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Himalayan top 10
 The most beautiful places in the Alps or Dolomites are known to many of us, but the Himalayan mountains are much less known due to their location in Asia. 10 years ago I discovered the first beautiful roads when I drove overland to Nepal with my motorcycle and a few years later I drove along the Himalayas with my wife on the east side in Myanmar. Thanks to a Dutch tour company, I have also been able to visist the highest part of the Himalayas in India for a number of years, including the highest mountain passes in the world. Based on my experiences, I made a personal top 10 of places where you definitely have to stop when you drivethrough this beautiful mountain range: 10) More Plains (Kashmir Goats / Miyar river)
Near Pang, at 4,800 meters, there is a road that runs for 40 km in a straight line between two large mountain ranges. This valley is filled with dozens of meters of snow during the winter and is therefore completely uninhabitable. As soon as the snow has melted in the spring, the valley is filled with large herds of Kashmir goats. This is the area where the best Kashmir wool comes from the world and if you ride the More Plains you can always find a shepherd somewhere that is shaving. An extra highlight is on the south side of the More Plains where the Miyar River crosses the More Plains. This river is just as big as our Maas, Waal and Rhine together, but is completely dry in the summer. A huge empty ravine of 100 meters deep where you can see the traces of the worn water flows beautifully reflected in the walls.
 9) Tanglang La (the second highest mountain pass in the world)
The road over the second highest passable mountain pass in the world has been completely paved since 2017. Because of the tight asphalt you sometimes occasionally ride in the Alps, but as soon as you make some effort, you immediately notice that your body gets little oxygen at this altitude (5,360 mtr). The same applies to the motorbike that at this height often only has half of its power. The possible discussion about whether or not the highest mountain pass is easily prevented in India by talking about passable mountain passes. There are still a few higher mountain passes in Tibet and Pakistan, but they are simply not accessible to tourists. The ninth place for the Tanglang La is beautiful, but it gets even better.
 8) Leh (Leh-Manali highway)
The highest part of the Himalayas lies in the former kingdom of Ladakh, where Leh used to be the capital. Today Leh is a small but bustling town at 3,500 meters altitude and the base for anyone who wants to visit this area. It is also the beginning or end point of the well-known Leh-Manali Highway. This half paved "highway" is number 1 in the bucket list of almost every Indian motorcyclist, somewhat comparable to a visit to Isle of Man for Europeans. Furthermore, Leh is wonderful to take a few days of rest, or to immerse yourself in the Buddhist culture of Ladakh. A visit to the War museum is also recommended to get a picture of the conflicts between India and Pakistan here in the high Himalayan mountains. In this museum there is also a beautiful military Royal Enfield engine, completely adapted to the rugged Himalayan environment.
 7) Tso Kar salt lake (highest / deepest lake)Tso Kar Lake is located on an inhospitable spot at an altitude of 4,500 meters and is the highest and deepest salt lake in the world. Here it is in the winter -40 degrees Celsius and in the summer it can warm up to +30 degrees! It is a beautiful place to enjoy the peace and nature, but the road to it is certainly just as beautiful. In fact there are two roads: The first consists of 20 kilometers of loose sand and the second road is only broken tarmac along the ridges around the lake. Previously one could only stay here in a nomadic tent, but since 2017 there are also a number of stone shacks which makes you sleep a bit nicer at night.
6) Rumptse Valley (Colors of a diamond)
Think of the colors of a diamond and project that on steep cliffs along the road. You get this picture when you drive through the Rumpt valley at sunrise or fall. Because of the presence of many minerals and irons on the surface, all the colors of the rainbow really pass by. The road through the valley is easy to drive and consists mainly of tight asphalt along a spur of the Indus river. The colors are so prominent that they can even be seen from space in Google maps.
