LEH – KHARDUNG LA – NUBRA VALLEY – PANAMIK – HUNDER – DISKIT – DOUBLE HUMP CAMEL – SHYOK RIVER – TURTUK – PANGONG TSO – HANLE – UMLING LA – TSOMORIRI –KORZOK VILLAGE – POLOKONKO LA – TSOKAR – TANGLANG LA
We welcome you with us to ride on the Highway to Paradise. It’s a test that every biker would like to pass. It is indeed a pilgrimage for bikers. This is the business of taming the mountains of harsh cold desert, dealing with low oxygen levels, and incline lift through extremely bad narrow roads with several hell freezing water crossings. Yet it is motorable, we must negotiate one snowbound high altitude mountain pass then another, and then the other. It is called the land of passes. Nothing can be more thrilling for a biker than conquering the three highest motor-able passes in the world (Highest Pass Khardung la pass –5570 M / 18,380 Feet) in a single expedition. This tour will lead you into the valley of gods “The Last Shangri La – LEH” where mind and nature unify, the unique blend of greenery and cold barren desert mesmerizes and all the tiredness of ages evaporates. Ladakh is a land of mythical beauty; a land where vividly colored mountains and mighty snow-clad peaks are crisscrossed by gurgling streams originating from milky glaciers. Nubra Valley. Along the eastern ridge of the Karakoram Range in northern Ladakh is the Nubra valley comprising of the upper Shayok and Nubra river valleys. The trekking route to this area is demanding and traverses the Kardung-la pass along the ancient trade route from Leh to Central Asia. It is the highest motorable road in the world! The breathtaking view from the pass surveys an entire length of the Indus valley in the south and a magnificent panorama of snow-clad peaks. No less interesting are the friendly and simple inhabitants of Ladakh, living with scarce resources in an inhospitable region, they always astonish a traveler with their ineffable hospitality. The contagious smile of the rosy-cheeked Mongolian-faced inhabitants shall make us forget our body aches from riding. The CHANGTANG is the name given to the captivating high altitude plateaus of Western Tibet, an extensive area that sits at an average elevation of 4500 to 5000 meters and is inhabited by such rare species as the ‘chiru’ (Tibetan antelope), ‘kyang’ (wild Tibetan ass) and blue sheep. This remote and fabled region is peopled by Changpas, the traditional traders of the Changtang, who have wandered these high pastures in true ‘caravan’ style with their ‘gurs’ (nomad tents) and flocks of pashmina goats and sheep for centuries. This traditionally Tibetan region lies in part in the Indian Himalaya, although the culture remains purely Tibetan. The main three lakes of Ladakh Pangong Tso, Tsomoriri & Tsokar lies in Changthang & Rupshu Valley.
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in DELHI
We will meet you at Delhi Airport and transfer you to your Hotel. Because fellow group members may be arriving on different flights, we will wait to meet the fellow group members on the next day at the breakfast table and the staff at the dinner table.
Day 2
DELHI – LEH
Today we rise very early to board our flight to Leh. On arrival in Leh, we will be transferred to our hotel, and the rest of the day is free for acclimatization.
Day 3
At LEH
Post breakfast we’ll hold a briefing to cover safety precautions, touring style, road conditions, and check of personal equipment, with time to select our bikes and become familiar with starting procedures, control layouts, and bike handling. A trial day visiting the Shey Palace, Hemis, and Thiksey Monasteries.
Day 4
LEH – KHARDUNG LA (5359 M / 17575 FT) – NUBRA VALLEY. (3030 M / 10000 FT) (130 KMS / 5 – 6 HRS)
The day you’ve been waiting for. Conditions permitting, we’ll ride the 26.5 km to the highest motorable pass on Earth, Khardung-La. After the last 14 km of rocky road, we will join an elite handful of motorcyclists that have stood on the top of the world! The views over the mountains of Tibet to the north, the Karakoram Range, K-2, and back down to the Indus Valley and Zanskar are simply indescribable! Post lunch visit the Oldest Monastery of Nubra Valley – Diskit and riding the Bactrian Double Hump Camels through the sand dunes of Hunder.
