“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware.”
Go to Ladakh once and I promise, you will never come back. Call it the ‘Moon City‘ or ‘The Land of High Passes‘, this land will engulf you and it will dazzle you for the rest of your life. Surreal landscapes, clear skies, moon-like lifeless terrains, azure lakes, spiritual monasteries, adrenaline-inducing adventure sports, the most colourful Ladakhi festivals, mouth-watering vernacular cuisines, pleasant weather, local handicrafts, exotic wildlife… the list is unending! But do you really need any more reasons to pack your bags and escape the summer heat to take this trip to Ladakh?
Praised globally as the most adventurous tourist spot in North India, this landlocked region is situated at a height of 3,000 metres above sea level between the mighty Karakorum and Himalayan mountain ranges. The mighty Himalayas create a rain shadow, making Ladakh a high altitude cold desert. Astonishingly though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun so intense that a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade can suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time!
Getting to Leh:
There’s the easy, quick approach to just catch a flight from Delhi, Srinagar or Jammu and land at the Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpoche Airport. But the real exuberance and fulfilment are in the journey itself and not in reaching the destination. So, the best way to get there is the truly exhilarating, fun-packed, intoxicating road journey from Manali to Leh. This high road traverses the upland desert plateau of Rupsho. It is flanked by mountain ranges on both sides featuring some stunning sand and rock natural formations. A number of high passes fall enroute among which, Tanglang-La is the world’s second highest motorable pass at an altitude of 17,480 feet/5,328m.
This two-day journey through the 478km highway will give you enough time to savour the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious surprises that Ladakh has in store for you.
On the Manali to Leh road trip, you will traverse through high mountain passes, hair pin bends and scenic valleys which will leave you mesmerized and give you ample opportunities to capture in photographs the jaw-dropping views.
The journey starts from Manali, driving through the lush green and foggy Rohtang Pass (3980m). The landscape surprisingly changes into the rugged brown of the palpable desert as you cross the villages of Lahaul with prayer flags on their roofs.
In total you cross 5 high latitude passes on the Mali-Leh highway, with second one being the Baralcha La (4,890 m), acting as the divide between the lush Lahaul Valley and the barren cold desert of Ladakh.
Baralacha la at 4,890 meters
Crossing the Baralacha La, you head to a small town called Sarchu. it has small establishments where you can stay for the night.
Across the Brandy bridge
There’s a Whiskey Bridge here as well!
Continuing your journey, you’ll climb the 21 hairpin bends of Gata Loops to the third high altitude pass of the journey – Nakee La at 4,740 meters.
Soon after Nakee La, you cross the fourth one – Lachulung la (5,059 meters). After crossing Lachulung La, lie the long flats of Moray Plains before you again start climbing for Tanglang la.
Moray Plains
Tanglang la is the second highest motorable pass in the world at 5,328 meters
At Tanglang La
From Tanglang La, the distance to Leh is 108 km. Through this last stretch of your journey, you will find small villages and green fields and kids saying ‘Julley!’ – a greeting in the Ladakhi language.
Pangong Tso
Atop the world – Khardung La
If you want to experience this ultimate adventure yourself, have a look at our Manali Leh Road Trip – The Highway Through the Sky!!