The Khardungla! - claimed Highest Motorable Road in the World, situated in the northern confines of India’s Ladakh region which beckons every avid automobile buff to take the challenge of driving across. A chance discussion with my wife’s cousin and his enthusiastic yay to the project, started off serious planning to this endeavour and the two families decided to drive to Leh and then across Khardungla. A Self Drive Innova was selected from Autoriders in Delhi, of course with a special surcharge. Both Families reached Delhi on 19th Jul 2014 and spent the day in picking up the car, getting used to it and setting up for the dream destination.
Day-1, 20 Jul 2014 - Manali Beckons:
A nearly 600 km drive called for an early morning departure and 4 AM saw us driving on NH1 with the children fast asleep, the ladies talking, the baggage tied up tightly, and me huddled over the GPS. Passing through some notable places like Panipat, Kurukshetra, Chandigarh, Mandi etc, it was a beautiful drive. A few stops for food, tolls and pleanty of photos later, we pulled into Manali Town at about 1830 hrs.
Day-2, 21 Jul 2014 – Across Rohtang La to Jispa.
One of the biggest worries on this route is the fear of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), and we were all already on a preventative course for this. We were off from Manali to Rohtang Pass by 7 AM. Rohtang literally means “Pile of Corpses”, but the grisly name had no effect on the scenery that was to unfold on this route. Snow-capped peaks, valleys, and waterfalls kept all of us peering through the windows. Things were to change drastically in the next few kilometres. There had been rains and the roads beyond Rohtang La had simply given up. It was slush and rock and the Innova was practising mountain climbing as we negotiated our way towards Khoksar. A landslide added a forced break of nearly an hour while the brave men of BRO (Border Roads Organization) got the roads re-opened. Narrow roads, just about wide enough for a truck with wet clayey mud with steep precipices on the side is stuff of nightmares. Then we crossed Tandi, a tiny little village whose claim to fame is a Fuel Pump Station. What’s so special, you ask? Well there are no more refuelling points after Tandi for the next 365 Kms. So, EVERYBODY stops here! We did too and filled our tanks as well as 2 spare cans that we had.
Day-3, 22 Jul 2014 – Chalo Leh
Jispa is at an altitude of 3320m above sea level and now the climb really became serious. In a short spam of 53 Kms we climbed up 1570m to Baralacha Pass (4890m). Even more than the actual climb it was the high altitude that was affecting us. A short walk or even talking loudly was enough to put us out of breath. Add to that the spectacular beauty of the place and we were all breathless – literally and figuratively. A couple of river crossings which the Innova happily waded through made for some good video and picture footage while the next served to give us a scare as we had to drive through a stream for about 200 meters. There was of course no road by any definition and the sounds of rocks and stones scraping the bottom of the car kept us tense each time. A roller coaster ride is what it was as we came down after Baralacha La and went up the Gata Loops (4190m – 4630m), a series of 21 Hairpin bends complete with a temple dedicated to the resident ghost. Of course we were too chicken not to follow the norm and did offer a bottle of mineral water at the temple as per tradition. In the meantime it was up and onward to Nakheela la (4740m) and even higher to Lachulung la (5079m). It was the first time that any of our group had gone higher than 5000m without an aeroplane. A short descent to Pang and then it was Moore plains, flat, smooth roads followed the directions laid out by the mighty Himalayas. Debring marked the start of steep climb up to Taglang La (5328m) and unfortunately the road was nothing more than a dirt track. The sign there claims to be 5359m and the second highest motorable road. Upshi went by in a flash and a short break at Karu later we were in Leh town at about 1930 hrs.
Day-4, 23 Jul 2014 – Whats in Leh?
This day was earmarked as a break day to enjoy the local sights. Trudging over the mighty Himalayan passes Leh is at a comparatively lower level of 3500m. One of the main things that dominate above all else is the Army Cantonment there, probably as big as the city itself. The first stop was therefore the Hall of fame, dedicated to the true heroes of the country, the ones who guard us 24/7 and ensure we sleep peacefully at night – The Soldiers of the Indian Army! A short drive on was Spituk Gompa and after pay obeisance to the gods, it was time to drive further on to Magnetic Hill, 25kms away from Leh on the Srinagar road which give you an opportunity to destroy all your Physics textbooks. Park your car on the road, leave it in neutral and watch it rolling up the hill defying gravity. Further along is the Sangam or confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers. Etched by the relentless erosion of these mighty rivers, this is a meeting point of 2 deep valleys which guide the rivers to become one. Leh Palace was the next stop and it was an interesting 2 hours spent exploring the 500 year old palace. Last stop for the day was Shanti Stupa. Originally built by the Japanese for the people of Ladakh, it is quite new. The spectacular views and the unique design of the place make it a must visit. Whats a trip without mementoes and knick knacks and there is an abundance of Tibetan shopping to be had in Leh.
Day-5, 24 Jul 2014 – The Highest Motorable Road in the World
The Innova was literally gasping for air as we wound our way up the mountain. The scenery as always was fantastic and the roads horrible. Water crossings were in plenty as the snow melted forming streams and Nallah’s across the road while the roads were basically just mud ruts. Crossing the South Pullu check post meant registering our names at there. Tourist cars and army convoys were our trip mates on the drive. The feeling of reaching the Khardung La cannot be explained. To drive your car to a point up in the sky where you know that it is not possible to drive any higher anywhere in the world is simply amazing. The army outpost on the pass itself plays host with a souvenir shop and a cafeteria which claims to be the highest cafeteria in the world as well. Thereafter it was a nice long descent to North Pullu and on to Hunder. A quick lunch break at Diskit and we were now at Hunder. Camels in Nubra Valley have something extra to offer. They are the 2 humped Bactrian camels and the evening was spent in taking a ride on them and in a cultural dance show there.
Day-6, 25 Jul 2014 – Back to Leh
The trip back to Leh was a more relaxed one since it was now over familiar roads. One rude shock for us was lack of diesel in Diskit. Anyhow we weren’t too worried as we had just about enough to make to trip back as well as our spare cans full. After an interesting hour at Diskit Gompa, we were on our way to Leh.