Ever wondered why road trips make us feel so much more excited than any other trip? Scientists say that time goes by faster when we travel, which is much more than when we stay in the same place. As far as road trips go, we always sense a feeling of accomplishment after the journey ends. Whether it is a bike, a car or a truck, journeying on roads will always be different than travelling by air or rail. I am fortunate enough to have been on one such journey, a wonderful road trip. It was not just a normal road trip, but a journey through Ladakh – the mystic land.
Ladakh is a union territory, one of the 8 union territories and 28 states of India. Formerly, Ladakh was a territory in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, but gained its individual status in the year 2020. I went there in the year 2018, when it was still a part of Jammu & Kashmir, but even back then I truly believed that this region deserved its own identity. The reason behind Ladakh being called as a mystic land, is the regions uniqueness and ruggedness. The tallest mountains, roads and the rough terrain make it a place like none other. Some places even manage to look like they belong to other planets and not Earth. There aren’t many places on Earth who can manage to look other-worldly, and if there are, it will always be fun to visit them. As Ladakh lies in the northern most part of India, many Indians have not gotten a chance to visit it. Lack of cheaper transport facilities and good connectivity make the region even more inaccessible to a major chunk of the Indian population. It has only one Airport in the city of Leh, and the nearest railway Station is Tawi station which is 700 kilometers from Ladakh. Buses are close to none. It is therefore difficult to go there by train or bus and as air travel is not always cheap, many Indians don’t go there by air either. So how do we go to a place which has less connectivity? You guessed it right – we road trip there!!
Ladakhs’ mountains attract many tourists from all across India and also from many other parts of the world. Most of these are youngsters but some are families. Unlike older people who travel by cars or SUV’s in Ladakh, the youngsters of India like to do it in more adventurous ways i.e. on motorcycles! Car journeys are indeed more comfortable and relaxing as the driving is always taken care by just one person which most of the times, is a driver. Unlike cars, bikes give the riders a rush of adrenaline, a feeling of the heart racing. A majority of the bike riders ride solo which means every rider has to make an effort to ride his/her way to reach the destination. All these things have made Ladakh the most sought after destinations in India for youngsters who love to go on long rides on their bikes. Ask any bike enthusiast from India what his/her dream bike trip is and you will get just one answer “Ladakh”. I went on this trip along with three of my friends and I’m proud to have taken my own bike Royal Enfield Thunderbird to this dream road trip.
The region lies in the mighty Himalayas which is one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world and is also home to the tallest mountain on Earth, Mt. Everest. Riding through Himalayas makes the road trip worthwhile. It was not until recently that I found out that Karakoram, another famous mountain range has a small part in Ladakh’s territory. Interestingly, I was lucky to pass through this section of Karakoram and I feel delighted. It is an experience like none other. Breathtaking mountains, beautiful roads, turquoise blue rivers, clear lakes and constantly changing surroundings are some things that contribute to the overwhelming experience.
Day 1 – Riding to Kargil, first stop in Ladakh
We entered Ladakh after riding for three days in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. After spending time in Sonmarg in Kashmir, our first stop in Ladakh was in Kargil. It is a town in the district of Kargil and a capital of Ladakh. It is also the second largest town in Ladakh after Leh. It is located 204 kilometers to the east of Srinagar. Kargil is the centre of the Suru River valley. The town is of historical importance because of the Kargil war which was fought here in 1999. One of the most important monuments here is the Kargil War Memorial. Also known as Dras War Memorial, it is a war memorial built by the Indian Army in the town of Dras. We couldn’t visit the memorial as we entered Kargil late in the evening. We checked into a small motel near the town centre. The restaurants were closed and we were dying of hunger after a long day of riding. We ordered in from a small food stall, but the food was packed in small disposable bags. Our motel had no dishes and spoons because of which we couldn’t serve the ordered food. This meant that we couldn’t eat it. After thinking of all the unusual ways of eating, we asked a nearby hotel which was closed in the night, if we could borrow their dishes for eating our food and promised them that we would return it clean and safely. Instead, the generous staff invited us to eat our food inside their dining area and said that we didn’t even have to clean the dishes. I was very surprised but happy to see that the people from Kargil were so warm and welcoming. The day had ended well.
