MANALI TO LEH ON BIKE

 

MANALI — LEH TRAVEL GUIDE

MManali Leh highway is one of the most venturesome roads in India offering marvelous views of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Running over an average altitude of 14000 feet. Manali to Leh is a dream trip for many bike riders and self drives enthusiasts around the world. Every year in summer, adventurists from all corners of the world gather to Drive or ride on top of the world from MANALI TO LEH.

Manali Leh Highway is one of the roads that cause heaven on earth. It is one among those Highways within the world which offers almost everything nature has got to offer to an adventure lover.‌
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‌Serious travelers in India and abroad do have a dream of traveling on this dangerous and delightful Highway a minimum of once in their lifetime.

Therefore, adequate planning is extremely well required to travel on Manali — Leh Highway so on make it a memorable experience.

         BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

June to September is the time window when the Manali — Leh Highway is open and is considered as the only time for traveling on Manali — Leh Highway.

‌‌ABOUT DISTANCE

Having said that, the journey on Manali Leh Highway might be a touch tricky to plan if you haven’t researched tolerably. The distance is almost 474 km (14 hours to reach if driven continuously). Prefer not to cover it in a single day.

TANDI PETROL PUMP

Almost quite 350 KMs out of 474 KMs long Manali Leh Highway doesn’t have any civilization, and hence you’d be the sol0 soul wandering on most of your journey here. Even one cannot find fuel (petrol/diesel) for 365 KMs on Manali — Leh Highway.

Fuel availability- TANDI, KURU

Emergency: DHABAS at SARCHU, PANG may help

DO NOT forget to get the full tank fuel at this petrol pump, even if you had it filled at Manali. The more you have, the better it will be for you.

 

THE ROUTE MAP-ATTRACTION

 A major highlight in a rider’s career. Explore natural beauty along with monasteries, lakes, and high altitude passes. Ride across 8 High Passes- ROHTANG LA, BARALACHA LA, NAKEE LA, LACHUNG LA, TANG LANG LA, KHARDUNG LA, WARILLA, CHANG LA.

PLANNING NIGHT STAY AT MANALI-LEH HIGHWAY

KEYLONG AND JISPA mostly peoples prefer here to stay because it is situated at normal altitude. Then there is SARCHU but I will suggest you not to stay there because of its high altitude and you might suffer from an AMS(ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS). This can cause you a headache, vomiting, disorientation, mountain sickness, and a sleepless night. And personally, I would prefer you to stay at JISPA because it is situated near the bank of river BHAGA and 20kms away from KEYLONG. Spending the evening at this place will be extremely relaxing and peaceful better than a Boring  Keylong town.

YOU MUST PRE BOOK YOUR STAY AT JISPA BECAUSE OF LIMITED STAY FACILITY.

 

STAY AND EAT PLACE

~KHOKSAR

~SISSU

~KEYLONG

~JISPA

~DARCHA

~BHARATPUR

~SARCHU

~PANG

~RUMTSE

~UPSHI‌

ROAD CONDITION

Manali To Rohtang Pass — Average

Rohtang To Khoksar — Bad, Slushy

Khoksar To Sissu — Average

Sissu To Keylong — Very Good

Keylong To Jispa — Good

Jispa To Zingzingbar — Good

Zing zing Bar To Baralacha Pass — Good

Baralacha To Sarchu — Bad, Dirt Track

Sarchu To Pang — Bad, Bumpy, Dirt Track

Pang To Moore Plains — Good, Bad, Bump

Moore Plains To Tanglang La Pass — Very Good

Tanglang La Pass To Rumste — Very Good

Rumste To Leh — Very Good

ROAD CONDITION IN JUNE AND JULY

In June one can find a huge stock of snow on the way. but the road conditions may be a challenge to drive. The weather in June is always unpredictable and the chances of rain are also bright. This leads to the closure of certain sections on Manali — Leh Highway due to landslides triggered by rains.