 5) Baralacha La (Road-rivers) This mountain pass is especially rough! Despite the fact that the pass is no less than 4,892 meters high (82 meters higher than the Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe), there are still several rivers just above the pass. When one of these rivers looks for a new route, this almost always results in a flood of the road. Because this happens almost daily, the Baralacha La is known for its so-called road-rivers. Spring 2018 there was a lot of road washed away and the pass was temporarily unusable. Detour would be 5 extra travel days, but fortunately there are always a couple of bulldozers on the pass and the first motorbikes could go on after 24 hours of waiting.
4) Rohtang pass (Most dangerous road)
The translation of "Rohtang pas" is "Pas of stacked corpses", a translation that says enough.The pass has become known by the BBC series "Most dangerous roads" where one shows with trucks how dangerous this road is. danger lies in the narrow roads tightly along the ravine, which trucks and buses have only millimeters of space in oncoming or overtaken.For motorcyclists this is actually not so dangerous because we are a lot narrower than a truck. However, it is a nice challenge because it consists of only large boulders and pieces of broken road, but the south side is easy with tight asphalt and even a tea / coffee stop halfway, but the disadvantage of the south side is that it almost always rains here. This is because the Rohtang is the first high mountain on the Himalayan border, so all rain clouds gather here.
3) Kangla Jal (Steep rock walls)
For me the most beautiful road in the Himalayas. The Kangla Jal lies deep in the Himalayas and can only be reached with an extra night in a tent camp in Pang, Sarchu or at the Tso Kar lake. The night at 4,500+ meters altitude is already a unique experience and if you then drive up the steep rock walls the next morning, you can only enjoy. :-) The road itself consists mainly of gravel and is regularly tight between the rock walls and the ravine. Almost upstairs, the road winds up between two narrow rock faces and you enter a gorge where the Kangla Jal river at 4,880 meters altitude originates. MAGNIFICENT!
 2) Lamayuru loop (Only on the world)
Almost everyone who drives around in the high Himalayas will also visit the Lamayuru monastery, one of the largest and oldest Buddhist monasteries of Ladakh. 150 Buddhist monks pray daily for a better world and perfect meditation techniques that were invented here centuries ago. For example, the Tummo meditation technique has been discovered here, which is used all over the world to mentally suppress cold. One of the best known people who apply this technique is the Dutch Ice Man, Wim Hof. The monastery is beautiful but almost nobody knows that there is a hidden gem close to the monastery, namely the Lamayuru loop. A beautiful winding country road where nobody comes because there is also a better/faster road for the locals and other people do not know the road because it is not mentioned on a map. The Lamayuru loop is about 20 km long and to a large extent it winds over mountain ridges towards the Indus river. The views are breathtakingly beautiful and because there is no traffic you often think you are alone in the world.
  1) Khardung La. (Highest pass pass 5.602mtr) It is not the most beautiful or exciting road to drive, but the idea that you are on the highest passable mountain pass of the world, makes this place absolutely number 1. After an hour's drive from the capital of Ladakh you come to a permit check where it is important that all papers are in order. Without a valid permit you will be sent back down without mercy. After checking, the asphalt changes into dirt road and you are mainly concerned with the evasion of deep pits. There is also a good chance that you will encounter bulldozers who are busy clearing up daily avalanches. With dry weather you are at the top after half an hour, but in bad weather we have also done 3 hours. At the top you look wonderful into the Nubra valley and you can visit the highest café or the highest monastery in the world. However, because of the height you can stay on top for a maximum of 30 minutes, so in practice you usually have to make choices.
 The best motorbikes in this environment is undoubtedly the Royal Enfield that is not afraid of a dimple or some water. The Enfield is easy to adjust to the oxygen shortage at higher altitude. When you go over the highest part, it is necessary to bring extra petrol and spare parts, since in that area there are only a few tent camps to stay overnight. Permits from the government are also required for most places because otherwise you will simply be sent back. In short, traveling through the high Himalayas is only possible with a good preparation, but you can also opt for a ready-made trip with a Dutch tour company for which I guide this trip every year. With this tour company I did agreed that everybody who knows me can get a instant 100 euro discount off the regular price. The only thing you have to do is mention our website www.Lifeisjoy.nl. Prices and details: Click here.
Books or info: Click here.
Additional videos: Click here. |
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