If you have a rented bike or car, it will be almost impossible for you to escape the clutches of the local taxi unions in Leh. Places like Khardungla pass, Nubra & Pangong Lake are forbidden to cover with rented vehicles from outside of Leh. Self owned vehicles or private vehicles belonging to friends & family (with authorisation letter!) are allowed. All other outstation rented vehicles are not allowed on the routes to these places and they will stop you on route at the checkposts set up. You will then have to park your vehicle at the post and rent one of their vehicles to proceed further.
Since we had 8 rented bikes, we did not want to fork out the extra money for renting more bikes. Furthermore our route was also planned that we did not plan to come back to Leh. If we had to rent local bikes, we would be forced to change our route and that would mess up our plans. What we did was leave Leh really early in the morning ie 5am. We hoped that there would be noone at the checkposts and we would get away. There was a lone person at the post but luckily for us, he was sleeping! So we got away with our own rented bikes and did not have to rent local ones!
ADVICE: Leave really early from Leh and if you are lucky, you might just get away with it! It is also bitterly cold early morning and also at the pass, so remember to wear your thermals and your woolen gloves!
Leh to Diskit distance : appx 116 km
Leh to Nubra distance: appx 158 km
If you leave early, ride fairly fast with few stopovers, you can cover both Diskit/Hunder and reach Nubra Valley, which is supposed to be very beautiful. We stopped at Diskit and decided to skip Nubra Valley.
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| Leh to Diskit / Nubra Valley route |
This was one of the days which we had looked forward to for months! This was the day we were going to tackle the Khardung la Pass! It would test our skills, both our driving ones as well as our physical fitness, as Khardung la Pass is at a height of 18000+ feet!
It was really fun scooting out of our homestay at 5 in the morning and rushing non stop, in the hope to miss the sentries at the taxi union checkposts! Only when we crossed the checkposts and were out of viewable distance, did we stop and breath a sigh of relief! At the base of the pass, there is a police checkpost where you will have to enter your bike details. Its a simple process and you will also get to see the pass ahead!
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| Police checkpost at Khardung la base |
As we started ascending the pass, it became bitterly cold. Even with our woollen gloves, our hands were freezing and we all wished we had worn more clothes! There is a small restaurant on route to the pass and we happily stopped to grab a bite and a hot glass of tea! Since it was so cold, we ended up burning the egg cartons for a makeshift bonfire! Its one of the most memorable moments of our entire trip!
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| Janab Puneet at the Khardung la restaurant |
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| Ahh! Makeshift bonfire from egg cartons! |
All passes in Leh have really bad roads and Khardung la is no exception. What we heard from travellers on route was that it had actually become worse this year, compared to previous years. This filled us with even more trepidation! When we were on the pass, it was pretty bad but ride able nonetheless.
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| The beautiful Khardung la pass |
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| Puneet, Sumit and Suvinay planning how to cross difficult spots! |
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| Helping each other at slippery spots |
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| Photo opportunities aplenty |
ADVICE: Go slow and preserve your energy. The pass is really high and oxygen levels are low. Be careful not to overexert yourself else you will find yourself short of breath. Since the pass is covered in snow, there are lots of mini streams to cross as well as spots with ice and snow on the roads. Be careful on ice! It is advisable to stop at these points, make 2 fellow riders help you navigate/cross these spots without accident. They can jump in to help stabilise your bike or support you in case of a slip. Even if you do fall, you will not get hurt. Stay calm, pickup your bike with the help of your fellow rider (DON"T try to do it alone!) and proceed. Don't rush and enjoy the journey. Even if you are riding solo, you can always take the help of other riders or join them.
Navigating a tricky icy spot
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| One of the many breaks we took |
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| The mesmerizing beauty of the twisting roads |
After a few hours of intense concentration coupled with excitement, happiness and driving skill, we finally reached the summit of the Khardung la pass. One of the memorable moments was actually helping a stuck SUV to navigate a tough spot. The SUV got stuck on a bad patch and we all helped in getting it out and pushing it ahead.
