Manali - Leh

The cycle expedition starts from Manali, HP. Day one is reserved for the participants to reach Manali, decompress from the journey up, meet fellow riders and get acclimatised to the fresh mountain air.

We will do a bicycle check and conduct a crash course on mountain riding and bike maintenance. Followed by a complete ride briefing.

The first day of the ride is here. From Manali, we will cycle along the Beas river, and slowly start pedalling away from the crowds and bustle of Manali. The ride is a consistent uphill through alpine forests, till we reach the south portal of the Atal Tunnel. The height gain we achieve is ideal and important for the next few days. We cycle through the longest high-altitude tunnel in the world and cross over into the massive valleys of Lahaul. From here we cycle along the Chandra river to our destination Gondhla.

The second day of riding is fairly relaxed. With a downhill ride to Tandi, the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers. We pass the town of Keylong. This is the last population centre till we reach Ladakh. From here we have a climb of 12 km as we cycle a long section of the highway that is cut into the mountain wall. This opens up to a beautiful downhill ride to our campsite beside the river.

Today we will cycle along the Bhaga river and over the next two days reach its glacial source. The height gain on today's ride is approximately 1000m and you witness a transition in the landscape over the day's ride. Today's ride will have views of magnificent snow peaks, and an option to take a dip in an Ice Cold lake. Our campsite will be located at over 4000m with panoramic views of the snow-capped landscape. Plus this night is going to be a full moon,

The first big pass on our route. The mighty Baralacha La. Prepare yourself for a challenge as you cycle above the snowline and reach the glacial origin of a river right beside the road. The road is smooth and gradual and the views after every hairpin bend progressively get more breathtaking. The high point of the day is the pass top at a height of 4850M. Followed by downhill as far as the eye can see all the way to Sarchu, our destination for the day.

Today we cross over into the UT of Ladakh, as of now we are happy to announce that they will be no testing/naval swabs taken at the border. A 21 bend road AKA the Gata Loops will lead us to the second big pass of our ride ‘NakeeLa’ This is a challenging pass, This section has a lot of Native wildlife which makes every rest point more interesting. We descend to Whiskey Nala for Lunch, followed by another Uphill to conquer Lachungla, pass 3 of ride. We camp by the river tonight.

Today's ride takes us through the Morrey plains, a high-altitude grassland and flat ground that goes on as far as the eye can see. The ride through the plains will make you love cycling regardless of how your legs hurt because of the previous day's ride. Kilometres of flatland with a 50% chance of tail wind make today's ride the highlight of the trip. We camp at the base of Tanglang La, one of the highest motorable passes in the world.

Today we pass the crux of our expedition, pun intended. The high point of cycling to 5339M leads to the longest section of downhill cycling on smooth roads. The ride down the pass has sights of the flora coming back to life after the past few days of cycling the high trans-Himalayan landscape. We come back to the fringes of civilization on the Ladaki side. Our destination is the beautiful village of Lato.

We cycle to Leh alongside the Indus river, the days ride is dotted with scenic villages monasteries and stupas. A relatively relaxed day with regard to terrain although we still cover about 65km. Brace yourself for a newfound appreciation for creature comforts after days of camping in the Himalayas.

A morning ride to Khardundla- One of the highest motorable passes in the world. We ride up to the gateway of Nubra, this is a challenging ride but after the last 3 passes, and after the gradual acclimatization getting to Leh this will be a relatively easy notch under your saddle seat. We then return to Leh for an epic night to celebrate our ride.