Royal Enfield motorcycles demand respect. Now I know the reason why. Stark blue skies, barren landscape, the so called roads made of stones and sand, at 12,000ft above msl, riding your beloved Royal Enfield, there you stand, atop one of the world’s most beautiful places. No, I am not talking about Ladakh. Welcome to Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, the lesser known of the destinations.
The sound of Royal Enfield motorcycles still resonates in my ears, long after the ride is done, where those are the only bikes that can sustain the harsh terrain. Are they made of “Valyrian steel” ? was a question that came to my mind umpteen times as I rode through ascending and descending paths (yes, paths and not roads) of sand, stones, water crossings, mud, dirt and what not. This is a story of two friends, amateur bikers, riding all the way from Mumbai to Spiti valley and back. A 2-week, 5458 km road trip on a RE Classic 350 and a RE Thunderbird 350. Yes we were mad enough to do such a thing. But only true bikers will understand the meaning of taking such a road trip.
click here to read the full story - Highway To Heaven – Road Trip To Spiti
Shorter version -
Day 1 - Mumbai - Baroda- Ahmedabad - 569 kilometers
Day 2 - Ahmedabad - Udaipur - Jaipur - 766 kilometers
Day 3 - Jaipur - Gurgaon - Delhi - 310 kilometers
Day 4 - Delhi (servicing and break) - 60 kilometers
Day 5 - Delhi - Chandigarh - Shimla - 360 kilometers
Day 6 - Shimla - Rampur - Sangla - 210 kilometers
Day 7 - Sangla - Chhitkul - Sangla - Reckong Peo - Kalpa - 136 kilometers
Day 8 - Kalpa - Reckong Peo - Nako - Tabo - 184 kilometers
Day 9 - Tabo - Kaza - Langza - Kaza - 124 kilometers
Day 10 - Kaza - Lossar - Kunzom Pass - Chandrataal Lake - 148 kilometers
Day 11 - Chandrataal Lake - Batal - Manali - 137 kilometers
Day 12 - Manali - Kullu - Delhi - 656 kilometers
Day 13 - Delhi - Jaipur - 303 kilometers
Day 14 - Jaipur - Pali - Ahmedabad - 774 kilometers
Day 15 - Ahmedabad - Baroda - Vapi - Mumbai - Home
Happy riding :D