manali to leh

alri · Feb 5th, 2003, 16:00

okay, suppose the destination this august is ladakh
~
has anyone done the road trip from manali to leh? does it really cost Rs 11,000 by jeep/car? what about the bus, is it horribly terrifying? if anyone has any info about the trip, i'd be happy to hear it. also about the accommodation available on the way, i'd like to know every detail if possible.
thanks

kolobar · Feb 5th, 2003, 20:24

The price is probably accurate if you hire a jeep (no cars) for yourself and it is for the whole car, so you can share it among passengers.
There are may buses - from super deluxe to ordinary and they cost around 1000 rps, regulary buses are cheaper.
Last year taxi drivers were driving also shared jeeps for 1200 rps I think and they did it in one day.
Whatever you take - it is quite uncomfortable. Especially shared jeeps since they are overpacked and you sit there for 18 hours. Also there is not much difference between super deluxe and regular buses. If you take a bus, check if the price includes accomodation&dinner in Sarchu. Bus companies have their own camps there for overnight stop. It is also possible to stay in tent dhabas at Pang. You can also catch a truck. Negotiate a price with a driver and there you go...

vistet · Feb 6th, 2003, 01:27

Read earlier posting (coming down for air)

enjoy the butter tea...

Annie_T · Feb 8th, 2003, 04:34

The bus trip is ok tho' you do need to psych yourself up and get prepared for 2 days on a bus and a pretty awful overnight stop in a tent in some windswept desolate plain littered with discarded oil drums. Battling the altitude at said desolate campsite doesn't help much either.

Having said that, the scenery is awesome and if you've got good music and something to munch on then the bus, while slower, is probably more comforatbale than a jeep. In fact, coming down from Leh 2 years ago I did part of the journey by jeep ( one of my all time great India travel story nightmares this one - 2 road washouts, floods and a broken down bus !) and it was terrifying. The road was thigh deep in water, the driver completely off his head on a constant supply of chillums then proceed to get quite drunk when we stopped for a break - the seven of us crammed in the back were too exhausted to care after nearly 3 days on the road.

It's a great trip really - But I'd take the bus!

alri · Feb 9th, 2003, 14:28

thanks for the replies.
kolobar, it looks like ordinary buses are the way to go. provided you have nerves of steel.
could someone describe to me what exactly a tent camp is like? what are the facilities like?
vistet, how did you get back down and what happened to the person who had symptoms of ams? i read somewhere that they sell oxygen at manali. is that true? also what do you mean by acclimatising before setting off? in manali?
annie t, thanks for the description. i am indian so things won't be quite such a shock to me, although i do remember particularly frightening journeys from shimla to manali and from sunauli to katmandu...

kolobar · Feb 11th, 2003, 00:02

Be careful not to seat in the back of the bus since while the bus is bouncing over huge holes you will be jumping up to the cieling.
Tent camps are built by bus agencies since buses are not driving overnight. They are stretching for few kilometers around Sarchu. You get a bed in the tent for 2-4 people and lousy dinner - it should be included in price. It can be quite cold during the night so use your sleeping bag.
Pang is a check point, army base and temporary settlement consisting of some 15 tents serving as dhabas, all offering same menu. It is usual lunch break on the second day of the bus trip from Manali. It is possible to stay overnight in any of them.
You can acclimatise in Manali before if you go for one day trip to Rothang Pass, spend there few hours at (almost) 4000m and return to Manali. Anyway, buses usually dont stop on high passes, so you will not spend much time 5000m+ high which for most of the people is enough to cope with the altitude only with slight dizzines and headache and sleepless night

vistet · Feb 11th, 2003, 01:26

It all turned out well , both for my friend in the car and Tibetan baby in the car behind us , once we had descended to Pang. This would be the main point : dont get stuck at the highest points and always descend immediately when there are symtoms.
I havent seen any oxygen gas stations

in Manali or elswhere in HP/Ladakh . My feeling is that if you know that you may need it (or acetolazemide), you have started cutting the corners too close. Take some days days at 2000+ altitude and it will be more enjoyable, less headache and drowsiness.

