Team-BHP - Leh, Ladakh and Zanskar

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Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 3374574)

Drive from Srinagar to Panikhar.
Then from Panikhar, drive to Pensi La, and then do night stay in kargil
Then take early morning start from Kargil, and reach leh by noon and do permit stuff as sometimes saturday may be half day etc.,

Secondly, from Udaipur you drive directly to Gurdaspur it will save you a day as you do not have to mess with Delhi. Take the direct expressway(I think kishangarh express or something its called) to Bathinda and then onto Gurdaspur. Long drive but day saved.

Thanks TSK. I somehow cant avoid overnight at Delhi as I’ve to get in-laws blessings :) I am thinking of doing Sonmarg-Kargil-Rangdum with night halt at Rangdum and push next day to Leh. Is it doable with site seeing stops?

Further, Could you please also answer the following:

1. Any decent stay options at Rangdum? I called up JKTDC number but no body answered. And their website is more interested in advertising Kashmir valley options.

2. Will plastic Cans be able to hold petrol at these heights as it will be difficult to get metal Cans used by military? Is there any place in/around Leh which sells these Cans?

3. Since you haven’t commented on Wari-la and Chuschul routes, I guess those would be doable in my EcoSport, Is that so?

4. Is Road from Kargil to Pensi La motorable in EcoSport in late August? Any slush/nallahs to be wary off?

5. Are Goodyear Assurance 205/60/R15 tyres (10k+) good enough for my itinerary?

BTW, I have checked with Leh DC office by calling them directly, It is open on Saturdays for the entire day for Permits.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by TSIched'Out (Post 3374961)

Sonmarg-Rangdum-Pensi La - Rangdum is not possible. Will take 14 hours. Rangdum to leh is 12 hours

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2. Will plastic Cans be able to hold petrol at these heights as it will be difficult to get metal Cans used by military? Is there any place in/around Leh which sells these Cans?

Use Coke 2 liter bottles. Take 20 of them. Best option. Do not go for jerrycan business. Start collecting today

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3. Since you haven’t commented on Wari-la and Chuschul routes, I guess those would be doable in my EcoSport, Is that so?

Wari La is doable from late june or mid july onwards. Chushul route is fine as long as you are careful

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4. Is Road from Kargil to Pensi La motorable in EcoSport in late August? Any slush/nallahs to be wary off?

Yes, nallahs are there, but careful driving will see you through

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5. Are Goodyear Assurance 205/60/R15 tyres (10k+) good enough for my itinerary?

I would prefer A/T, but they should be good enough. Just be careful and drive slow on rocky section

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BTW, I have checked with Leh DC office by calling them directly, It is open on Saturdays for the entire day for Permits.

Thanks.

So you are good to go!

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Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 3374966)

Sonmarg-Rangdum-Pensi La - Rangdum is not possible. Will take 14 hours. Rangdum to leh is 12 hours

Thanks for your inputs TSK. What I meant was to start from Sonmarg early, cross Zozila, Kargil and reach Rangdum on the same day. Next day, have quick site seeing of Pensi La and Glacier and head to Leh. This way, I would have split the toughest part of Journey over two days (Zozila on day 1 and Rangdum/Pensi La on day 2, Kargil-Leh route being the easy one). However, still Day 2 will look like atleast 8 hours of tough terrain driving and 5-6 hours of normal driving. May be I'll halt in Lamayuru. How is Lamayuru from AMS/staying options point of view?

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Originally Posted by .anshuman (Post 3374968)

I bought a plastic can from main market, Leh during my trip to Ladakh last year. The can was reasonably priced(i dont remember the exact price), there were other options too. It used it for Diesel and there was no leakage.

Thanks for confirming availability in Leh. I'll pick one (or two) if I can't get Military Can.

Lamayuru is a good option. Its just 2-3 hours from day
We did a 7am start from Lamayuru and took around 12 hours to Pensi La. So its 12 hours from Pensi La to Lamayuru. Rangdum to Glacier point is 2 hours.
So 16 hours on second day.

Alternatively
Sonmarg - Kargil 3 hours
Kargil - Rangdum 6 hours

Early morning 5 am rangdum
7am Pensi La
8am start from pensi la and reach kargil around 3:30, drive till mulbekh, and then next day do early morning to Leh and reach leh by 10 and do permits on reaching

You would have acclimatized as Rangdum is quite high (~4000m)

Hi Tanveer,

I had earlier posted a snapshot of my plan for ladakh trip September. Just to provide a brief background, I am planning on a 26 day trip in my XUV 500 W8 FWD from Trivandrum to Ladakh & back. The current planned dates are between Sep 10th & October 5th. Was hoping you could help answer a few questions please?

