18 Day The Cliffhanger Guided Motorcycle Tour in India

Overview

Manali, Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India This motorcycle tour in the Indian Himalayas takes you on a predominantly Buddhist circuit of Himachal Pradesh and Zanskar. This route takes you across several high passes into diverse valleys not just in landscape but culturally as well. This motorbike journey is one of the best ways to see Himachal, Kashmir and Zanskar. One thing that you will see in abundance on this journey is loads and loads of cheerful happy and smiley Himalayan people. This is an epic motorbike tour in the Indian Himalayas.

Highlights

• Starts and ends in Manali
• Ride through numerous less traveled roads
• Thrilling ride through the world's highest motorable villages
• Visits to ancient monasteries
• Witness breathtaking landscapes
• 17 nights accommodation

Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrive Manali (2050 meters)

   After breakfast, you will get to try out your bikes Royal Enfield 500cc. Today, you will visit some popular sights in and around Manali. This will help you to get familiar with your bike and the Himalayan Road and its curves. For lunch, you will stop at Naggar Castle. Naggar used to be the capital of Kullu, hence the Castle. The castle is now converted into a heritage hotel and has a small museum. After lunch, you head back to Manali and prepare for the days ahead.

2. Day 2: Manali to Khanag (2086 meters) - 117 kilometers / 73 miles

   After breakfast, you will set out towards Banjar. The road condition today is good and you will ride across some beautiful villages. You ride on a good metalled road up to Aut and from there, you cross the Parvati River and start riding on the left bank and ride in the Banjar Valley. Here onwards, the ride can be a bit bumpy and the road is narrow. Just a few kilometers before your stay for tonight is the Jalori Pass, 3120 meters.

3. Day 3: Khanag to Sarahan (2313 meters) - 139 kilometers / 86 miles

   From Khanag, you ride down shady and windy Himalayan roads to Ani. You aim to reach Sarahan by the early afternoon so that you have enough time to visit the famous 1500-year-old Bhima Kali Temple. Sarahan has a pleasantly cool weather compared to the region that you have been riding through today and the view from up here is just amazing.

4. Day 4: Sarahan to Kalpa (2960 meters) - 85 kilometers / 53 miles

   Today’s road is about 90% metalled and some small stretches where the roads are being widened would be dusty and there would be some loose stones on the road. Occasionally, you might have to stop and wait for the road workers to signal that you can move ahead. For Kalpa, you turn left from the main road and there is steep ascent of around 7 kilometers up to Reckong Peo which is the district headquarters. From here, Kalpa is a further 15-kilometre climb. It is a beautiful stretch that involves riding through a pine forest and lots of tight bends. The air feels much crisp and fresh up here and t

5. Day 5: Kalpa to Nako (3662 meters) - 117 kilometers / 73 miles

   Enroute, you cross a check post at Jhangi where you must stop for a routine permit and passport check. Nako is the last village of Kinnaur; it is an idyllic little Buddhist village. Dotted around the village are tiny shrines and at the very entrance of the village is an old Monastery believed to have been founded by the Great Translator Rinchen Zangpo. The monastery has very interesting and fascinating mural works.

6. Day 6: Nako to Kaza (3650 meters) - 110 kilometers / 68 miles

   Today’s motorbike ride sees you entering the Spiti Valley. You ride through an amazing landscape and glimpses of the cold desert of the Spiti Valley will start from the beginning of the journey today. Initial leg of the journey is up the hill and then you cross the famous Mulling Nala and then start your journey downhill towards the valley floor. Once again today, you will cross a military checkpoint at Sumdo; from here, the Tibet Border is only a few kilometers away. Enroute, you will visit the Tabo Monastery.

7. Day 7: Kaza

   After a leisurely breakfast, you will ride to Key Monastery and then Langza and Comic Village, which is one of the highest inhabited villages accessible by road in the world. You then ride through these two picturesque villages. Afternoon is free for relaxation, wandering around town for souvenir shopping.

8. Day 8: Kaza to Keylong (3156 meters) - 187 kilometers / 116 miles

   A beautiful ride once again. You ride past the Key Monastery and go up towards Kibber Village. You then ride over the Chicham bridge, which is the world’s highest bridge (in terms of altitude). Today, you ride past some magnificent-looking villages; the entire ride is very scenic. After crossing the last village of Spiti Valley's ‘Losar’, the road would be entirely off roading - dusty and rocky.

9. Day 9: Keylong to Suraal (Pangi Valley) (300 meters) - 156 kilometers / 97 miles

   Today is going to be one of the most thrilling ride days on this motorbike tour. You will ride from Keylong to Udaipur, pay your respects at the Mrikula Mata Temple here. From Udaipur, you ride towards Suraal which is in Pangi Valley. Most of the road is going to be dusty and un-metalled. From Tandi onwards, you ride on the right of the Chandrabhaga (Chenab) river. The road is narrow, steep, slushy, potholed, lonely yet full of adventure and breathtaking views on every turn.

