- Kiwi Conall Buchanan only recently returned to riding.
- Eight riders on the trip all became life-long friends.
- Tour lasted 10 days and saw them reach the world’s highest motorable road.
Words: Conall Buchanan Pics: Conall & Pete Cain
Ten days of riding in the Himalayas, great roads and spectacular scenery at a scale hard to comprehend. This was the reality for six Kiwis and a couple of Aussies in June 2024.
The variety of this ride in Northern India covered the full range of surfaces, from beautiful cambered blacktop to loose gravel, then desert tracks, and riverbeds all in the mix. Brief stints in hectic towns and cities really kept all senses on full alert!
This was truly an experience of a lifetime, and it’s accessible to most competent riders with a reasonable level of fitness.
It’s not for the fainthearted, as there are challenges along the way, but many Kiwi riders would enjoy the experience. From our perspective, there was a craziness to the way of life, combined with an acceptance of reality, which was refreshing. People there adapt to life as it is, and simply do what needs to be done with a surprisingly laid-back approach.
There were links to history that probably shouldn’t have, but genuinely surprised most of us. The Silk Road passed through the area, Mughals had fortresses (and places of pleasure!), we rode the Aryan Valley where the true Aryans originated, and while Buddha may not have visited, he is certainly celebrated and has many followers in the region.
What it’s like
Our tour included bike hire and fuel, accommodation and two meals daily. We rode for 5-6 hours most days, and were on the road for 8 to 9 hours as a rule. There was a support crew of five, with a light truck carrying tools, spares, our luggage and oxygen for those who needed it. A second truck joined the group to carry fuel as we reached less populated areas.
The food was great, the accommodation ranged from pretty basic to tidy, and being part of a tour had real advantages at state borders and with other permits and admin.
Much of the area has an obvious military presence; in fact, many roads are probably there so the army can cover the ground easily if needed.
There was an incredible variety of roads. As our tour took us to less travelled parts, probably 50% was off seal. We all rode Royal Enfield Himalayans which were literally designed for exactly this sort of riding. With a 411-cc single cylinder, they were a lot of fun and did the job well, even if some in our group were used to more horsepower. There was only one day we really noticed the engines struggling for oxygen due to altitude when we were going up a series of switchbacks in loose going, about 5000 metres above sea level (m asl).
Royal Enfield have recently updated the Himalayan to a 450cc model with half as much horsepower again, so they will be even better.
As mentioned, road surfaces ranged from beautifully laid blacktop with sweeping curves to 20+km of riverbed that might have had a touch-up with a bulldozer at some point but was more likely just compacted a bit from the vehicles passing over it.
A few of us ended up off course one afternoon, due to an enthusiastic run home on a desert “road”. There were poles every few kilometres, indicating that bit was the “recommended road”. It was an hour or so of riding on a mix of natural gravel surface with some sneaky (for the unwary!) sand patches and various small gully crossings. Being a bit too proud to backtrack (and on for a bit of fun), we set out overland to a visible landmark, with some expected and some unexpected challenges and plenty of laughter when we got there, completely covered in dust.
Our itinerary
We took various routes to get to Srinagar (a major city in the North Indian province of Kashmir) and all reached there a day or two before the riding started. It was a different experience for most of us as first-time visitors to India.
Day One started with half an hour of making our way through full-on Indian traffic to the edge of town. Certainly not for the fainthearted. Fortunately, we had our leader to follow, but full awareness was required, and “holding your line” was essential.
After a run through easy country and a break at a café to regather, we headed up a valley on good seal before turning to gravel and then a winding mountain pass with a ski field and a massive traffic gridlock at the top. It was great riding, although there was plenty of learning about Indian driving for the Kiwis. And while the scenery blew us away, it was soon to be surpassed the next day!
The gravel was like a long trail ride, but a bit faster and with more traffic! Passing on the left became normal quite quickly and running your fingers along an ice wall hard up against the road was very cool, until the cold brought a reality check.
As we made our way down the pass, we passed a 300+ truck convoy heading up and then had lunch on one of the most desolate valley floors we had ever seen. We rode on a good sealed road into Kargil and stayed at a stunning hotel perched on a hill with a view that was great in daylight and just as good when the sun went down.
Day two started with a climb over a 4,100m asl pass (no snow on this one) and then down into the Aryan Valley. Stark, dry and cold, with mountains, rock formations and bluffs that were simply amazing. Prayer wheels outside monasteries were an eye-opener. We passed very dedicated road workers with twig brooms who were literally sweeping windblown sand off the road. There were a few minor “offs” coming down a winding seal road at pace, with all feeling out what the bikes could do.
