Introduction
Ladakh, the land of very high passes is literally the dream of each and every biker no matter what their age is. The spectacular roads, the weather, the high altitude passes, the mesmerizing landscapes, the friendly localities, stunning lakes and what not, it has everything a nature lover expects in a beautiful travel destination.
Location of Ladakh
Situated at the northernmost point of India sharing boundaries with 2 countries, which actually started up as the state of J&K but later split into 2 different territories named Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh due to some political issues. This made the tourist access much easier as a few rules which are applicable to JK were to be followed in Ladakh as well, which wasn’t a good thing for bikers and tourists.
The Altitude of Ladakh
As the altitude of the entire UT is very very high, the lowest point itself wouldn’t be less than 10,000 ft and usually all the inhabitants stay at an altitude of 12,000 to 15,000 ft as they chose a flat steady altitude area to set up their homes, but the humongous mountain even stand until 25,000 ft as well. So this is a very challenging situation for all the tourists who are planning their trip to Ladakh. Proper acclimatization is a must, or else one has to face serious health issues.
Acclimatization
The very important guideline which everyone has to follow if they’re coming to Leh from flight is to take a rest for 1-2 days at Leh for proper health. If coming by road, one would increase their altitude gradually until you reach Leh, so just be careful in the coming days. One shouldn’t do any exhaustive task and shouldn’t go anywhere outside Leh city. If someone is planning to go to Nubra then right after 35 kms one climbs straight upto 18,100 ft from 12,000 ft, which is a very rapid increase in a very short time.
AMS(Acute Mountain Sickness) is a very serious issue which everyone should be aware of. Though the symptoms are not seen quickly, it would bring a serious health issue in coming times which would spoil the entire help. Even in those remote areas health care facilities and hospitals are also lesser which would worsen the situation. No matter how fit you are, how aged or how healthy you are, if you don’t take care of your health, then you’re risking yourself.
The Sensitive Border Areas
Ladakh is entirely surrounded by Tibet on the other side and POK on other side which makes it a very sensitive region. The other half of the UT has various military establishments all over for security reasons and few parts are not accessible to the civilians. Few of the roads are very close, just beside the LAC and some of the roads are not to be used by tourists as they’re very close to Chinese patrolling areas.
BRO in Ladakh
The roads in Ladakh are now in a pretty good condition. Almost more than 80% of the roads are metaled and the rest would be completed very soon. Hats off to Border Roads Organization for creating the best roads, connecting the remote places of Ladakh for the military and the tourist use. All the high altitude passes, roads in difficult terrains are built and maintained by them for round the year movement of the troops.
The Buddhist Culture
The whole UT has mostly the Buddhist population which can be clearly seen by a monastery in all the villages. The people out there are extremely kind and very down to earth. Nobody is rude or arrogant in any kind. Even nobody is scared of any kind of theft, robbery or any kind of cheating, which shows the culture of the local people. It feels too happy to be around them, spending time with staying at their homes in remote villages as there are not many hotels available in remote villages.
Connectivity to Ladakh
Connectivity from the rest of India is the most challenging part of Ladakh. There are only 2 roads to reach from the rest of India. One is NH-03 from Manali to Leh and the other is the lifeline of Ladakh, NH-01 from Sri Nagar, JK. Zoji La pass closes in peak winters due to heavy snowfall and many passes in Leh Manali highway are closed in winters which cuts off Ladakh from the outside world. Though few local roads might be open and closed at various times, the main connectivity is cut down.
Air Connectivity to Leh
The other and the most reliable way of connecting is air travel. The only airport to Leh has direct flights from Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai. Delhi has the highest number of flights, but the issue here is the flights travel only before 1PM. If the weather is bad, not even a single flight would depart to Leh and all the flights for the day would be canceled.
I remember our flight waiting for 20 mins in Delhi Airport, where the captain announced that there isn’t any parking spot empty in Leh due to which we have to wait until an aircraft takes off, which was one of the rarest reasons for a flight to get delayed.
Frequent Flight Cancellation
Even a few months before, all the flights to Leh had been canceled for 4-5 days because of the very high temperature at Leh. This was a surprising condition for everyone, but the real technical issue is that the aircraft performance would be badly affected which would make that aircraft remain in Leh until the weather improves even if it lands as the air is very thin.
Conclusion
Though there are a lot of challenges before planning your trip to Leh, honestly this was the best trip ever in my entire lifetime and I wouldn’t mind traveling again and again in the coming years. One has to think may time before planning your trip to Leh because you’d definitely lose your soul before leaving back from Leh.
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