Please help me make the best roadtrip from Mumbai to Manali! (21d)

[jeetcp]

Udaipur is good visit, dont miss it. Chittorgarh is MUST DO. Dont miss. Nathdware also has good sport.

Bikaner can be missed or taken as you wish.


I say take one road while going through jaisalmer. and return through other.

 

[SweetCupcakes]

For Rajasthan, check RTDC website for govt hotels.
Almost all hotels are great value. Old construction, but most are managed well. Avoid the one giving 1200Rs room because they will smell bad. But RTDC is known for quality.

Same for Himachal, try HPTDC hotels. Most are best location. Good food. If you can get booking in advance. Surely safe, enough parking. Govt ka hai na.

Thanks. I'll definitely try looking for HPTDC and RTDC hotels for our stays. I'm not sure they'll allow pets though as MTDC ones here in Maharashtra don't...

Regarding snow chains, my family is pretty hesitant to travel without them as relatives abroad stress the importance of it .
We had ordered the only brand available (jagat hardware), but it won't be arriving on time—so we're considering going from Palanpur - Ajmer so that we go through Chandigarh first and pick up the chains.

Also, we're not sure about our stay in Sethan. We had picked it as it seemed offbeat. But I've been seeing these YouTube videos and it looks like it has gotten quite touristy.
I've read people recommend Kalpa as a quieter alternate. I've visited kalpa and loved it, but I'm not sure if it snows as heavily there (I had gone there last Feb and it was DRY).

So i would like to know your opinion on two things 1. How should we plan our going route? I guess picking up snow chains will be an important factor in determining it. It seems decent chains are only available in Chandigarh, so do we have no choice but to go through it? I was hoping to find it in dharamshala, but I couldn't find any info online. Also, I'm worried they'll sell me wrong sized chains (it's like you said—there are no good chains)

2. What would you recommend us as our final 'high probability snowfall' place?

 

[jeetcp]

1. Chains: If you can get hold of chains by wasting 3-4 hours, then its worth it and pick them.
However I put more trust on Nylone ropes. Super light weight and very easy to place them on tyres. So spend 200-300 ruppees on nylone rope. And also get chains.

See YT viddeos on rope and chains in snow.

When roads in manali have ice or too much snow, police do not let 2WD cars go beyond a point. Chain are great if u have 2WD and also large wheels with lot of clearance for chain.

Do carry rope and chain. They can be life saver. But 1-2% chance to find such situation.

NOTE: A bad quality chain can be danger. Can break the break fluid line, stuck in disk brakes, and many things.

2. Kalpa is great, chitkul is great. But to be able to reach there is not alwasys guarnteed. Sometimes there can be landslides. Manali is open everyday. Police is so much active.
Chance of snow is good in both places. I am no expert. manali is hassle free. And Sethan and rohtang etc most have snow.

No guarantee of fall though.

When roads get bad, hotel availability in sethan will not be an issue. Lett people go there becasue road is so tight once it snows.

 

[SweetCupcakes]

1. Chains: If you can get hold of chains by wasting 3-4 hours, then its worth it and pick them.
However I put more trust on Nylone ropes. Super light weight and very easy to place them on tyres. So spend 200-300 ruppees on nylone rope. And also get chains.

See YT viddeos on rope and chains in snow.

When roads in manali have ice or too much snow, police do not let 2WD cars go beyond a point. Chain are great if u have 2WD and also large wheels with lot of clearance for chain.

Do carry rope and chain. They can be life saver. But 1-2% chance to find such situation.

NOTE: A bad quality chain can be danger. Can break the break fluid line, stuck in disk brakes, and many things.

2. Kalpa is great, chitkul is great. But to be able to reach there is not alwasys guarnteed. Sometimes there can be landslides. Manali is open everyday. Police is so much active.
Chance of snow is good in both places. I am no expert. manali is hassle free. And Sethan and rohtang etc most have snow.

No guarantee of fall though.

When roads get bad, hotel availability in sethan will not be an issue. Lett people go there becasue road is so tight once it snows.

Thanks for the help so far! Our preparation was not perfect, but we left around a week ago.

The route we took was like this:
Mumbai-Ankleshwar-Ahmedabad-Jaisalmer(2d)-Sri Ganganagar-Patiala-Kufri-Baghi (5d,current spot)

That Rajasthan-Pakistan border road was in amazing condition. Zero traffic and lots of sand dunes. We encountered many wild animals and birds.

Righr now, we're at a remote hotel near Narkanda called Hawk eye resort. We got plenty of snow and snowfall (in silence), so our main objective has been met.

We have around 10 days (need to be in mumbai by 5-8th Feb), so we're wondering how to spend rest of our days.

I'm hoping to explore some days in Kinnaur valley.
My dad wants to visit Ajmer, so I guess one day goes there. Which highway should we return with? (If I'm not mistaken, the Jaipur expressway would make more sense then)

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[jeetcp]

No No No,
Why are you not posting pictures here

Happy journey. Enjoy.,. OK, I have some suggestions.
If road are OK reported, kinnaur side is beautiful AFTER rampur, not before. U should try.
Hatu peak is cool sport in narkanda.
Chindi is nice spot few KM from you. Tatta pani can be one area.

