2) Breakfast - After a 4hrs ride at 8AM , we reached Kurukshetra. Stopped at a Dhaba for breakfast had a Aloo Pyaaz Paratha and Tea (230/- for 2 ppl) and left for the journey ahead.
3) Lunch Break - The next stop we took was after 6hrs non-stop ride. The ride was mix of Ghats and planes roads. On the way I could see beautiful Canals and farms on both the sides. We crossed some towns like Ambala , Rajpura , Rupnagar which falls in Punjab. Also crossed Ghanauli , Swarghat , Nauni , Bilaspur in Himachal to reach our next stop for Lunch which is in a village called Barota Jatan near Ghaghas on NH21. Lunch Mutter Panner and Rotis (290/- for 2ppl)
4) Tea Break - Bhuntar - Bhuntar is a town were the new airport of Kullu-Manali has been developed. The airport has flights operating from Chandigarh and Delhi. After a 4 hrs ride in Ghats, took a break in Bhuntar. Note: We took this route which should be a strict N0 No for at least next 2-3 Yrs as the entire route in under construction. Route - Ghaghas - Ner Chowk - Mandi - Lihana - Tihri - Bajaura - Bhuntar. Instead of this route please take the below route - Ghaghas -Ner Chowk - Mandi - Pandoh - Banala - Bajaura - Bhuntar This is route is around 20mins longer but the road is excellent. I had to take a stop here as the route i came from was very bad otherwise in an hours time we would have reached Kullu. The map will show the 1st route as 3hrs but It will easily take an hour or 2 more because of road condition.
5) Kullu - After 1hr drive from the Bhuntar Airport we reached Kullu Town. The reason to stay back in Kullu instead of Manali was to get the Covid RTPCR testing done for Leh Ladhak entry as Kullu is the only place where you can get it done enroute. We checked-in to the Hotel Shobla Royale at 8PM. The hotel is in the centre of Kullu Town , we rested for sometime had a shower and stepped downstairs to go around Kullu. We were back in an hour had drinks , dinner and were off to bed. (Hotel 1800/- per night 2ppl)
1) We got up at 8AM. Got ready had our breakfast and went to the Govt. Hospital in Kullu for Covid testing. We wanted to do the test in Kullu as it is compulsory to have RTPCR -ve report in Leh Ladhak within 48hrs before entering Leh. So, we thought we would test here and while on the way to Leh we should get the reports. However, it turned out it takes 48hrs in Kullu to get the report which has to be physically collected. So, we thought of chucking the Leh trip and continue our Himachal trip rather than wasting 2-3 days in Kullu. We refuelled our bikes and left Kullu.
2) Manali - 1Hr ride from Kullu and we were in Manali. We directly headed to Mall Road in Manali as we had to buy some SD cards for GOPRO and Mall road is also one of the tourist attractions. From Mall Road we went to Old Manali were most of the cafes and historical temples are located. We 1st visited Hadimba Temple which is an ancient cave temple. Hidimba devi was Bhima's wife as per mahabharata scriptures. From their we visited The Lazy Dog Lounge which is one of the coolest cafes in Manali with a nice view, good food. We had couple of beers and our lunch here.
3)Atal Tunnel - Worlds Longest Tunnel - We decided not to stay back in Manali that day as we were suppose to come back in Manali on the 4th or 5th day of the journey. The roads from Kullu till Leh are excellent and we were enjoying our bike ride. An hour ride from Manali and we reached Rohtang. Before the tunnel was built the Rohtang crossing use to take 5-6 hours ride which has now reduced to 10-15mins + It used to be closed for 6-7 months in a year now the tunnel has enabled people to travel 24*7. Riding in the worlds longest tunnel , the feel was amazing and the moment you get to the other side of the tunnel, You can immediately feel the difference in View, Nature , Trees , Air , Terrain.
