manali-leh-ladakh-kargil-dras-srinagar trip

samikbanerjee69

I am planning for the trip next yr july/august...
need help of the IMers to fix y itinery...
Long live IM..
Thanx

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Find a new way or place yourself to add it to the world map. This will be a Master of all researches in modern times. This cannot be a copy paste procedure. You have your whole life for such a petty task. So, start searching today not on maps but by Travelling.

Samik Banerjee

mridula

Road trip? Or what?

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Mridula

Travel Tales from India

samikbanerjee69

Yeh a road-trip on may be public vehicle!!

indracal

Samik,

Few things before starting:

How many days you have in mind? From where?

Idea of travel - budget, economy, luxury?

It's a very good trip idea, and I would like to work with you in forming the itinerary, though I can't travel this belt at least for coming 2 years (my baby is just 1.5 yrs now ).

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vistet

My first advice for anyone doing the full circuit Manali-Srinagar is very simple : do it the other way around , spare the 5000+ sections to the end , and you´ll get a lot more out of it. And don´t skip the night in Kargil , key factor in acclimatization.

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high road to ..

indracal

Vistet, it's reassuring to have you on the thread!

I'm sorry but I didn't get that - "spare the 5000+ sections to the end" - could you please elaborate?

You're suggesting to start from Srinagar and proceed to Manali - that's a good way! Will try to work out the logic for this!

vistet

Trying , probably not succeeding in summing up the main considerations shortly :

1. First night.

There is a minimum altitude (explanation later ) at which acclimatization starts with a single nights stay. Srinagar is definitely too low - and in many cases also Manali , which is mostly under 2000 meters.

Kargil on the other hand is near ideal at 2700 meters , while there are no options below 3100 after the Rothang on the Manalai-Leh road.

2. First three nights

This the period that for most means doing two vital changes in basic acclimatization :

* a shift in breathing regulation , going away from the regulation from carbon dioxide levels to oxygen levels - basically rewirng the body to working the same way as people with chronic lung disease work
* shifted acid balance that allows you to breathe more

Before both of these changes have taken place you have very limited possibilities to increase your breathing - as soon as this starts to affect carbon dioxide levels and acidity a masive brake pedal comes down and decreases breathing . ( The strongwilled can test this at home : hyperventilate as hard and long you can , and you will stop breathing and pass out , not necessarily in that order. Make sure you will land in a soft spot. ) .

Obviously you want to be on the right side of those changes before risking having to sleep around 4500 meters , or crossing passes at the same altitude as Everest Base Camp. This is more or less guranteed starting from Srinagar : the absolute worst but rare scenario there would be getting stuck near the Zoji La , still below 4000.

3. First week.

More red blood cells is obviously a good idea . Takes more than a week to produce.

4. Speeding up acid balance shift (= Diamox)

Diamox allows you to increase your breathing , which doesn´t mean that the body automatically will : you still need to experience lowered oxygen saturation long enough to start increasing your breathing in spite of a normal acid balance.

There are a number of reasons to be careful with this drug , apart from the normal side effects that I find annoying :

* Those that are allergic to sulfa can not take it - go over your medical history with a doc , and discuss taking a reduced test dose at home.

* in some cases it can give side effects that are very similar to altude sickness : headaches , nausea etc.

* it´s normally a glaucoma medication - there are documented cases where people have had dramatically affected vision , going away after they stop taking it.

Of course there is a balance here between rare side effects and the disease itself : worst case AMS is a lot worse than blurred vision for a day or two. Get the correct dosage (remember it depends on body weight ) , treatment time etc. (http://korta.nu/5c3a ) . And don´t wait for symptoms when you realise you´ll be forced by circumstances to camp a lot higher than planned .

Coming from Srinagar Diamox becomes overkill prophylactially , get your first night in Kargil , consider Alchi if you feel under the weather next day.

hvkumar

When we drove to Ladakh last month, our overnight stops were gradual:
Patnitop, 6728 ft
Kargil, 8847 ft
Padum, 11769 ft

None of us (groups of over 15 people) had any symptoms of AMS and we all acclimatised well. We also had Diamox.

I think that it is easier to drive in from the Srinagar side instead of the Manali side where the tendency is to go from 2000 mtrs at Manali to 4200 mtrs in Sarchu in 1 day.

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H V Kumar

indracal

Great post - Vistet! And fantastic link as well!

Thanks to HV Kumar too, great to know the heights and direction.

@Vistet - what did that string mean ?

I just noticed that both our present avatars are from Herge's great creation!

WayFarer

I see that HVK is being his usual modest self.

There are 2 great travelogues doing the rounds in Team BHP forums now. One of HVK leading a team of vehicles from across India to a wonderful trip of Ladhak, and one by Tanveer who did it alone in his Safari.

Suggest that you have a look at both threads , they are simply astounding. The photographs have left me with a heartache , just have to do it some day.It is just jaw dropping scenery and full of adventure.

If you seriously plan to do this trip check the travelogue penned by Laluks , HVK and others ,it is a mine house of information.

Care to form a Ladhak touring party from Kolkata ?

indracal

1) HVK: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...on-2009-a.html

2) laluks: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...humbleh-d.html

3) Tanveer (tsk1979) - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...oof-world.html

Please add any other links in your post, Wayfarer!

Ahh, yes!! But I don't own a car!! Nor can I drive, so not a good situation for me or the offering party either!

EDIT (4 Oct) - Are you from Cal too?

vistet

My point here was that by going from Srinagar to Leh first (grey) , which is drastically lower , you get basic acclimatization before hitting the high passes around 5000 on the Manali-Leh road (yellow) (and more importantly the high plateaus , the Moray plains is at around 4700 ) .



You´ll find my take on the roads and acclimatization here : Sleepless in Sarchu and Chilling in Kargil








Tintin is great , and can be used in any topic - he´s been all over the place :

indracal

Oh, Vistet - got that - 5000+ meters - thanks! So stupid of me!

And very informative links/posts, many thanks!

@Samit - hope the basic info is with you now! I also see a lot other thread in IM and other forums, just google for them.

After that the itinerary can be formed I guess. Please, however, reply to my above post about budget etc.

samikbanerjee69

Normal budget being from a middleclass family!!
i would love 2 have public ransportations
Above all I may spare 2 weeks from manali to srnagar or vice -versa,,

samikbanerjee69

Can u suggest a itinery??
Where can I get the Map of this route?
Will public transport be avaible??
How many days it will take??


Thanx for your replies..
To tell u Mre I'll be travelling with my family on aug 2010
I have atmost 2 weeks to cover these areas
Plz suggest my movess