Pir Panjal Mountains & Little Tibet, 13 Days Motorcycle Tour
DESTINATION: Jammu & Kashmir, India.
2023 ADVENTURE DATES:
Group 1: 14th July – 26th July
Group 2: 28th July – 09th August
Group 3: 18th August – 30th August
Group 4: 01st September – 13th September
COST (in USD): USD3,400.00pp
Price is twin-share basis. Additional charges applicable for single rooms.
GUIDED: Yes
DIFFICULTY: Challenging – a few long riding days at altitude.
TEAM SIZE: 6 – 15 riders
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel & Camping
MININIMUM AGE: 21 Years
ABOUT THE TOUR
This 13-day tour includes nine days of riding a Royal Enfield on one of the most demanding routes that the that Himalayas have to offer. We start the tour with a visit to Dharamshala which is known as the abode of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We visit the town and a few monasteries before venturing into the middle Himalayan region of Chamba, which was once a principality, and then further into Pir Panjal Mountain range, crossing over Sach Pass into the hidden Pangi Valley. From here, we take yet another challenging route to the Trans Himalayan regions of Lahaul and Spiti valleys, crossing Kunzam Pass enroute, which lies on the main Great Himalayan Mountain Range. We enter Spiti valley which has the semblance of Tibet and hence called ‘Little Tibet’. We ride to some of highest villages in the World here, and see some very ancient monasteries and we may even get the chance to see a Lama mummy. We continue riding to the rocky Kinnaur valley and spend time in some picturesque villages. Towards the end of our journey, we enter Tirthan valley with its rolling green mountains and excellent views, and arriving in Manali at the edge of Kullu valley.
Come prepared for every possible weather imaginable, from scorching sunshine to freezing blizzards. This trip involves back-to-back days riding at high altitudes so we expect everyone to have some level of fitness to cope better with the low oxygen environment. Our itinerary is tried and tested with acclimatization days along the way, however, we can’t predict how each member will react to altitude.
At The Altitude Gym in Gosford, we can offer a 13-week membership for the price of 12 weeks (i.e., AUD300.00). Here, we pre-acclimatize at around 4,000m asl. The highest attitude gained is 4,558m at Kunzam Pass. For reference, Everest Base Camp is 5,364m and the summit of Mt Kosciuszko is 2,228m.
PLACES COVERED
Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, Dalai Lama Temple, Chamba, Sach pass, Killar, Udaipur, Mrikula Devi temple, Keylong, Kunzam Pass, Losar, Kaza, Ki Monastery, Chicham Bridge, Langza, Hikim, Dhankar Monastery, Tabo Monastery, Gyu, Nako, Kalpa, Roghi, Sangla Valley, Chitkul, Jalori Pass, Tirthan Valley, Naggar, Manali.
HIGHLIGHTS OF TOUR
– Starts in Dharamsala and ends in Manali
– Varied colours of Himalayan culture – Kangra, Pangi, Spitian, and Kinnauri
– Across Pir Panjal Mountain range to hidden Pangi valley
– Cliff-hanger rides, adrenalin pumping across Kinnaur and Pangi
– Ride to Spiti valley which is quite similar to rural Tibet
– Visit some of the world’s highest villages and post office
– Centuries old monasteries of Tabo, known as Ajanta of Himalayas
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 01: Arrive Dharamshala – hotel overnight
Arrive Dharamshala airport, meet on arrival and transfer to hotel. Dharamshala is a famous hill station in Kangra valley – it is both the home to the Tibetan refugee community and His Holiness, The Dalai Lama.This afternoon we get introduced to our companion for our adventure – The Royal Enfield bike. Today, we take you on a familiarisation ride around Dharamshala, we visit Norbulingka Institute, Karmapa monastery, St. John’s Church in the Wilderness and the Dalai Lama temple. We spend the evening walking around the colourful McLeod Ganj market.
