Magical Journey," Manali to Leh"

Manali to Leh Highway is normally open from June to August every year and the stretch between Manali to Leh is 475 Kms this breathtaking beautiful journey is completed with a hault at two places (optional) i.e. Keylong (123Kms) and Sarchu (222Kms). In both the places one will find decent Hotels like Hotel Dekyid and Hotel Snow Land in Keylong and Adventure Camps in "Sarchu" with basic facilities.

The journey normally starts after early breakfast in Manali crossing the beautiful scenes and reaching Rohtang Pass at 3977 Mt. Rohtang pass, is known for its unpredictable snow storms and blizzards. It takes approximately 04 hours to cross the pass. Traffic can be find up to Rohtang pass as many tourist stop at this pass to get the glimpse of the snow and click the memorable snaps. Just after Rohtang Pass there is a descent for Lahul Spiti (Batal, Tabo, Kaza etc). Next destination from Rohtang Pass is "Khoksar" the gateway to Lahaul and is 17 Kms from the pass. It is situated on the bank of river Chandra. During winter "Khoksar" is the coldest inhabited place in Lahul.

From "Khoksar" we move towards "Sissu" which is 90 Kms from Manali and located at the bank of River Chandra. One will find few tea stall for the ongoing tourist to stop by and enjoy the scenic beauty. After few minutes break in "Sissu" we continue our journey to next destination towards "Gonda". From "Sisu" to "Gonda" land is cultivable and fertile these two places the whole mountain side from the peaks over 6090 m to the river bed below 3050 m and is awe inspiring. Glaciers and snow fields over hanging the precipices make them one of the finest in the world.

The next nearer destination is "Tandi" it is a world renowned tourist destination and is situated above the confluence of the rivers Chandra and Bhaga some 7 kms before "Keylong". Tandi is the last stop where one can re-fill Petrol tanks after Tandi petrol pump is 365 Kms away. Here you can hault for a night in "Dilbu Retreat", it is situated at the Tupchiling just under the holy peak “Drilbu”. The cottages overlook the confluence of river Chandra and Bhaga facing the beautiful lush green villages of "Tandi" and "Gaushal". The cottage has well furnished cottages will all basic facilities and delicious food. (http://www.campsofladakh.com/drilbu.html). If one does not want to stay in Tandi there are multiple other options like "Keylong" which is just 7 kms away. It is the district headquarter of Lahul and Spiti and situated above the Bhaga river. This is also the hub centers of all commercial activity with a regular bazaar. Here you will find few hotels like Hotel Jispa and Hotel Ibex with modern basic facilities.

Next day early morning drive will take you to “Darcha” at the height of 3500 mt. It is the last village where one can see spares growth of trees. Beyond Darcha not even a single tree can be seen on either side of the highway. Landscape starts looking desolate and absolutely barren. Deserted road leads you towards “Zing Zing Bar” crossing “Pasted” moving towards “Baralacha La Pass” which is at the height of 4650 mt.

The journey from Keylong takes you to Baralacha La crossing “Darcha”, “Pasted” and “Zing Zing Bar”. Baralacha is a unique pass situated at a spectacular 16,400 ft above sea level. The pass itself is 8 kilometers long, and is literally the pass "where many roads meet". Here, routes from Zanskar, Ladakh and Lahaul meet, which have for centuries been used by ancient travelers and crossed in all directions. The two great rivers of Lahaul, the Chandra and the Bhaga, also arise from the huge snowfields on opposite sides of the pass.

After spending some memorable time at Baralacha La the drives begin and take you to “Sarchu” a tented camp on the boundary between Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. It is situated between two passes Baralacha La towards South and Lachung La towards North at an altitude of 4,290m. The journey along the Manali-Leh high way at the high altitude and variable road conditions, normally takes tow days, so travelers and tourists use this spot as an over night stop. An Indian army Camp is sited nearby on the banks of the Tsarap Chu River. The highway and the camp are closed during the winter, when snow blocks the high passes along the road. This spot can also be used as a start point for the difficult trek into the Zanskar region of Ladakh.

As you keep going higher and higher on the GATA LOOPS, on the right one can see spectacular reddish cliffs with a perilous trail penciled across it, and as we almost reach the 21st bend, we near the “Nakeela Pass” at the height of 4940mt.

The continuous and steady drive will lead you to Lachung La Pass (5079m) it is the second highest motorable pass that comes ,in Manali-Leh highway. It is also one of the two passes above 5000m that need to be crossed on the Manali-Leh highway.

After Lachung La the drive becomes bit smooth towards Tanglang La Pass where you get to drive in plains crossing Pang. Tanglang La at the height of 5358m is the last pass on Manali-Leh highway. Few hours drive will take you to your final destination Leh crossing "Upashi" and "Karu"