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Tour highlights |
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Riding
Royal Enfield over the high Himalaya and through the high altitude desert of
Ladakh is an experience of a lifetime. Leh
Road is open for about three months a year only, from early July to September.
For much of its length, it passes through areas so barren that it is entirely
void of habitation. The first major pass on this road, the Rohtang pass (13,000
ft / 3,978m), that is crossed soon after departure from Manali, cuts through the
Pir Panjal Range of the Great Himalayas. After crossing Rohtang Pass one enters
the Lahoul district, which has a typically trans-Himalayan landscape. Beyond
Keylong, the main town in Lahoul district, the road follows the Bhaga River up
towards its source, passing a few more villages. Thereafter it hairpins up to
the Baralacha-La (16,050 ft / 4,892m), which is a tri-junction, with a trail
from Spiti also joining in from the southeast. This is the crossing of the Great
Himalayan Range, the watershed between the Indus and the Chenab. An hour after
leaving Sarchu you negotiate 21 hairpin bends known as the “Gatta Loops” which
take you from an altitude of 4210 M/ 13,780 Ft to a height of 4667 M / 15,302
Ft. From here there is an option to continue on to Tso Kar, also called “White
Lake” because of salt deposits around it.
over a
roller-coaster track to the head of Tso Moriri, a magnificent lake, and on to
Korzok, a quarter of the way along the lake's 20km length. Containing the
drainage basin of these trans-Himalayan lakes and known as Rupshu, this is a
landscape of open, windswept high-altitude valleys. Korzok, situated at 15,000
feet (4,572 m) with its dozen or so houses and its gompa appearing like a mirage
among the barren hills, is the only permanent settlement in Rupshu.
The Leh – Manali road
then
brings us over one of the highest passes in the region, over the Taklang-la
(5260m) as you continue to traverse the
barren landscape, which becomes positively lunar with dusty plains stretching
into the distance. Driving through grand, dramatic scenery you arrive at Leh,
the capital of Ladakh.
The tours are run typically Delhi to Delhi, and itineraries can be customized upon
request. We use only Royal
Enfield 500cc 2000 models or newer.
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Sample Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in
Delhi, transfer to hotel.
Day 2: Transfer to Shimla,
Overnight in Hotel Woodville Palace, full board;
try out & testing
bikes.
Day 3:
Drive to Sarahan,
overnight in
Temple
complex, full board
Day 4:
Drive to Jalori La, road
through mountains,
overnight Camping,
full board
Day 5: Drive to
Manali, via secondary road, Camping,
full board
Day 6:
Drive to Keylong,
Overnight in Hotel Tashi
Delek, full board
Day 7:
Drive to Sarchu,
Overnight in Fixed Camp, full board
Day 8:
Drive to Tso
Kar lake,
Overnight Camping, full board
Day 9: Drive to
Tso
Moriri; Overnight Camping, full board
Day 10: Drive to
Chumatang,
Overnight Camping, full board
Day 11:
Drive to Chemre,
Overnight Camping,
full board
Day 12: Drive to
Pangong
Tso,
overnight in Fixed Camp
and excursion to lake,
full
board
Day 13:
Drive to Leh,
Overnight in Hotel Dragon;
en
route side trip
to Hemis and
stop at Thiksey &
Shey
monasteries;
full
board
Day 14: Drive to
Khardung La and back,
overnight in Hotel Dragon, full board
Day 15: Drive to
Alchi and back ( optional )
Overnight in hotel Dragon, full board
Day 16: Transfer to
Airport, Flight Leh - Delhi,
Transfer to Hotel, Overnight in
Hotel Vasant Continental,
breakfast
Day 17: Sightseeing
Delhi,
Overnight in
Hotel Vasant Continental,
breakfast
Day 18: Transfer to
Airport,
Depart India.
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What's included & What is not: |
Included
in Land Cost:
-Accommodation on twin sharing basis in hotels where
noted, in tents otherwise, on full board
-All transfers per itinerary
-Royal Enfield 500cc 2000 models or newer
-Services of knowledgeable English speaking guide
-Full support on the tour; support vehicle, mechanic,
cook
-Monument entrance fees
Excluded
from Land Cost:
-International ticketing
-India domestic airfare
-Airport tax & Excess baggage charges
-Personal expenses - laundry, room service, phone
calls, etc.
-Medical, Evacuation and Trip Cancellation
Insurance.
-Any
or all other services not mentioned above.
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