The last hour of the ride into Leh was down a beautiful blacktop road that had the road bike boys at full noise. Leh is a recognised tourist town and a great place to visit.
We didn’t realise it, but on day three we were now getting into serious Himalayan country. It started with a visit to a massive Stupa overlooking Leh, then a visit to an army admin post for our “Inner Line Visitor Permit”. Soon after leaving town, we filled up at the highest fuel station in the world on the way up to Khardungala Pass, which sits at 5,600m asl. It’s very high and had our brains only working at 80 to 90% at the top.
Road works on the way up had huge boulders tumbling over our path ahead, so it was definitely good to do, as the Stop/Go guy said! A couple of the team came off on the way down, fortunately at slower speeds and not over the unprotected cliff edges, mainly due to a bit of brain fade caused by altitude. We stopped for a very welcome lunch at a lower altitude, and then headed down some awesome valley roads, with a mix of seal then gravel and parts with rocks recently blasted from the bluffs. Finally, we arrived at the Hundar Dunes, a Sahara-like area with Camel rides and 4-wheel bike expeditions in the Nubra Valley. This was the last night with full-time electricity and hot water on tap for a while.
On day four, we started seeing Yaks. We visited the Diskit Gompa (with a giant Buddha) beside one of the most authentic “storybook” monasteries most of us had ever seen. A sealed road then quickly led to a riverbed road for a few hours until we reached Shyok Village, which had once been a part of the Silk Road network. Down some loops that were a lot of fun, and then up a gorge with sheer rock walls on both sides of the road that had been cut into. The road was cut so hard into the bluffs that at times the rock bluff was hanging over the road so we were effectively riding through a tunnel with three sides, and a river below the open side. The shelter from the overhangs gave breaks from the sleet and then snow we rode through for 20 minutes before coming back into (weak) sunshine. It was an amazing riding!
The day ended with a smooth run on wide sealed roads into Psongong Lake, which is now partly Chinese after military actions in the 1960s. The accommodation was now pretty basic, and we also found the temperature to drop seriously at night.
Day Five saw us ride along the lake to Chushul village which looks like it’s from the 1600s, with walled fences and stone houses. Through another checkpoint (which happened at least once most days) to a pretty amazing war memorial (India/China battle) with the border unmarked, but only a few hundred metres away. Shortly after that we turned onto a completely dirt road, with spaced rocks on the side from time to time as a reminder to all where the road was. Surprisingly good going, we eventually came to some tarseal on a bit of rolling country and helped push a small car out of sand and back up onto the road.
Lunch was near an army base, looking onto some huge hillsides with sand blown into incredibly artistic shapes. Moving on over one of the many Bailey bridges on the trip, this one had a drowned excavator nearby in the surprisingly deep river, with just the top two metres of the boom visible. A long, smooth, gently winding sealed road into Hanle passing hills and rocks of constantly varying colours, saw more yaks, some wild horses, and a few wild buffalo alongside.
On the way out of town on day six, we stopped to see Marmots and huge Black Cranes before riding up a genuine desert valley. The “road” was just where other vehicles had driven and mostly avoided big holes and soft sandy patches. Occasional poles set in the ground sort of indicated where the best going was. An hour or so brought us to a steep slope with 20 or so switchbacks in soft going to reach the top, although, with the high altitude, this is where our bikes really started to feel the lack of oxygen once again.
Once clear, we then reached a good sealed road that took us along a valley to the ascent of Umling La, the highest motorable pass in the world at 5,800 m asl. A good ride up, and having had more time at altitude, it meant that our brains handled the height better than on day three. There was serious satisfaction at making it to this milestone – getting to the same height as Everest base camp on trusty single-cylinder bikes was a credit to the bikes and our support team.
We headed back down the same way and had yet another great lunch at a roadside stall/café. We followed the same route back to the previous night’s accommodation and had a bit of fun on the desert valley “roads”. Miscalculation led to some real off-road action and some competitive alternate courses back to visit our friends, the Marmots. Celebrating our achievements with cards and beer (not much beer available over recent days) then saw every effort made to get some sleep at 4,330m asl, wearing a good bit of our warm clothing.
