Keylong to Leh

geo96

Hello there,
in the first half of august we are planning to reach Leh from Manali.
We intend to stop 4/5 days in Keylong, get acclimatized and visit Lahaul.
Are we able to find public buses starting from Keylong heading to Leh?
Is there any chance to avoid the vomit hilton Sarchu/Pang?
I mean, does a direct bus from Keylong to Leh exist?
Any suggestions is really appreciated...

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roopesh_kohad

You would not believe but there are govt. buses (both Himachal Roadways and J&K roadways) right from Delhi to Leh. They are "direct" buses because they go all the way upto destination but they would probably reach in three days, halting for night. So, you would find "direct" buses from Keylong to Leh also but may have to spend a night in Sarchu/Pang as driving after sunset is not possible. But I believe it is possible to do Keylong - Leh in one day. The buses that you find are all govt. rickety buses and not at all comfortable. Also it is climate which dictates timetable. So, better you find out about buses in Manali or Keylong when you are there.

To avoid Altitude sickness you can follow medical guidelines like drink lots of fluids etc. and one of them like getting acclimatized you are already doing by staying in Keylong for 4-5 days.

Yogesh Sarkar

Manali - Leh buses spend the night at Keylong and start early in the morning to reach Leh by evening.

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vistet

There are four main actors on the road :

*HPTDC buses make one stop in Keylong, next evening in Leh.
*HRTC buses , the local bus : jump off where you like.
*private buses : took one last time when HRTC had stopped running , late September. Planned night stop Sarchu.
*private "jeeps" (Qualis etc. )

My experience comes mostly from late to no season , but not getting on a HRTC bus .. never happened to me.This doesnt mean I´ve always got a proper seat , I´ve occasionally sat on bags of grain or the mail. With the other actors you´ll have varying chances of finding a seat in high season, lowest on the shared taxis/jeeps.

HRTC drivers are a lot better than they´re often given credit for , I really admire these guys. They are also not allowed to drive themselves exhausted , like many of the others do/are forced to. Our private bus was gunning for Sarchu , luckily the bus just wasn´t up to it and we stopped in Darcha.

Keylong is not your the only option for someone who wants to set aside time for Lahaul, I´ve always been tempted to jump off in Sissu for example. You could also consider spending your last night in Darcha , which is higher than Keylong whose altitude is commonly inflated to 3350 etc , real altitude just below 3100.


There are no medical guide lines which tells you to increase your fluid input , in fact there are specialists warning against this misconception.

Spending serious time in Keylong etc. is a very good idea , but is in no way a guarantee against AMS for those who stay overnight in Sarchu and Pang. Sarchu is more than a thousand meters higher than Keylong ,which means that even locals can suffer from it. Last time I noticed a young Lahauli vomiting outside one of the tents in Sarchu.

More on acclimatisation along the Manali-Leh road here :

Sleepless in Sarchu - Tweaking the Manali-Leh Highway

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solo_trekker

Hiya...

Just for information sake, if you happen to stop over at Keylong, it's a good idea to book a seat for the early morning bus which leaves at 5.00 a.m. sharp... The booking can be done from the booking office on the main road on Keylong...
The bus reaches Leh late the same evening...

But, you should spend time in the Lahaul Valley for reasons other than just getting acclimatized... Lahaul has a whole lotta monasteries by itself and some of the most difficult passes to cross while trekking... Acclimatization will happen as you are moving on road... So, the body get's enough time to get adjusted... And yes, that myth about drinking lots n lots of water is just that - a myth...

For any further information, do check out this thread :
Ladakh in 5 Days...???!!! (Or 6 or 7 or 10 or 15...!!!)

Cheers...!

thatskaushik

Dear Yogesh Sarkar....can u please tell me about the staying arrangement at Keylong by those HPTDC buses..as i hv booked my tickets...wat kind of rooms and food do they give to stay for the night...???

vistet

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thatskaushik

well thanks but are they safe and warm ill be with my wife...

davyd

It's very much possible to reach Leh from Keylong in comfortable minibuses or less comfortable jeeps. One thing you need to do is just to book this trip from Keylong to Leh in advance in Manali from any touroperator, for example City Heart next to bus stand. I don't know maybe you'll be asked to pay full price (currently it's 1200 Rs per seat) for Manali-Leh ticket, you'll just take your seat in Keylong.

solo_trekker

This is one stretch where advance booking does help...

The time I spent at Keylong, I got friendly with an Israeli girl and a guy (didn't have an option about the latter...!) She actually was a singer and I got to listen to some of her studio recordings...!

Though we went out together early in the morning, they couldn't get a seat in the bus (not even the ones which the conductor keeps in reserve around the driver's seat); and so, they just had to stay back at Keylong... And I carried on...!

Cheers...!