Motorcycle Tour

Spiti-Ladakh Cruise

Guaranteed, this will be one of the greatest trips you will ever experience, and the joyful memory of it will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Description

The diversity of the different regions is beyond the imagination of anyone who has not seen this with their own eyes, who has not felt the heat of the day and the cold of the night on their skin, who has not found it difficult to breathe beyond the 3,500-meter mark, who has not had the feeling of happiness flow through them as they gazed down into the valley deep below them at 5,300 meters above sea level on the roof of the world and sipped a sugary sweet tea in the highest tea store in the world on Kardung-La.

All this you will find on our new Spiti-Ladakh-Cruise. You fly to Delhi, the capital of India. First, we will go by cab or minibus to Chandigarh, where the bikes are waiting for you. From here we set off for the Spiti Valley, one of the most remote and pristine regions of the Indian Himalayas. Then we follow the Manali-Leh highway to Leh, the capital of the former kingdom of Ladakh. On the way, we overcome four passes, all around 5,000 meters above sea level. We spend the last week in Ladakh, riding in the west to Kargil, in the north over the Kardung-La into the Nubra Valley, the valley of flowers, and in the east to the Pangong Lake, through which the border to China runs. Here we spend the highest night of our trip in a stationary tented camp at 4,200 meters above sea level. Back in Leh we board the plane to Delhi, enjoy another dinner together, and then we head back home.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival

The time has come. The time of waiting and anticipation is over. All preparations are done. The adventure can begin. With the plane, you start in the direction of the east.

We wish you a good flight

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Day 2: Transfer to Chandigarh

You have spent the first, albeit short, night in India. After breakfast, we leave for Chandigarh. After about eight hours of ride by cab or minibus, we reach our destination. Here, our Royal Enfield Classic or Himalayan will be waiting for you.

One more sleep and off we go.

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Day 3: From Chandigarh to Shimla / approx. 135 km

We get on our motorcycles for the first time. After only a few kilometers we leave the plain and it goes briskly uphill.

Welcome to the foothills of the Himalayas.

Shimla is an old "hill station". Here the British and Indians moved in the summer when it became unbearably hot in Delhi. The entire government was moved to Shimla. Even today, many buildings remind us of the time of British colonial rule.

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Day 4: From Shimla to Sarahan / approx. 170 km

Now the fun is over. We are heading towards Spiti valley. The first thing we notice is that the road conditions are getting worse. At the latest when we leave the highway and turn towards Sarahan and suddenly find only gravel under the tires, we realize that this trip is not a Sunday afternoon stroll.

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Day 5: From Sarahan to Kalpa / approx. 100 km

Today's route takes us after breakfast always along the Satluj River over adventurous roads to the small village of Kalpa. It is located a bit off the highway at over 2,700 meters. We are now in the world of the Tibetan Buddhist-influenced part of India. In Kalpa, we still find some of the wooden houses built in the old Tibetan style. The temple, which is over 1000 years old, became a victim of the flames in 1959. The inhabitants built a new temple on their own in the same place. If the weather cooperates, from Kalpa we have a great view of the Kinner Kailash, the holy mountain of the Hindus and Buddhists.

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Day 6: From Kalpa to Nako / approx. 140 km

Now it is getting hairy. The road loses more and more its claim to be called such. Asphalt retreats completely in phases. However, there are also perfectly maintained sections again and again. We have reached the high desert of Spiti and are now accompanied by the Spiti River, which rages in its bed deep below us. Rugged rocks, boulders, and lots of dust dominate the landscape.

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Day 7: From Nako to Kaza / approx. 130 km

We advance further into the Spiti Valley, a cold desert landscape similar to Ladakh and Tibet. Our next stop is Kaza, with about 3200 inhabitants the largest village in Spiti and also the commercial center of this district. Kaza is located on the Spiti River at an altitude of about 3650 meters. Kaza itself is popular with travelers for its relaxed atmosphere (and its German Bakery).

