Our drive officially started from Chandigarh, even though three members from our group had driven down from Bangalore three-and-a-half days back. The team comprised eight fifty-somethings who had studied in the same engineering college more than 30 years back, and the self-drive was planned as a fast, tough one in two cars.
On Day One, we hit the road by 5.30 in the morning. The prosperous landscape of Punjab went by in a flash, and we drove into the rather barren terrain of Jammu and Kashmir at Lakhanpur. The roads steadily deteriorated, and our progress slowed down till we reached Banihal.
Once we passed the Jawahar tunnel, the terrain became surprisingly flat, and signs of habitation increased as we entered the Kashmir valley. It was well past 8 in the night, when we wearily reached Srinagar.
The road from Srinagar to Kargil is generally pretty. The stretch before Sonamarg is especially scenic — we stopped frequently to admire its beauty. Crossing the Zoji La (pass) was probably the scariest part of the journey. The narrow, crumbling road, slushy in places, with sheer unguarded drops made this stretch dangerous. Our respect for the drivers of heavily-laden lorries, who ply this route on a regular basis, went up several notches.
Soon, we entered the Ladakh region, and the terrain turned milder. We drove past the battlefields of Kargil, especially Tiger Hill, where one of the fiercest battles was fought. The site for the Kargil War Memorial couldn’t have been chosen better. The plaques erected in honour of the soldiers, who lost their lives in the Kargil war, will not fail to generate patriotic stirrings in one. It was pretty dark when we stumbled into Kargil.
A panoramic view of Kargil town awaits you a few kilometres after leaving it. The terrain changes yet again, and curiously rounded rocky hills appear, offering a different kind of beauty. The culture changes to a Buddhist one — square Tibetan houses and stupas begin to appear. Lamayuru is a place which offers a breathtaking view en route, with its monastery perched rather precariously above the town.
We found Leh to be a quaint one, offering beautiful views of the distant, snow-capped mountains. Stupas and prayer wheels adorn many of the junctions. We were surprised to find quite a number of foreign tourists in Leh, many of them on bikes. We stayed for a day in Leh, to arrange our travel permits, which are required for venturing further North.
Our next destination was the Nubra valley, which extends for more than 200 km northwest of Leh. You have to cross Khardung La at 18,379 ft, supposedly the highest motorable road in the world, to reach Nubra.
The road to Khardung La was in a poor state, but we were rewarded by the sight of a couple of frozen waterfalls along the way.
This road is the lifeline of the Indian Army guarding the Siachen Glacier, and it is not uncommon to find long Army convoys. The discipline of the Army drivers, who let us pass on this narrow road, impressed us.
Nubra valley lies around River Shyok, and its tributary Nubra, which flows into PoK. We witnessed a different topography at Nubra valley, with villages huddled amidst the scanty vegetation. Diskit and Hunder are the main towns here — with sand dunes, Bactrian camels, and hot springs in the valley.
Pangong Tso, which featured in the climax of Three Idiots , was our next stop. There is a road from Nubra valley to Pangong Tso area, through Agham and Shyok, but we were advised against it. So, we backtracked to Leh and proceeded to Pangong Tso via Karu, crossing the difficult Chang La, standing at 17,590 ft. There is a signboard at the top, mentioning that Chang La is the third highest motorable pass in the world. Even though the ascent to Chang La is gradual, the descent on the other side is steep, and the road extremely bad, necessitating the stretch to be negotiated gingerly. The halt was at Tangtse, at about 14,000 ft, the highest place at which we spent the night, during the entire trip.
Lukung, which lies at the very end of Pangong Tso, is just 35 km away. The first sight of the azure lake, through a gap in the mountains, is unforgettable.
Pangong Tso, at 14,270 ft, is one of the few high-altitude brackish water lakes in the world. Our route pointed due South, in the general direction of Manali. We were scheduled to cover three high-altitude passes in a single day. Having covered Taglang La (17,480 ft) — like a song, the roads being very good, we reached Debring. The unique Morey Plains, which stretch like a flat tabletop for about 40 km, start here.
After Morey, the road deteriorated, and the climb to Lachulung La (16,600 ft) was difficult. We then negotiated the famous ‘Gata Loops’ (cluster of 21 hairpin bends), before landing at Sarchu, where Jammu & Kashmir ends and Himachal begins. Bara-lacha La, the last of the passes, is generally considered to be a difficult pass to negotiate.
Next day, the exquisitely beautiful Alpine village of Jispa came into view.
Having taken a decision to make our drive more difficult by exploring the Spiti valley as well, rather than returning direct to Chandigarh via Manali, we turned off towards Kaza, at Gramphoo. It was pure off-roading for about 35 km, mostly following the riverbed of the Chenab.
At one point, the 2WD vehicle had to be towed out of a deep rut, by the other. We stoically continued, passing the desolate summit of the Kunzum La (15,059 ft), with its solitary Buddhist shrine, to reach Losar, where an arch officially welcomes you to the Spiti valley. We had to do the last 50-odd km from Losar to Kaza in total darkness.
We stayed for a day in Kaza, which is a delightful place, with its fair share of attractions, and continued our journey through the Spiti valley, with the Spiti River running alongside for the most part. The terrain turns scenic, with a lot of yellow flowering trees, near Tabo, which is famous for its monastery.
We were taken by surprise when the Army flagged us down at Puh — to offer free tea and snacks; arguably, the best tea we had throughout the drive!
Next day, we deviated from the main road to Shimla, at Karchham, for visiting the beautiful Sangla valley.
The last night of the drive was spent at the busy town of Rampur, which lies at a surprisingly low altitude of 4,430 ft, for the region. Having spent so many days in sparsely populated high-altitude regions, we felt hot and a bit stifled in Rampur.
The final leg of the journey from Rampur to Chandigarh was uneventful, passing through the misty greens of Narkanda, negotiating the crowds of Shimla, and breezing along the classy Himalayan Expressway from Parwanoo.
There are some journeys which you can hope to do only once in a lifetime; this Himalayan drive definitely is one of them.