There is a acclimitization guide (and a lot of other interesting stuff) at this site http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/AMS.html#acclimatization

daveyboy · Feb 13th, 2003, 05:46

Mmmm....interesting and slightly daunting yet exciting stuff!! Do buses run mid-May?

vistet · Feb 13th, 2003, 07:45

The goverment run buses will run from June , according to Mapping the Tibetan World and lp.
IanC , on this forum , mention passing the Rothang La ( did I mention it means the plain of corpses ?) by the end of May with jeep. You could probably pass earlier on foot/horse if you enjoy the brisk weather.

The tent camps would problably not be open so you would need to bemore self sufficient and well planned for this.

daveyboy · Feb 14th, 2003, 04:29

So, does this mean that in early June, the only way from HP to Leh is by two day road trip? I don't want to fly straight up to altitude from Delhi but the only flight from the south is from Delhi, right? Hence road is the only option?

vistet · Feb 14th, 2003, 08:26

There are flights (more or less freqent) from Jammu, Chandigar & Srinagar - none in HP. I was told last year that they tried running a short hop from a airfield north of Manali to Leh, but it folded.

Acclimatizationwise , it is an even toss between flying from Delhi and the bus/jeep if you don´t spend some time at 2000+. The reason for this is that there is little or no physiological adaption taking place before 1500+. With the bus you will spend a lot of time at 4000+, with the plane you will land at 3500 and rest there. (I flew in once a long time ago and tried to convince the taxi drivers that I really did´nt need them , at that price - I could walk in to Leh with my pack and skis. They just stood and laughed at me until I caved in)

alri · Feb 14th, 2003, 17:47

yep, i'll be sure to get ticket in front of the bus.
thanks kolobar (again) for the tent information and about the acclimatisation info. the lp writes that if you are flying one way you should fly into leh and then return via land. i've been thinking of doing it the other way round becuase i enjoy the anticipation of scenery unfolding before me, but i may decide to be prudent and do it the more practical way, that is fly in and bus out.
glad to hear that all ended well vistet. no gas stations? ah well, was something i read on the internet. i was only asking because i have a tendency to paranoia not because i think i need it

i checked out the website, it increased the paranoia a few notches.
~
hmm, i just read your take on the even toss between flying in and flying out. i can see the decision will not be easy.
btw what does it say under your name .. manaiver (?)

alri · Feb 14th, 2003, 20:50

just saw the pic of pang, looks great

vistet · Feb 14th, 2003, 22:17

Quote:

Originally posted by alri

btw what does it say under your name .. manaiver (?)

mgo-ser (pronounced goser ) = yellowhead , i.e. foreigner, gringo in Tibetan & Ladakhi. I made a Tshirt with this logo for the last trip , got a few laughs out of it in Dharamsala & Ladakh ( with translation - in Swedish of course) .
There is a another neat word for traveller/trekker : skor-jangspa , which means somebody who walks about just for fun , but I haven`t been able to check out the spelling yet.

vasuki · Feb 15th, 2003, 03:23

Quote:

Originally posted by vistet
Acclimatizationwise , it is an even toss between flying from Delhi and the bus/jeep if you don´t spend some time at 2000+. The reason for this is that there is little or no physiological adaption taking place before 1500+. With the bus you will spend a lot of time at 4000+....

Yup.. thats true... did the Manali - Leh journey last year by bus. One feels the altitude pangs at Sarchu, the mid-way night halt camp, the next morning. The first two hours in the morning I felt like hell... but gradually.. felt better and by the time we started from Pang I was pretty ok. In the very evening I reached Leh went all the way up to the Shanti- Stupa...