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Day 8: Day trip to the surroundings of Kaza / approx. 85 km

After breakfast, we ride high up to Kibber (4270 m), until recently the highest village in the world with a road and electricity connection. In the meantime, several other villages have challenged it for this position. Nevertheless, this beautiful Tibetan village is worth a visit. Halfway there is Kee (Kye) Monastery, which like so many in the region was built by Zingchen Zangpo. Here you can also admire the room where the 14th Dalai Lama used to stay when he is in the region.

Before heading back to Kaza, we turn our bikes again towards the mountains and take an adventurous route to one of the highest monasteries in India, the Komic Gompa.

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Day 9: From Kaza to Sissu / approx. 155 km

Breakfast. If you believe the popular travel guides, the most difficult road in India is waiting for us today. And indeed, today will be one of the most adventurous of the whole trip. Most of the time the road is only wide enough to accommodate a bus. On one side it goes steeply down and on the other just as steeply up. Fortunately, the Himalayan road builders have provided large parts of the road with good asphalt. But even so, this day is not for people with weak nerves.

The Kunzum Pass, 4551 meters above sea level, separates Spiti from Lahaul. On the other side, after having mastered a not-so-easy water crossing, we will ride a bit towards Keylong. In Sissu, on the lake of the same name, we will stop and spend the night.

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Day 10: From Sissu to Sarchu / approx. 135 km

Today we cross the 5.000 meters mark for the first time. With 5.029 meters the Baralachla comes quite close to the clouds. Our Enfields remain completely unimpressed. They effortlessly follow the winding roads. To the right and left we find nothing but rocks and boulders. We have reached the lunar landscape of Ladakh.

We sleep soundly in a tent camp in Sarchu at 4,250 meters above sea level.

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Day 11: From Sarchu to Leh / approx. 260 km

The longest and by far most exhausting part of our journey lies ahead of us. We pass three passes. In tight hairpin bends, we fight for every meter. A good 60 km before Leh the situation relaxes, the road is in excellent condition, there is vegetation again and the climate becomes friendlier. In the evening we reach our hotel in Leh.

Overnight stay at about 3.500m altitude

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Day 12: Leh

Leh! Once you have acquired a taste for this city, you will not want to leave. The calm, happy equilibrium of the Buddhist population is extremely contagious, and soon the last remnants of stress and hectic fall away from us. Whether walking through the narrow streets of the old town or on an "observation post" in one of the many cafes, relaxing is the order of the day today.

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Day 13: From Leh to Beema in the Dha-Hanu valley / approx. 175 km

Today we leave Leh and embark on a round trip that takes us as far as Kargil in the west. It first takes us to the Dha-Hanu Valley, named after two villages inhabited by direct descendants of the Aryans who migrated over 4,000 years ago. The Brokpas, as this tribe is called, differ in culture and appearance from the other inhabitants of Ladakh by their light skin color and blue eyes. In total, the Brokpas populate five villages in the region, but only two are open to tourists, Dha and Hanu.

There are no hotels or guesthouses, so we spend the night in a stationary tent camp.

Overnight stay at 3,240m altitude

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Day 14: From Beema to Kargil / about 75 km

After breakfast, we continue our journey westward. The landscape is spectacular. Few tourists penetrate this remote part of Ladakh.

The destination of today's ride is Kargil. In Kargil, the Buddhist part of Ladakh ends and we are now in the land of the Muslims. Bearded men and veiled women dominate the street scene. An exciting experience. A walk through the streets of Kargil makes us feel that the cheerful ease of the Buddhists had to give way to the strictness of the Islamic faith. Fortunately, a hotel has finally opened its doors in Kargil, where Western tourists can be accommodated with a clear conscience.

Overnight stay at 2,700m altitude.

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Day 15: From Kargil to Lamayuro / approx. 105 km

Right after breakfast we leave Kargil and are soon back in the land of the Buddhists. Today we will go to Lamayuro. Here we find one of the oldest monasteries of Ladakh. Perched high on a rocky hill, it offers an excellent view of the so-called "Moonland". Around the monastery, on the hill "stick" the houses and huts where the inhabitants of Lamayuro live.

