The World’s Highest Ride: An Epic Journey to Umling-La 5798 Meter (19024ft)
Hello there! I’m Virendra Singh, a mountaineer from Uttarakhand, and traveling has always been my passion. If you’re reading this, it means we share a common love for exploration. We all experience the beauty of nature differently, and I would like to share my adventures with you. I love collecting stories and memories from the mountains and this is one of those, and I believe my travel experiences will offer valuable insights and help you plan your future journeys better.
In this blog, I’m excited to recount my adventure through Himachal Pradesh and Leh in Sep-Oct 2024. If you’re planning a bike trip to Leh, this article will be an invaluable resource to make your journey unforgettable. Stay tuned for updates if you’d like to join us! I’ll be posting some beautiful, inspiring and funny visuals of this trip on YouTube shortly
Let’s dive in and get started!
At the end of Sep.2024, After successfully summiting Mount Yunam 6111 m (20040ft.) where we gained and descended approximately 1,411 meters (4,629 ft) of elevation in just 12 hours, then we ventured on a 5-hour drive and reached Manali late at night on September 27. Originally, we had planned to drive to Leh that morning to climb two more peaks. but, due to unforeseen issues, we had to cancel those climbs and decided to return to Manali instead.
The previous day and night had been extremely exhausting, so my friends Rajesh, Linto, and I took a full day of rest at Naggar on the 27th, doing absolutely nothing at a beautiful house in Nagger. It was a refreshing and peaceful day after a tiring climb of Mount Yunam. On the morning of the 28th, we woke up late and enjoyed black tea in Rajesh’s room, which was located in a beautiful spot surrounded by forests and apple orchards. The house itself was an old, charming structure—an ideal place to relax.
World Highest Motorable Road bike trip Planned while having Paranthas
After tea, we decided to head out for breakfast around 11:00 a.m. While having paranthas at a café, an idea struck me. Since we had three more days with no plans, I asked Rajesh, “How about a Leh bike trip ride on the world’s highest motorable pass along with Tso Moriri and Tso Pangong? Rajesh was also interested in submitting Kiangri Peak from Tso Moriri before heading back, he agreed and we quickly packed our backpacks accordingly. All three of us decided to catch an evening bus from Manali to Keylong (60 km) and then continue from Keylong to Leh (400 km) the next morning on 29th of Sep.
We hurriedly packed our bags, took a local bus from Naggar to Manali (20 km), and waited for two hours at the Manali bus station. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a bus to Keylong, so we hired a taxi instead. We arrived at the Keylong bus station around 8:00 p.m., checked into a hostel, and booked tickets for the early morning bus to Leh.
A long Drive to Leh
The Manali to Leh drive is one of the most scenic road trips in the world and a dream journey for thousands of travelers. This 400 km high-altitude route takes you through the majestic landscapes of the Himalayas, crossing four breathtaking mountain passes:
- Baralacha La – 4,850 m (15,910 ft)
- Nakee La – 4,738 m (15,547 ft)
- Lachung La – 5,065 m (16,617 ft)
- Tanglang La – 5,328 m (17,480 ft)
This long drive, which takes around 10 to 13 hours, keeps your eyes wide open with wonder the entire day. There’s no doubt that driving through such stunning high-altitude terrain—most of it above 15,500 ft—is a truly unforgettable experience.
It’s best to start as early as possible from Manali or Keylong so you can enjoy more time at the high passes. Besides the passes, you’ll also get to witness beautiful lakes like Deepak Taal and Suraj Taal, and you can take tea or snack breaks at various locations such as Deepak Taal, Bharatpur, Sarchu, Pang, Upshi, and Kharu. However, depending on the weather conditions, make sure to cross Tanglang La before 4 to 5 p.m. for safety
We started from Keylong at 5:00 a.m., had breakfast at Bharatpur, took a tea break at Pang, and stopped for lunch at Upshi. We reached Leh city around 4:30 p.m. this 400 km drive was memorable.
After walking for about 20 minutes through the Leh market, we checked into a hotel and enjoyed a cup of tea with stoke Kangari view from the window. Later, we rented two Royal Enfield Himalayans for our next adventure. We thoroughly inspected the bikes to make sure everything was in good condition, as we were going to ride extensively over the next few days almost 1000km. That evening, we explored the Leh market, had dinner at a local restaurant, and returned to our room. We also applied for the Inner Line Permit online, which is mandatory for visiting many areas in Leh-Ladakh, including local sites and border regions.
Beginning of World’s one of the Best Road Trip
The next morning, on the 30th of September, we woke up a bit late and had breakfast at a beautiful café with some friends who were also visiting Leh. We got caught up in long conversations, and time passed quickly—we didn’t realize how late it had become. We returned to our room, picked up our packed bags, tied them to the bikes, filled up on fuel, and finally started our journey. By then, it was already 1:00 p.m. We stopped at Kharu (36 km from Leh) for a short break, refilled our water bottles, and grabbed some snacks. It was already 2:00 p.m., and we still had about 255 km to cover. We continued riding and stopped at Kiari for lunch, then carried on and reached Nyoma around 5:00 p.m. It was getting quite late, and it took us another 2.5 hours to reach Hanle. It was a tiring and exhausting day, especially since it had been a long time since we’d done such an extensive ride. The route took us through a high-altitude desert, mostly around 4,500 meters, with strong winds and cold temperatures. The last 1.5 hours of the ride were in complete darkness, making it even tougher.
