So you finally have decided to gather your guts and take a step towards adventure motorcycling. And what better place to start with than the vast mountain ranges of the Himalayas in Ladakh?
Magnificent sceneries, unpredictable weather and mountain pass that quite literally and figuratively take your breath away is a perfect balance of breaking a rider from within for the first time yet still giving them just enough strength to ride back to their camps. By the end of the expedition, riders most definitely are out of their comfort zone, and fhave given up the concept of controlled environments yet millions of riders ride into the grand Himalayan ranges just to get the kicks!
Prior to the commencement of your trip, you’re handed keys to Royal Enfield Himalayan, the perfect motorcycle for the job. As the name suggests, the Himalayan is built to take on whatever is thrown at you in the Himalayan ranges and a little more. You start your motorcycle tour and ride along the old silk route to Sarchu on the first day, passing through Baralacha-la (15,910 ft). The night in Sarchu would be your first test as altitude sickness starts kicking in but if you push that aside, the very next day you see snow-capped mountains in the distance from Pang, which really is a sight to behold. After pinning your throttle through the More plains and winding your way up Tanglang La, you finally start seeing traces of greenery and civilization. There’s a lot to do in the bustling city of Leh but what you should be looking forward to is the ride towards Nubra valley en route which you come across Khardung La, which used to be the highest motorable mountain pass previously. As you get closer to Hunder, sand dunes come into view which doesn’t really make sense compared to the general terrain of the area. Furthermore, you can see small patches of green amongst the otherwise barren land. After a comfortable glamping experience in Hunder, you retrace your path back to Khalsar post which we trot along straight towards Agham. After riding through impeccable roads and literally no roads equally, past Muglib you catch a glimpse of the mighty Pangong Tso.
Photographs don’t do justice to the majestic lake, which honestly looks more like an ocean, and one should still remember that only part of the lake lies within the Indian territory. Windy nights in Pangong are otherwise quite unbearable but thankfully, a lot of glamps are available. The next day, you ride back to Leh through Chang La, which is basically an adventure motorcyclist’s fantasy! The roads, or lack of them thereof, are quite bumpy with huge stones to topple your bikes and then there’s sand. All this while going downhill!
