ladakh in oct 3rd week..09

udayvir_1

guys n gals....

we are a grp of 3-4, planning for a road trip in 3rd week of this oct to leh ladakh following the rout of manali-leh-kashmir...now the problem is...none of us has ever been to this place...so, would appreciate if you ppl can give ur comments on below mentioned queries:

1. Will manali-leh highway be open in the end oct coz we wanna go by road...despertae to hear a yes

2. If answer to above question is NO then any suggestions!!!

3. Should we book the hotels n all in advance or considering the off season we'd get appropriate prices there n then only??

P.S. we don wanna fly as i don wanna miss the thrilling road trip (

please respond...
n also if any one else is also going there around the mentioned dates...we'll be happy to join u guys/gals... as that'd reduce the per head cost of the road trip n ofcourse more the no more the fun....

with best regards,
uv

dharmabumster

Please visit this Indian tour web site and review the
Travel by Road section:
http://leh.nic.in/Tourism.htm
This is what it says:
BY ROAD

Since 1989, the 473-km Manali-Leh road has been serving as the second land approach to Ladakh. Open for traffic from around mid-June to early October, this high road traverses the upland desert plateaux of Rupsho whose altitude ranges from 3,660 m to 4,570 m.

I too had planned to go via Manali to Leh in mid to late October, but if you get to Manali and the road is closed, you are stuck, you would have to go back to Delhi or eastern Kashmir and fly in. I do not want to take that risk so I am flying from Delhi to Leh on Oct 16, and if the road to Manali is open, I will take the trip back overland, if not I will probably fly to Jammu and then overland back.

Wish you the best trip of your life,
Greg
Dharmabuster

kainmustaine

Hi there,

we are two guys, planned to leh by road on bike...on karizma....probably starts on 20th of october from Delhi...if you guys have a similar type of planning please contact me on my no. 9818152772....we will then plan acordingly..

i would like give some other suggestions regarding this further.....also we will have a good time altogether...

Cheers!!!
Nikhil

udayvir_1

hey greg,

thnks for the link n details...i think thats the wise thing to do...fly to leh...so i'll see what to do??

n nikhil..sure man! we can plan this thing together...

cheers,
uday

kainmustaine

K dude...call me as early as possible ....already mentioned my no up there...........

We have to do lotmore things............

kainmustaine

Hey Uday..
U guys can rent on the bikes from delhi also .....the bullets are easily available in karolbagh market in a good condition.....

foreigners mostly go on bullets.....and guys can easily manage to carry your stuff on the bikes......
i took out this information from one of my US friend for you guys...let see if you guys are interested...
Also for other stuff..like sleeping bags u asked to me on phone.....you can visit on www.zanskarequipment.com...... .contact person ANIL 9811676556

Cheers!!!

udayvir_1

thanks a lot for the info man....
i'll talk to my frnds if they r interested in bike trip n will let u know n dat okhla market shop was a definite requirement...

thanks again.....

Dimitrz

The best way to see Ladhak is by bike....however before you commit to anything keep these points in mind

1) do you have experience in riding bikes in high altitude ? have you driven bikes over uneven and snow filled roads ? if unsure then better not risk it especially with vehicles like Enfield if you don't have experience using them. ( trust me driving on high altitude ghat sections is not a joke and especially if its on a vehicle you are not used to )

2) You need to have a working knowledge on bike repair.

3) If you hire bikes from Delhi you are committed and if the passes are closed you will be stuck big time. Alternate plan would be to hire bikes from Ladhak itself.... plus you should have decent knowledge on bikes to understand whether it will stick by you while testing it out ( very important)

4) Status of pass accessibility also plays an important role - best bet would be to fly to Leh and hire vehicle there.


5) When hiring bikes understand the contract clearly especially your liabilities don't leave anything to assumption. - usually if you are renting bikes in Leh -you can leave the bikes on road and take a lift back to hotel in event of a break down - the rental agency will bring it back at their cost- also its important to understand what happens if there are scratches or dents on the vehicle.


As I said seeing Ladhak from a bike is a totally different experience and I dont mean to scare you or discourage you however you need to understand what you are getting into as there may not be an option to pull back once you commit yourself.

__________________
Preserve the Beauty of the places you visit by not Littering. Leave it Beautiful; so that someone else can also enjoy the beauty

udayvir_1

hey dimitrz,

thanks for gr8 advices...i think hiring bikes from ladakh does sound more logical...

i truly appreciate this knowledge sharing at this website...
thanks so much for help,

uday

kainmustaine

Hi Uday..
I need to know when u guys are going.... we are leaving on 19th late night...

udayvir_1

sorry for the late reply, nikhil...

was extremely busy with office n things n was touring since last few days.......
i'll let u know my program in a couple of days....but most likely, we'll leave around 15th....as thats the earliest we can go &dont want to postpone beyond that as probability of meeting the manali-leh highway open is very less after that time as suggested by many people here or around.....

rjoshi

Hi - my husband and I are in Leh at the moment and thinking of hiring a jeep down to manali on the 15th October - is anyone interested in sharing with us?

sunnyzach

Hi udayvir_1 & kainmustaine ,

I am flying to Leh on 16 Oct 2009 and will reach there at 8AM. Would you be planning to share the cost of travel (taxi) there. I am alone so it would be really appreciable if you can include me and we can share the cost.

I am from Delhi and would fly back to Delhi on 20 Oct early morning.

Right now the cost which I am getting for myself is too high (15-20K).

Please let me know if that can be done.

cheers