Stargazing at World’s Highest and Asia’s largest observatory at Hanle (Anle)
Finally, we checked into a beautiful homestay a beautiful traditional homes with amazing Kitchen. While having tea, the local host told us about a stargazing activity happening just one kilometer away. We had no idea about this but we found it interesting, so we went to check it out. When we arrived, we found many locals and tourists gathered with telescopes to observe the night sky. By then, it was completely dark, and all the surrounding lights were switched off.
The Milky Way was clearly visible to the naked eye—it was absolutely breathtaking. We then learned that it is the largest observatory in Asia and the highest in the world. It was a fascinating experience to be there. We got to look through several telescopes and observed some beautiful planets—it was truly an unforgettable moment. We reached back to stay it even such long travel my friends were not interested in sleeping and rest and went to sleep at 1:00 am after
Reaching the Highest Motorable Road in the World 19024ft.
Next morning of October 1st, we woke at 7:00 AM, unsure of what the day would hold. After packing our bags and having breakfast at our homestay, we left our luggage there, planning to pick it up on our return. Carrying only essentials, we began our drive to Umling-La at 10:00 AM. We opted for a shortcut, advised to be 30 km shorter but a bit tough and off-road. The drive soon revealed beautiful scenery with vast open meadows and thousands of grazing sheep. A little further, we spotted a beautiful red fox, stopping to admire it and take pictures before continuing. We also crossed the Cobra Loop road before reaching the pass,
Around 12:30 PM, we arrived at the world’s highest motorable pass Umling-la (19024ft). It was snowy and incredibly windy, with a dry landscape. Engrossed in driving and admiring the stunning landscapes, meadows, high-altitude passes, and lakes, we neglected to drink enough water or eat. Our initial plan was to drive to Umling La, return via the main road (80km) to our homestay, collect our luggage, tie it onto bikes, and then leave for Tso Moriri to spend the night. However, we continued our ride towards Hanle. By 1:00 PM, after an hour of driving, we realized we had gone 14 km in the wrong direction. I’d like to credit my dear friend Rajesh, our navigator, for this! Lento and I rewarded him with some good-natured teasing for his navigation skills anyway. We turned back to the junction we had missed and continued our journey.
After another hour of driving, I became severely dehydrated and developed a bad headache, a discomfort my friends also experienced. We had been riding mostly above 16,000 feet through dry and windy landscapes for four hours and as we are busy in admiring the beauty around we forget having good hydration and food, off-course it was not a good thing we did so it was expected.
The journey involved countless zigzag turns, both uphill and downhill, which was incredibly tiring. My helmet felt like a 20 kg weight on my head, yet it was simultaneously a thrilling and beautiful adventure. After a tough ride, we managed to reach Hanle by 4:30 PM. We tied our bags onto the bike and drove another 3 km towards our next destination before stopping for lunch. It was already 5:00 PM, and Tso Moriri was still 100 km away. Our fuel was critically low, and the next petrol pump was at Nyoma, 40 km ahead. We were unsure if we would make it to the pump, especially since it was already 6:00 PM, and all petrol pumps closed at 7:00 PM.
Due to exceptionally good luck and speed, we reached the fuel station just two minutes before closing. After filling our bike tanks, we proceeded towards Mahe Bridge, another 50 km away. As it was getting darker, we increased our speed and reached the bridge in an hour. This bridge is the junction of Tso Moriri and Leh. By then, we were severely dehydrated and tired after driving 300 km at such high altitudes. It was already 8:30 PM, so we decided to seek a nearby homestay. We drove five more kilometers and reached Sumdo Village, where we checked into a homestay and decided to proceed the next morning to Tso Moriri, another 47 km away. We had a very good rest and food at the homestay, and also met some amazing mountaineers and hikers, followed by some engaging chats and knowledge exchange.
An amazing drive on the bank of Tso Moriri and Mighty Pangong Lake
(2nd Oct.2024)
We had planned an early morning start for our 380 km journey, but it was already 9:00 AM when we finally began. Our route was ambitious: first, a drive to Tso Moriri, then back to Mahe Bridge, and continuing on to Pangong via Yaya Pass, Kaksang La (the 8th highest pass in the world at 17,871 ft), Thato Pass, and Yaya Tso (Lake).
The drive to Pangong Lake took us six hours. We admired the beautiful passes, the seemingly endless zigzag roads, and the stunning lakes, all while battling strong winds that buffeted our helmets and visors. It was incredibly tiring to drive at such high altitudes for so long. We had already covered 228 km from Sumdo (near Mahe Bridge) to Tso Moriri and then from Tso Moriri to Pangong.
