Name: 18 Day The Great Himalayan Expedition Guided Motorcycle Tour in India
Brand: Himalayan Challenges
Price: 351000 INR
Availability: InStock

Adventurous Guided Motorcycle Tour in India

A motorcycle holiday tour of the Zanskar and Ladakh region via the Saach Pass (4420 meters) is one of the most enchanting Himalayan journeys. This valley is not frequented by a lot of visitors and thus, it still retains its cultural and traditional charm. This motorbike tour in the Himalayas takes you through the lush green plains of Kangra to the bright and colorful Chamba. From here, you ride into the mystical land of Pangi Valley via the famous Saach Pass, ride through the fertile Pattan valley, and then cross over to Zanskar and Ladakh - the land of lamas and high passes.

Key information

Terrain: A mix of good tarmac road and off-road
Bike: Rental bike (500cc Royal Enfield or Himalayan)
Mileage: 2,513 kilometers / 1,562 miles
Daily rides: 76 - 365 kilometers / 47 - 227 miles
Riding gear: Not included: Good crash helmet, googles, bike boots including shin and ankle protection, protective trousers, jackets, and gloves, wind and waterproof trousers and jackets, and scarf or bandana
Meals: All breakfasts and dinners

Highlights

Starts and ends in Manali
Ride through numerous less traveled roads
Thrilling ride through the world's highest motorable villages
Visits to ancient monasteries and enjoy the lunar landscape of Lamayuru
Witness breathtaking landscapes
17 nights accommodation

Skill level

Advanced

17 days with instruction

Group size: 4-14 participants

Airport transfer available:
Bhuntar Airport (Kullu Manali Airport) (US$ 48 per person)

Program

Embarking on this motorbike journey through the Western Himalaya is truly the experience worth it - the route is challenging and the landscape breath-taking.

Itinerary

Day 1: Manali (2050 meters), Introduction to the bikes and their roads

Arrive at your hotel in Manali in the morning. After lunch, you will meet all the team members and thereafter get to try out your bikes. This will help you to get familiar with your bike and the Himalayan Road and its traffic. In the evening, you will get briefed about the tour and what is happening the next day.

Day 2: Manali to Barot (1829 meters), 164 kilometers / 102 miles

An early morning start for Barot. Barot is a beautiful small village that was developed in the early 1920’s by the British Raj that built Shanan Hydel Project here.

From Manali, you will ride towards Kullu. From Bajaura, you take a right and ride on a narrow link road. This is a beautiful ride; the road does not have a lot of traffic so most of the time it will just be you and the mountains. The ride takes you through enchantingly beautiful pine forest. You ride past some beautiful local villages.

Check into the hotel and after freshening up, go for a walk around Barot Town.

Day 3: Barot to Dharamsala (1457 meters), 111 kilometers / 69 miles

Another early morning start today as you have a long way to cover. The road is in a fairly good condition, with lots of curves. Some parts of this ride are very scenic.

You ride through some busy towns like Jogindernagar, Paprola, Baijnath but you also ride through the quiet and beautiful tea plantations of Palampur. After freshening up, you can go for a stroll in McLeod Ganj. Dharamsala is where His Holiness, the Dalai Lama has his residence. It is the capital of Tibet in Exile. You can visit his monastery (if open), and then check out some of the famous cafes here.

Day 4: Dharamsala to Khajjiar (1920 meters) 120 kilometers / 75 miles

It is a very scenic ride through the mountain side today as you try to avoid the main highway and ride on the ‘Pahari’ road meaning the mountain road. This may take a bit longer than the main highway but it is worth it.

Khajjiar is famous by the name ‘Mini Swiss’ of India. It is a beautiful location, where a small Lake is encircled by mighty Deodar trees. The air is crisp and fresh.

Day 5: Khajjiar to Bairagarh via Chamba (2800 meters), 112 kilometers / 70 miles

You can have a relaxed start today as you don’t have a long distance to cover. This gives you more time to enjoy the beauty of Khajjiar. Once you get out of Chamba, the road is smooth and there isn’t a lot of traffic. After Chamba, all that you do is go up, up, and up.

Today, your ascent up to the Saach Pass begins. The road is smooth, the valley lush green. On the way, you will come across the ‘Gujjars’ or Buffalo Herders either going up or coming back down depending on the time of the year that you travel. A lot of quaint little villages and fertile terrace fields are to be seen along the way.

Day 6: Bairagarh to Killar via Saach Pass (4420 meters) 76 kilometers / 47 miles

After a well-rested night, you prepare for the Saach Pass today. You check the bikes to make sure everything is working well and then you set off on an Epic Motorcycle Ride.

