Travel India Guides - Mountain Destinations - Himachal - Hill Stations - The Road in the Himalayas
 

The adventures trip starts from Manali which glows like a rare emerald against the dramatic setting of dazzling snow bound peaks. The whispering forest, the luxuriant apple orchards and sparkling waters of the river Beas all add to the magic of this land of gods. Very close by is Vashist- the hot sulphur spring, the beautiful Malana, Parbati Valleys, Chandratal (the lake of Moon), Surajtal (the lake of Sun) the Solang skiing slopes etc. Rohtang Pass (3978 mts), 51 kms away is an important on the Manali-Leh road as it is the gateway to Lahaul and Spiti Valleys. On its way to Keylong (115 kms from Manali) this important road which was once part of the ancient trade route between India and Central Asia, wends its way through breathtaking mountain views via the Rohtang Pass, Kokhsar, Sissu, Ghondhla and Tandi- Also here is the only petrol pump on the entire route.

Next day after having breakfast we further started our journey at about 6:00 a.m. After a short drive we came across a small water canal on our way and while crossing it our feet were completely wet and we took a break at a small lake called Deepak. Onward the road moves to the Bare Lachlan Pass (4884 Mts): A pass that is perhaps unique in being a tri-junction with a trail from Spiti coming in from the south-east. This is the crossing over of the great Himalayas, the water shed between the Indus and Chenab. Now the barren landscape becomes positively lunar, dusty plains covered with scattered boulders, stretching into the distance, and only the occasional patch of pasture reminds the traveller of the existence of vegetation here.

Beyond this steep path lies Sarchu (4253 Mts)- border of Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir. A close by place called Brandy Nala is a very nice place for the intrepid seeker of adventure to camp on the bank of Indus River. Our 3rd day destination enroute to Leh was a place called Pang (4630 mts). We stopped at Lachlung-La at the highest regions of Ladakh. At last we reached Pang almost 299 kms away from Manali. Situated between the towering mountain ranges of the Himalayas and Karakoram the average height of Ladakh ranges from dizzy 3000 Mts to 3650 Mts. Above sea level. The landscape is austere, yet strangely beautiful.

Finally on the 4th day after crossing Traffic Check Post at Pang we started towards Tanglang-La. This was a nice drive for almost 50 kms absolutely plain no ups and downs after this, the road started going up and up. There remains the Zanskar range to be crossed & this takes two more passes the Lungalacha-La (5059 mts) and the Tanglang-La (5325 Mts). Between then and there is nothing but rock and sand, rolling hills & broad plains scoured by dust devils, The streams marked on the map being far too insignificant to water the arid land, beyond allowing an occasional spread of sparse pastures. This is just about enough to nourish the flock of the nomadic Chang-pa herd, who are the region’s only inhabitants apart from the seasonal entrepreneurs who erect tents and shacks at various points along the road catering to the need of the travellers following this barren route. Somehow we managed to reach Tanglang-La the 2nd highest motorable road in the world. Here we had a cup of coffee on behalf of the Indian army. Once over the Tanglang-La, the descent to the Indus starts, and soon the first village, Rumtse, is passed. The road follows the Gya River down to the Indus at Upshi, from where it is all opposite it for Chemrey, Sakti & Chang-La, past the tourist Choglamsar and the Dalai Lama’s prayer ground. And finally up the last slope into Leh.

Finally we arrived in Leh located at a height of 11500 feet above sea level in the northern state of Jammu & Kashmir and land locked for eight months of the year. The enchanting town of Leh. Once the popular stop over point for almost all caravans traversing the silk route to and from China. Coming in by road of the hills enroute and most importantly provides opportunity to acclimatize to the reduced levels of oxygen at that height.

The second evening in Leh my two roommates and I tried to fortify ourselves against the cold night in the Government rest house. We stoked the stove with precious firewood and before going into our sleeping bags, latched the doors and windows. In the middle of the night I awoke, the stove was cold and I had a pounding headache. In the small room, three men apparently had used up what little oxygen the air could offer. I slipped out of my sleeping bag, pulled my stiff boots, countdown or rocket trip I had stepped into a lunar scene. Never had I heard such silence. The sub-zero seemed to quite my own pulse beat. The dust underfoot silenced my footfalls as if I were walking on talcum powder. I looked down six or seven hundred feet to the frozen and life less Indus Valley and up thousands of feet to the peak of granite and snow. No Moon was in sight, but the barren landscape was not dark, it lay in a diffused grey blue-light and what by day contrast, the stars had never been etched so sharply. In the thin, unclouded atmosphere they looked down untwinkingly, making me feel as if I were a part of them and not of the planet earth.

There is so much to see in and around Leh itself. The Leh Palace and Monastery, the Shey Palace and Monastery, Choglamsar, Tsemo, Alchi and Hemis monasteries, the Lamayuru, Likir, Phiyang and Sankar monasteries, the Sputnik, Stackna and Thickset monasteries are worth a visit.

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