Shared Car Available for Delhi-Leh-Srinagar-Delhi

lnk4c2wc

Hi,

I & my wife are doing a Delhi-Leh-Srinagar-Delhi trip in July 2008. Looking for 2-3 people to share a hired car.

Itinerary (All dates for July 2008)
Start from Delhi on 6th - Reach Leh on 8th (Slow n Sweet)
Start from Leh on 20th - Reach Delhi on 23rd (Via Srinigar)

We are also open to the idea of sharing the car for a shorter leg of the trip instead of the complete trip.

Anyone interested in cutting down their expenses, ping me @ lnk4c2wc@gmail.com

capt_mahajan

err, what?? and where are you going to stop en route, if at all?


PS: If that is slow and sweet, I don't want to see quick and sour.

amarshah

Infact i feel you should be leaving on 8th for Leh from Manali. So it would be 10th reaching Leh, i guess that would work out to be normal and not slow !.

__________________
Cheers

Amar

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

Dimitrz

Delhi to Leh in two days ...now thats a laugh

No ofense meant INK4c2wc ....its just cute.

Ok coming to serious stuff

1) The mistake in time required to reach Leh indicates that You need to do more research on the route you would be taking. You need to check with few tour /taxi operators to find out the excat route , time duration and meal & night stop options.

2) If possible get yourself a Himachal and J&K road map.

3) Go slow because reaching Leh too fast can cause mountain sickness

4) Manali, Rothang pass, Leh is a good option but has a steeper climb alternatively you can go through Kashmir to Leh ( gives you more time to get used to the high altitude ) and return from Leh via lahual spiti, manali to Delhi

5) If intrested I can refer a good & reliable driver from manali who drives me around when I visit Himachal---only problem he uses an Alto and cannot go into Ladhak region......You can however check with him if he can hire a 4 wheel drive and drive the same for you. (if intrestered send me your mail or telephone no)

6) Also this being a long journey you need to check the compactability of your possible trip/car mates (remember any sickness or problem to them can throw a spanner inyour plans )


so you should plan for all possible secnarios & be prepared to hire the vehicle for the full duration on your own incase your partners quit midway)

Ladakh in 5 Days...???!!! (Or 6 or 7 or 10 or 15...!!!)

Cheeers

lnk4c2wc

Hey Dimitrz,

thanks for the useful pointers/advice.

We are actually planning to do Delhi-Leh in 3 days.
Start from Delhi on 6th morning, reach Manali on 6th evening (Delhi-Manali: 481 Kms = approx 12 hrs by car)
Start from Manali on 7th morning, reach Leh on 8th evening (take a break @ Sarchu or Keylong). And we would not mind slowing it down further to reach Leh on 9th, if we have to. Do you still think it is fast?

I would definitely like to take more pointers from you. Do not want to publish my ph # here. So would you mind buzzing me @ lnk4c2wc(at)gmail(dot)com or passing me your mail id?

Dimitrz

Hi Just came back from a car trip of my own ...i'll respond to your query tommorow

Cheers

Mickey S

Regardless of distance, Delhi to Manali is a gruelling journey to complete in one day. And then you plan to continue the very next morning to Leh? Is this a holiday or an endurance test?

Please, allow a little more time.

Dimitrz

Hi once again

Here goes not too informative but some basic advise having been to Himachal on quite number of ocassions

"We are actually planning to do Delhi-Leh in 3 days.
Start from Delhi on 6th morning, reach Manali on 6th evening (Delhi-Manali: 481 Kms = approx 12 hrs by car)"

When traveling in mountainous & ghat regions breaking down the journey in literal sense to plain can be misleading. That’s why I asked you to check with taxi operators who have traveled in this sector.

Just for example I just did a run to Bangalore from Thrissur/Kerala the distance was just 440km however it took me almost 12/14 hours ( granted there were lot of photography stops & bangalore traffic) but you get the point dont you ? apart from around 20km the route is hardly Ghat section. where as your trip has 80% ghatsection.

Well a tourist bus starting at 6pm from Delhi reaches Manali usually by 8 am in the morning – and half the time they are reckless in driving. Though car is a bit faster it would be better to put the arrival time at Manali at a safe 8pm or 9pm.