1. Will my XUV500 be able to tackle the Zanskar Valley without 4WD? I see from the above posts that an Ecosport is able to do it, so I am hoping XUV500 shouldn't have too many problems in mid September, but just want to reconfirm.

2. From your earlier post, you mentioned that the route from Chushul to Hanle via Mahe & Kakasang La would be difficult for XUV. Did you mean it because of the June timeframe? Would it be the same even during late september? Also Pangong Tso to Hanle via this route, is it do-able in one single day?

3. From Hanle, I was hoping to try the more adventurous route to Nyoma via Kyun Tso Twin Lakes & Nidder village. I understand that if its dry enough, a 2WD with high GC is enough to cover this. Do you think its feasible for XUV in late september? Also possible to cover this route and head over to Tso Moriri on the same day?

4. I hope Wari La is do-able in September? You mention that Wari La recieves lots of Snow. Is that the case even in late september?

5. Turtuk to Pangong Tso via Wari La. Is this do-able in one day? Or else, is it worth taking a break at Panamik/Sumur on day 1 and then continuing from Panamik/Sumur to Pangong. Is the halt at Panamil/Sumur really worth it?

6. It would be really great if you could rank the above routes on a difficulty level from 1-10. 1 could be something like Bombay-Pune Expressway, whereas 10 could be something where 4WD is an absolute must?

Eagerly looking forward to your inputs! Thank you so much in advance Tanveer! Cheers.

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Originally Posted by Columbus_500 (Post 3375260)

1. Will my XUV500 be able to tackle the Zanskar Valley without 4WD? I see from the above posts that an Ecosport is able to do it, so I am hoping XUV500 shouldn't have too many problems in mid September, but just want to reconfirm.

Hardly any vehicles out there are 4WD. Most are 2WD. Just take it slow.

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2. From your earlier post, you mentioned that the route from Chushul to Hanle via Mahe & Kakasang La would be difficult for XUV. Did you mean it because of the June timeframe? Would it be the same even during late september? Also Pangong Tso to Hanle via this route, is it do-able in one single day?

If Kakasang La main road is not ready, you have to climb the off road track. When we did it, at times we had one wheel in the air. Not doable in a 2WD at all. If road is complete then any car can do it

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3. From Hanle, I was hoping to try the more adventurous route to Nyoma via Kyun Tso Twin Lakes & Nidder village. I understand that if its dry enough, a 2WD with high GC is enough to cover this. Do you think its feasible for XUV in late september? Also possible to cover this route and head over to Tso Moriri on the same day?

Depends on how the monsoon has been. If it rains good, the track deteriorates. For example, we went in a Tata dual cab pickup which has 250mm of GC, and at a few points the underbody took hits.

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4. I hope Wari La is do-able in September? You mention that Wari La recieves lots of Snow. Is that the case even in late september?

Luck. If it does not snow a lot its okay, you can do it

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5. Turtuk to Pangong Tso via Wari La. Is this do-able in one day? Or else, is it worth taking a break at Panamik/Sumur on day 1 and then continuing from Panamik/Sumur to Pangong. Is the halt at Panamil/Sumur really worth it?

14-15 hours

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6. It would be really great if you could rank the above routes on a difficulty level from 1-10. 1 could be something like Bombay-Pune Expressway, whereas 10 could be something where 4WD is an absolute must?

Eagerly looking forward to your inputs! Thank you so much in advance Tanveer! Cheers.

That is impossible to do.
Rule of thumb is that your XUV will be able to do all routes except
1. Agham shyok - I would recommend tractor
2. Kakasang La - Unless road is done
3. Kyun Tso - Ground conditions dictate

Wari La is good, however if it snows heavily in september it becomes a route difficult even in 4WD.
If you are really keen, spend 4-5K on snow cables. This way you will be sure that Wari La won't be a problem for you.

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Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 3375929)

Is there any way we can find out today about the status of this pass? Also any idea how Sathatho La & Hor la is? I see from your pictures that Horla was well paved back then. Is that the case throughout?

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Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 3375929)

Depends on how the monsoon has been. If it rains good, the track deteriorates. For example, we went in a Tata dual cab pickup which has 250mm of GC, and at a few points the underbody took hits.

Thanks Tanveer. I guess I will have to rely on ground sources for the status of this route from Hanle. Talking about Hanle, any news about Chushul & Tsaga La permits being granted?

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Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 3375929)

14-15 hours

Worth doing a stopover at Panamik/Sumur?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 3375929)

Rule of thumb is that your XUV will be able to do all routes except
1. Agham shyok - I would recommend tractor
2. Kakasang La - Unless road is done
3. Kyun Tso - Ground conditions dictate

Wari La is good, however if it snows heavily in september it becomes a route difficult even in 4WD.
If you are really keen, spend 4-5K on snow cables. This way you will be sure that Wari La won't be a problem for you.