10. Day 10: Suraal to Kishtwar (1638 meters) - 124 kilometers / 77 miles

    Morning starts with retracing your route back to the main road. You then ride along the forest of beautiful birch trees; the first village that you arrive at is Luj, a cluster of a few small houses. A few more kilometers on this road and you arrive at the State Border of Himachal and J and K; stop here for the relevant security checks. The road mainly comprises of loose dirt, small rocks and stones lying scattered all over the road. The first village as you enter J and K is Ishtiyari. The 10 to 15 kilometers stretch between Ishtiyari and Tiari is a rock-cut wonder. There is little to no traffi

11. Day 11: Kishtwar to Srinagar (1585 meters) - 210 kilometers / 130 miles

    Today, you will start your journey forward to Srinagar via the Sinthan Pass. You will pass through Bandoor Koot and stop for the routine check at the police check post. The road from hereon runs along the beautiful Chatru River till Mughal Maidan, which is a little hamlet. The road up to Sinthan Maidan is pretty good. The landscape all the way up to the pass is something out of the fairy tales. You are surrounded by alpine pastures and tall pine trees. The pastures might be dotted with bakkarwals' huts and their children playing on the hillside, depending on the time of the year that you take

12. Day 12: Srinagar

    Have a relaxing day today. Sometime in the morning hours or afternoon, depending on what you choose, you will go for the famous Shikara ride from your houseboat. The rest of the day is for relaxing.

13. Day 13: Srinagar to Kargil (2676 meters) - 201 kilometers / 125 miles

    The Srinagar-Leh Highway is the main overland approach to Ladakh from the Kashmir Valley. This road opens from mid-June to November for traffic. You leave early to avoid the traffic that one encounters up till Sonmarg where tourists go in huge number to visit the Thajiwas Glacier, the entire region is beautiful. After Sonmarg, you begin your ascent up the Zojila Pass (11,500 feet). This bit of the journey can be very difficult as the road is always under construction and can be very muddy and rocky, and there is always a queue of lorries making its way to Ladakh with all the supplies. After a

14. Day 14: Kargil to Padum (3669 meters) - 231 kilometers / 144 miles

    It is another day of riding through some of the most amazing landscapes. Midway, you come to Rangdum which is the farthest and the most isolated part of the Suru Valley. On the way, you cross the Penzila Pass, which is the highest motorable pass of this area at 14000 feet. It is primarily areas around this point that cut off Zanskar from rest of the world every winter, which lasts 7-8 months. Driving some distance from here, you catch sight of the vast Drang Drung glacier, the 2nd largest glacier in the region, the largest being the Siachen glacier. After the descent from the pass, you will st

15. Day 15: Padum

    Padum is the only town and administrative center in Zanskar. It was historically one of the two main capitals of the Zanskar Kingdom, the other being Zangla. Padum is scenic and known for its Spartan splendour. The landscape acquires different hues with the change of time. After a relaxed morning, you will ride to Karsha Monastery and take time to explore there. Karsha Monastery is one of the largest monasteries of the region and commands the most splendid view of the entire valley. Spend the afternoon strolling the streets of Padum.

16. Day 16: Padum to Jispa (3080 meters) - 152 kilometers / 94 miles

    Once again, you ride through some beautiful villages of Zanskar. This road was opened in 2020 and work is still under progress. The villages are picturesque and in August and September, all the livestock have come down from the surrounding mountains and it is beautiful to see them grazing in the fields. Until recently, most of this region hardly saw any tourists, apart from occasional trekkers. The Shingo La Pass is about 85 kilometers from Padum.

17. Day 17: Jispa to Manali (2050 meters) - 92 kilometers / 57 miles

    Today’s ride is about 3 to 4 hours. The road from Jispa to Manali is smooth. This journey until 2020 used to be one of the toughest on the entire route, but the opening of the Atal Rohtang Tunnel has made this journey a piece of cake now. It's a smooth ride all the way to Manali and the best way to wrap up this beautiful epic motorbike tour.

18. Day 18: Departure

    Tour ends!

Ride Details

Bike

Rental bike (350cc/500cc Royal Enfield)

Mileage

1,921 kilometers / 1,194 miles

Daily rides

85 - 231 kilometers / 53 - 144 miles

Riding gear

Not included

Meals

Breakfast and dinner

Accommodation

Accommodation is a mix of hotel, guest house, and camps. Himalayan Challenges tries to provide the best option available in every location. Room allocations are as per same-sex twin-room sharing and double room for couples.

Food

Food will be a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Mostly, Indian food will be served for dinner but breakfast can be Indian and continental.

Getting There

This tour starts in the lush green Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh. You cover numerous regions of the Trans- Himalaya in this motorbike tour -Kullu Valley, Kinnaur, Lahoul and Spiti, Pangi, Kashmir and Zanskar. Every valley is very distinct from each other in terms of landscape, architecture and culture. You start the motorbike trip from Manali. Ride through the lush green Banjar valley into Kinn