If you have a good place to stay good , else you can stay at Hotel on Old Manali road ( again a place where I stay when visiting Manali) Its not a luxury hotel but its comfortable and has got a good staff. You can contact Lucky who manages the place for the current rates should be around Rs 500/- You can tell him Vinod from Bangalore recommended his Hotel ( it might or might not get you a discount – no guarantees sorry)

"Start from Manali on 7th morning, reach Leh on 8th evening (take a break @ Sarchu or Keylong). And we would not mind slowing it down further to reach Leh on 9th, if we have to. Do you still think it is fast? "

Make sure you hire a 4 wheel drive and a proven experienced driver who has previously driven in this sector especially Leh – Manali …..

Staring from Manali next morning entirely depend upon your groups fitness levels ( you need to be honest to yourself when accessing this)

Remember the route will be full of twists & turns and can cause dizziness or vomiting for unfit/unaccustomed people ( sometimes sensitive women) [ nothing to be scared of but good to keep in mind] hence a good supply of Headache & vomit tablets is a good idea.

Also you need to be aware of Mountain sickness – Leh Manali is a steep climb and takes you higher in less time. Hence the need for proper rest .

Coming back to your quote : I guess you guys would be too tired to wake up early next morning so either you can push off midday and stop for the night at Sarchu or Keylong ( again something you need to check before hand)

Leaving Manali after a days stopover is ideal since it gives you guys a day to get used to the altitude and refresh properly.


Sadly I have not gone beyond Rothang Pass so I cannot give you proper advise on the trip from there to Leh. I believe you can safely cover Manali to Leh in a day because I have seen tour operators & taxi service to Leh while in Manali. However make use of your time in Manali to check with different & experienced people to know the route condition, safe time required to reach Leh and possible night halt if required. Take the locals expertise to decide how fats you are going.




Oh Ya don’t over crowd the Vehicle…..find partners based on proper comfortable seating capacity with luggage. E.g. just 3 to 4 people in a car with luggage. Remember your comfort is more important than economics of the trip.

Get full details of your intended trip mates and drivers and choose wisely. Rather go alone on the trip than with dicey or with people you are not comfortable with.

Alternatively you can take a tourist bus to Manali (Rs 600 per person) and then hire a SUV from there….might be a bit more economical – but then you would have to split it – Manali to Leh one SUV – Leh to Srinagar another SUV – Srinagar to Jammu Tawi another and then Train to Delhi ( using the same SUV from Manali to Srinagar can be costly ) … You can get shared SUVs to Leh from Manali at decent rate however it can get crowded and you wont be able to make stop over’s like in your own vehicle.


What ever you choose – remember to investigate & research every minute details before you proceed eg if you plan to hire a cab till leh then you need to check how much it would cost for Leh to Sringar and do your maths. Remember price can go up in tourist areas


You have not mentioned if you intend to visit Khurdung La ( apologies if my spelling is wrong) highest motorable pass in world near to Leh. You need to acclimatize in Leh before you go there – otherwise you can get mountain sickness ( research Mountain sickness online and if you find symptoms then come down high altitude & consult a doctor fast ) … don’t keep reminding your partners about altitude sickness else they would think they are getting the symptoms every now & then ( if you get what I mean)


I have mailed the telephone number of Tenzing Manali driver having Alto & Lucky Manager of Hotel in Manali.

Do let me know the details of your trip because I plan to make the same trip soon ( that is if I get decent days off ).

Do spend atleast couple of days in Leh else such a expensive trip is a big waste; depending upon your intrest you can visit ( pardon my spellings)

Khurdung La

Hemis Monastry

Lamayru monastery

Stok

Leh Palace

In and around Leh ( Believe there is a famous Shiv temple or something nearby )

Most of the places I know in Ladhak are Trekking , mountaineering & river rafting sites since I am more into that than monuments.

Good Road map of Ladhak would have the details

Carry Plenty of High SPF sunscreen & good pairs of woolen socks , mittens & fleece caps . because Leh is one place where a person sitting in the shade with his face exposed to sunlight can get both Sunburn & frost bite at the same time.

Apologies for the topsy turvey explanation however I am tied up for time o frame it properly.

Ps: while coming from Leh you can stop over at Kargil for he night.

and as Micky says dont make it a endurance test

Regards
Dimitrz

Dimitrz

Have misplaced the contact info will send tomorrow

Dimitrz

Sent you the mail with contact info