[soledad]

Hello friends and fellow mountain lovers !

I am planning a trip up there in Leh-Ladakh during the last week of May,as many of you might have already knew it, it would be in a 4 wheeler [preferably a "Qualis" or a"Savari"] and is part of my Spiti-Lahaul-Kashmir tour;I would be arriving in Leh on day 1 [of the Ladakh part] from Sarchu and would not mind anyone joining me or wish a meetup somewhere there.I have decided it to be as following after attentively going through previous posts of other BCMT users

Day 1 Arrive in Leh in the evening,concluding the long journey from Keylong/Kaza in perhaps 2 days.

Day 2 Leh - Spangmik {Pang Gong Lake} [170 Km]
(I have to apply for the Inner Line Permit to places I visit next;Visit the following: Leh Market ; Leh Palace ; Hall Of Fame; Shanti Stupa; Stok Palace Meusuem as much as possible up untill 1 PM. And after 1 pm,I would like to set out for Pangong Lake,and would like to reach there by day for a night halt.)
{Please tell me, is it possible to reach Spangmik before day light fades starting at around 1 pm from Leh. I heard sunset is quiet late over there,compared to rest of India}

Day 3 : Spangmik - Chumathang [272 Km]
(After all the Photography and enjoying the nature at Pang Gong,would back track upto Karu,and proceed down in the Manali-Leh route for 10 Km to reach Upshi,from where I would like to proceed further to Chumathang.)
{Can I visit Marsimik La on that day itself, what extra permits do I need,if any? Can a "Savari"/Qualis make the trip there}

Day 4 Chumathang - Tso Morriri- Tso Kar- Moore Plains-Upshi [ 240 Km]
(Would like to reach Upshi so as to get in line with travel to Nubra valley next day.I think,after all this travel,Leh may not be reached on this day.)

Day 5 Upshi- Leh- Khardung La - Hundar [181 Km]
{Would like to see Khalsar,Diskit,Hunder and the monasteries there before a night halt .Would you recommend to stay in Panamik instead?]

Day 6 Hundar-Sumur-Panamik-Khardungla-Lah [190 Km]
(Would like to go to Panamik for hot water springs,photographying and then back to Leh and a little bit of sight seeing in Leh,if time permits}

Day 7 Early morning leaving for Kargil so as to head to SriNagar/Jammu to continue my ongoing trip.
{Will Kargil be a good place for a night halt? May I visit Gurudwara Pattar Saheb;Magnetic Hill;Lamayuru;Moon landscape on my way to Kargil?}

Day 8 Kargil -Sonamarg [200 Km approx.]
{Maybe would be able to do a little bit of sight seeing in Sonmarg that day iself.

I would request everyone concerned,who might have had been there before [there are many,as I see being here],to go through it and suggest me what do they think of it,and anything more I could add or delete besides all that I had mentioned above;I have also put some of the things I would like to know below each days plan,it would be nice if someone could shade light on the same as well; I am still unaware of Zanskar so early in the year,would like to know about it as well. And I would be extremely happy to meet anyone else doing the same trip at the same time

Thanking you all for going through this,and would be looking forward to hear more from some of you sometime soon!

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Day 1 Day 2 Leh - Spangmik {Pang Gong Lake} [170 Km]
(I have to apply for the Inner Line Permit to places I visit next;Visit the following: Leh Market ; Leh Palace ; Hall Of Fame; Shanti Stupa; Stok Palace Meusuem as much as possible up untill 1 PM. And after 1 pm,I would like to set out for Pangong Lake,and would like to reach there by day for a night halt.)
{Please tell me, is it possible to reach Spangmik before day light fades starting at around 1 pm from Leh. I heard sunset is quiet late over there,compared to rest of India}

Light should be there till 6:30-7:00pm and you should reach there easily if you are starting at 1pm from Leh.

Day 3 : Spangmik - Chumathang [272 Km]
(After all the Photography and enjoying the nature at Pang Gong,would back track upto Karu,and proceed down in the Manali-Leh route for 10 Km to reach Upshi,from where I would like to proceed further to Chumathang.)
{Can I visit Marsimik La on that day itself, what extra permits do I need,if any? Can a "Savari"/Qualis make the trip there}

Possible, however including Marsimik La would make the trip too long as the pass would require at least a few hours to attempt. In case you are still interested in attempting it, just make sure you specifically mention Marsimik La while applying for permits.

Day 4 Chumathang - Tso Morriri- Tso Kar- Moore Plains-Upshi [ 240 Km]
(Would like to reach Upshi so as to get in line with travel to Nubra valley next day.I think,after all this travel,Leh may not be reached on this day.)

This is going to be a really long day, especially considering bad road conditions one has to drive through. My recommendation would to either skip Tso Kar and return via the same route or better yet try and arrange permits in advance and go to Tso Kar and Tso Moriri, while going to Leh.

Day 5 Upshi- Leh- Khardung La - Hundar [181 Km]
{Would like to see Khalsar,Diskit,Hunder and the monasteries there before a night halt .Would you recommend to stay in Panamik instead?]

Day 6 Hundar-Sumur-Panamik-Khardungla-Lah [190 Km]
(Would like to go to Panamik for hot water springs,photographying and then back to Leh and a little bit of sight seeing in Leh,if time permits}

Hunder, Diskit and Sumur would be far better night halts than Panamik. You can visit all the places with ease; provided you don’t mind spending 10-11hours on road.

