The Himalayan dream: Achieved :)

jithin_s

hey guys..

Just came back from my trip to the mighty himalyas. Not in a position to write a trip log as yet, since i am still getting acclimatized :P to the hustle & bustle of mumbai.

The trip was a dream from the day i read about it. With the grace of God, it finally fell into place in the past two weeks.
The route i went through was this:

Mumbai- Delhi-(Chandigarh, Ambala)-Manali-(Gramphoo, Batal,Kunzum La, Losar)- Kaza-(Tabo, Malling nullah, Nako)- Recong Peo & Kalpa-(Rampur, Narkanda)- Shimla-(Chandigarh)- Delhi- Mumbai

If u guys have any query for this route, the roads, the stay, the conditions, plz post them. I will see to it that i answer them to the best of my abilities!

And friends, This trip is Mystical,no better words to use. It will change your lives, as simple as that.

ks_bluechip

Hmmm, interesting summary that! Glad you enjoyed the trip. How did (vehicle) you travel this route? How are the road conditions??

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jithin_s

my journey consisted of a private taxi for from manali to kaza. The rest was covered with HRTC buses. Kaza to peo can be done on buses only due to malling problem. Transmit of passengers occurs at malling.

amarshah

nice Jithin was keen on doing this during my visit to Leh this year but lack of time had to cann the idea ! Do post your log once u settled down back !

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Cheers

Amar

Year 2008 Trips - http://amards14.googlepages.com/

kamilant

Hi. This is my first post on Indiamike.com, so hello to all of you.

I’ve got some questions about this particular trip, as I’m planning almost the same route in about two weeks. I’m glad to hear that Tabo-Rekong Po road is open.

As i would gladly read your travelogue from this journey, in the meantime I’ve got some general questions:

- What was the weather during your trip in Spiti/Kinnaur/Sutley valley – night and day? Did you take a sleeping bag with you? Were there any rains?
- How much did you spend for transport counting form Manali to Shimla? I would use the latest ATM machine in Manali...
- Any problems with obtaining bottled water on your way?
- How did you manage with high altitudes on your way? A couple of places are >4000m
- As I’ve got a bit more time than you (about 12-14 days for this whole trip), I can stay a bit longer in some places. What villages are especially worth a longer visit?
- Generally, would you recommend this trip for a first timer in India, with no experience in trekking (well, I’m not planning any)?
- Any bad experiences? Anything to avoid on the way?

jithin_s

1. Luckily we didnt enconter rains in our trip. We heard it was raining in manali after we left. rains might have started now. the conditions of road can change overnight. so it all depends on ur luck.

2. From manali to kaza we got a tata sump victa. Ours was a different condition. The road to rohtang was going to be closed for a few days. so local spitti people had to head back home. we joined them in the ride ! only for 350/- per person. a steal! dont expect tours to offer u a taxi for this price :P. I am not sure of the price of such a taxi. Try to pool in peole for sharing the cost. kaza to reckong peo by hrtc 200/- peo to shimla 200/-

3. bottled water is not a problem. manali, kaza,peo and i supoose all other small towns also have bottled water in plenty.

4. Altitude and AMS varies from people to people. Drink fluids, dont over exert. U should be fine. And 15k feet is reasonalbe.
The manali-leh(>17k) passes are the more AMS inducing ones.

5. Kaza, kibber, ki monastery, Tabo, Nako, recong peo or Kalpa, Narkanda. Guest houses easily available at these places at affordable rates. Avoid the big cities like manali nd shimla, unless necessary for interstate buses.

6. yo! it was my first time trip to North India. and i pulled it out by the grace of god and some instinctive moves. Believe in urself and ur abilities and, Know your limit. Dont try to cover everything just for the heck of it. Do ur homework well. That's THE most improtant thing. Know the routes, the alternatives, the places, read blogs, keep visiting indiamike and trust your self. Happy journey!

