[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Traveler

For folks going to UmlingLa, please see exact GPS Track of the route you need to take from Hanle (Padma Guesthouse to UmlingLa Top). We took the Dirt Track that join the tarred road to UmlingLa.

You can load the attached KML file in Google Maps and follow the track to reach UmlingLa.

Why is the dirt track a popular option (I see all youtube videos taking a dirt track)? I see a white line for the road going via Punguk - why is that not an option? Hanle-Demchok-Hanle should be do-able inside 6hrs?

[Ragul]

Guys,
How to do Nubra-Diskit(petrol pump)-Hanle-Umlingla Pass-Hanle-Tso Moriri-Karu(petrol Pump) with just 2x20ltr jerry cans? It’s cutting 900kms or more and I can barely do 800 till the last drop. How is fuel quality at the local shops in black? Is it adulterated? Does it cause engine performance problems instantaneously?

[Wanderers]

Originally Posted by Ragul

Guys,
How to do Nubra-Diskit(petrol pump)-Hanle-Umlingla Pass-Hanle-Tso Moriri-Karu(petrol Pump) with just 2x20ltr jerry cans?

Which car or is it bike?
There are people who do more than what you are planning. No need to return to Karu to refill, instead turn towards Manali on Leh- Manali highway, this way you can save 50x2= 100 km travel.
Nubra- Pangong-Hanle-Umlingla-Hanle- Tso Moriri is around 500 km and another 350 to Keylong Petrol Pump.
Anyway you do get fuel in Hanle. Refer Thread title Umlingla circuit (use search option) worse case you return to Karu to tank up. Total would ~600 km.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Wanderers

Which car or is it bike?
There are people who do more than what you are planning. No need to return to Karu to refill, instead turn towards Manali on Leh- Manali highway, this way you can save 50x2= 100 km travel.
Nubra- Pangong-Hanle-Umlingla-Hanle- Tso Moriri is around 500 km and another 350 to Keylong Petrol Pump.
Anyway you do get fuel in Hanle. Refer Thread title Umlingla circuit (use search option) worse case you return to Karu to tank up. Total would ~600 km.

Gypsy - gives me 10.5kmpl driven in 2nd gear in in bumper to bumper Bangalore traffic. So I reckon I’ll get at least 10kmpl in Ladhak with Bangalore conditions being worse than Ladhak 35-40 ltr tank I don’t think I can ever fill it more than 35-37 tbh. So assume 35ltr petrol without going bone dry that makes 350km range. And you know the stress levels when petrol needle is low.

Diskit petrol pump to Hanle via Agham-Shyok is 318 km, Hanle to Tso Moriri is 159km and Tso Moriri to Tandi is 304km so it makes sense to go up to Karu not down towards Manali. That’s still a 173km ride one way from Tso Moriri just to fill gas! Unless one opts for local black petrol at Nyoma etc. Ulmingla will be another 150km (I forget what I estimated/read on distance to it) so basically with 2x20ltr jerry cans and an almost empty petrol tank coming 318 km from Diskit, on day 2 or 3 - instead of relaxed vacation mode I will be extremely fearful of being stranded overnight in freezing weather with no protection from the elements. No thanks. I will have to risk the local adulterated fuels sold in black.

Which is why I asked - what is the experience of other FM bikers and car owners with the local fuel? Should I go for it? Where do the villagers get their fuel to sell in black from? What can be used to adulterate it? I guess it won’t be like Chinese maal/fuel but still…

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Ragul

Which is why I asked - what is the experience of other FM bikers and car owners with the local fuel? Should I go for it? Where do the villagers get their fuel to sell in black from? What can be used to adulterate it? I guess it won’t be like Chinese maal/fuel but still…

I think they get it from the Army under table deals. Our Tempo Traveller driver had no apprehensions of using the local black diesel. Only precaution he took was he filtered the diesel with a fine steel mesh to catch any big debris.

[Naetik30]

Hi. I am planning for a trip to Leh in the first week of October. I am planning to fly down to Leh from Bangalore on 1st of October and hire a travel agent/taxi for all sight seeing.

My question - Is October a good time to visit Leh. I understand it is off season, but is it safe from road closures, weather/rains, accessibility point of view.

I will be travelling with my wife and son (11 year old). Any guidance will be highly appreciated.