4) Ride till Jispa - Once you reach the other side of the tunnel you can see the change in the terrain and as you moved ahead you can see terrain changing into a cold desert. We continued our ride ahead and went past beautiful villages like Sissu which has amazing golden yellow trees on both sides of the road , Raling , Keylong & Jispa. In Keylong we refuelled our tanks as the next fuel station was 328 kms ahead. We went till Jispa and returned to Keylong by 5PM for our night stay.
5) Keylong - We reached Keylong at 5:15PM. Explored the town for a bit and then checked-in to our hotel. Hotel Gyespa is a small hotel in the town of Keylong with 10-12 Rooms all facing the valley. The rooms are small but tidy, washrooms are clean , excellent view and No room service. There is nothing more you can expect from a small town hotel. We enjoyed our time over the drinks in the veranda along with hotel owner and as the evening was getting darker the temperature fell to -2 °celsius. For dinner we got parcel from the local restaurant downstairs. (Hotel Gyespa - 800/- per night for 2 ppl. Owners phone no. 94181 33522)
6) At night around 3AM my friend started facing breathing issue due to the height. We were at 11000 Sq.ft. above sea level. He had a terrible experience of Acute Mountain Sickness. We waited till morning hours to check if he feels OK. But, we had to take a decision to return to a lower height.
1) Breakfast - We left Keylong at 10AM. On our way back we visited the Tupchiling Gompa. From this place you can also we sangam of Chenab & Bhag river. The Gompa is beautiful and peaceful place to visit there are 2 more gompas on the same road if you move ahead Lama Gompa and Guru Ghantal gompa.
3) Paragliding - We passed the Atal Tunnel and stopped at Solang Ropeway and Ski Centre. From here you can take a paragliding ride. You will get 2 options Short and Long. So, select Long as short is nothing but a less than a 1 min ride. In Long ride they will take you by car to Gulaba which is India's highest point of Paragliding. From Gulaba your ride will start and after 30-40mins depending on the winds you will reach Solang Ropeway & Ski centre again. The ride is awesome and for me this was one of the best paraglide ride I ever had on the ride I could see I am above the Rohtang Peak on the left, I could see waterfalls under me , in front I could see the entire Solang valley and below me I could see Horses running in the jungle. The site of all of these was mesmerising. I made a short video on my phone during the last 5-7 mins as for the first 30mins it was very windy and I didn't want to lose my phone. (Paragliding 3500/- Per Person)
4) We reached back in Manali at 4PM. Checked-in to the Hotel Keys Lite Apple Nest. The hotel is 3Kms away from the main town in a peaceful area. The view is good if not excellent , the rooms are clean, tidy and serves value for money at (1200/- per night for 2 ppl). My friend rested at the hotel for sometime as he was still recovering breathing issue.
5) After resting for sometime. We went back to Lazy Dog lounge this time during the dark. The place was still Lit we had drinks and dinner and were back by 1030PM.
1) Breakfast - We had breakfast at the hotel and left at 10AM. Had a quick 30mins stop for bike servicing checks as we had already driven for 1000Kms.
2) The road from Manali to Kasol is scenic and the roads are in pretty good condition. We took a 10mins tea break after 2hrs ride in Sarsadi.
3) Kasol -Lunch - Moon Dance Cafe - At 2PM we reached Kasol and we straight away head for lunch at Moon Dance Cafe which is the best cafe for lunch here in Kasol. We had couple of beers and lunch , we also wanted to search for a hotel yet. So, we did our research sitting in the cafe.
4) Checkin Hotel - 4PM - Hotel Royal Palace, Kasol the hotel is good, rooms are spacious , neat , tidy , big washrooms , Balcony with amazing view of river and mountains, good food, the terrace is well equipped with bonfire, barbeque. Overall the hotel was really good at (2500/- per night for 2 ppl)
5) After checkin we stepped down to a cafe which was like 50 mts. from our room. The cafe was spacious , cozy and had an excellent location right on the river front. I spent sometime on the river bank and then headed to the cafe.