On day seven, a plan change was forced by late snow on the passes ahead. The passes were closed that day but would operate in alternate directions for the two following days, with bikes not allowed. For us, this meant a full-day ride back to Leh on very respectable, beautifully curved, sealed roads. This was new country for us as we followed an increasingly large river down a big valley for the afternoon, on what was a bit of a dream ride for the road bike members of the team. We were all pleased to get to a hotel with power, hot water and only 3,500m asl. As it was our last day of riding, we took the support team out for dinner and had a great night back in civilisation.
The morning of day eight saw all of us onto a minibus by 5.30am to reach the snow-impacted passes in time to get through before the direction of travel changed. We missed some of the original planned riding route, but did cover a lot of the roads we would otherwise have been riding on. To be frank, the state of those roads and the congestion (mostly trucks) made us feel very OK about sitting in an off-road type minibus, taking in the scenery without having to deal with the massive potholes, snow, ice, and the sheer drops on one side of the road. It would have been a lesser experience than the passes we had already negotiated. Our 15-hour journey for the day covered four passes between 4,800 and 5,300m asl.
Day Nine (and Ten) saw us back onto the minibus first thing for the couple of hour run from Tandi into Manali, with part of that trip through the 9-kilometre Atal Tunnel.
Manali was the end of our tour and a great place to finish. We spent the night there and made the most of the laid-back tourist vibe. There were very few non-Indian tourists, and it was a great place to regroup and pick up some gifts or souvenirs.
Our tour had organised an overnight bus (next night) back to Delhi, and we all made our various ways back home after what had been one of the experiences of our lifetimes.
As the designated poet of the group (An Aussie!) put it very succinctly, “2 years of memories in 2 weeks – hard to believe!”
Realities & Details
Food
A few of us had stomach issues, with toilets being a priority to locate on some of the stops! It is definitely worth being particular about only drinking bottled water and very careful about uncooked vegetables and salads.
Having said that, the food was a highlight, particularly evening meals at what were at times very basic “homestay” type accommodation. Authentic Indian food, which wasn’t too intimidating for those not over keen on spices.
Altitude
Altitude sicknesses is real. It can be fatal, but for most just inconvenient. We were all impacted to some degree, with symptoms like lack of focus, some headaches and difficulty sleeping. Plenty of water (4 – 5 litres a day) and plenty of carbs helped. As did using the recommended pills, and most importantly not going too high too fast.
Roads
The driving culture is very different in India. This means awareness levels need to be high at all times, particularly in urban places. It’s OK though. The more challenging aspect of this for us Kiwis though, was how the other Indian members of our own riding group behaved. We 8 were a part of a 20+ riding group. The rest of the group came from Indian cities. Their riding experience is very different, which means cutting in, and short following distances are normal. Combining this with very little gravel, off road, or water crossing experience, and the fact that most had pillions, led to some frustrations. It wasn’t a terminal problem, but there would clearly be an advantage to be on a tour with riders from similar cultures. Tours matching people from similar cultures are available and definitely worth paying a bit more for.
Climate
Temperature matters! We experienced 47°C days while passing through Delhi, but were later wearing 5 layers of clothes, socks and a beanie in bed and still not sleeping well because of the cold at over 4,500 metres asl.
Cost
The tour itself cost around NZ$1,800 for the 10 days, including bike hire, fuel, accommodation, most food, and support crew with ride leader. Getting to and from India ranged from NZ$1,600 to $2,500 with the group using a variety of transport and routes to get to the start of the ride.
The local guys running the day-to-day aspects of our tour were legends! Great attitude, knew the roads, and very competent.
Companionship
Having a great crew to share the ride with was a big positive. Of the eight of us, no one knew everyone at the start of the trip. But the experience definitely contributed to us getting on really well.
We concluded that most people who want to do something like this are pretty likely to get on with other people who want to do it too!
“BRO” was looking after us!
One of the quirks of riding in this area are the encouraging, safety oriented, roadside signs erected by our friends at BRO (Border Roads Organisation)
It’s not a rally enjoy the valley
Drinking whiskey, driving risky
On the bend go slow friend
Speed thrills but kills
Married? Divorce speed
Drive carefully, live cheerfully
Peep Peep don’t sleep
Safety is as simple as ABC – Always Be Careful
Safety isn’t expensive. It’s priceless
Drive on horsepower, not rum Power
Shortcuts may cut short your life.
Life is short, don’t make it shorter
Life is precious do not spoil it
Kindness is giving the right of way
Impatient on the road, patient in hospital
Simplicity is the peak of civilisation
And the ever contentious: … “Don’t gossip, let him drive”
