Himalayas III: Kinnaur & Spiti Valleys

[FB666Y]

Some of the most amazing and toughest roads in Himachal Pradesh.

Three punctures, landslide, water crossing - the route has it all.

Here are some images - more when I find some time:

 

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Kalpa at 2960m elevation

 

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Explosives Expert

 

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Landslide

 

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Approaching Nako

 

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Nako at 3700m elevation

 

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Tabo

 

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Dhankar Gompa

 

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Kunzum La

 

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Rohtang Pass

 

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Mud Galore On Rohtang Pass

 

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Manali

 

 

More other stuff at http://www.fb666y.com.

Edited December 17, 2013 by FB666Y

[inferno_robe]

nice pics!! keep going! btw can u post ur taken route on google maps and paste the image here? im really interested in the route u have taken as i'm planning a similar trip to india

[FB666Y]

nice pics!! keep going! btw can u post ur taken route on google maps and paste the image here? im really interested in the route u have taken as i'm planning a similar trip to india

 

I didnt use any maps - the route is straightforward.

Delhi to Shimla by NH1 and NH22 (NH - National Highway).

Get your Inner Line permit in Shimla at the Distict Magistrate.

 

Get back on NH22 till almost the end then split off to minor road towards Nako, then Tabo and Kaza.

From Kaza its pretty much one road till Gramphu where a left takes you to Manali and a right to Ladakh.

 

Having said that you have a small window of opportunity to ride the Himalayan range in Himachal Pradesh.

The road is only open from June till early October, and even then its dependent on wheather conditions.

During this last ride the main pass into Manali - the Rohtang Pass - was impassable for many days during to heavy rains that left the pass in a quagmire.

And just as we left the valley there was 2 foot snowfall that made most roads impassable - the Kullu valley roads had many landslides and the Beas river overflowed over many sections of the road.

[Cpt.ZR]

wah... pro sia bro.

 

what are the stuff u prepped for this trip?

 

i mean like how do you know all the paper works? how to do? where to get? who to get..

 

where u get the info from? u asked ard or u went to their counsolate to ask?

[FB666Y]

Here u go - google map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=kaza,+Himachal+Pradesh,+India&hl=en&ll=31.79589,77.720032&spn=1.692384,2.403259&sll=31.774294,78.469162&sspn=0.423208,0.611801&vpsrc=6&z=9

 

You will definitely need to get acquainted with the region and the roads. Guide books like Rough Guide and Lonely Planet is a good starting point for your research.

[FB666Y]

Here u go - google map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=kaza,+Himachal+Pradesh,+India&hl=en&ll=31.79589,77.720032&spn=1.692384,2.403259&sll=31.774294,78.469162&sspn=0.423208,0.611801&vpsrc=6&z=9

 

You will definitely need to get acquainted with the region and the roads. Guide books like Rough Guide and Lonely Planet is a good starting point for your research.

[YZFx]

Amazing bro!!

 

Not sure if you still remembers me but you are one of my inspirations!!!!!

 

[FB666Y]

Amazing bro!!

 

Not sure if you still remembers me but you are one of my inspirations!!!!!

 

 

 

Yes - I remember. Thought you were somewhere in Central Asia?

Drop me a pm if youre back - Im interested in how you went about buying that bike in China.

[belgarathc]

Nice trip, I see you got your website up!

 

I am having a break (between jobs) in November and considering between visiting Sikkim, Nepal or Tibet.

[FB666Y]

Nice trip, I see you got your website up!

 

I am having a break (between jobs) in November and considering between visiting Sikkim, Nepal or Tibet.

 

Yes - finally got the website up and running though there's still plenty of missing info.

 

Nov-Dec is a good time for Nepal or Sikkim.

Nepal will be easier (though the flight might be a little expensive) - and you can get a bike in Kathmandu.

Sikkim is a bit more tedious - you might need to get an Inner Line Permit for some of the places (well, that depends on your itinerary) -

however I have heard that there is a place in calcutta you can get an enfield (damn i cant seem to find the link).

 

Let me know if you need info on Nepal.

[FB666Y]

Nice trip, I see you got your website up!

 

I am having a break (between jobs) in November and considering between visiting Sikkim, Nepal or Tibet.

 

Yes - finally got the website up and running though there's still plenty of missing info.

 

Nov-Dec is a good time for Nepal or Sikkim.

Nepal will be easier (though the flight might be a little expensive) - and you can get a bike in Kathmandu.

Sikkim is a bit more tedious - you might need to get an Inner Line Permit for some of the places (well, that depends on your itinerary) -

however I have heard that there is a place in calcutta you can get an enfield (damn i cant seem to find the link).

