[Dodge_Viper]

Originally Posted by //M

Dear Ladakh veterans,

I am planning to ride to Ladakh this season alongwith a couple of friends.

Our tentative itinerary is as below :

Day 1 : Jammu - Srinagar (are two-wheelers allowed via the new Chenani tunnel?)
Day 2 : Srinagar - Sonamarg - Kargil - Panikhar

You seriously want to stay in Srinagar? Given the conditions which are on constant boil, I would suggest to avoid staying in Srinagar and head towards Sonmarg for stay. Srinagar to Ganderbal is highly tense area so see to it if you can skip a stay here. I was there last year when a certain person was killed and the valley erupted. Had a tough time negotiating Shopian riots and stones, luckily we escaped but were stuck in Srinagar for 4 days due to curfew.

So my suggestion would be to skip a stay in Srinagar and head towards Sonmarg. Try to cross Srinagar in the middle of the night when the curfew is relaxed. Do not worry about army and CRPF in case you travel at night as they are quite helpful and won't trouble looking at out of state bikers.

Day 6 : Leh - Khardung La - Diskit - Turtuk
Day 7 : Turtuk - Panamik
Day 8 : Panamik - Agham - Shyok - Pangong Tso (or Wari La route)
Day 9 : Pangong Tso - Merak - Chushul - Tsaga La - Hanle
Day 10: Hanle - Nyoma - Tso Moriri
Day 11: Tso Moriri - Tso Kar - Pang - Sarchu

Make sure you carry enough fuel!! It is 800+kms of travel.

Hope this helps.

[manasmadaan]

How much time will it take from hanle to sarchu? Is it doable in a day as we ll take as top at Tso Kar on the way.
Or should we halt at tso moriri on the way. this would extend our trip by a day.

Please advice

[//M]

Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper

You seriously want to stay in Srinagar? Given the conditions which are on constant boil, I would suggest to avoid staying in Srinagar and head towards Sonmarg for stay. Srinagar to Ganderbal is highly tense area so see to it if you can skip a stay here. I was there last year when a certain person was killed and the valley erupted. Had a tough time negotiating Shopian riots and stones, luckily we escaped but were stuck in Srinagar for 4 days due to curfew.

So my suggestion would be to skip a stay in Srinagar and head towards Sonmarg. Try to cross Srinagar in the middle of the night when the curfew is relaxed. Do not worry about army and CRPF in case you travel at night as they are quite helpful and won't trouble looking at out of state bikers.

Point noted. Many thanks for this suggestion.

Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper

Day 6 : Leh - Khardung La - Diskit - Turtuk
Day 7 : Turtuk - Panamik
Day 8 : Panamik - Agham - Shyok - Pangong Tso (or Wari La route)
Day 9 : Pangong Tso - Merak - Chushul - Tsaga La - Hanle
Day 10: Hanle - Nyoma - Tso Moriri
Day 11: Tso Moriri - Tso Kar - Pang - Sarchu

Make sure you carry enough fuel!! It is 800+kms of travel.

Hope this helps.

Yes this is a major concern. Are there no fuel stations around Turtuk or Panamik or Chushul?

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by //M

Dear Ladakh veterans,


Day 2 : Srinagar - Sonamarg - Kargil - Panikhar

This will be a long day. Although the timings change every year, you will not be able to cross Zojilla before 11. Sonamarg stay would reduce the travel burden this day.

Day 6 : Leh - Khardung La - Diskit - Turtuk

Try to leave as early as possible. Preferably by 6am.

Day 7 : Turtuk - Panamik

Not required at all. Panamik will be a disappointment. There is nothing much to see. Also, accos will be better in Diskit/Hunder.

Day 8 : Panamik - Agham - Shyok - Pangong Tso (or Wari La route)

Prefer the Shyok route. It is too beautiful. But there not a single shop till you reach almost Lukung.

Day 9 : Pangong Tso - Merak - Chushul - Tsaga La - Hanle
Day 10: Hanle - Nyoma - Tso Moriri
Day 11: Tso Moriri - Tso Kar - Pang - Sarchu
Day 12: Sarchu - Manali

You need a whole lot of fuel for this circuit. The last pump you will see will be Diskit, that is if it is functional.

