Hyderabad to Leh ladak, road trip.

[rajesh]

 

Hello guys,

 

I am Planning to drive from Hyderabad to Leh by road .
Please guide me the best route available.

Car that we are planning to take is Baleno Diesel.
Can Baleno handle those roads without any issue?

Can you guys help in listing the things to carry.
 I'm travelling with my two kids, age 3 yrs and 7 yrs

 

Thank you.

[sagar]

Hi @rajesh , First of all congratulations for kick starting to plan on an epic road trip with your kids.. I would definitely call it a brave as this is going to be an adventurous one and I would definitely guide you through to plan your road trip. 

 

There are usually 2 different routes to reach Leh after you cross Kurukshetra :

 

1) Via Manali (Adventurous due to tough terrains & obviously Scenic) 

2) Via Srinagar & Kargil (Undoubtedly scenic driving close by the borders over neatly laid roads between the majestic hills)

3) You can also cover both the routes taking one way via Srinagar and coming back Via Manali.

 

So your drive basically depends up on which one you choose, And I would suggest you the route via Srinagar as you are driving a Maruti Suzuki Baleno along with 2 kids with you which eliminates the complete risk of vehicle breakdown rough terrain.

 

Considering you as the lone driver throughout, I would recommend you to start off early in the morning everyday to eliminate traffic and sleep early to get ample rest possible.

And hence will be my plan based on the optimum drive time you are going to do per day. Also I will be guiding you by the 3rd option which covers both the routes.

 

Day 01 : Hyderabad to Chhindwara (Via Nagpur) - ~600 kms - (14 hours including breaks)

Day 02 : Chhindwara to Agra - ~700 kms (13-14 hours including breaks )

Day 03 :  Agra to Pathankot - ~ 700 kms (13 hours including breaks)

Day 04 : Pathankot to Srinagar - ~ 350 kms (10 hours including breaks) - The Himalayan nature starts to show up bright in your road trip from this day and hence short distances take longer drive time.

Day 05 : You can spend a day exploring Gulmaarg, Pahalgam and Dal Lake (or) Proceed to Leh

             --- Srinagar to Kargil (Via Sonamarg, Zoji-la pass & Drass) - 200 kms which will take a lot of time capturing the beauty of Himalayas and taking a lot of breaks in between.

Day 06 : Kargil to Leh ( Via Lamayuru monastery, Alchi and Magnetic hill) - 230 kms - Leh local tour is you reach before 4 p.m. (Leh monastery)

Day 07 : Leh to Pangong Tso (Via Chang la pass) - Dont forget to take the necessary Inner line permits before your start.

Day 08 : Pangong Tso to Leh 

Day 09 : Leh to Nubra Valley (Via Khardung La top and Diskit Budha statue and Monastery)

Day 10 : Nubra Valley to Leh and rest

Day 11 : Leh to Manali at a stretch is not possible to cover in a day even though it is around 500 kms.. So it is preferable to break the drive at Keylong / Jispa as other places en-route have less civilization.

Day 12 : Keylong / Jispa to Solang valley / Shimla (via Manali)

Day 13 : Shimla to Agra ~ 600 kms (14 hours including breaks)

Day 14 : Agra to Chhindwara

Day 15 : Chhindwara to Hyderabad 

 

All the pit-stops chosen for a night stay in the above itinerary have decent accommodations available for the families. 

 

Few precautions to be taken during your trip in the Himalayas:

 

1) Always carry altitude and motion sickness medicines with you.

2) Avoid Tobacco and Alcohol during the trip.

3) Avoid taking anti-depressants and always keep your body hydrated.

4) Make sure your body is warm most of the time and avoid sleeping at high altitudes.

5) Make sure you carry much winter wear with you as the weather turns out to be cold by the night how much strong it is during the day.

6) Make sure you always carry snacks with you.

 

[sagar]

 

 

You can also refer to the above links for detailed information with some great pictures for more information in and around Leh and I hope this solves your queries 

[Gowtham]

3 hours ago, rajesh said:

Please guide me the best route available.