By 4:00 PM, we had reached Pangong, but still had 150 km to go to Leh. We were incredibly hungry and eager to find a place for lunch after leaving Pangong Lake. Unfortunately, we discovered there was a strike, and all restaurants were closed. Even after driving 50 km towards Leh, we found no open eateries. With no other option, we decided to push on without eating. Driving became increasingly difficult as it grew colder and darker. Our fuel gauge was also dangerously low, and the next fuel station was Kharu, 60 km away. We were worried about running out of fuel while tired, hungry, and exhausted in the cold evening.
We eventually reached a pass and decided to coast downhill in neutral to conserve fuel, but it was already dark, requiring us to keep our headlights on, risking battery drain. Somehow, we managed to reach Kharu just as the bike’s tank went empty. We enjoyed some yummy noodles at a restaurant there. Finally, around 8:00 PM, we made it to Leh. We felt incredibly lucky to have reached our destination safely. After arriving, we returned the bike to the agency, checked into our hotel, unpacked, had dinner, and finally slept around 1:30 AM. as we had loong Chat and discussion followed by funny comments on each other.
Next morning on 3rd of Oct. we woke late as we were tired today’s plan was to book a bus ticket to Manali and explore Leh, after the breakfast tried to book a ticket for next day due to last two day strike there was loong waiting and ticket got sold out quickly so next day was going to be in Leh only, so we explored Leh Palace in the afternoon and evening we did shopping in Leh Market bought some bracelets and jewellery from a local Handicraft so we come to room and had some party at our home stay and late night sleep as next days was a chilling holiday.
4th of October. We started the day late in the morning, booking my ticket to Leh. We spent the rest of the day exploring Leh and doing some outdoor gear shopping, then packed my bags for an early morning departure.
Return trip began on Oct. 5th, we woke up at 3:00 AM and walked ten minutes to the bus station. Our bus journey to Keylong started at 3:30 AM. We reached Jispa in an hour, where we had an early morning tea. It was a cold morning drive, and we arrived at Tanglang La in three hours, taking a short break there.
The bus was very slow, so it took us about 14 hours to reach Keylong. From there, we switched to another bus for Manali, which was another 70 km. This bus was extremely crowded, with only one bus serving almost 70 passengers. It was a very adventurous drive, and we eventually reached Manali. In Manali, I said goodbye to my friends as I had to change buse again for Chandigarh, an 8-hour journey. I arrived at the Chandigarh bus station around 2:30 AM and immediately changed to another bus for Dehradun, a 5-hour journey.
Upon reaching Dehradun, I took a cab to Mussoorie, where my trip concluded. It was a long memorable trip, a drive from Leh to Dehradun, covering 980 km in 27 hours.
Glimpses throughout the Bike ride.
List of Things To Carry:
- Head to Toe Riding Gears
- Punctured Kit
- Inner Line Permit
- Rucksack x1 (30 to 65 ltr.)
- Sun-hat | Woolen Cap | Bandana
- Sunglasses Polaroid
- Thermal upper & lower
- Feather Jacket (up to-5°)
- Fleece Jacket
- Windproof Pent & t-shirt
- Wind-stopper Jacket x 1
- Water Bottle 1 Ltr.
- Insulated Gloves × 1
- Woolen Socks x 2 pairs | Short Ankle Socks × 2 pairs
- Popper Boots for Riding and Walking
- Thermos for Hot Water 1ltr
- Hand Towel | Toiletries | Sunscreen
- Headlamp with Batteries
- Poncho × 1
Tips for the Trip
Staying hydrated and nourished is key: Drink at least 3 liters of water daily and ensure you’re getting good nutrition.
During Your Ride
Always cover your head with a bandana during ride breaks to protect yourself from the elements.
Planning Your Days
Start your day early to make reaching new destinations easier. Aim for around 250 km of driving per day to avoid fatigue and ensure you enjoy the trip.
Accommodation and Navigation
Book your accommodations in advance to secure your stay. Download offline maps for easier navigation, especially in areas without network coverage.
On the Road
Carefully check all junctions and don’t hesitate to ask local people for directions to ensure you’re on the right path. Avoid riding in the dark, as weather conditions at high altitudes can be very harsh.
Cultural Respect and Photography
Always speak politely to local people and respect their culture and rituals.
Important Photography Guidelines
Do not take pictures of any army vehicles, settlements, or camp checkpoints. Doing so could lead to serious legal consequences.
Do not take pictures of people without their consent.
How to Plan Days?
Day 1: Arrival in Leh
Day 2: Acclimatization in Leh while Preparing and Packing Renting Bikes Apply for permits so there is no work for Next day
Day 3: Leh to Hanle
Day 4: Hanle to Umling-la and Back to Hanle Stargazing at Night
Day 5: Hanle to Tso Moriri
Day 6: Tso Moriri to Leh Via Pangong (this will be a long so it needs to be started early morning)
Feel free to reach out to us, if you would like to travel with us!