Route Map with elevation on each day
– Delhi: 210m
– Chandigarh: 350m
– Leh: 3500m
– Pangong lake: 4249m
– Khardung la: 5359m
– Kargil: 2676m
– Srinagar: 1600m
– Jammu: 327m- A few of your Favorite things on the tour
– Breathtaking mountains, landscapes you have never seen before in this Ladakh bike tour.
– Experience the unparalleled beauty of Himalayas from dense coniferous forest to cold deserts.
– Cross the highest Motorable pass in the world- Khardung La Pass(5540m)
– Ride to the border of Tibet
– Explore Alchi Monastery, the oldest in Ladakh.
– Stroll the streets and markets of Leh. - Places to eat en route:
There are plenty of Food outlets from Delhi to Jammu and fewer from Jammu to Srinagar. Leh and Kargil have plenty of food options. In between leh and Kargil only small restaurants and Dhabas can be found.
Day 1: Delhi – Jammu
– Total distance covered: 590 kilometers
– Travel Time: 10 hours depending on your speed and breaks
Day 2: Jammu – Srinagar
– Total distance covered – 270 kilometers
– Travel Time – 7 hours
– Visit Dal Lake and enjoy a shikara ride.
Day 3: Srinagar – Sonamarg – Zoji La – Drass – Kargil
– Total distance covered: 210 kilometers
– Travel Time: 5-6 hours
– Enjoy the scenic ride through beautiful Kashmir valley.
Day 4: Kargil to Leh
– Total distance covered: 220 kilometers
– Travel Time: 5 hours
– See Lamayuru Monastery, Lunar Landscapes, Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, Magnetic Hills and Indus – Zanskar Confluence at Nimmu
Day 5: Leh
– Spend a day in Leh for rest
– Visit Leh Palace, Shanti Stoopa and Leh market.
Day 6: Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
– Total distance: 130 kilometers
– Travel Time: 4 hours
– Cross Khardung La on the way, claimed as highest motorable pass in the world.
– Visit Diskit Monastery, Hunder Sand dunes and see Bactrian camels.
Day 7: Hunder– turtuk – thang and back to hunder
– Total distance: 200 kilometers
– Travel Time: 4-5 hours
– Visit turtuk monastery and thang (last Indian village)
Day 8: Hunder– agham – shyok – pangong
– Total distance: 175 Kilometers
– Travel Time: 5 hours
– Take a dip in the immence beauty of pangong lake
Day 9: pangong – chang la – leh
– Total distance: 155 km
– Travel time: 4 hour
– Cross chang la on the way, claimed 2nd highest motorable road
Day 10: Kargil to Leh
– Total distance covered: 220 kilometers
– Travel Time: 5 hours
Day 11: Kargil – Drass – Zoji La – Sonamarg – Srinagar
– Total distance covered: 210 kilometers
– Travel Time: 5-6 hours
Day 12: Srinagar – Jammu
– Total distance covered – 270 kilometers
– Travel Time – 7 hours
Day 13: Jammu – Delhi
– Total distance covered: 590 kilometers
– Travel Time: 10 hours depending on your speed and breaks
- Best Time to ride: June to September
- Things to carry for this Ladakh bike tour:
Medicines: Carry Diamox if you aren’t allergic to sulfur drugs (helps reduce some of the symptoms of AMS) and medicines for headache, fever, stomach ache, cold and cough syrup. You can find more detailed list for medicines here, First Aid Travel kit.
Sunscreen lotion: UV rays at high altitude can be quite damaging to the skin, even during the harshest of winter, so don’t forget to carry a good quality sunscreen lotion eg. Lotus Herbal Sun Screen Lotion with rating of SPF30 or higher and apply it properly before going out in the sun.
UV sunglasses: As mentioned earlier, UV rays at high altitude can be quite damaging and this holds true for eyes as well. So having decent quality UV sunglasses (Fastrack ones are available for as little as Rs. 800) is quite essential, especially if you are traveling early in the season or during winter, when mountain passes have a lot of snow cover and sunlight reflecting from the snow can be even harsher!
Lip balm: Dry and cold weather of Ladakh will make your lips dry, which can get quite painful due to cracking and skin coming off, so make sure to carry a lip balm or Vaseline.
Mustard oil: Mustard oil can be used for moisturizing skin, putting it in your hair and for lubricating insides of nostrils, which can become quite dry and painful due to dry and cold winds of Ladakh.
Glucose: Carrying water mixed with Glucon C/D is a good idea while traveling at high altitude, as it provides instant energy on the move, when your appetite is likely to be reduced due to AMS and at the same time, doesn’t act as a diuretic, like most caffeinated energy drinks. Carry couple of small packs with you, which you can mix in water, at the beginning of the day.
Chocolates, biscuits and nuts: Carrying couple of chocolates, a pack of biscuits and few hundred grams of almonds, raisins and cashews is a good idea, as these provide instant energy and easy snack and don’t take up too much space. Those who love spicy food, make sure to carry pickle or sauce, since Ladakhi food is a bit bland.
Other personal essentials: Paper soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and toilet paper. You can also carry your shaving kit and face wash if you have the space and need for these and any other toiletries.
Documents and IDs: It is essential to carry at least one government issued identity card and couple of photocopies of it, since it is needed while applying for inner line permit and at certain places, to register at the check post. You should also carry your medical insurance card (if you have one), Map of Ladakh, your printed itinerary, hotel reservation slips (if you have pre-booked), couple of copies of your flight ticket (if traveling by air) and list of important contacts (useful in case your mobile phone stops working).
– Chargers for all the gadgets, cameras and mobile
– Spare camera batteries: Carry at least one spare set of batteries required by your camera, since in cold environment, batteries can die quickly.
– Car charger or battery bank: If you are an avid smart phone user and planning to log your route on your favorite GPS App, then make sure you are carrying car charger or a power bank with at least 4000-5000mAH capacity to keep your mobile phone running throughout the day.
– 3 socket Belkin Surge Protector: While it is a little large in size, 3 socket Belkin Surge Protector will not only keep your gadgets protected from power surges, but will also allow you to charge multiple devices simultaneously and at the same time, provide the crucial cable length to safely place your gadgets in rooms with idiotic power socket locations (sadly enough, many hotels have this).
– Torch: Not really needed if your mobile phone has one, but if in case it doesn’t, carry a small LED one.
– Money: While my recommendation would be to carry enough cash you need, to avoid wasting time withdrawing cash, it may not be feasible for everyone. So please keep in mind that ATMs beyond Srinagar and Manali are only available in Kargil and Leh and they too are few with often long queues in front of them.
– Mobile phone connectivity: Only post-paid mobile phone connections from other states work in Ladakh and even from these, only BSNL has presence beyond Leh. So unless you wish to be dependent upon STD booths, carry a BSNL/MTNL post-paid connection.
– Cloths to carry
The worst enemy for Ladakh Road trip is the cold. Carry different layers of warm clothing. You need to carry at least:
2 set of thermals upper, 1 set of thermal lower, 8 pair of socks, extra woolen covering, 1 warm track pants, scarf for covering your neck and complete rain suit.