Leh Manali Highway

Rohtang Pass is also a haven for adventure activities like mountain biking and skiing.

Rohtang Pass and Baralacha La received their first snowfall of the season on Friday. The roads have become slippery due to frost and this is likely to bear more problems in the coming days. In the wake of these events, the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has put a halt on its bus service on the Manali-Leh Highway.A similar incident of unexpected snowfall had left over 4,000 tourists stranded in Lahaul-Spiti last year in September. Thus, the decision to suspend the bus service is well thought of and issued in the interest of public’s safety.

Our crazy road trip had just started ,we had to go beyond all the mountains shown in the picture above .I constantly asked our driver Tanzin ,how do you drive in such narrow roads so accurately .The terrain is beautiful but scary .The adventurous roadtrips had many ups and downs .Obviously it is not going to be an easy ride to heaven .Our first hiccup was the popular 'Ganda Nala'.The vehicles waited in a queue ,as every other car or truck was getting stuck in the submerged road .Our driver Tanzin was used to such things .he told us to get down and enjoy the show .He guided other drivers on how to get through this .Here are a few glimpses.The air was getting colder,the wind was getting stronger and the views were getting better and better .There were no concrete roads so we were advised to close the windows to avoid dust .After travelling for another hour we halted for tea .The journey to one of the most beautiful places on earth was not easy ,with twists and turns at every minute the roadtrip was tiring and drenching .We finally reached the place I had heard about as the best dhaba for having the local food on the way to Kaza .It was called the Chacha Chachi Dhaba ,ironically both chacha and chachi were present at the dhaba .I tried the local rajma rice and roti and a bowl of maggi here.After a great lunch are next stop would be after entering the majestic Spiti valley .Our bodies got used to the jerks ,the cold air and dust blowing ,it was as if we had spent 10 days here and we belonged here ,the feeling was amazing .Our next stop was an amazing and beautiful pass .It was the place which connects Kullu and Lahaul valley to Spiti valley ,The popular Chandratal lake is just 15 kms away from here.Enriched with natural beauty this part of India is one the most eye catching locations in the world .After clicking a lot of pictures ,we were tired and waiting for our destination .It was all going good until one last nala .This one is called Pagal nala .It is one of the most dangerous nala's in the valley .They say Spiti does not have any particular road ,local drivers like tanzin make their own way and seep through .Confident as usual Tanzin drove through the Pagal nala and bang we were stuck .Because it was late afternoon ,the snow had melted a lot so the water currents had a lot of speed and the worst part was that the amount of water was increasing .Tanzin asked us to get down and push the Tempo .We got down and thought it might work .But as soon as we stepped the water current ,our feet were freezed .The water being generated from snow had to be extremely cold.The worst part was ,there was no one and we could not push the tempo further .It was freezing .The tire was getting submerged more and more .Tanzin waited for sometime and there was some help after half an hour .The local drivers saw us stuck and came to our aid .The along with Tanzin had a plan ,they first changed the flow of water by adding heavy rocks .The clean up the stones near the back tires .After doing this they created a path for another tempo traveller to go ahead of us .Once he went ahead he tied us with a rope and the most adventurous path of our rescue was finally working .With over an hour spent ,we were finally rescued .Tanzin and the other local drivers waited there to help all the people who were coming by the same path .I will uploading a youtube video of the rescue operation.After a tiring day ,we finally managed to beat the changing weather ,the threatening waterfalls to enter our destination.Yes it was time to enter SPITI VALLEY!From snow capped to mountains,to lush green fields,from cold desserts to majestic lakes .Spiti valley gives you experiences like no other location in the world .It is a separate world altogether.After a journey of a lifetime with ups and downs we finally reached to the valley of beautiful landscapes ,a place with warm hearted people and views you can never forget .Kaza the main town of Spiti valley.Our mobiles network were not working ,the oxygen level had dropped and the experience of entering a place with amazing landscapes was just about to begin.The homestay where we stayed was called Solo Yolo .On reaching I rested and made myself rejuvenated for the trip ahead .My next blog will be about the wonderful places I visited the next day ..Stay tuned ..

As the influx of tourists is on the rise in hill stations, long jams have become a common sight in the otherwise sparsely populated places. On June 16th, the Manali-Leh Highway witnessed a massive traffic jam that stretched for four kilometres.For hours, vehicles stood stationary with people waiting for the roads to clear.As North India continues to reel under massive heatwave with mercury rising as high as 45 degree Celsius, tourists are flocking to hills to get respite from the scorching heat.This is not just the case of Manali but similar traffic jams were also witnessed in other mountainous tourist spots.The administration has come up with a solution to tackle the issue of traffic jam in Manali by enforcing one-way traffic system in the town. Besides, there will be volunteers to manage traffic passing to Rohtang Pass to help decongest and clear the roads.Officials believe that this would force people to drive some extra distance and help reduce jam. The vehicles will be able to enter Manali via the National Highway only from the south side, and entry from other roads has been prohibited.Share your travel experiences with Tripoto community here.Get travel inspiration from us daily! Save our number and send a Whatsapp message on 9599147110 to begin!Frequent Searches Leading To This Page:-leh ladakh bike trip packages, manali leh srinagar tour package from delhi, budget trip packages for group to leh, things to do in leh, leh ladakh tour packages itinerary, leh ladakh road trip packages manali to leh tour package