The return journey was torcherous! Started at 3 in the morning / night (?) from Leh and reached Keylong at 9 pm. Some jurney it was.. The only consolation... you get to spend night in a real hotel with a real room and a bed. The dinner was actually a buffet..!!! I travelled by the Himachal Toursim bus both ways. Next morning crossed the Rohtang La into Manali.. back into the real world..

Feb 5th, 2003, 16:00	#1
alri Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 43	manali to leh okay, suppose the destination this august is ladakh ~ has anyone done the road trip from manali to leh? does it really cost Rs 11,000 by jeep/car? what about the bus, is it horribly terrifying? if anyone has any info about the trip, i'd be happy to hear it. also about the accommodation available on the way, i'd like to know every detail if possible. thanks

Feb 13th, 2003, 07:45	#9
vistet Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Umeå , Sweden Posts: 1,763	The goverment run buses will run from June , according to Mapping the Tibetan World and lp. IanC , on this forum , mention passing the Rothang La ( did I mention it means the plain of corpses ?) by the end of May with jeep. You could probably pass earlier on foot/horse if you enjoy the brisk weather. The tent camps would problably not be open so you would need to bemore self sufficient and well planned for this. Last edited by vistet : Feb 13th, 2003 at 08:01.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Manali in Dec-Jan	Kastoori	Himachal Pradesh	9	Nov 13th, 2007 22:14
what it will be like in manali?	zzzehar	Himachal Pradesh	0	Sep 20th, 2005 04:40
Manali-Leh	kaszot	Ladakh & Zanskar	9	Jul 22nd, 2005 22:15
Manali to ???. ??? to Manali	sanjay_undale	India Travel Itinerary Advice	3	Jun 7th, 2005 20:02
Manali to Leh	M. K. Andersen	Ladakh & Zanskar	19	Jun 10th, 2004 14:22

Feb 5th, 2003, 20:24	#2
kolobar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: beside a lake Posts: 155	The price is probably accurate if you hire a jeep (no cars) for yourself and it is for the whole car, so you can share it among passengers. There are may buses - from super deluxe to ordinary and they cost around 1000 rps, regulary buses are cheaper. Last year taxi drivers were driving also shared jeeps for 1200 rps I think and they did it in one day. Whatever you take - it is quite uncomfortable. Especially shared jeeps since they are overpacked and you sit there for 18 hours. Also there is not much difference between super deluxe and regular buses. If you take a bus, check if the price includes accomodation&dinner in Sarchu. Bus companies have their own camps there for overnight stop. It is also possible to stay in tent dhabas at Pang. You can also catch a truck. Negotiate a price with a driver and there you go...

Feb 6th, 2003, 01:27	#3
vistet Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Umeå , Sweden Posts: 1,763	Read earlier posting (coming down for air) enjoy the butter tea...

Feb 8th, 2003, 04:34	#4
Annie_T Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 61	The bus trip is ok tho' you do need to psych yourself up and get prepared for 2 days on a bus and a pretty awful overnight stop in a tent in some windswept desolate plain littered with discarded oil drums. Battling the altitude at said desolate campsite doesn't help much either. Having said that, the scenery is awesome and if you've got good music and something to munch on then the bus, while slower, is probably more comforatbale than a jeep. In fact, coming down from Leh 2 years ago I did part of the journey by jeep ( one of my all time great India travel story nightmares this one - 2 road washouts, floods and a broken down bus !) and it was terrifying. The road was thigh deep in water, the driver completely off his head on a constant supply of chillums then proceed to get quite drunk when we stopped for a break - the seven of us crammed in the back were too exhausted to care after nearly 3 days on the road. It's a great trip really - But I'd take the bus!

Feb 9th, 2003, 14:28	#5
alri Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 43	thanks for the replies. kolobar, it looks like ordinary buses are the way to go. provided you have nerves of steel. could someone describe to me what exactly a tent camp is like? what are the facilities like? vistet, how did you get back down and what happened to the person who had symptoms of ams? i read somewhere that they sell oxygen at manali. is that true? also what do you mean by acclimatising before setting off? in manali? annie t, thanks for the description. i am indian so things won't be quite such a shock to me, although i do remember particularly frightening journeys from shimla to manali and from sunauli to katmandu...