6) Spent few hours in the cafe. The name of the cafe is Mushroom Cafe. However, you can find the location on map with WoodRose cafe.
7) We were back in the hotel at 9:30PM . Enjoyed our dinner and nice breeze in the balcony.
1) We got up at 8AM had breakfast and headed to Manikaran which was 10-15mins from our hotel. Manikaran is known for its Hot Water Springs and Manikaran Gurudwara.
2) Hot Water Springs - In Manikaran to enjoy the hot water springs there are 2 ways 1 is in the Manikaran Gurudwara itself so you can take a dip in it. However, we choose to have a private bath. Once you cross the Gurudwara walk through the Manikaran Village and you will see small boards outside peoples home about Private Hot water springs bath. People in this region have made Pools inside their houses and they rent it out on hourly basis. When you walk through Manikaran you will notice vapours coming out from the roads, footpath and almost everywhere. The water gets naturally recycled as the water is continuously flowing. We hired a private bath for 2 of us at 60/- per hour per person. The experience was amazing.
3) Manikaran Gurudwara - is a prominent place of worship for Sikhs. We visited the gurudwara after our bath. The gurudwara also has its own Hot water springs bath. This place is a must visit for all.
4) We came back at the hotel by 11:30AM. We sat in the balcony enjoying the view after few hours we checked the time and 4 hours had already past. At 3 PM we ordered some lunch.
5) Friends - Few of my friends were visiting Malana during the same time. So, they came to visit us in Kasol. They arrived at 5PM and left the next morning. We had a party at the cafe which was near our hotel itself. The sandwiches at the cafe were amazing and we ended up having 30 of them that night :-P
1) Breakfast - All of us had breakfast together and we left for our own plans ahead.
2) Tosh - At 10AM we left for Tosh. Road to Tosh is OK for the first 12-13Kms but gets worse for the last 5-6kms. It took us more than an hour to cover 18kms - 20kms distance. We spent around 2-3hours in Tosh walking around the village.
3) Lunch - Cafe Him - We stopped by a cafe in Tosh called Cafe Him. It's a camping site + a cafe.
4) We were back at the hotel by 2PM. We rested the entire day with the view to ourselves.
1) Time to leave the mountains. We headed back to Gurgaon, we planned to reach Chandigarh by evening and Gurgoan the next afternoon. We left Kasol at 7AM
2) Lunch - We drove non-stop for just over 9hrs and made our 1st Stop directly in Chandigarh at 4PM.
3) My friend had never been to Chandigarh before. So, after having lunch we went around riding in the city for an hour and then checked-in to the hotel.
4) Check-in - Hotel Orbit - In google it is stated as 4 star hotel. However, it is definitely not a 4 star. But , it wasn't a bad deal at 1200/- per night for 2 ppl. We choose this hotel as it is right next to Tribune Chowk and the straight road from there ends up in Delhi.
2) Breakfast - 1st stop after an hour ride at Aman's hotel for breakfast
Summary - Inclusions Kullu , Manali , Rohtang , Keylong , Kasol , Manikaran and Tosh. Himachal Pradesh is also known as Dev Bhoomi or Abode of Gods because of its beauty and its historical temples which dates back to old scriptures. Below #itinerary is planned in a way that you save time , money while travelling without missing out on anything. #Hotels, #Transport #Restaurants are suggested below. Each and every cost mentioned below is incl. #food , #stay , #ticket, #fuel , #bike . You can choose hotels as per your #budget. My suggestions are based on my budget for the given trip and given day.
1) Start of the Bike Trip - We were 2 people travelling on 2 separate bikes . We started the bike trip from Gurgoan on a Yamaha R15 and Himalayan. Tied the luggage on the pillion seat, wore the safety gear , Filled petrol tank with 10 ltrs (800/-) and Vroom!! We were off to Himachal at 4AM. The aim was to pass the Delhi NCR and the busy Delhi - Chandigarh highway before its 10AM