Agham Shyok was out of the picture right from the start. But I was really hoping to do the Kakasang La & Kyun Tso routes. Hope some good news comes through as the months go by! :D

Thanks a lot Tanveer for your inputs. These really will go a long way in planning my trip. Really appreciate your help.

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Originally Posted by Columbus_500 (Post 3376076)

Again, local sources are your best bet

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Thanks Tanveer. I guess I will have to rely on ground sources for the status of this route from Hanle. Talking about Hanle, any news about Chushul & Tsaga La permits being granted?

Worth doing a stopover at Panamik/Sumur?

Again, depends upon the whims of the people on the post. I guess when they get bored and want to make some silly rule to show their authority, they start all acting up
As for Panamik, I found it okay, nothing special

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Kyun Tso may still be possible. Again, ground realities get known only when you are there.

You are thinking two much.
Just make a broad plan and then decide. When you make a set plan, you miss out the forest for the trees.
For example. you may decide pangong is so lovely that you want to stay there for 1 week and not go anywhere else :)

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Originally Posted by swsumit (Post 3344216)

Hello all ,
I am planning to combine a trip to Sach Pass with one to Ladakh in month of sep .
I have some queries of sach pass after reading some TL / literature on the same , it would be of great help if the same could be resolved by the more experienced people out here :
1. The route is Pathankot > Kalatop >Chmaba>Satrundi check post > Sach Pass > Killad > Udaipur > Tandi.

2. Would cover the same over a period of three days
3. Is it possible to do Sach Pass in a Logan in sept ( i have neither four wheel drive nor the ground clearance of SUVs)
4. Is there possibility of snow hazard in this month.
5. In case am not able to do in a Logan can i be told what specifically would be the limiting reasons.
6. Any contact number of the FRH at Kala top and Killad.

Regards
Sumit

It depends on whether the road has been repaired. I had driven down in May 2013 in my SX4 and had to turn back from Satrundi. This is not a very popular road so it does not get too much of attention . However, conditions in September should be much better .

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Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 3376171)

You are thinking two much.
Just make a broad plan and then decide. When you make a set plan, you miss out the forest for the trees.
For example. you may decide pangong is so lovely that you want to stay there for 1 week and not go anywhere else :)

Haha I totally agree. Over planning has seriously become an occupational hazard of mine now! lol:

Hope things all fall in place at the right time, just like it did on ur last Ladakh trip! :D

Thank you so much sir for all your help!

Is June, 2nd week a good time to visit Leh? We are in the process of planning a road trip to the region ( my first one at that). 4 friends and my trusted Innova. Also the maximum duration of the trip would be 10 days ( 7 days will be even better). Since we will start from Delhi we might save some time. I am not too keen on rushing things and so don't need to see everything this time itself. So any advice on which places will be safe to drive to in the month of June and what route or itinerary I can realistically look at? I want to enjoy the places there as much as the drive and hence not very keen on just staying on the road on all days.

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Originally Posted by drmohitg (Post 3377430)

You have to go via Srinagar as Manali Leh may not be open when you go. You can come back by Manali Leh.
Visit Pangong + Nubra valley or Pangong + Tso moriri.

I presume you will start on a saturday, and want to reach Delhi on Sunday

So
Saturday - Delhi Patnitop
Sunday - Patnitop Sonmarg
Monday - Sonmarg - Leh
Tuesday - Rest and permits
Wednesday - Pangong
Thursday - Pangong - Chumathang
Friday - Tso moriri
Saturday - Tso moriri - Keylong
Sunday - Keylong - Kullu
Monday - Kullu - Delhi

Alternatively
Tue - Take permits and local sight seeing
Wednesday - Nubra
Thursday - Nubra - Pangong(long drive!)
Friday - Pangong - Upshi
Saturday - Upshi - Keylong
Sunday - Keylong kullu
Monday - Kullu Leh

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Originally Posted by Dry Ice (Post 3378520)

Lol! :) That's an awesome practical tip! Easy to fill diesel too! Lifting up a 20L jerrycan at 14k ft will not be as easy. Will they be able to bear the pressure difference? And I hope they don't leak!

Cola is pressurized. Right? These bottle caps are designed to be airtight. Even fumes won't come out.
Think if it, it wasn't an airtight setup, your cola will go flat even with cap closed. But it does not.
Do this, open cola bottle, pour away half. Close lid. And then just keep it for 3-4 days. then shake it. you will see if you open it after few hours also, it will go fizzzzz

Bikers use 2 liter bottles, because they work best.