Day 2 – Kargil to Khalsi
The next day, I took an early morning stroll in Kargil to buy some fresh fruits. We enjoyed sandwiches in a small biker café and headed towards Leh. After getting lost on our way, we ended up wasting a lot of time and came back on the right road towards Leh late in the afternoon. As we did not have local J&K postpaid sim cards, our phones had no network. We came to Fatu La, which is the highest point on Srinagar-Leh highway. As we clicked pictures of the sunset at Fatu la, the temperatures went sub-zero the moment it was dusk. A cold wave hit us and it started freezing immediately. None of us had experienced such an sudden change in temperature, so it was indeed a spine-chilling experience for us (Pun intended). We hadn’t covered much distance but we decided to stop in the evening. The road was rough and we had to stop in a small village called Khalsi.
Day 3 – Mission LEH
We left early from Khalsi towards Leh. The scenery had changed and there were fewer trees on the road than before. On our way we went through the most famous Magnetic hill. It is a small but unusual place that attracts a lot of tourists because of its magical illusion. The surrounding area of the road and its slopes create the optical illusion of a hill. This hill road actually is a downhill road. If we park cars on the hill road, they start moving slowly and appear to roll uphill by defying gravity when they are, in fact, rolling downhill. The next stop was the Leh Hall of Fame. As we had promised ourselves that we would not miss another opportunity of visiting any war memorial, we couldn’t wait to go inside. The Hall of fame has all the information about different wars and regiments of the Indian Army. The pictures and objects in the war museum are intriguing. After that, we left towards the city of Leh. We weren’t much far and reached there in no time.
Leh is the largest city in Ladakh and is one of the highest cities in India. Because of its high altitude, it is advised to everyone who visits the city to stay there for at least a day to get acclimatised to the altitude. This gave us good time to visit the Leh Market. After checking in a hotel, we went to the market where we shopped for souvenirs and the iconic Tibetan prayer flags. One more important thing to keep in mind is the Oxygen level. It needs to be checked by all visitors who are new in Leh. The checking stations issue a medical pass which tells if the person is fit for travelling. Oxygen cylinders can be rented at minimal fees for those who are deprived of Oxygen and the process is quite hassle free. We checked the oxygen levels at a small outlet and rested for the night. We had brought our medical passes for the next day. After all, we were going to need them in the morning as it was going to be the hardest day and part of the journey.
Day 4 – “Highest motorable road in the world”
We had prepared ourselves for the rough ride. The next stop was the most famous stop in Leh. Going there is every Indian bikers' dream. It is known as “Khardung La”. It is the highest motorable road in the world meaning that it is the highest pass in the world that people can drive to. Our vehicle passes were checked at a local station and we left towards the pass. The road was rough. Gravel, rocks, stones, sand was everywhere but none of it could stop us. We reached there in time. Khardung La is a pass on the Leh – Khardung road, and is situated at an altitude of 18380 feet above sea level. This makes the place one of a kind. It is not advisable to wait for prolonged durations at such high altitudes because of which we didn't spend much time there. We clicked pictures at the historic stone of Khardung La and enjoyed Maggi with a cup of hot coffee at the world’s highest café.
As we descended to Khardung village, I knew I had accomplished something. I had achieved my goal of riding my bike on the world’s highest motorable pass. My dream had come true and the experience was unforgettable. As the day ended, we rode towards Nubra valley. The scenery changed again and the roads now had sand on them due to the desert nearby. Another new challenge! The sunset was soothing and the cold breezes from the valley were relaxing. We spent the night in the Diskit village in Nubra valley. It was indeed a productive riding day.