ROAD CONDITION IN AUGUST

August to September, the conditions of the roads are almost perfect in shape with all the mud dried out, maintenance work almost completed on these roads by BRO but your eyes will be devoid of the snow mostly.

BEST BIKES TO DRIVE IN THIS HIGHWAY

Royal Enfield

Pulsar

Fazer from Yamaha

Hero Impulse

Duke from KTM

Bajaj Dominor

Bajaj Avenger

Triumph Tiger

MECHANICS ON THE WAY

DISTANCE FROM MANALI

KHOKSAR — 71 km

TANDI- 111 km

KEYLONG- 116 km

DARCHA- 148 km

PANG-300 km

UPSHI- 426 km

MOBILE CONNECTIVITY

~AIRTEL- Just after KEYLONG from MANALI But then again near UPSHI to LEH

~BSNL- Vast coverage than any other network

~JIO- work in progress

~VODAFONE — did not work for us at all after crossing Marhi and not even in Leh-Ladakh

~Use SATELLITES PHONE only in Emergency

Prepaid connections do not work in Leh — Ladakh.

Carry a couple of power banks to keep charged your phones

ATM’s ON THE WAY

(prefer carrying Cash)

~MANALI

~KEYLONG

~LEH

MEDICAL FACILITIES

~SISSU

~KEYLONG

~SARCHU (ARMY CAMPS)

~PANG (ARMY CAMPS)

THINGS TO CARRY

The basic toolkit, screwdriver set, small hammer, Puncture repair kit, iron rod, two or three “2–3ltr” empty bottles of cold drink to carry extra petrol or diesel (Jerry cans will leak, cold drink bottles do not leak), funnel, towing rope, a spare tube (must for bikes), Elfy or Fevi quick (2–3 sachets), jump-start cables/wires, M-seal to prevent leakage, etc. were among the few things which I carried along on my trip to Ladakh.

Also, do not forget to get your vehicle (car/bike) serviced about 2–3 weeks before the start of the Ladakh journey. Having it serviced will ensure that you have proper time in advance to test your serviced vehicle and get fixed any hitches that may have been introduced in that service.

MEDICINE TO CARRY

Analgesic Medicine

Antihistamine Tablets

Cold and flu tablets

Cough Medicine

Throat lozenges

Motion sickness tablets

Diarrhea Medicine

Antacid

Antiseptic Solution and Ointment — First Aid Essentials

Band-aids

Wound dressing items

Insect Repellant Cream

Mild Laxative

.Antifungal or Antimicrobial Cream

Multi-Vitamin Tablet

A Pain Relief Balm

IMPORTANT TIPS (PRO TIPS)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Himachal Pradesh Govt. has banned the movement of vehicles without any permit on Manali — Rohtang Pass road and visiting Rohtang Pass for tourism purposes. If you are going towards Leh — Ladakh or Keylong or Spiti Valley from the Manali side then you need to get permits for Rohtang pass through online only. Please note that Bikes also need a permit to cross Rohtang Pass

On Manali — Leh Highway, do stay at either Keylong or Jispa which are lower in altitude than Sarchu and Pang to minimize the effects of mountain sickness.

• Avoid overexertion.
• Carry a lot amount of chocolates with you
• Avoid tobacco and smoking and alcohol and other depressant drugs.
• Keep your body warm and eat lots of carbohydrates. (DRY FRUITS, BANANAS, GLUCOSE)
• Avoid sleep during the day (START EARLY SLEEP EARLY)
• Keep your body properly warm and hydrated.
• Sleep in an upright position, if possible.
• Carry preventive medicines for AMS.

CONCLUSION

In the end, if you have been to Manali — Leh Highway, then please share your valuable thoughts or suggestions which can make the above information more useful for someone planning for Manali — Leh Highway. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

I hope this travel guide will help you make a wonderful trip to these dangerous yet beautiful roads in the world.