Just before getting to Satrundi, the tarmac starts to disappear until it is no longer there. The road initially is dusty but good. The road here onwards is rocky and dusty. As you start going higher towards the pass, the view of the valley below is mesmerizing.

The pass suddenly appears on your right as you make a left turn. There is a little shrine here dedicated to ‘Jot Wali Mata’ meaning the Goddess of the Pass. After stopping here for a few minutes, you head down towards Killar, the ride so far is nothing short of exhilarating.

The road all the way to Killar is the same - rocky, muddy, and dusty. The valley below is now narrow, yet fascinating and the ride a wonderful adventure.

Day 7: Killar to Jispa (3080 meters), 152 kilometers / 94 miles

It will be an early start today as, though you are not covering a huge distance, you will be riding on road that comprises more or less of bull dust for a major part of the journey; thus you can’t ride fast.

The route is picturesque, rugged, bare rocks on your left and 200 meters drop on the right. This could easily be classed as one of the toughest roads in the world. There is never a lot of traffic on this road. You will meet the occasional public bus and a few jeeps.

The landscape starts to change as you get closer to Udaipur. Just before entering Udaipur, you come across a lovely young pine forest, this is famous as Mini Manali; the site is a local favorite for picnics.

At Udaipur, you stop in town to visit the Mrikula Devi Temple. Constructed in the 11th century, this temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali. It is believed that the temple was constructed from a block of wood by the Pandavas (from the time of the Mahabharata) during their time in exile.

From Udaipur onwards, the road all the way to Jispa is in good condition and you pass through some very scenic villages of the Pattan Valley.

Day 8: Jispa to Padum (3669 meters), 288 kilometers / 179 miles

You start the day early. After the necessary document checks at Darcha, you leave the main Manali-Leh Highway and set off on the dusty road that links Lahoul Valley to Zanskar via the Shingo La pass. This particular road has opened in 2020 and work is still under progress hence a dusty trail.

The Shingo La Pass is about 42 kilometers from Darcha. It is going to be a challenging ride but you get to see some amazing landscapes. The villages are picturesque and in August and September, all the livestock have come down from the surrounding mountains and it’s beautiful to see them grazing in the fields.

Until recently most of this region hardly saw any tourists, apart from occasional trekkers.

Day 9: Padum (rest day)

Padum is the only town and administrative center in Zanskar. It was historically one of the two main capitals of the Zanskar Kingdom, the other being Zangla. Padum is scenic and known for its Spartan splendor. The landscape acquires different hues with the change of time.

After a relaxed morning, you will ride to Karsha Monastery and take time to explore there. Karsha Monastery is one of the largest monasteries of the region and commands the most splendid view of the entire valley. Spend the afternoon strolling on the streets of Padum.

Day 10: Padum to Kargil (2676 meters), 232.6 kilometers / 145 miles

It is another day of riding through some of the most amazing landscapes. The road is mainly off-road today.

On the way, you cross the Penzila Pass, which is the highest motorable pass of this area at 14,000 feet. It is primarily areas around this point that cut off Zanskar from rest of the world every winter that lasts 7-8 months.

You will also catch the sight of the vast Drang Drung glacier, the 2nd largest glacier in the region, largest being the Siachen glacier. After the descent from the pass, you will start seeing summer camps of the Zanskar people, where they spend the summer months grazing their cattle.

Rangdum is the farthest and most isolated part of the Suru Valley. Rangdum is surrounded by colorful hills on one side and glacier-encrusted Rocky Mountains on the other. It falls mid-way between Padum and Kargil. The main attraction of Rangdum is the 18th century Buddhist Monastery of the Geluk-pa order with about 40 resident monks.

The landscape starts to get greener as you enter the Suru Valley. This is probably one of the most picturesque valleys on the entire tour. Small villages now start dotting the road side all the way to Padum. The entire day is a picturesque riding day.

Day 11: Kargil to Leh, 216 kilometers / 134 miles

Today’s ride is mostly going to be smooth tarmac road. The journey once again is scenic. Enroute, you stop at Mulbekh to pay your respects and admire the beautiful Buddha statue engraved on a rock. This is also a good place to have some chai and snacks.

After which, you get to Lamayuru having crossed over the Fotu La Pass (4108 meters). You will stop at Lamayuru to visit the Lamayuru Monastery. Lamayuru is one of the most ancient Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries of Ladakh and well worth a visit. Lamayuru is also popular as Moonland for its unique geographical feature.

Today, you will also be crossing some other popular sights like Sangam point (merger of Zanskar and Indus River), Magnetic hill, and Pathar Sahib (Sikh Temple).