Suggested route:

 

1) Hyderabad  ---> Kamareddy ---> Nirmal ---> Adilabad ---> Hinganghat ---> Nagpur (Halt) ~ 500 kms

Hyderabad - Nagpur stretch is a good track for a drive but considering the rainy season scenario, it might be a bit dicey with a few unexpected ditches and potholes on your way. So, just drive carefully. Also, make sure you be maintain decent speeds.

 

2) Nagpur ---> Chchindwara ---> Narsinghpur ---> Sagar ---> Lalitpur ---> Jhansi ---> Gwalior (Halt) ~ 700 kms

Via Seoni is another route from Nagpur which will not touch chichindwara which is avoidable due to bad road condition when compared.

Narsinghpur - Jhansi is a perfect four lane all the way with hardly any traffic.

Jhansi - Gwalior is again pathetic with many diversions. There is significant traffic all the way about which 80 kms stretch might take 2 hours at least.

 

3) Gwalior ---> Morena ---> Agra ---> Noida ---> Delhi --> Ludhiana ~ 615 kms

Gwalior - Agra is again four lane track but the traffic is dense.

Agra - Delhi - Delhi is again a usual story. No way to bypass Delhi. Huge traffic jams at the toll is no option to escape from.

Delhi - Ludhiana is a 4-lane road, super good to drive.

 

4) Ludhiana --> Pathankot --> Srinagar ~ 530 kilometers
Roads are average, with beautiful views enroute.  Need to start early in the morning.

Main part starts from Srinagar: 
Srinagar --> Kargil --> LEH, you can plan this depending on your comfort.

On the return journey try to cover:
LEH --> Keylong --> Manali , roads are bit dangerous on this route.

 

 

3 hours ago, rajesh said:

Can Baleno handle those roads without any issue?

Baleno can easily handle those roads, not at all an issue. Few people did in Honda city, which has lowest ground clearance.

 

3 hours ago, rajesh said:

I'm travelling with my two kids, age 3 yrs and 7 yrs

Make sure your kids are free from AMS (Acute mountain sickness) and  motion sickness.

[sai86]

@rajesh Firstly congrats for your decision

 

I am sure Baleno can handle that terrain, just have the car thoroughly inspected by MASS before starting.

Below are few safety precautions:

1) Have one set of bulbs as spare

2) Keep engine oil, fuel filter, AC cabin filter as spare in the car

3) Keep 10 liters of diesel in a seperate can as Baleno has only 37 liters of fuel tank

4) Travel insurance for all the family members

5) If you have smart key carry the both the keys as smart keys sometimes throw "FOB not detected" error, remember to carry both in your pocket always

6) Umbrella, torch, swiss knife and anything you think of could be handy

 

All the best for your journey!

[Gowtham]

8 hours ago, sai86 said:

Below are few safety precautions:

Spot on!

I would suggest you to get a tow rope, It will be very handy. Can be very useful for other expeditions as well.
 

[rajesh]

Thanks everyone,
I will update, once I finalise the plan.
 Came to know that we can take Delhi to manali and Leh route?


 

[Gowtham]

20 hours ago, rajesh said:

Thanks everyone,
I will update, once I finalise the plan.
 Came to know that we can take Delhi to manali and Leh route?

Delhi --> Manali --> Leh route is tough compared to Srinagar -->Leh.

People usually go Via Srinagar and come back via Manali.

[rajesh]

Thanks gowtham.

 

[Guest Guru]

Hi everyone 

I m planing to hyderabad to leh ledakh by bike riding plz anyone guide me.. 

 

[Gowtham]

21 hours ago, Guest Guru said:

Hi everyone 

I m planing to hyderabad to leh ledakh by bike riding plz anyone guide me.. 

 

 

Can you provide more details, which month you are planning to start, which bike?

 

You can go through the following links.

List of places to explore:
 

 

 

Routes information :