The Epic Ladakh Bike Trip

I did the 8-Day Epic Ladakh Bike Trip from 25 July to 1 August with close friends from Switzerland and India. What a s-p-e-c-t-a-c-u-l-a-r ride that was! That truly was an out-of-the-world experience!! Glad I did that!!!

First and foremost, we did this guided “Premium Ladakh Motorcycle Tour (8 Days)” with the incredible Dream Riders Mototouring LLP, and they were nothing short of exceptional.

We were fortunate to have an amazing team led by our Marshal, Deval. Full credit to Deval and his team — Herok, Vishal, Ehsaan, and Nunu — for keeping us safe throughout the journey, taking care of all our needs, always going the extra mile, and ultimately bringing us safely back, all in one piece, with big smiles and everlasting memories.

Their professionalism, dedication, camaraderie, and genuine care made this challenging yet unforgettable journey even more special. We couldn’t have asked for a better team to ride through the breathtaking landscapes of Ladakh with.

The Mighty Himalayas

Majestic | Mystical | Magical

Here is a brief summary of this majestic tour.

Day 1 (Saturday), Arrival at Leh, 0 kms

• Arrival in Leh (from Delhi) and mandatory rest.
• Visited the local Leh market for some quick shopping - Pashminas, Cashmere, Ponchos and Saffron.
• Visited the insta-famous Dhurandhar tea-shop Washma Butt.

Day 2 (Sunday), Around Leh, 75 kms

• Riding around Leh.
• Visited Sangam, where the rivers Indus and Zanskar meet.
• Photo stop at the Magnetic Hills.
• Visited and had lunch at Gurdwara Patthar Sahib maintained by Indian Army.
• Last stop was at Shanti Stupa, the Buddhist white-domed Stupa.

Day 3 (Monday), Leh - Khardung La - Nubra Valley, 125 kms

• The actual adventure begins.
• We rode the mightily popular Khardung La pass (5,359 m / 17,582 ft), one of the highest motorable passes in the world.
• Visited Diskit Monastery, the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in Ladakh.
• Visited Hunder Sand Dunes, a high-altitude cold desert in Ladakh.
• Stay in Luxury Swiss-Tent cottage in Hunder.
• Gained some offroad experience. 😄

Day 4 (Tuesday) - Nubra - Wari La - Chang La - Pangong Tso, 230 kms

• Took the longer, scenic alternative route covering the high-altitude moutain passes Wari La Pass (5,312 m / 17,427 ft) and Chang La Pass (5,360 m / 17,688 ft)
• The direct Shyok River route was closed.
• Even more offroad experience.
• Hunder - Agham - Wari La Pass - Sakti - Chang La Pass - Durbuk - Pangong.
• Stay at a cosy cottage in the surreal Pangong Tso.

Day 5 (Wednesday) - Pangong Tso - Chushul - Rezang La - Hanle, 170 kms

• Visited the Rezang La war memorial.
• Long never-ending curvy bumpy nicer roads.
• Stay at the beautiful Hanle village.

Day 6 (Thursday) - Hanle - Umling La - Hanle, 250 kms

• Despite being closed, by taking the longer offroad alternative, we could do the Umling La pass, the world's highest motorable pass. 😎
• Who even rides on paved roads? Off-roading is a way of life. 😀
• True out of the world experience.
• That was the most offroad experience from the whole trip.

Day 7 (Friday) - Hanle - Chumathang - Leh, 260 kms

• Fueling at India's highest fuel station (4,170 m / 13,684 ft) by Indian Oil. 😎
• Weather tried to play spoilsport at Hanle but then excused us.
• Beautiful, stunning landscapes all through this nice and silky tarmac highway.

Day 8 (Saturday), Departure from Leh, 0 kms

• As all good things must come to an end, so had to be our Epic Bike Trip adventure.

Some video impressions from this epic tour

Video Credits: Dr. Ankit Chaudhari

Video Credit - Mr. Eswaramurthy

Video Credit - Mr. Annamalai

And, finally, my key takeaway from this magical experience:

HIGHER THE HILL, STRONGER THE WILL.