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| The summit in view! |
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| Finally conquering Khardung la at 18380 feet! |
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| NitroJains conquer Khardung la pass |
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| Suvinay delighted to cross the pass |
It was a special feeling to cross the pass, without any mishap or incident. There is a small gift shop at the summit, which was manned by a person who spent 6 months at Siachen pass. It was really humbling to hear his stories and how hard daily life in Siachen is. We purchased some souvenirs to take back home with us. The pass is covered in snow on all sides and it was fun just being there!
ADVICE: It is advisable not to stay too long at the summit, preferably 15 minutes or so. The oxygen level is really low and you will feel the effects later. It will take a toll on your body and there is still a long day ahead. However we ended staying for more than 45 minutes at the pass. A couple of us actually felt the effects later on.
Even if you do feel giddy or lightheaded at the pass, the same guard at the gift shop will rush to help you. They have oxygen cylinders and medical care available, which would be really helpful to people who need it.
The return descent roads were lined with snow and it was actually more difficult than the climb itself. Since the sun was higher now, the snow had started melting too which made riding more difficult. We had to ride with even more care and it was an experience in itself.
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| Sumit with the snow lined road |
Actual footage of descent at the Khardung la pass!
Once we started descending, we started feeling the effects of staying too long at the pass. We were weary and started feeling sleepy. We stopped at a restaurant on route, to eat some maggi and have tea. Most of us also caught a quick 20 minute nap there!
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| Hot maggi and tea was a welcome break |
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| Soaking in the raw beauty of the mountains |
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| A Yak wondering who the hell these guys are! |
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| Guess the low oxygen made us all a little tipsy! |
The journey from the bottom of the pass to Diskit is really good, with scenic mountains and gentle rivers flowing besides the roads. The roads are well maintained and pretty flat. Diskit was a pleasant surprise for us all, as we did not expect such beauty in such a low profile place. Once you almost reach Diskit, there is a long straight stretch of road, which is surrounded by sand on both sides! It was an absolute pleasure driving on that road. Since we had to double back on the same road, the next day, we made a mental note to stop and enjoy the beauty.
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| Rock cut roads on route to Diskit |
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| Such majestic sights were commonplace on the route |
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| The flat stretch of pure tarmac |
Diskit is known for its Monastery and a little further ahead lies Hunder which is famous for its sand dunes and double humped camels.
We reached Diskit by early evening. Some of us really tired and decided to stay back at the homestay whereas a few of us wanted to take snaps of the famous statue at Diskit Gompa. The Diskit Monastery also has lodging options there. If you want to experience staying at a monastery, you can check it out and add "Slept at a monastery" to your list of accomplishments!
The Diskit Monastery also known Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh, The monastery has statue of Cho Rinpoche (Crowned Buddha) in the prayer hall, a huge drum and several images of fierce guardian deities. An elevated cupola of the monastery depicts a fresco of the Tashilhunpo Monastery of Tibet.
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| 32 meter statue of Maitreya Buddha near Diskit Monastery facing down the Shyok River towards Pakistan. |
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| Up close and personal with the statue |
It was really surprising to find sand dunes at Ladakh! Just some 13 odd kms ahead of Diskit lies the famous sand dune of Hunder. You can find double humped camels here. If you have the budget you can opt to stay at the numerous tents and camps at Hunder, instead of staying at a homestay in Diskit.
Hundar was once the capital of former Nubra kingdom. There are several ruined buildings, including the ruins of the King's palace, the Langchen Khar ("Elephant Palace"). There is a fort at the top of the hill, called Gula. Hundar also has two Buddhist temples: white temple (Lhakhang Karpo) and the red temple (Lhakhang Marpo).
ADVICE: This is the first time you will find sand on the roads. Be careful when riding as it is quite difficult riding on sand. Your bike slips easily and its easy to lose control. Ride slow and use both your feet as support to prevent your bike from slipping or wobbling.
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| Sand dunes at Hunder |
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| The famous double humped camels of Hunder |
You can even ride the double humped camels if you reach early. Unfortunately for us, it was late evening, almost night by the time we reached and riding was closed for the day. They were rounding up the camels for the day but fortunately we got an opportunity to atleast see them and click some snaps.
ADVICE: There is a hand operated petrol pump in Diskit. We were not too sure about the quality of petrol that was pumped and were sure that it was mixed with some kerosene. However, if you are low on petrol, make sure to fill your tank or atleast your spare petrol jars for the journey ahead.