World’s Highest MC-tour

The World’s Highest MC-Tour

in India

Route: Delhi-Shimla-Manali-Tso Kar lake- Leh- Nubra Valley- Delhi

The first day in India we take time to take a look around Delhi. This is an exciting city of ancient and modern. Beautiful well organised districts and those that are more basic. Teaming with people, cycle rickshaws and cows.

The following day we take the train northwards to Kalka at the foot of the Himalayas where we catch an ancient steam train to take us up to the quaint ancient foothill town of Shimla. You’ll find the train trip in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s steepest railway line and it is reckoned to be a real classic. It is most enjoyable to leave behind the Indian plains and slowly crawl up over the slopes of the Himalayan valley. It was to the country town of Shimla that the British escaped in the summer when teperatures reached over 40 C. Here we will also find our Royal Enfields which will carry us around during the coming days on the “world’s highest MC-tur”.

From Shimla we drive to Manali then further to Leh. Since the route was opened for foreigners in 1989 it has been hailed as one of the world’s most spectacular roads. The road from Manali to Leh is the world’s second highest road and takes us up further to Khardung La, sitting at 5359 metres, the world’s highest pass suitable for motor vehicles. It travels over a sequence of 5000 metre passes which go from the attractive Kullu valley over high deserts to the magnificent Ladakh region. To call this a highway would be a misrepresentation – in reality the road is just wide enough for two buses to meet and the climate so tough that the route is only open three months of the year. North of this route lie China and Tibet and to the west Pakistan.

The road from Manali to Leh starts on the left side of the river Beas and follows it upstream. There’s a lot of traffic for the first few kilometres with vehicles, dogs and children walking alongside where apple trees grow. Here we have sight of the Pir Binjal mountain range. After around 5 km the traffic becomes more pleasant and we start to climb up the harnalssvinger. It can be warm here and very enjoyable with scenery including streams and waterfalls along the way. As the road ascends there is a superb view back down to the rooftops of Manali and to the snow capped mountains above Solang.

As soon as we come above Marrhi the landscape becomes bleaker and the views more dramatic. Paragliding is a popular sport in north India and we pass a ‘jump-off’ point one kilometre beyond the huts of Marrhi. The road up to the Rothang La Pass is often shrouded in fog which cracks open to reveal blue sky and deep valleys in the background where the river and iron has washed itself clean in the mountain. Cows, horses and donkeys graze amongst red, blue and pink wild flowers. A kilometre before this same Pass we can stop and buy snacks, soup or chai (tea). The Pass itself is a wasteland and is quite often covered by fog and mist which is driven over the Peaks. Obviously, the views from here could be spectacular.

We pass Zing Zin Bar (4067) and Baralacha La (4918) and are almost 110 metres higher than Mont Blanc. Veien ned er som hentet fra en magisk scene av marmorerte fjell som stiger opp fra Yamu elven omkranset av små tjern og vann. Further on we drive to Whisky Nalah (4802) and Pang (4522) and over Lachulung La (5077). When we have come up the harnalssvingene and are standing on the top we congratulate one another with the first pass over 5000 metres! From here the road descends. Here we go easy so that we avoid the fate of the military vehicles lying at the bottom of the valley – there are memorial plates to those who clearly did not negotiate the bends…

Leaving the highway we overnight with the nomads by Lake Tso-Kar. A beautiful salt lake in the Tibetan plateau. Following these very exciting and interesting days of motorcycling we arrive in Leh. Leh is high, sitting at almost exactly 3000 metres. The town is surrounded by white Himalayan Peaks. When we fly from Leh its possible, in clear weather, to see the world’s second highest mountain, K2, in the distance. Now we find ourselves, in reality, on the roof of the world.

The people of Leh are friendly and look more Chinese or Tibetan than typical Indian. The many restaurants are small and cosy and in the main serve noodles and Tibetan food. We make use of the day in Leh to visit a monastery and have a look round the town.

Setting out from Leh on an Enfield en route for the world’s highest pass for motor vehicles can set off butterflies in the stomach! It is nearly 5606 metres in height and that is higher than Everest Base Camp. One wonders how it will look up there, if it’s difficult to breathe and if the bikes will have any engine trouble on the way up.

The route from Leh steers us initially through a pleasant valley before the twisting and climbing begins. After a good hour we arrive at a checkpoint where we need to have a permit to proceed. It’s following this stop that we start to note the height. The narrow gravel track takes us higher and higher and sometimes we will meet a lorry that is slowly crossing, most of them from the Chinese side. Etter hvert glaciers stretch all the way down to the route and we need to drive through a lot of small streams as we drive to the top.

Finally arriving at 5606 metres we have a fabulous view in all directions. Looking to the north we can see into China. The mountain peaks around reach between 7-8000 metres. There are soldiers stationed here and they check the permits. All seem well acclimatised to the altitude. For us, who have driven from Leh on MCs we can expect to feel a bit wobbly in the knees. But the view, the sharp light and the feeling of standing on the roof of the world is something sure to take your breath away!

We drive over the Pass and down to Nubra Valley where we spend two nights, riding two humped Batrian camels amongst the sand dunes and enjoying the beauty of the valley before driving back over Khardung La to Leh. We fly from Leh to Delhi and can see K2 in good weather out to the right. The tour finishes with a celebration meal in Delhi before we fly home with a mountain of experiences!

Look at the Picture Gallery from this tour here!

Price for the world’s highest MC-tour,

September 2010 is 29,900 kronor for a 15 day tour.

Daily Programme:

Day 1: Saturday 28^th August

Oslo – Delhi

Day 2: Sunday 29^th August

Delhi

Day 3: Monday 30^th August

Train from Delhi – Kalka – Shimla

Day 4: Tuesday 31^st August

Shimla – Kulu

Day 5: Wednesday 1^st September

Kulu – Manali

Day 6: Thursday 2^nd September

Manali – Jispa

Day 7: Friday 3^rd September

Jispa – Sarchu

Day 8: Saturday 4^th September

Sarchu – Lake Tso Kar

Day 9: Sunday 5^th September

Lake Tso Kar – Leh

Day 10: Monday 6^th September

Leh and Hemis Monastery

Day 11: Thursday 7^th September

Leh – Khardung La – Hundar

Day 12: Wednesday 8^th September

Nubra Valley

Day 13: Thursday 9^th September

Nubra Valley – Khardung La – Leh

Day 14: Friday 10^th September

Fly from Leh – Delhi

Day 15: Saturday 11^th September

Delhi – Oslo

If you would like more information, contact us on post@indianadvenutres.no