Day 12: Leh (rest day)

Once again, you must take a break. Today’s agenda is mainly to acquire Inner Line Permits for all the riders so that you can ride further in Ladakh. While they sort this out, you are free to explore Leh Town.

Day 13: Leh to Nubra (3048 meters), 160 kilometers / 99 miles

Nubra is about 160 kilometers north of Leh where the Shyok River meets the Siachen River to form a large valley separating the Ladakh and Karakoram Ranges.

Today’s journey will take you over the famous Khardung la Pass, one of the world’s highest motorable passes at 5602 meters. The ride once again is nothing short of amazing. After refreshing, you can visit the Diskit Monastery. Diskit is the oldest and the largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra Valley.

Day 14: Nubra to Pangong via Shyok (4250 meters), 274 kilometers / 170 miles

In the morning, ride a few kilometers to Hundar. Here, you can ride on the double humped Bacterian camel. You retrace the track for a few kilometers and then you ride along the Shyok River to Pangong. There won’t be a lot of traffic. Parts of the road will be off-roading with a few stream crossings.

This road will bring you to Tangtse where you join the main road coming from Leh to Pangong via Changla La Pass (the 3rd highest motorable pass in the world). On this route, depending on the time of the year, you can come across the Changpa Nomads in their summer camps.

Day 15: Pangong to Leh via Changla Pass (3500 meters), 150 kilometers / 93 miles

Retrace the route till Tangtse and then go on a different route than yesterday to Leh. Riding on the Shyok road makes this a circular trip (Leh-Nubra-Pangong-Leh). This way, every day, you get to see different landscape making the most of your trip.

It is a long climb up to Changla pass and an equally long descent. The ascent is on rough road while the descent is on relatively good surface. Once you get back to Karu, the road is good.

Day 16: Leh to Jispa (3080 meters), 365 kilometers / 227 miles

After breakfast, you leave for Jispa. This route covers the popular Leh to Manali journey. Most of the riders travelling to or from Manali ride on this route. The road is good and you will be in Jispa in good time.

Enroute, you will cross the 2nd Highest Motorable Pass ‘Taglang La’ at 5328 meters. You will also cross 3 other passes - Nakeela Pass (4740 meters), Lachulung La (5050 meters), and Baralacha La (4890 meters).

As today's ride involves going up and down a few passes, it is advisable to carry or wear extra layers as the passes will be cold and the weather can be quite unpredictable.

Day 17: Jispa to Manali (2050 meters), 92 kilometers / 57 miles

Today’s ride is about 3 to 4 hours. The road from Jispa to Manali is on good tarmac. This journey until 2020 used to be one of the toughest in the entire route, but the opening of the Atal Rohtang Tunnel has made this journey a piece of cake now. Its smooth ride all the way to Manali and the best way to wrap up this beautiful epic motorbike tour.

Day 18: Departure

The tour ends.

Bike insurance

Himalayan Challenges offers a non-refundable bike insurance at an additional cost of 8,000 INR.

Skill level(s) required for this tour: Advanced

Advanced

Can ride for 5-6 hours
Extensive riding experience, off- roading experience
Assistance on demand (if required)
Experienced with riding a variety of motorcycles
Comfortable with any terrain and weather conditions

Location

This motorcycle tour takes you on a journey from Manali to Leh. One of the main interest is riding on smooth tarmac to rough rocky roads, long stretches of bulldust, and the exciting and tantalizing stream crossing of Saach Pass. Saach Pass opens in mid-June and is closed off for traffic by the 15th of October. It is probably one of most desolate passes that one has ever crossed and its beauty is unmatched.

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Food

Food will be a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Mostly, Indian food will be served for dinner but breakfast can be Indian and continental.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Dinner

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegetarian
Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

How to get there

Recommended Airports

KUU

Bhuntar Airport (Kullu Manali Airport)

40 km

Transfer available for additional US$ 48 per person

Arrival by airplane

Please book a flight to arrive at Kullu-Manali Airport (KUU). Transfer from the airport is available upon request.

Kullu-Manali Airport (KUU) in Kullu, about 52 kilometers from Manali is the nearest airport to Manali. Only domestic flights come in from Delhi. Take a domestic flight from Delhi to Kullu. Himalayan Challenges can arrange for an airport pick up on request. The charge for this is 4000 INR.

It is recommended to arrive at least a day or 2 prior to the start of the tour to allow for any flight cancellations and also give yourself 1 or 2 extra days after the tour ends.

Airport: Bhuntar Airport (Kullu Manali Airport) Airport transfer available: Bhuntar Airport (Kullu Manali Airport) (US$ 48 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

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