Day 5
AT NUBRA VALLEY. DISKIT – SASOMA – DISKIT (140 Kms / Full Day)
Post breakfast a day excursion ride to Sasoma (10000 FT) – the last village permitted to foreigners on the road to Siachan Glacier (World Highest Battle Ground) via Yarab Tso Lake – Hidden lake. .
Today we will do a day excursion to Turtuk Village the northernmost village of India on the border of India and Pakistan. We will have lunch in the Balti Village with the Balti people.
Day 7
DISKIT – PANGONG TSO. (4240 M / 13900 FT)
via Shyok (170 Kms / 6 – 7 Hrs). O/n Homestay. The road is good with few patches of gravel. We will ride following the Shyok river, crossing the river at Shyok village and further riding through Indian army settlements towards the Indo – Tibetan border. O/n Village Homestay.
Day 8
PANGONG TSO – HANLE. (4300 M / 14100 FT)
(200 Kms / 7 – 8 Hrs). Newly open road for foreigners in 2022. VIA Kaksang La (17800 FT) beautiful road with 2 lakes. Today the road is almost good till we approach Hanle Village, Officially permitted for Tourist in 2023. O/n Village Homestay / Camp.
Day 9
HANLE – UMLING LA (5883 M / 19300 FT) – HANLE
(150 Kms / 7 – 8 Hrs). Today we will do a day excursion ride to the Highest Pass in the World – Umling La. O/n Village Homestay / Camp.
Day 10
HANLE – TSOMORIRI (4600 M / 15000 FT)
(150 Kms / 6 – 7 Hrs). Today we will ride to Tsomoriri Lake, En route photo stops at Kyagar Tso Lake and lunch at Sumdo. O/n Village Homestay / Camp.
Day 11
TSOMORIRI – POLOKONKO LA (4900 M / 16170 FT) – TSOKAR (4530 M / 14950 FT) TANGLANG LA (5330 M / 17582 FT) – LEH (3600 M / 11880FT) (230 KMS / 8 – 7 HRS)
Today we wake up in front of the Tsomoriri Lake shimmering turquoise after breakfast we ride on bone-dry trails through desert valleys – it’s time to eat some dust! Our ride takes us past sulfur springs and over the windswept, Pologonka Pass. We will have lunch at TsokarSalt Lake, a nature reserve and home of the shy wild mongoose and rare birds.Post lunch we will ride on the Tibetan Plateau and what is called the More Plains, 44 km of a wide valley filled with nomads, yaks, and Skyang – wild Tibetan ass, flat as a table, with massive glacial peaks either side. Today is our last day of riding in the mighty Himalayas. We will ride up to the world’s second-highest road pass, the Tanglang La. The leisurely ascent is a spectacular motorcycle ride through a rugged gorge, descending nearly 2,000 meters to the Indus River.
Day 12
AT LEH.(3600 M / 11880FT).
Day at Leisure to explore the local market.
Day 13
LEH – DELHI.
Early morning transfer to the Airport to board the flight to Delhi.
Day 14
DELHI
Transfer to the Airport to board the flight back home.
Cost Includes:
Royal Enfield Standard 500cc / Himalayan 411cc / Himalayan Scram 411cc
Spare parts for the bikes
Support Vehicle for luggage
Toyota Innova / Small Bus
Mechanic
English Speaking Road captain / Tour guide
Fuel & Oil
First Aid Equipment
Breakfast, Lunch, dinner
Hotels 3*/ Heritage
Fixed Camp
Delhi – Leh – Delhi Flight Tickets
Inner Line Permit
Oxygen in the unlikely event of altitude sickness
Cost Does Not Include:
Any part broken while riding will be payable extra
The expense of personal nature viz laundry, telephone calls, tips, mineral water, beverages, etc
Expense arises due to unforeseen circumstances like roadblocks, landslides, flight cancellation, etc