Day 7 Early morning leaving for Kargil so as to head to SriNagar/Jammu to continue my ongoing trip.
{Will Kargil be a good place for a night halt? May I visit Gurudwara Pattar Saheb;Magnetic Hill;Lamayuru;Moon landscape on my way to Kargil?}

Day 8 Kargil -Sonamarg [200 Km approx.]
{Maybe would be able to do a little bit of sight seeing in Sonmarg that day iself.

All of it can be done easily, since the roads in relatively good condition. Though if you get stuck in a convoy, the whole plan can go haywire.

[Prasham]

Keep a spare day... rest looks okay....

[soledad]

Hi Yogesh!

Thank you very much for your time,and advice,which is very important for me go on with my plans in the Ladakh region. I have a few more things to clear up from you

1] Do you really think Marsimik La would be possible in a "Savari" or a "Qualis" with 6/7 people on board?

2]And how long up-down would it take,if Marsimik La is attempted early morning from Spangmik? Where can we reach by evening that day? Maybe at least Upshi,at least ? And can Tso Moriri-Tso Kar be visited in a day starting from Upshi,and getting back to it at the end of the day?

3]Is it possible for you to provide some details on how can I arrange for Permit of Tso Kar & Tso Moriri before reaching Leh?I mean,I know I have to contact some travel agents,but any idea of some reliable ones,and what is the cost one may expect to bear for the same?

4] I decided to stay the night at Hundar,but you said there is a hot water spring in Panamik,which I find tempting!! Isn't a dip at night in those springs could be great,like that of Vashist Kund of Manali? Please advice! Also finding a decent accomodation would be my priority;

5]And do you think at the beginning of June,there is any probabily of visiting Zanskar and Suru valley? If yes,please furnish some details as I am being told the road to Padum is not opened.

6] Lastly,if Zanskar and Suru valley is opted out,can Sonmarg be reached in a day starting from Leh early morning? Or,do you think a halt in between [Kargil/Drass] is worth it for something else to see or do in that region?

Thanks a lot to you again for all your help!

[Yogesh Sarkar]

1] Do you really think Marsimik La would be possible in a "Savari" or a "Qualis" with 6/7 people on board?

Could be, if the vehicle isn’t loaded with luggage as well and it’s in good condition.

2]And how long up-down would it take,if Marsimik La is attempted early morning from Spangmik? Where can we reach by evening that day? Maybe at least Upshi,at least ? And can Tso Moriri-Tso Kar be visited in a day starting from Upshi,and getting back to it at the end of the day?

A minimum of 3-4 hours, not 100% sure as I haven’t done it personally. If you start from Phobrang at 12pm, you should be in Chumathang by night. Though it would be totally for bragging points, since as far as I have heard, Marsimik La isn’t famous for views and one can’t take camera to the pass, since photography isn’t allowed there.

As for Tso Moriri, well majority of the roads are good but the last 40 kms or so is a back breaking journey, crossing it twice in the same day would really tiring, especially for the driver.

3]Is it possible for you to provide some details on how can I arrange for Permit of Tso Kar & Tso Moriri before reaching Leh?I mean,I know I have to contact some travel agents,but any idea of some reliable ones,and what is the cost one may expect to bear for the same?

There was a mention of couple of travel agents in Manali and Leh and Leh in last year’s itinerary threads, who can fax you the permits. Charges are roughly Rs. 500-800 per person and maybe more because of the government fee and the fact you will need permits for 2-3 weeks.

4] I decided to stay the night at Hundar,but you said there is a hot water spring in Panamik,which I find tempting!! Isn't a dip at night in those springs could be great,like that of Vashist Kund of Manali? Please advice! Also finding a decent accomodation would be my priority;

Don’t expect a naturally built pound where you can take the dip, it would be more like a bathroom with a tap from where the hot water would come. Since the source of hot water is on the side of a mountain and it is brought to the village with the help of pipes. You can get accommodation there in a PWD rest house or at private guest houses. However it isn’t nearly as scenic as Hunder or Sumur.

5]And do you think at the beginning of June,there is any probabily of visiting Zanskar and Suru valley? If yes,please furnish some details as I am being told the road to Padum is not opened.

Best source for that information would be the tourist office at Kargil, as per information Prasham got, it should open in the beginning of June.

6] Lastly,if Zanskar and Suru valley is opted out,can Sonmarg be reached in a day starting from Leh early morning? Or,do you think a halt in between [Kargil/Drass] is worth it for something else to see or do in that region?

Can be done if you don’t get stuck in an army convoy, one place I would recommend is the Drass war memorial, just 4-5 kms before Drass.

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Zanaskar road reopened after 6 months

[parivaidya]

hi sole dad,
u mind if i follow your group on my bike? me from pune. email is parivaidya@gmail.com
i could keep my luggage in ur jeep
pari
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pariandhiswanderlust/

[soledad]

hi sole dad,
u mind if i follow your group on my bike? me from pune. email is parivaidya@gmail.com
i could keep my luggage in ur jeep
pari
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pariandhiswanderlust/

Hi pari!
Thanks for your interest
Well,I personally have no objection with you following us and keeping some of your luggage in the jeep; But,I think,it would depend upon how much luggage finally we would be carrying,and the drivers opinion on that; But,I believe, those things can be easily sorted out,once we reach there in person.
But,best of luck to you for your ride to the Ladakh!