Your two week motorcycle adventure on the new Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle in the Himalayas of Ladakh is designed in such a way that you spend all of your riding time in the Himalayan mountains and none on heavily trafficked highways. All night halts will be at well-appointed hotels or campsites with attached toilets. This is one of the semiluxury tours we offer. It is only on these tours that we take unique routes that are not covered in our other tours or by most motorcycle tour companies.
2019 Tour details
Duration: 12 days, Delhi to Leh
Rider: INR 1,89,000
Pillion: INR 1,79,000
Booking amount: INR 50,000
Bookings for the tour close once the required number of riders is met
Tour Price inclusions
- Air-conditioned Bus transfer between Delhi & Manali
- Stay on twin-sharing basis in hotels / swiss tents / homestays
- Royal Enfield Himalayan 411cc motorcycle
- Fuel, oil & routine maintenance
- All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) & beverages (bottled water, juices, tea, coffee) on all days
- Experienced English speaking road captain
- Support vehicle for carrying luggage and other essentials
- Mechanic throughout the tour
- Transportation to and from local sight-seeing to select locations
- All tolls / entry fees
- Airport transfer in Leh
Tour price exclusions
- Applicable Government GST Tax
- Your return travel / flight from Leh
- Your food and accommodation in Delhi
- Airport transfers in Delhi
- Alcoholic beverages
- Travel insurance
- Optional single occupancy add-on INR 50,000
- Anything not mentioned in the Inclusions section.
2019 Tour Status
- DL: Aug 5 to Aug 17 - Available
Day-wise route plan
Arrival in Delhi
Arrive in New Delhi by 8 PM Indian Standard Time. If you wish, we can recommend you hotels in Delhi according to your budget.
Bus ride from Delhi to Manali
Since Manali lacks a proper airport and because it would be a waste of time to ride the traffic snarled 390 odd miles (625 kms) from Delhi to Manali, you're taken to Manali in an air-conditioned bus with your co-riders. We check into a hotel after a 15 hour journey and your acclimatization to high altitude starts from this day, in the Himalayan hills of Manali.
Getting used to the motorcycles in Manali
In the morning the road captain briefs you on the entire tour and day-wise ride plan. Maps and information on places that we are travelling to are given to you along with a tank bag. After the briefing, you are taken on a ride so you get comfortable with riding the motorcycle in India. Here, we ride on the left side of the road. The ride would be on smooth roads and also on dirt tracks, giving you a feel of the adventure in store for you. This day, we want you to get the hang of riding a Royal Enfield on the varied terrain of the Himalayas and be ready for the ride of your life. If you need any adjustments to be done, the mechanic can take care of it once we return to the hotel.
Manali to Tandi
This is the day that you have been waiting for. You wake up early in the morning to ride on the world's highest road - the Manali-Leh highway. As soon as you leave Manali, the climb for the 13051 feet high Rohtang Pass starts. After about 32 miles (52 kms) of continuous ascent amidst lush green Himalayan mountains and roadside waterfalls, you reach Rohtang Pass. After Rohtang, the road descends into the Chandra valley, passing through Khoksar and on to Tandi. Your stay is in bamboo cottages overlooking the confluence of the Chandra and Bagha rivers.
Tandi to Sarchu
This day, it's adventure with a capital A, what with bad roads, streams, freezing temperatures, small mountain lakes and breathtaking landscapes. To reach Sarchu, you cross your second high altitude pass - Baralach La - at 16,500 feet.
The whole Manali-Leh highway experience is about riding up and down from one high-altitude Himalayan pass to another. After the descent from Baralach La pass, the landscape opens up and you will be in the plains of Sarchu. Since Sarchu is snowbound for most of the year, there are no permanent structures here, so you stay in Swiss tents with attached toilets.
Sarchu to Tso Kar lake
The best ride on the Manali-Leh highway starts after Sarchu. After Sarchu, the state of Jammu and Kashmir starts. You ride on the Gata Loops - a succession of 21 hair pin bends - that lift you 1,500 feet higher. And soon after, the Lachlung La (16,616 feet) and Nakee La (15,547 feet) passes follow before you reach the More Plains, a 26 mile (42 km) extension of the Changthang plateau. At More plains, you cut across to a dirt and sandy track on your right leading you to the Tso kar lake. The Tso Kar basin has kilometers of meadows and marshy land. It has both a fresh water and a brackish lake, several natural springs and streams. Tso Kar is also used by a lot of migratory birds as their breeding ground. Apart from its sheer beauty, Tso Kar basin is also a very important region for the Indian and Tibetan nomads who live here in the winter months. Your camp resort for today is close to one such nomadic campsite of Pongunagu.
Tso Kar Lake to Leh
You leave early in the morning for the much awaited part of the ride. You retrace the 30 km stretch back to More plains on the Manali - Leh Highway. From here you ride up and down the second highest motorable pass Taglang La (at 17,582 feet).This descends to a beautiful stretch of road alongside the majestic Indus river which leads you to the ancient city of Leh.
Leh rest day
Today you take a breather from the grueling ride. After a half day's rest you explore various parts of Leh, such as the Namgyal Palace, Tibetan market and the Shanti Stupa.
Leh to Pangong Tso lake
Arguably the most breathtaking region of Ladakh, the 18,500 square mile (30,000 sq km) Changthang Plateau, is where you ride to on this day. Changthang is a unique landscape compared to to other parts of Ladakh. Its great plains have some of the most majestic grasslands and meadows in the world. But to reach Changthang, you have a long and steep ride through the third highest motorable pass in the world, the Chang La pass at 17,586 feet. After the descent from Chang La, the magical plains of Changthang open up and you will see nomads with their flocks of yak, sheep and goat on the various grasslands.
But the real treat is the 84 mile (135 km) long Pangong Tso lake. A lot of migratory birds come here during this time of the year. Today, you stay with a Ladakhi family as their house guests. Home-stay is a concept developed by the Ladakh authorities wherein locals are empowered through tourism. The home-stay will be on the banks of the Pangong Tso lake and you are treated to traditional Ladakhi and Tibetan cuisine.
Pangong Tso lake to Hunder
Today we ride on one of the remotest route of Ladakh made especially for the Indian Army, which connects Pangong lake to Nubra Valley bypassing Leh. This route was washed away in a cloudburst in 2010. Parts of it are still not rebuilt. With various stream crossings, riding on dry riverbeds, smooth tarmac and switchbacks, it truly is a religious experience for an adventure rider.
Hunder to Sumoor
Today we take a short ride of 35 km to another beautiful village in Nubra Valley, called Sumoor. After checking in to the hotel, we visit the famous sand dunes, as well as the hot springs in Panamik. This will be a unique experience and will rejuvenate you from the fatigue of the tour.
Sumoor to Leh
Today, you take the road to the highest motorable pass in the world - Khardung La - at 18,380 feet. In spite of the altitude, today you ride on some of the smoothest roads so far and the landscape also becomes grand. After a steep and tough ascend and celebrations at Khardung La pass, you descend back towards Leh.
Fly out from Leh
Today is the day to bid farewell to the Himalayas and your riding buddies and head home after a ride of a lifetime.
