Travel insights - Our Journey into Leh from Manali

If anyone happens to see a social media post of Royal Enfield bullet, white sand terrain and mountains and clear blue sky, we can immediately say it's their travel pic from Ladhak. There are so many pictures of bikers in Leh that many assume that Leh can only reached on a bike and its not for family. So lets clear the confusion and let you know that, you can reach Leh sitting in a comfortable seat of a car or even a state operated bus from Manali.

It was back in 2017 around same time and imprints of the journey are so clear, that even if we are stuck in this Covid19 situation I can still travel back and forth in my head. Recollecting few things i always wanted to share which will benefit our future travelers.

We finished breakfast in Manali Sterling hotels and geared up for a long journey. Our driver "Binder" mentioned that even Tata nano made seasonal trips from Manali to Leh. So don't be fooled if you are a couple and told to hire a SUV. You can also drive your own car to Leh by getting an online permit for Rohtang pass. If you are hiring a taxi, give the taxi operator a days notice to arrange for the permits. Tata Indica, Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo and Tempo Travelers are available for rentals from most hotels and travel agents in Manali, Shimla, Chandigarh and Delhi. The cost depends on the type of the vehicle and demand. In July and August, Innova could cost as high as Rs. 24000 and in end of season in September Rs. 16000 and less. Remember bargaining is the key. 80% of the road to Leh is in good condition and at some places the roads are bad, Border Road Organization (BRO) have done incredible job and working on these patches and in couple of years, hopefully rest of the roads will sure be amazing as well. There are no fancy restaurants enroute, but yeah roti, rice, dal, maggi, omelet, bread, tea, coffee and snacks are available in small tea huts throughout the drive.

we had elders 60+ and as young as 5 yrs Son, so my travel was quite different to what i read in blogs or heard from friends. All comes to the risks of altitude sickness and lack of oxygen levels which can be very dangerous. Enough precautions needs to be taken before travelling with such age group of people. Remember with network issues it can be difficult to reach someone in case of emergency.

Our marvelous "Jispa" should be considered as an ideal pitstop for day 1. There are Budget rooms and camping available. You can book before hand or reach there and kind rooms. Many suggest Sarchu for the first pitstop which is about the halfway point in between Manali and Leh. For elderly and kids its safer to stay in hotels instead of tents. In Ladakh only yellow board JK vehicles are allowed for sight seeing and local tours, so the taxi hired from Manali (HP or PBs won't work unless its private vehicle) would drop you off at your hotel in Leh and you have to arrange a local JK taxi for further sight seeing.

All locals speak Hindi well and accommodative by nature, added advantage knowing the language. Drivers are the only guide enroute and striking a conversation will give you some great information about places, roads, history which might not be written in any books.

Met many Self drive travelers coming from long distances as far as Tamil Nadu or Kerala, Self drives can be very tiring unless you are a passionate driver or a biker, combined with altitudes can be dangerous sometimes, so take breaks often and you may even reach Leh in 3 or 4 days comfortably. Self drivers should carry spares for most of vulnerable parts especially under the cars (filters,tubes, tyres, fuel especially etc.)

Health Precautions : 1.Carry oxygen cylinders cans(similar to a room freshener can) along for emergency as enroute you will be starting from 8000 ft to 17000ft and come down to 11000 ft.. ask any pharmacy in manali for more details, it might cost you from 200 to 600 based on size.. (some times if you plan to come back to Manali again you can even return back to them if unused for a little amount).. 2. One day before travel taking disprine or blood thinner will reduce breathlessness , nausea and Altitude sickness..especially for the elders. 3. Note that there are Indian army camps every few km and do not hesitate to reach them for emergency as most camps will have in house health center and they will be most happy to help us. 4. Keep sipping water and keep car windows open for enough oxygen circulation..

Lastly for anyone having a known health complication or condition, please consult a doctor before starting this route.

Keep Travelling YOLO!!!.

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