Feb 11th, 2003, 00:02	#6
kolobar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: beside a lake Posts: 155	Be careful not to seat in the back of the bus since while the bus is bouncing over huge holes you will be jumping up to the cieling. Tent camps are built by bus agencies since buses are not driving overnight. They are stretching for few kilometers around Sarchu. You get a bed in the tent for 2-4 people and lousy dinner - it should be included in price. It can be quite cold during the night so use your sleeping bag. Pang is a check point, army base and temporary settlement consisting of some 15 tents serving as dhabas, all offering same menu. It is usual lunch break on the second day of the bus trip from Manali. It is possible to stay overnight in any of them. You can acclimatise in Manali before if you go for one day trip to Rothang Pass, spend there few hours at (almost) 4000m and return to Manali. Anyway, buses usually dont stop on high passes, so you will not spend much time 5000m+ high which for most of the people is enough to cope with the altitude only with slight dizzines and headache and sleepless night

Feb 11th, 2003, 01:26	#7
vistet Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Umeå , Sweden Posts: 1,763	It all turned out well , both for my friend in the car and Tibetan baby in the car behind us , once we had descended to Pang. This would be the main point : dont get stuck at the highest points and always descend immediately when there are symtoms. I havent seen any oxygen gas stations in Manali or elswhere in HP/Ladakh . My feeling is that if you know that you may need it (or acetolazemide), you have started cutting the corners too close. Take some days days at 2000+ altitude and it will be more enjoyable, less headache and drowsiness. There is a acclimitization guide (and a lot of other interesting stuff) at this site http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/AMS.html#acclimatization

Feb 13th, 2003, 05:46	#8
daveyboy Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: London Posts: 41	Mmmm....interesting and slightly daunting yet exciting stuff!! Do buses run mid-May?

Feb 14th, 2003, 04:29	#10
daveyboy Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: London Posts: 41	So, does this mean that in early June, the only way from HP to Leh is by two day road trip? I don't want to fly straight up to altitude from Delhi but the only flight from the south is from Delhi, right? Hence road is the only option?

Feb 14th, 2003, 08:26	#11
vistet Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Umeå , Sweden Posts: 1,763	There are flights (more or less freqent) from Jammu, Chandigar & Srinagar - none in HP. I was told last year that they tried running a short hop from a airfield north of Manali to Leh, but it folded. Acclimatizationwise , it is an even toss between flying from Delhi and the bus/jeep if you don´t spend some time at 2000+. The reason for this is that there is little or no physiological adaption taking place before 1500+. With the bus you will spend a lot of time at 4000+, with the plane you will land at 3500 and rest there. (I flew in once a long time ago and tried to convince the taxi drivers that I really did´nt need them , at that price - I could walk in to Leh with my pack and skis. They just stood and laughed at me until I caved in)

Feb 14th, 2003, 17:47	#12
alri Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 43	yep, i'll be sure to get ticket in front of the bus. thanks kolobar (again) for the tent information and about the acclimatisation info. the lp writes that if you are flying one way you should fly into leh and then return via land. i've been thinking of doing it the other way round becuase i enjoy the anticipation of scenery unfolding before me, but i may decide to be prudent and do it the more practical way, that is fly in and bus out. glad to hear that all ended well vistet. no gas stations? ah well, was something i read on the internet. i was only asking because i have a tendency to paranoia not because i think i need it i checked out the website, it increased the paranoia a few notches. ~ hmm, i just read your take on the even toss between flying in and flying out. i can see the decision will not be easy. btw what does it say under your name .. manaiver (?)

User Name		Remember Me?
Password

Feb 14th, 2003, 20:50	#13
alri Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 43	just saw the pic of pang, looks great