Back from High Back country roads of Himachal and spectacular Passes.

TREKorDIE

Wow..........congrats......... .....nice trip, haan?

Lovely pics................I can't believe those were taken with a cellphone camera!!!!!!

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TREKorDIE:
" BECAUSE IT IS THERE ! ! ! "

sunilg

nice pics Styler.......gud work with a cell phone...seems u've enjoyed a lot.......

i've done exactly the same route as u've done and would admit that some of these roads are best in the world in terms of beauty......

manali-delhhi in 10 hours in a scorpio is easily achiveable; i myself had done that in 12:30 hours on a 150 cc motorcycle that too in a group of 4........one of my team mates had done it in 11 hours on the same 150 cc bike.....

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...Bismillah

Styler

Thanks

I regularly Do Manali to Delhi in 9.30 - 10.00 Hrs.
This was my 3rd trip to Manali this year on the Scorpio.
9.30 Hrs from Vashist to Delhi Border, is comfortable with 2 -10 min stops .

sunilg

@styler: At what time did u do manali-leh?? what was the condition on the passes?? Were the roads gud enough for motor cycles, or too much snow?? did u see any biker along the way?? We were in leh in mid-september, we went there via Srinagar-kargil route adn had to come back via same route becoz of heavy snowfall and 2 broken bridges at Koksar and Pang..

planman

Hi styler,

You have some real nice snaps here. I need some help with my itinerary planning. I am reaching Shimla on 19th November and I have to leave Manali on 24 November. I dont know how to set up my itinerary to make the best of it. I am planning to mostly depend on buses to take me and my wife around. So, I dont think I will be able to enjoy the "off the beaten tracks" theme. However, this is my first visit to Himachal and so I might still like the "beaten-tracks" theme. Please help me with my planning. I am travelling on a honeymoon, so the theme is Romance, not adventure. Please let me know. Awaiting eagerly for your response.

Regards,
Abhay

sunilg

@planman: u better take taxi instead of buses; although a bit expensive, but u won't mind paying an extra penny when u have 3-4 extra hours in ur hand at the end of each day...........u might share ur taxi with other people, preferably couples if u find them, to save on cost........

personally, i would think more than twice before roaming over in buses with my wife on a honeymoon trip.....

by way of taxi, u can enjoy off-the-beaten track theme also.........spend less time @crowded places like shimla or manali, try n find some small towns near or lesser-known tourist spots like Chail, Kufri, Rohru; take some small trekking routes; u might wanna go Rohtang Pass if the roads are open...

Styler

Hi Abhay,
I have started driving to Himachal just recently. For the first 10-15 trips to Himachal i used to travel by busses all the time. So don't worry about that. You'll enjoy evan if you travel by busses.
If you are reching Shimla on 19th, i would recommend spend a couple of days there. You can take the Himachal Tourism Day trips . They take you around to all the places around like Kufri, Chail etc.
You can then leave for Manali. In Manali i would recommend Stay at some Resort on the Banks of Beas between Kullu & Manali because it is going to be very cold up in Vashist. Vashist would be almost deserted by then. First week of Nov, there were hardly any Restaurants open in Vashist. Manali was bustling as always but thankfully no Traffic Jams this time of the year.
With Base in Manali, you can travel to surrounding places. Take a Cab to Palchan- Whispering Rocks resort. Ask Somebody the way to the Water Fall in the gorge. Walk on the pakhdandi (20 mins walk) to the Water fall. You wont find a soul there. It'll be you, your woman and the water fall. Perfect Romantic Setting.

There is a bus that goes to Palchan & Kothi every day from Manali. YOu can hop into this bus and get down at Kothi , Palchan etc and wonder around in the moutains. Remeber to carry some packed food etc.

You will also be able to hire bikes for Rs 300-400 for a day.
If your budget allows I would r reccomend that you hire a bike to move around manali. I infact used to hire a bike and evan drive to Rohtang on the bike with my wife. You can hire a bike from Raju Mechanic , his shop is just behind the Private Bus Stand in Manali.



Happy Journey.

shubho

...and you took them on a cellphone, wow!
also appreciate your sharing info with other indiamike members, you're a true traveller!

kaushiks

I don't drive myself but I have sat behind a lot of times. I was very surprised at 10 hrs but I will take your word HH. Speed is so critical for must of us, coz we have 4 day weekends in which we need to do Delhi-Delhi. So, this is just great. Infact, just coming down from Manali-Chandigarh itself used to take 9 hours with breaks. So, I assumed close to 7.5 hours without breaks. However, I spoke to a friend of mine like you and he also thought 10 hrs is fine. I guess, I have been riding with slow city drivers. Great job Styler. How much I wish someone would drive me there in 12 hours. The folks in this forum certainly have great experience.

aholic_2907

brilliant pics styler. how lucky are u

Styler

I did not go to Leh this year. I went till Rohtang Pass on the 2nd Nov -Diwali Day. I saw 3-4 Busses going to Leh. The road closes officially on the 31st Oct but traffic was going to Leh on the 2nd of Nov. Later that evening there was a big snow storm, and by now i suppose the road would have been closed.
I guess the Army had to officially keep the road open till 31st Oct so when they would have repaired the bridges at Koksar and Pang.

jimmy

hi, can you also tell me where i could get good road maps which give details of the places u visited; as there r so many maps available now, but which r realy good and the latest. thanks , wating for your reply. jimmy.

MeCasa

Nice pics, it looks like you enjoyed yourself :-)

himadventures

CONGRATULATIONS !!

It was a great feeling to see your snaps and going through your post. Keep it up !!

Styler

Actually i also don't have any detailed maps.
I have the basic 100 rupee Nesst & Wings and Himachal Tourism maps.
You get the Himachal TOurism map from any HPTDC Hotel or restaurant for Rs 25-30.

Best way to learn is to sit at a tea stall, make friends with locals and and ask them about great routes and places to drive to. At least that has been my strategy to explore and find out about new places. And in Himachal people are really nice and always ready to help & advise.

In any case if you want any info about Beas Valley, Jalori Pass Shimla and around , ask me and i would be glad to answer.

The things is that the weather would be very cold in the higher passes and most of them woud be closed right now.

Plan a trip March or later .

Styler