Day 5 – The white sand dunes of Nubra
Nubra valley is famous for its white sand dunes and with the desert comes the ship of the desert too. The camels of Nubra valley are different from the Indian camels. This is because of the two humps on their backs. These double-humped camels are called Bactrian camels which are found in cold deserts where there are no rains. This desert is at an altitude of around 10,000 feet above sea level. Historically, The Nubra Valley used to be a stopping place on the Silk Route where Caravans of traders on this route used these camels to trade with countries of Central and South Asia. Many camels stayed there and today these camels are used mainly for tourists. We spent the day on a desert safari on these camels. The white sand dunes were indeed a rare sight.
We then headed towards our next destination. It was on this patch of the road, when we travelled through the road that goes through the Karakoram mountain ranges.
On our way we encountered an extreme water pass. Ladakh is famous for its water passes. When the ice from glaciers melts, the water rushes downhill and crosses roads. We had encountered numerous ones on our way, but this water pass was extreme. After waiting for two hours, trying to get the water out of the bikes silencer and two failed attempts later, I was lucky to get help from a group of bikers who helped us to go through the water crossing. The water was freezing and the road was broken. But after I crossed the water, it all felt worth it. Next stop – Pangong.
Day 6 – The ever changing colours of Pangong
The thing that I love about Ladakh, is that it never fails to surprise you. One of nature’s surprises is the Pangong Lake which is the world's highest saltwater lake. One third of the lake is situated in India and the rest is in China. As we reached Spangmik village near the lake at night, we felt the presence of this lake but could not see it because there were no lights in the region. We decided to camp there. I had carried my tent for the whole journey just so that we could experience camping near this lake, but who could’ve imagined that this would prove to be the most extreme and coldest camping experience I’ve ever had. The temperatures were sub-zero and the cold winds from the lake made us feel the chills.
We woke up early to experience the lakes' beauty. After all the cold breeze didn’t let us sleep much, but what we saw after that made everything worth it. What lied in front of our eyes was the most marvellous lake I had ever seen. It's water, which seems to be dyed in blue and green, stand in stark contrast to the brown mountains that surround it. The colours change every time and make the lake look like a piece of art. We just sat there, mesmerized by the sunrise at this beautiful lake and thanked for the experience. We enjoyed clicking photos of the Yaks and the scooter from the famous Bollywood movie '3 Idiots'. The lake is worth a visit and I recommend everyone coming to Ladakh to visit Pangong Lake at least once.
We passed through Taglang La which is another high mountain pass and the highest one on Leh Manali highway. I had started to get a hang of these mountain passes and was grateful to have been to so many of them. It gets dark very early in the mountains. We headed downhill and saw a small village called Pang.
Day 7 – Last day in Pang
The night in Pang was different from others as we did not have the comfort of the usual motels, but instead had to sleep in a small room with beds and where there were a lot of riders like us. Moments like these make you feel grateful for all the things you have. We slept peacefully and left early the next morning. It was our last day in Ladakh. The last marvel in our journey was a man made architectural marvel called Gata loops. It is a series of 21 loops on the road which takes you from the top of a mountain to the below valley. The sharp hairpin bends were fun to ride on and were just what we needed in the last few kilometers of our journey in Ladakh.
As we were ending our journey through Ladakh, we took a moment to reflect upon the vastness of the Himalayas and the silence of the mountains. These make you realize how small our problems are in the universe. We travelled across Ladakh for seven days out of our 11 day - 2400 kilometer Himalayas trip. Out of all the other regions, Ladakh was the most challenging places to ride on. You can never expect what surprise it has in store for you. Because of the ever changing terrain, you will see gravel on the roads one day and sand on roads the next day. The day after that you will ride across pebbles on the road and on the next there will be just water and no road. As funny as it sounds, it is the reality in Ladakh. But no matter what happened, we sticked together and went through all challenges and obstacles. I am grateful to have ridden my bike on these roads which gave me a lot of memories to cherish. Whenever I ride my bike in my hometown, if I ever come across a difficult road, I always take my mind back to the Ladakh road trip and tell myself, ‘This road sure looks rough, but it can never be as rough as the roads in Ladakh.’ This thought gives me confidence and has helped me in many challenging situations ever since. Ladakh is a mystic land and I am surely coming here again.
Ending this story with a short quote :
Difficult roads, often lead to beautiful destinations.
Comments