Ask is road till Jalori pass is open. If you have chains, you can do it and will be best. It has nice hike to lake too. So many area to cover in 2-3 hour from Narkanda. You can cross Jalori pass to go till Manali.
If you are still confused, reply, more will come.

Regarding Ajmer, I think dont waste time. It takes lot of useless time.
Try "Kishangarh Marble DumpYard Lake". Google the location. See instagram. Awesome for clicks.
It is just 10 min from highway and super value for time.

If you want to spend some good money, try ITC Khimsar. Awesome.

 

[SweetCupcakes]

No No No,
Why are you not posting pictures here

Happy journey. Enjoy.,. OK, I have some suggestions.
If road are OK reported, kinnaur side is beautiful AFTER rampur, not before. U should try.
Hatu peak is cool sport in narkanda.
Chindi is nice spot few KM from you. Tatta pani can be one area.

Ask is road till Jalori pass is open. If you have chains, you can do it and will be best. It has nice hike to lake too. So many area to cover in 2-3 hour from Narkanda. You can cross Jalori pass to go till Manali.
If you are still confused, reply, more will come.

Regarding Ajmer, I think dont waste time. It takes lot of useless time.
Try "Kishangarh Marble DumpYard Lake". Google the location. See instagram. Awesome for clicks.
It is just 10 min from highway and super value for time.

If you want to spend some good money, try ITC Khimsar. Awesome.

Yes, I'll definitely upload some highlights once I open my laptop!

Currently, we're staying near Kalpa and are stuck in 1-2ft of snow. Kinnaur, post Rampur, has been our favorite drive so far.

It's still snowing heavily and we don't know when the roads will clear—but it's clear that we're looking forward to our return journey.

What route would you suggest us to take? Which places should we visit?
Most of us are okay with skipping Ajmer, so we'll do as you suggest. We'll visit that marble dump yard for sure.

 

[jeetcp]

Glad you guys like the Kinnaur side. Sangla > CHitkul road would be a great one if road allow. Or if you have a local Bolaro person who can drive you.

return, not sure what you have already covered, If Jaisalmer side not covered, surely return through jaisalmer.

Else try this:

Shimla > ambala > trans haryana new EWAY > Kotputli > Jaipur > Kishangarh (Speed guns will be all over the place from Jaipur to kishangarh and another 50KM ahead).
For kishangarh till Mumbai, either take bhilwara udaipur side and enjoy beautiful cities. And can also include Statue of unity on way since you will drive near Vadodra.
There are some good resorts on Rajasthan-Gujrat boarder for stay.


If already done, u can stay in Mt Abu. Nice place.

If extra time> Crazy idea > go through Rann of Katch.

 

[SweetCupcakes]

Glad you guys like the Kinnaur side. Sangla > CHitkul road would be a great one if road allow. Or if you have a local Bolaro person who can drive you.

return, not sure what you have already covered, If Jaisalmer side not covered, surely return through jaisalmer.

Else try this:

Shimla > ambala > trans haryana new EWAY > Kotputli > Jaipur > Kishangarh (Speed guns will be all over the place from Jaipur to kishangarh and another 50KM ahead).
For kishangarh till Mumbai, either take bhilwara udaipur side and enjoy beautiful cities. And can also include Statue of unity on way since you will drive near Vadodra.
There are some good resorts on Rajasthan-Gujrat boarder for stay.


If already done, u can stay in Mt Abu. Nice place.

If extra time> Crazy idea > go through Rann of Katch.

WOW, I never thought about Rann of Kutch. Great idea!
Could you please tell me more about which road to take to get there? (Which route will be most scenic, as we'll likely just drive through it—as we have few days left to return)

Yes, we covered whole thar desert when going (ahemdabad -palanpur-jaisalmer-khuri dunes- Sri Ganganagar), so we're looking for a new route. But we're not so keen on driving through populated cities. I'll look into the route you've suggested

 

[SweetCupcakes]

Quick update: We did Ambala- Kisangarh (good roads but so many speed cams!). Then Pushkar-Dholavira(1d rest)-Bhuj-Vadodara-Mumbai.

Kutch was really pretty, but we weren't expecting the hot climate. In the future, I would skip the rest day and just drive from Dholavira - Bhuj around 4-5pm. The roads are VERY scenic

 

[jeetcp]

Glad to know

WOW, I never thought about Rann of Kutch. Great idea!
Could you please tell me more about which road to take to get there? (Which route will be most scenic, as we'll likely just drive through it—as we have few days left to return)

Yes, we covered whole thar desert when going (ahemdabad -palanpur-jaisalmer-khuri dunes- Sri Ganganagar), so we're looking for a new route. But we're not so keen on driving through populated cities. I'll look into the route you've suggested