life forever. It teaches us how trivial and insignificant we are and how mammoth and gigantic the world really is! I hope this helped you get a detailed idea of a Himalayan bike trip and you start marking dates in your mind for the same.

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Happy travel to you :)!!