Day 02: Dharamshala / Chamba (190km / 6hr) – hotel overnight
We start our ride down the Kangra Valley and then meandering up through mountains and villages to reach the lovely town of Chamba. Chamba was once a principality with a rich culture. We check in at the hotel and later visit Laxmi Narayan temple. We will walk around the market and lanes of the Chamba.
Day 03: Chamba / Sach Pass / Killar (160km / 8hr) – guesthouse overnight
Early in the morning, we start our ride towards Pangi Valley. We ride up the valley crossing Tissa, Bairagarh and many small villages. The approach to Sach Pass is beautiful and specially in July-August monsoon months, the slopes of its meadows are lined with numerous Himalayan flowers. We cross Sach Pass (4,414m) that connects Chamba to Pangi Valley. The ascend down to Killar can be treacherous at some points and this ride, till about tomorrow’s afternoon, would be among the most dangerous in terms of sheer height of fall down to the fast-flowing Chandra Bhaga river. Pangi is a remote valley tucked inside the Himalayas and still remain untouched, and hence the basic infrastructure.
Day 04: Killar / Udaipur/ Keylong (135km) – hotel overnight
An exciting ride awaits us today. We ride on a road built by cutting across a cliff and this road is famously known as ‘The Death Road’ amongst travellers. We ride to Udaipur where we visit the beautiful wood-constructed Mrikula Devi Temple, and continue our ride to Keylong, the main town of Lahaul valley. We spend our evening relaxing and exploring Keylong town.
Day 05: Keylong / Kunzam Pass / Kaza (190km) – hotel overnight
From Keylong, we ride along Chandra river to Gramphu. We then enter a spellbinding ride further into the Chandra valley where the route is surrounded by high mountains on both sides. From Gramphu to Kunzam Pass (4,558m), the ride is a captivating dirt road but very scenic, with views of Bara Shigri glacier and CB ranges. Later, we ride down from Kunzam entering Spiti valley and reach Kaza, passing across several Spitian villages before we check in to our hotel.
Day 06: In Kaza – hotel overnight
Today is a day of exploration in Spiti. Spiti is a remote region tucked away in Himalayas and bears its resemblance in language, culture and lifestyle to Tibet and can be aptly called ‘Little Tibet’. We start our day, riding to Ki Monastery, which was built in 11th century and is the largest monastery of Spiti. We continue our ride to the village of Kibber and further to visit the spectacular Chicham bridge, Asia’s highest. In the afternoon, we ride to Langza, the most beautiful village of Spiti with excellent views of Chau Chau Kang Nilda peak and view the giant Buddha statue overlooking the village. We continue on to Hikim to send a postcard to our loved ones from the world’s highest post office. We continue riding on Spiti highlands to Comic, the world’s highest motorable village. We tread back to Kaza to walk around the small market and later enjoy some chitchat discussing our day over dinner.
Day 07: Kaza / Tabo / Nako (105km) – camp overnight
We ride down Spiti valley visit Dhankar monastery, which is perched on a cliff and was once the castle of Nano, the Ruler of Spiti. We continue riding to Tabo, where we visit the 1,026 years old Tabo monastery, which with its beautiful frescos, is also known as Ajanta of Himalayas. We continue on taking in a diversion to Gyu monastery and the mummy Lama. We ride along Spiti river, and from Chango village start our climb to Nako, the first village of Kinnaur valley. Nako is beautifully located on the banks of a lake, and houses centuries-old monastery. On arrival we check-in at our campsite.
Day 08: Nako / Kalpa (122km) – hotel overnight
From Nako, we ride down to Khab, which is the confluence of Spiti and Satluj rivers. We then follow the course of Satluj river down to the Kinnaur valley. We ride to Kalpa which is the most beautiful village in Kinnaur region, with a backdrop of the holy Kinner Kailash mountain, the abode of Lord Shiva. This evening, we ride to Roghi, whose cliff which is infamously known as ‘Suicide Point’.
