Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 | Page 37

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
Road Trip to Ladakh
Avirat Shete
Intro
“The world is a book… and those who do not travel, read only a page’’
- St. Augustine
All regular travellers, will agree to this wonderful statement, which was penned over 1500 years ago. I’m glad that we
brothers, decided to finally execute our long-standing wish of travelling to Ladakh by road, all the way from Mumbai.
(Thane, to be precise).
An unforgettable journey of 6050 kms, spanning 7 states and 1 Union Territory, over 18 adrenaline pumping,
thrilling, heady days.
How to Reach
There are various options to reach Ladakh. The fastest one is to fly in to Leh, the capital of Ladakh. Not recommended
for 2 reasons-
(a) Chances of Altitude Sickness as you suddenly land at 11,500 feet above sea level, and
(b) You miss out on some ‘out-of-this-world’ locations, which will only be seen on a road trip.
To arrive by road, there are 2 routes- one via Manali (Manali-Jispa-Sarchu-Leh), and the other via Srinagar
(Srinangar-Kargil-Mulbek-Leh).
The Srinagar option is the best, as you gain altitude gradually, and also get to visit Kargil and the alienistic landscape
of Lamayuru (Moonland), en route. Unfortunately for us, that road was closed, and so we planned our journey via
Manali. As they say, beggars cannot be choosers.
Our Yeti proved to be a strong dependable companion
Vol 1|Issue 5-6|Nov 16 - Jan 17
37