The Rider’s guide to Leh – Ladakh

As the perfect season for visiting Ladakh is here, why not take a road trip and see a thousand scenes that speak a zillion words. Buckle up for the twisting, turning and bumpy ride. The end result is the unmatched experience that you would never get through business class comfort or money. A word of caution though – this road trip is only for the tough riders and not for the faint hearted. You have to stay like hippies – pitching in a tent, hogging on noodles, managing without mobile network, driving continuously for hours and trying to keep away the “Oh God! I am lost” feeling. However, if you are the kind of person who likes to get dirt on the shoes, take your motorcycle, pack your bags and get ready. Roads are fine till Chandigarh, the thrill starts from Manali. Be careful – don’t every try to overtake as the SUV and truck drivers here are not “Ok you go first” kind. But you don’t need to be upset. You get your chance to ride like crazy once you head towards Sarchu after crossing Manali. The best time to travel is till September 20 even though the routes are open till the September ends.

Leh Ladakh – Licensed Image (CC BY)

Here you won’t be driving on road but instead on broken tarmac and sand. But this is the good part that will bring out the adventure monster in you. Needless to say, it will be an experience to brag about your whole life. In cities, people have forgotten about lying in the open and counting the stars. But here you actually get to see them along with their trails. You can even see Milky Way – sounds poetic but it’s true. A camera of 6400 ISO would be perfect for capturing these star trails at Tsokar. It’s a salt water lake situated on very high – altitude. People staying in Ladakh often say that the passes are so high and barren that only best of the friends or fiercest of the enemies would visit them.

Le Ladakh – Licensed Image (CC BY)

Your constant companions would be landslides and low – visibility. Often you will wonder while moving ahead whether there’s really a road or not? Not to forget about the water crossings, that is sure to give you an adrenaline rush. But be careful, sometimes the flow can be too harsh. At such crossings you can always find a group of bikers ready to help you out. Following their instructions can get you through the crossing with fewer struggles.

When it comes to food, Ladakh doesn’t have any exquisite to offer. The cuisine includes basic recipies – dum aloo, rogan josh, momos, korma saag and thupka. But the place has such an environment that you will enjoy this food more than a pizza. There are few things that you must carry:

1. Good quality helmet, waterproof riding gear, boots and gloves.
2. Portable travel phone chargers.
3. Thermal innerwear – because you don’t get more than one blanket in tents.
4. Flip – flops for off – driving times because your boots will be wet.
5. Identity proof – you will need to furnish documents at many passes.

First published in Bangalorean.