Day 09: Kalpa / Chitkul / Sangla (100km) – camp overnight
We ride to Sangla, a challenging ride of a hundred kilometres. We continue to Rackcham and Chitkul villages to enjoy the beautiful Sangla. We return back to check in at our camp and have the evening at our leisure or make a visit to nearby Batseri village and temple.
Day 10: Sangla / Jalori / Tirthan (220km) – hotel overnight
After breakfast, we ride down Sangla to join Hindustan roads at Rackcham, and continue down the Satluj valley, crossing Tranda cliff. At Sainj, we cross the river and start our ascend to Jalori Pass (3,120m), stopping at the pass for a cup of tea at the local stall. We ride further downhill into Tirthan valley crossing the small town of Banjar. Our hotel is at the banks of a river where we can relax to the sound it’s fast-flowing waters.
Day 11: Tirthan / Manali (110km) – hotel overnight
We start our ride along Tirthan river until Aut, where we cross a 3km long tunnel to enter Kullu valley. We ride up the valley, stopping at a local shawl factory enroute, and continue on to Naggar, the capital of Kullu rulers about 500 years ago. Here, we visit the Naggar Castle, Roeirch Art Gallery and walk past Tripura Sundari temple. We continue riding to our hotel for the night.
Day 12: In Manali – hotel overnight
Free-day in Manali. Engage in some café hoping at old Manali or visit Hadimba Devi temple and Manali market. If you still have energy, ride to Sollang Valley and Atal Rohtang Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world above 3,000m.
Day 13: Depart Manali
Transfer to Kullu airport to connect your flight back to Delhi.
INCLUSIONS
– Airport – Hotel – Airport transfers.
– Accommodation on twin sharing basis in ‘A category’ hotels / guests houses / camps.
– Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner during the tour (during ride in remote areas, lunch may be at a local stall, restaurant or a packed box.
– Royal Enfield Himalayan or Standard 500.
– Fuel for the ride.
– English speaking guide.
– First Aid kit and emergency supplemental oxygen.
– Mechanics with all necessary spares where needed including spark plugs, brake wire, accelerator wire, brake shoes, engine oil etc for the bike (damages due to riding to be paid by rider).
– One standard helmet per rider / pillion (used helmet, not new)
– Support vehicles to carry luggage and spare fuel.
– Bottled mineral water throughout.
– Tea / Chai & snacks enroute.
– Permits & environment fees for restricted areas.
– All entrance fees to places of visit.
EXCLUSIONS
– International or domestic flights.
– Personal Travel Insurance.
– Personal and unexpected expenses e.g. lunches (AUD$2 – AUD$10), drinks, laundry, repairs etc. We recommend bringing about INR16,000 (AUD$300.00) for this.
– Tips.
– Alcoholic drinks.
– Anything not mentioned.
– Indian Visa fees.
– Additional accommodation for early arrival, late departure or early return due to any reason other than the scheduled itinerary.
– Personal riding / travel gear.
BOOKING
– Booking deposit: 25% of trip cost to confirm your seat.
– Balance of payment: 8 weeks before trip starts.
– Cancellations:
• >8 weeks before trip starts: Full refund, less USD200.00
• 8 to 2 weeks before trip starts: Full refund, less USD500.00
• <2 weeks before trip starts: No refunds will be given
• If we cancel the trip due to unforeseen circumstances, we will refund all payments made to us.
Travel Insurance
We recommend cancellation insurance to protect your investment. We require participants to have travel insurance that covers medical expenses, evacuation and repatriation. Please ensure that your chosen policy provides cover for riding at elevations up to 5,600m and travel within India. Evidence of insurance will be required. Emergency evacuation cost is not included in your trip costs.
Please take up travel insurance as soon as your booking is made.
Thank you for training and travelling with The Altitude Gym / Adventure Central Travel.
Contact us for more information