Are there any accommodation options available in Agham?

No. Don't think so.

Originally Posted by //M

Yes this is a major concern. Are there no fuel stations around Turtuk or Panamik or Chushul?

Turtuk - No
Panamik - No. Fill up on every opportunity in Diskit.
Chushul- Not aware of one. You might get some loose fuel from shops. Again, petrol availability is an issue. Diesel has better availability.

Regards,

Pawan

[//M]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

This will be a long day. Although the timings change every year, you will not be able to cross Zojilla before 11. Sonamarg stay would reduce the travel burden this day.

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Turtuk - No
Panamik - No. Fill up on every opportunity in Diskit.
Chushul- Not aware of one. You might get some loose fuel from shops. Again, petrol availability is an issue. Diesel has better availability.

Regards,

Pawan

Many thanks for the pointers sir.

It looks like I may have to ride back to Karu from Pangong Tso, fuel up and then ride to Hanle via Chumathang and Mahe.

Is the Agham - Shyok route accessible for motorists in early-September? I read somewhere that the road gets submerged due to water-level rising thanks to melting glaciers during the warmer months.

[RCD]

Originally Posted by manasmadaan

Hello everyone..
In 2014, we (4 people) had done ladakh trip in september on an XUV 500 W8.
============
Waiting for the advices...

I drove my Scorpio Automatic 4WD to Ladhak and back in 2014. There is no problem with an Automatic, though I must add that I have a diesel tronic installed in my Scorpio. I used it in P1 mode till Srinagar, but thereafter used the E( economy) mode as one does not really need speed or quick acceleration in Ladakh. I found that I used much less fuel than my friend who had a conventional manual transmission Scorpio. I never used the 4 WD except once when we had taken a short cut across the sandy paths in Nubra and got stuck ( but could extract the car from the depression without a hitch once we engaged 4WD ). So avoid the temptation to take the paths like the local taxis do, unless your passengers are willing to get out and push if required.

You will need to carry fuel for the Leh to Manali leg, as there are only 2 fuel stations outside Leh and Manali ; and both are about 40 kms from these 2 places.

Exactly how much fuel you will need to carry depends on your driving style and how much the car is loaded. I got 14kmpl right from Srinagar to Manali using the Economy mode on my diesel tronic.

[RoadSurfer]

LAHDC has introduced an environmental fee of Rs 400 effective 1st April 2017. Applicable for domestic as well as foreign tourists. This is also being flashed on their website http://leh.gov.in

[manasmadaan]

Originally Posted by RCD

You will need to carry fuel for the Leh to Manali leg, as there are only 2 fuel stations outside Leh and Manali ; and both are about 40 kms from these 2 places.

Exactly how much fuel you will need to carry depends on your driving style and how much the car is loaded. I got 14kmpl right from Srinagar to Manali using the Economy mode on my diesel tronic.

Thanks for the advice.

How much time will it take from hanle to sarchu? Is it doable in a day as we ll take as top at Tso Kar on the way.
Or should we halt at tso moriri on the way. this would extend our trip by a day.

Please advice

[RCD]

Originally Posted by manasmadaan

Thanks for the advice.

How much time will it take from hanle to sarchu? Is it doable in a day as we ll take as top at Tso Kar on the way.
Or should we halt at tso moriri on the way. this would extend our trip by a day.

Please advice

Driving in Ladakh is different from driving in the plains. There is very little traffic once you are off the beaten track, and the drive from Pangong to Hanle to Tso Moriri is one such. Its better not to be too ambitious and drive short distances , start early in the morning and reach your destination before the sun sets.

I have only seen Tso Kar once. It was very disappointing, as it looked more like one of the salt pans you see along the coast in Gujarat. We just drove past it without stopping.

Tso Moriri is well worth an overnight stop. There is a Tibetian village and tented accommodation available there as well . Its also a beautiful lake with different shades of blue in the summer months. There is also a place for bird watching if the sky is clear.