Adventurous stories about the Moonland circulate, about giant strikes and angry gods. In fact, several million years ago, the area was covered by a lake, and after a drain opened, probably as a result of an earthquake, and the water drained away, the whimsical landscape that we can admire today appeared.

Overnight stay at 3,520m altitude.

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Day 16: From Lamayuro to Alchi / about 55 km

In Alchi, there is an old Buddhist monastery known for its beautiful wall paintings. The small town has a very relaxed atmosphere. Those who wish can head to the nearby Rizong Monastery, which has the reputation of being one of the strictest monasteries in Ladakh.

Overnight stay at 3.130m altitude.

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Day 17: From Alchi via Kardung-La to Nubra Valley / approx. 185 km

We cover the short distance to Leh quickly. Then we climb high up. Just behind Leh rises the pass road to the Kardung-La, the highest motorable pass in the world. With a cloudless blue sky and bright sunshine, there is a magnificent view of Leh and the Stok mountain range. At Kardung-La we enjoy tea in the highest tea house in the world and after the obligatory "pass photos" we continue our journey to Diskit in the Nubra Valley.

Overnight stay at 3.180m altitude.

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Day 18: Diskit, Nubra Valley / about 100 km

Today everyone can spend the day as they wish. There are some options. Relaxing with a visit to the monastery of Diskit, camel riding in Hundur (about 30 km), or along the Nubra River to the Valley of Flowers (about 100 km). The km figures refer to round trip.

For dinner, we will meet again in Diskit.

Overnight stay at 3.180m altitude.

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Day 19: From Diskit to Pangong Lake / approx. 160 km

Since recently the road from Diskit directly to Pangong Lake is regularly passable. Only occasionally there are road closures. So we will not, as before, take the detour via Leh, but ride directly to Spangmik.

We have to reckon with the fact that the road is in bad condition in places and that some water crossings will be fun for us, but the overwhelming landscape and the extreme experience will compensate for all inconveniences.

Overnight stay at 4,200m altitude.

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Day 20: From Pangong Lake to Leh / approx. 160 km

On the way back to Leh we have one last pass to cross, the Chang-La, with 17,688 feet (5,391 meters) one of the highest passes in Ladakh. The road conditions around the pass are terrible. The last challenge and a last great pleasure.

We then stop at a few monasteries along the way. On the program are visits to the two most famous Buddhist monasteries in Thikse and Hemis and a visit to the former royal palace in Stok. Back in Leh, we will probably want to just stretch our legs.

Overnight stay at approx. 3.500m altitude.

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Day 21: Leh

Before we start our return journey to Delhi, we spend a relaxing day in Leh. I admit this trip gets in the bones, so a rest day before the long flight home comes in handy.

If you still have enough energy, you can go shopping or, as a tip for the really tough ones, climb up to the palace and monastery. This looks more strenuous than it is, and is rewarded with a great view of the city.

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Day 22: Flight to Delhi

Early in the morning, we fly back to Delhi. Here we have a few hours to visit some highlights. A dinner together will conclude our Spiti-Ladakh cruise.

For Taj Mahal visitors:

All those who have booked the visit to the Taj Mahal after the tour will be picked up directly at the airport and taken by car to Agra

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Day 23: Flight home or visit the Taj Mahal

The adventure comes to an end. Sometime during the night or in the course of the day, your plane will take off for home. Until then you will have a room (check-out approx. 10:00 am) at your disposal in the hotel in Delhi.

For Taj Mahal visitors:

Early in the morning, before sunrise, we go to the Taj Mahal and can admire this amazing marvel of Muslim architecture. Afterward, we will have breakfast at the hotel and ride back to Delhi.

Day 23: Flight home

Now the adventure comes to an end even for the visitors of the Taj Mahal. Sometime during the night or in the course of the day, your plane will take off for home. Until then you will have a room at the hotel in Delhi (check-out at 10:00 am).

We would be happy to welcome you soon on one of our other trips to "Incredible India", maybe in the desert state of Rajasthan or in tropical Kerala.