[CeeBeeR]

Hi All,
My friends and I will be driving from Delhi in the early hours of 13th August and plan to reach Leh by 15th August. We have a driver with us and the journey is split as below:

13th Aug Delhi to Manali. Reach Manali by evening.

14th Aug Manali to Jispa.
Reach Jispa by noon or evening.

15th August Jispa to Leh.
Reach Leh by evening.

Does this plan look good in terms of driving safety and AMS precautions? The car is Toyota Etios. There will be 4 of us including the driver.

P. S: Once we reach Leh, our entire journey and booking is handled by the IHPL trips and travels team. During and after my stay there, I'll post about IHPL and its benefits and disadvantages for anyone who may want to use thwir services in the future.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by CeeBeeR

Hi All,
My friends and I will be driving from Delhi in the early hours of 13th August and plan to reach Leh by 15th August. We have a driver with us and the journey is split as below:

13th Aug Delhi to Manali. Reach Manali by evening.

14th Aug Manali to Jispa.
Reach Jispa by noon or evening.

15th August Jispa to Leh.
Reach Leh by evening.

Does this plan look good in terms of driving safety and AMS precautions? The car is Toyota Etios. There will be 4 of us including the driver.

Manali to Jispa is just 3-4 hours via the Atal Rohtang Tunnel now a days. If staying in Jispa is not a necessity, you can do Manali - Sarchu on 14th August and Sarchu - Leh on 15th August.

Jispa was a popular stop because it was a long and slow drive through the Rohtang Pass before the Atal Tunnel was opened. All the very best from us BHP-ians in Manali.

I have no idea about the current road conditions due to frequent heavy rains in and around Manali, but September-October is a good time to drive for low slung sedans and hatchbacks with low ground clearance. BHP-ian Ringoism just did that trip in his Marshall 2 weeks ago, try contacting him for exact road conditions and guidance.

[CeeBeeR]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

Manali to Jispa is just 3-4 hours via the Atal Rohtang Tunnel now a days. If staying in Jispa is not a necessity, you can do Manali - Sarchu on 14th August and Sarchu - Leh on 15th August.

BHP-ian Ringoism just did that trip in his Marshall 2 weeks ago, try contacting him for exact road conditions and guidance.

Thank you for the tips and the welcome Aditya!
I'm finding it difficult to get hotels or homestays in Sarchu when compared to Jispa, that's the reason I was preferring Jispa. I also read that going to Sarchu directly from Manali may cause AMS in some cases.
However, with the availability of the new Atal Tunnel, it is tempting to go directly to Sarchu and save a couple of hours.
I'll contact Ringoism for more details. Thanks again 😊.

[unoczar]

Bumping up my old post. I'm still sceptical here as SSG road is closed on Friday. My plan goes through it on Thursday. Shall I stick to this plan or changes required?

Originally Posted by unoczar

I've changed my itinerary. This is how it looks like - Please let me know if I can finalize this?

Attachment 2339299

Thank you.

PS: 26-27 Sep will be combined as I don't intend to stay at Pangong. I'll add a day at Leh or Delhi.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

Jispa was a popular stop because it was a long and slow drive through the Rohtang Pass before the Atal Tunnel was opened. All the very best from us BHP-ians in Manali. .

Not correct. From Manali @2000m approx you climb straight up to sleep @4299mtr at Sarchu. Medical science states that a gradual ascent is highly effective in preventing AMS (works better than pills and any form of prophylactic treatment). It is strongly recommended that “individuals should not increase the sleeping elevation by more than 500 m per day", for heights above 10,000ft or 3048mtrs.

Also one should not have delusions about being healthy and fit. Just like there is an element of pure physics at play where regulation of bodily functions is concerned - for example when it comes to kidneys and osmosis and amount of salt intake (complete lack of which can kill a human in less than a week), the same is true for acclimatization and AMS.

A nice ready-reckoner for AMS is here: Altitude Safety & Acclimatization
The article gives a hint around how physics comes into play that the body has to deal with to regulate itself. Doesn't matter if one is young and a strongman or old. When your luck fades you suffer.

Jispa @3300mtr is a good first night halt - the max you should go is to the road bend at Darcha @3500mtr the first night. The 2nd night can be at Leh at similar altitude as Jispa giving you two nights to acclimatize before heading to Nubra and all other places above 4000mtrs.

You can climb the passes @5000mtr provided you stay on top only for short durations like 20mins and dont exert yourself while on top. Even using a scissor jack and lifting a heavy SUV tyre while changing a spare wheel might trigger illness if at the top of the pass.