7. keep a tab on the food u eat, the water u drink. Be polite and nice to the locals. They will surely help you out. (A couple of foreign tourists i saw, they didnt face any problems.) cheers!

kamilant

well, jithin_s, that made my day
i'll gladly read your travelogue and after i come back i'll share my own experiences as well. indiamike.com seems to be a real gem among various sources!

have a good day
kamil

ps. i was looking for such data here and there, but found contradictory information. what temperature did you experience (day/night, on average). should i bring some winter clothes with me? does the temperature during the night drop below zero at this time of the year?

jithin_s

we had encountered rohtang la at 04:00 am. As a result it was damn cold out there. It was around some 2-3 degrees. From Manali to Shimla, weather was cool. Night temperatures were some 6-10 degrees(on basis of what i felt). I had worn a jacket throughout this route :P. Winter clothes are a must. As days go by, the weather's going to get colder.

sandeep9868

I’m planning for the same trip but in opposite direction i.e. from Shimla to Manali with my Indica car. Please suggest if this possible.
I wonder travelling by buses wouldn’t create any kind of problem.
Any special advice will be highly appreciated. Please let me know how I’ll make the itnery that cover Sarahan, Chitkul, Peo, Nako, Tabo, Key, Kaza, Chandertaal Lake in 9 days?

sandeep9868

Btw many congratulations to you for the wonderful trip you done, please share the pics if possible

jithin_s

hey sandeep!

ok.. A trip in ur private vehicle. The most difficult question you can ask me :P A trip in ur vehicle, by your own, requires skill, resolve and meticuluos planning. A person who has the resolve to face any problem, whatever is thrown at him(the himalayas do test your limits ), will be able to achieve his dreams. My friend did a Mumbai-Leh-Mumbai trip on her Alto. Her dad had the reslove, so he got it through. So, i would not give u a Yes/No for your trip, rather make you aware of the problems you would face through on the trip.

The two main problems would be crossing the Malling nullah and the route from Kaza to Gramphoo.

Firstly the Malling nullah. I had gone from Kaza to Peo in the HRTC buses. We got transmitted to another bus at the malling nullah(walk of ~1 km to the bus on the other side of the nullah).
To be frank, the Malling nullah is not motorable by ANY vehicle,
at least not when i went. If the situation improves and with help from the BRO, you may be able to make it across the other side. FIngers crossed. I have heard, and even read posts on indiamike, that there is an alternate route from Nako to Chango. I do not have much knowledge about it, sorry for that. May be the other experienced members can help you out.

The route from Kaza to manali is the next big hurdle. SInce i had done this trip with an eye on how bikers would do this route, i have some-what of an idea on the problems you would face. From Kaza to Losar (round abouts), the roads are decent tarmac roads. From Losar to Gramphoo(~70kms from Manali) the roads are well, No roads. The entire route is a dust route, with the intermittent stretches of big stone hurdles along with streams of water flowing through it, the most difficlut parts. Our Sumo Victa huffed and puffed though this, but got through. A good sheet of metal on the lower part of your Indica would be very much useful in avoiding the big stones hitting the bottom of the car. But be aware that the presence of a sheet would further lower the ground clearence.

From Shimla to Nako, the ghats beckon. Absolute twisting and turning, but well laid out tarmac roads all thorugh. It is here that one realises the work done by the BRO. Sittin in the luxury of our house, we often tend to forget the efforts some people put in to make our borders motorable and safe :| Hats off to the BRO!

From Gramphoo till Manali, we join the Manali Leh highway. This route going through Rohtang la, though tough, is very much possible.

As Chitkul comes off NH22, I do not have any idea of the conditions of the roads out there.

Again, going to Chandertal ,through the dirt tracks from Batal, would be taxing on your machine. I would advice against it. Rather trekking to the lake from Kunzum La would be a better idea, according to me.

I hope i have somehow helped u in your planning. All the best for your adventure(calling it a trip is like calling an elephant an ant :P ). Throw in all the doubts that you have. I am just sitting at home doing nothing, trying to decipher how i pass off the remainder of my vacations

sandeep9868

Gosh...well still my i'll plan for next week, lets c what happen..im ready for anything...im planning for a bus or hired taxi. i think that wudnt be a problem??
Wat say?
Last but not the least thanx Jithin for such a wonderful info
plz share the pics soon

jithin_s

buses and taxi wont be a problem. There's good connectivity through spiti and kinnaur. The HRTC timings are extremely convienient too. Enjoy!

So you not taking ur Indica??

sandeep9868

Not now ... want to complete and enjoy the journey.

jithin_s

ohk.. all the best, enjoy your trip!