In July and August 2013 I cycled through the Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Kashmir in the Indian Himalaya for a month covering 1200km across some of the highest roads in the world. The next set of photo posts document my ride through this scenic region of the Indian Himalayas.
The ride started in Nupur (Himachal Pradesh) where I headed north over Sach Pass and into the Pangi Valley. From there I cycled east towards Keylong making my way up the Manali to Leh highway. Once in Leh I travelled across to Srinigar (Kashmir) to complete a traverse of the Indian Himalaya. The ride included a number of major mountain passes including Sach Pass ( 4420m), Baralacha La (4918m), Nakeela La (4937m), Lachulung La (5077m), Tanglang La (5320m).
View Indian Himalaya 2013 in a larger map
19th July - Delhi to Nurpur By Car
Approximately 550kms by Car.
From Delhi I hired a car and driver to take me into the foothills of the Himalayas. I decided on the town of Nurpur in Himachal Pradesh, not for any particular reason other than it looked small and geographically suitable for an ascent towards Sach Pass.
Video of ride from Delhi to Nupur
20th July - Nurpur to Chamba
Distance - 111km
Ride Time - 7hrs 37mins
Average - 14.6km/hr
Total Ascent - 1827m
Total Descent - 1449m
First day on the bike was a tough introduction to cycling in the Himalayan foothills during Monsoon season. I spent most of the day cycling in the rain and had to change my route due to landsides blocking the ride (see video below). I arrived in Chamba in the afternoon and found a nice hotel, Chamba is a really nice town, very clean and reminded me a lot of Shimla.
Video of Landside on the way to Chamba
21st July - Chamba to Bhanjraru (1778m)
Distance - 69km
Ride Time - 5hrs 18mins
Average - 10.5km/hr
Total Ascent - 1488m
Total Descent - 675m
Slowly making my way up towards Sach Pass, which is the gateway into the Pangi Valley. Plenty of climbing today and the weather was much better with no rain. I stayed in a really nice homestay in Bhanjraru, which was a bonus as all my research suggested that there was no accommodation in town.
Video of Day 2 on the road (and I get chased by a dog!)
22nd July - Bhanjraru to Bairagarh (2184m)
Distance - 34km
Ride Time - 2hrs 45mins
Average - 10km/hr
Total Ascent - 874m
Total Descent - 449m
An easier day today as this is the last town before Sach Pass which is over 4000m. I needed to ensure that I gave my body time to adjust to the altitude so I spent the night in Bairaganth. Even though I only covered 34kms, it still involved plenty of climbing and I was delayed due to another landslide (see video). Bairagarh is a nice small town, which had a good homestay where I spent the night.
Video of Landslide on the way to Bairgarh
23rd July - Bairagarh to Killar (2640m) (via Sach Pass 4420m)
Distance - 75km
Ride Time - 8hrs 30mins
Average - 7.7km/hr
Total Ascent - 2600m
Total Descent - 2600m
From Bairaganth I climbed for 25kms to reach the top of Sach Pass at 4420metres. Sach Pass has only been open since 2007 and connects the Chamba and Pangi Valleys of Himachal Pradesh. When I crossed Sach Pass it had only been open for 15 days and will more than likely close again at the start of October. The last few kilometres of the climb where extremely strenuous due to the altitude and the fact that I was not fully acclimatised yet. Sach Pass is an unmetalled road so the surface was quite bad in places, particular as I approached the top. The descent into the Pangi Valley to Killar took the rest of the day. It was extremely tough as the road was rough and required constant braking and lots of concentration - shoulders and hands were very sore by the end.
24th July - Killar to Udaipur
Distance - 85km
Ride Time - 7hrs 32mins
Average - 9.9km/hr
Total Ascent - 1145m
Total Descent - 1006m
25th July - Udaipur to Keylong (3092m)
Distance - 55km
Ride Time - 4hrs 17mins
Average - 10.5km/hr
Total Ascent - 914m
Total Descent - 509m
Just a short ride today and my last day in the Pangi Valley. I finished today in Keylong, which is the last sizable town on the Manali to Leh highway and where I decided to have a rest day after a week of tough riding. As I got closer to Keylong, the roads improved and I came across some nice paved roads. The Pangi Valley has been quite remote and off the tourist trail. In fact I did not see one Western tourist for the entire time. Keylong is a nice town to have a break. It has some good hotels and guesthouses, as well as some great places to eat. It hadn't really changed much since I was here 8 years ago.
Video of my departure from Udaipur