To give some perspective - A famous mountaineer (don't recall his name)who had done many 8000 mtr peaks over decades without any health issues ultimately succumbed to AMS and HAPE on his last climb.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by Ragul

Not correct. From Manali @2000m approx you climb straight up to sleep @4299mtr at Sarchu. Medical science states that a gradual ascent is highly effective in preventing AMS (works better than pills and any form of prophylactic treatment). It is strongly recommended that “individuals should not increase the sleeping elevation by more than 500 m per day", for heights above 10,000ft or 3048mtrs.

AMS is real and I have no doubt that what you're saying is right, but even I am right! It used to take a lot of time to reach Jispa before the Tunnel was opened, and so it was a more popular stop. Don't want to argue about who's right and who's wrong about the importance of stoppage at Jispa!

I may have got accustomed to living at this altitude, and hence doing Manali - Baralacha La in 1 day and coming back was not a problem for me. And Sarchu is just a little more from Baralacha La, but I really don't find any sense in driving from Manali to Jispa and stopping for acclimatization, when it is just 4 hours drive away, when you can drive easily till Sarchu and do the same.

The road has gradual gradients, and you can take lot of stops and enjoy the natural beauty of Sissu, Tandi, Keylong, Jispa, Darcha, Deepak Taal (Patsio), Zingzing Bar, Suraj Taal, Baralacha La and gradually reach Sarchu. This way you can train your lungs to the thinner aur, and if at all you're feeling sick, you could drive back down, else you can continue to push on towards Sarchu!

If you really do not have a good cardiovascular status, I would suggest to not do the Manali - Leh circuit at all, because we see a lot of tourists, who have gone towards the higher passes, who come back with AMS, Pulmonary Oedema, Cardiac Arrests etc. to our hospital.

Just my suggestions, but Manali - Kaza, Manali - Zanskar and Manali - Leh are no joke, a friendly suggestion to everyone planning to attempt these circuits, do keep a good cardiovascular status, and then only attempt these! It takes just a few minutes to turn a wonderful excursion into a nightmare for others. Always keep extra Oxygen cylinders in your vehicles, and medicines also in case something does go wrong. The Army hospitals and PHCs are all equipped to take care of AMS, but reach out to them before it's too late, do not ignore your body symptoms!

[g_shyam]

Originally Posted by g_shyam

I'm planning a trip to Leh next week. I will be leaving Vizag in the early hours of August 13. The plan is to reach Udhampur by 15 August. There will be two of us sharing driving duties till Udhampur, we'll be picking up a third friend from Udhampur before heading to Leh.

The idea is to drive on good highways/expressways to have a stress free drive till Udhampur. The car is Mahindra Thar Petrol Manual.

Initial plan is to go through Raipur>Mandla>Sagar>Jhansi>Gwalior. Is this the best/fastest route.

How should we move ahead from Gwalior, to reach Udhampur at the earliest?

*Update*
We've commenced our journey from Vizag. Taking @unoczar suggestion, have reached Hyderabad today afternoon.

Has anyone been through Srinagar-Leh or Manali-Leh highway in the past two days?

The recent cloudburst and floods in Ramban and Kullu has got us worried. Are the roads open/ safe to travel?

Our plan is to do the circuit commencing from Srinagar - Leh concluding via Manali.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by g_shyam

Has anyone been through Srinagar-Leh or Manali-Leh highway in the past two days? The recent cloudburst and floods in Ramban and Kullu has got us worried. Are the roads open/ safe to travel?

You should be good. It's very common that roads are closed for a short duration in these months. It can happen same day or hour when you are travelling, so I will take each day as it comes and enjoy.

[unoczar]

Originally Posted by g_shyam

Taking @unoczar suggestion, have reached Hyderabad today afternoon.


The recent cloudburst and floods in Ramban and Kullu has got us worried. Are the roads open/ safe to travel?

Hey, good to know that. hope you have a smooth drive ahead.

And hope you're following J&K Traffic Police on Twitter. They give daily updates, do not proceed in hilly areas without confirmation from respective TCUs.

I don't know how helpful is @TTRHimachal but you can get latest updates on Leh-Manali highway from taxi walas and other private cars who're coming up from Manali when you're there.

All the best and keep us posted.

PS: That Thar really looks raring to go to the hills. "Mountains are calling" to that one.