[RCD]

I will be making my third trip to Ladakh from Bangalore in September. We will have 2 cars : a 4 WD Scorpio and a Rexton. I will be the only person in the group who has been to Ladakh before ( or has done extensive road trips of over 3000+ kms each way ) . It is the first time I will be going in September, as I have had enough of the snow in the high passes, and want to avoid the peak tourist season.

This time the plan is to do a mix of the touristy day / overnight trips from Leh + the more adventurous bits like Nubra to Pangong tso to Henley. Also want to see some of Zanskar.

I have gone through this excellent and informative "truly Ultimate" guide which is very clear on the routes. Now that the requirement for special permits for Indian citizens has been removed for the normal touristy bits, was wondering if someone can give me an update on the special permits requited, and also some suggestions on routing and itinerary so as to cover all of the "road less travelled bits" in the most time and fuel efficient manner.

[sumzup]

Originally Posted by manasmadaan

Thanks for the advice.

How much time will it take from hanle to sarchu? Is it doable in a day as we ll take as top at Tso Kar on the way.
Or should we halt at tso moriri on the way. this would extend our trip by a day.

Please advice

No you cannot do Hanle to Sarchu in one single day. Break your journey at Tso Moriri which is a beautiful place to enjoy the night. There are some luxury tented accommodation available on "camps of Ladakh website". In fact, some of the locals say that this lake is much better compared to Pangong and if you leave early from Hanle before 0900 hrs then you will be able to reach before evening to spend some time there.
A word of caution though, one needs to book the accommodation well in advance and get the confirmation voucher as there is no connectivity right through. Also, most of the places there is no internet coverage and whatever is available is so slow that you might find it difficult to save time. Also, my personal experience with Camps of Ladakh on customer care has been extremely bad so don't try to reach them once you book. The stay on their networked camps is not bad and are well maintained.

Originally Posted by RCD

I will be making my third trip to Ladakh from Bangalore in September. We will have 2 cars : a 4 WD Scorpio and a Rexton. I will be the only person in the group who has been to Ladakh before ( or has done extensive road trips of over 3000+ kms each way ) . It is the first time I will be going in September, as I have had enough of the snow in the high passes, and want to avoid the peak tourist season.

This time the plan is to do a mix of the touristy day / overnight trips from Leh + the more adventurous bits like Nubra to Pangong tso to Henley. Also want to see some of Zanskar.

I have gone through this excellent and informative "truly Ultimate" guide which is very clear on the routes. Now that the requirement for special permits for Indian citizens has been removed for the normal touristy bits, was wondering if someone can give me an update on the special permits requited, and also some suggestions on routing and itinerary so as to cover all of the "road less travelled bits" in the most time and fuel efficient manner.

Please read my post on page 89 where I have mentioned about the permits and routing. Specifically to your plan, I would suggest that it is better to finish Zangskar before you enter Leh so that on your return you can drive to Sarchu and reach Manali (the route and details are in the previous post as mentioned)

There is so much of unrest in the valley that getting to Leh via Srinagar and Sonmarg is very uncertain. Nevertheless, as the saying goes "We will cross the bridge when we get there", you could take a call closer to your travel dates.

[rahulba]

Originally Posted by //M

Any idea if all kind of vehicles are allowed through this tunnel or not? I am specially interested if two-wheelers are allowed or not.

Two wheelers are not allowed as per rules.
http://www.kashmirmonitor.in/Details...-nashri-tunnel

[pcpranav]

Mughal Road to be opened on 23-April'17: read this news article

[Dodge_Viper]

Originally Posted by pcpranav

Mughal Road to be opened on 23-April'17: read this news article

If possible please try to avoid Mughal road this year as it passes through all the trouble stone throwing areas of Shopian Rajouri etc.

[pcpranav]

Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper

If possible please try to avoid Mughal road this year as it passes through all the trouble stone throwing areas of Shopian Rajouri etc.

yes, unfortunately in these volatile conditions, best to ignore the Mughal road.

Not sure if Srinagar city tour (i.e. visiting popular tourist spots) also gets affected by these disturbances ?