We're back again, and this time our journey takes us from Delhi to Manali and then through Rohtang pass to Leh, Ladakh.
On the way back, we circled back from Leh - Sonamarg - Srinagar - Pathankot, Jalandhar, Chandigarh Delhi.
If you love Offroading and dreamt of an adventurous vacation, driving on this route should be on the top of your mind.
So sit back and relax and watch the specially curated ten episodes of our Leh Ladakh journey only streaming on Etc Fun Unlimited. https://youtu.be/hrB-a5yWJUs
Drive Begins - Delhi to Manali and Keylong:
Being a Pro driver, we drove a distance of 603 kilometers from Delhi to Manali and reached by the afternoon and got the onward pass from the SDM's office at Manali driving across Rohtang Pass and took a final halt for the day at around 8 p.m. at Keylong; we drove for 15 hours this day.
The next day we started by 8 a.m. from Keylong to Kokhsar and from Kokhsar to Sissu, followed by Tandi. From Tandi – Keylong and then from Keylong – Jispa, Jispa – Darcha. From Darcha – Sumdo – Zingzingbar – Baralacha La – Bharatpur – Sarchu to Gata Loops with 21 hairpin bends and opens your way to Nakeela – Lachulung La – Pang. From Pang, the road seems to be more hospitable, and you can pick up the pace on mettled roads of More Plains – Tanglang La – Gya – Upshi, all the way to Karu finally reaching Leh city after 12 hours at 8 p.m.
Leh to Srinagar - Delhi:
We choose to drive our way back home through Jammu and Kashmir, and this brought us in connection another famous stretch of the road most loved by the bikers from Leh to Delhi covering the Gurudwara Sri Pathar Sahib, Magnetic Hill, Confluence of Indus and Zanskar, the amazing Moonland followed by Fotula top at the height of 13479 feet and this being the highest point on the Srinagar Leh road. The turns lead via Batalik to Kargil, where India won the historic victory over Pakistan. On the way to Drass, we also visited the Kargil War Memorial, dedicated to the Kargil war martyrs. We also saw Drass, where winter temperature drops as low as -60 degrees, which is the lowest in the world. Finally, we called it a day at Sonamarg after crossing the treacherous Zojilla Pass. Our group stayed at Narendra Mohan Hotel, which was just across the Sonamarg Taxi stand, and rooms were as cheap as Rs.650 with hot water and cable Television. Can you believe it?? The next day we drove at a stretch from Sonamarg to New Delhi, a total distance of 922 kilometers which took us 22 hours, the longest I have ever driven in my entire life. Prime points of interest on the Sonamarg to New Delhi route are Srinagar, Gulmarg, Banihal NH1, the famous Jawahar Tunnel on the Pir Panjal range. We reached Pathankot around 9 p.m. For dinner. From this point, the journey becomes more accessible along the route of Pathankot - Jalandhar - Chandigarh - Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Sonipat, and finally reaching our home at Delhi.