 

Let me know if you need info on Nepal.

[FB666Y]

http://www.fb666y.com/img/photo_gallery/india2/spikin01.jpg

 

Shimla to Kalpa

With the proper paperwork in hand it was time to hit the road - we stumbled out at first light, and took the serpentine road from Shimla.

 

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It gets light very early in summer - around 5am, but it takes till around 7am before your start feeling the sun's warmth. In Shimla, though cold, that wasnt that much of a factor. The sun sets pretty late as well, around 7plus in the evening - it affords you plenty of time to get to your destination and on roads like those in Kinnaur and Spiti you need plenty of time.

 

The road rose through the hills, past apple orchards and quaint little villages. The first day's ride was a 200km(ish) jaunt to Kalpa. We had to go through Rampur, a large(ish) town that was halfway and then past the hydro-electric dam works along the Sutlej river. The road was pretty good till Rampur, after which the road fell apart quite spectacularly. The 100km from Rampur till Kalpa was a quilted road of rocks, pebbles, steep inclines and amazing drop off. Sections of roads were scooped right out of the mountainside, with rocky roof overhead and blind corners. Other sections you were travelling on a little thread of a road, with a sheer cliff on one side and a 1000m drop-off on the other side.

 

http://www.fb666y.com/img/photo_gallery/india2/spikin09.jpg

 

There's a History program going on at the moment: IRT World's Deadliest Road's and its the same road we took. Here a preview on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSG3Zg41MDU. They called it the freefall highway, on account of the sheer drops - however, after watching the show and riding it first-hand, its a pretty accurate account of just how crazy the road can be.

 

From the dam, the road was an unfurled ribbon that lay on the side of the mountain, so narrow it was crazy the way the Indian drivers pass each other. Somehow we made it to Rekong Peo, a small town at the base of a mountain - Kapla was above Rekong Peo on a winding 10km jaunt.

 

http://www.fb666y.com/img/photo_gallery/india2/spikin14.jpg

[FB666Y]

Kalpa to Nako

Kalpa is awash with apple and apricot trees, and at about 3000m elevation, it's a good way to acclimatise to the high altitutes. However that didnt stop me from feeling slightly queasy till I had a proper lunch around noon after riding for some hours through roads that were steadily deteriorating. After lunch we managed maybe 30km before we were stopped in our tracks by a massive landslide a couple of kilometres outside Poh. A large section of the mountain had collasped, probably blocking the road as much as 30 metres. The slabs of rocks were huge, some as big as a mini-bus.

 

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Most people - especially the truckers were taking it in their stride - washing their trucks and checking their tires and chassises for damage. I was getting a bit worried - most people were giving me conflicting reports - some said itll be cleared in an hour or so, some shook their heads and still it'll be nightfall before the road was opened again. I collared some guy in a uniform and he said dont worry, the road will be opened come hell or high water, even if they had to stay the night. Not exactly reassuring, considering we wanted to cover another 100km or so to Tabo.

 

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The road was finally opened around 4pm. The explosive expert showed up carting a carton of dynamite-looking tubes of explosives. He tied several bunches together and swung into action. In slippers and jeans he clambered over the rocks, judiciously placing the explosives. Safety is never the highest priority in India - he left the explosive by the side of the road, anyone could have sauntered across and picked up a few sticks!

 

http://www.youtube.com/embed/FbheJuW1Clw

 

Eventually they had to place several charges before the heavy machinery moved in and made quick work of the landslide. I didnt mind it so much - considering it was quite interesting seeing them going about their way. Plus this was my first landslide - Ive been in a mudslide, but that different.

 

http://www.fb666y.com/img/photo_gallery/india2/spikin36.jpg

 

Well after that 4 hour plus wait Tabo was out of reach. It had to be Nako - a small village perch on top of a mountain at 4000m elevation. We made pass the landslide, quickly by jumping ahead of the queue. After Poh we turned left at the junction (going straight will take you to TIbet in about 50km or so). More cut-outs, the road is like a tunnel carved into the side of the cliff with a roaring river at the bottom of a 500m drop!

 

http://www.fb666y.com/img/photo_gallery/india2/spikin35.jpg

 

Beyong the cut-outs the road went on a loopy snaking section called the Karzigs. The road rose about another kilometre through undulating loops plastered on the side of the mountain. Before long the road finally made it to the top, showing a panorama of snowy himalayan peaks that stuck out like a row of jagged teeth across the horizon.

 

Coming to the turn-off to Nako I had the first puncture. Due to the strange configuration of the side cover (an aluminium trellis like cage that protected the rim from impacts) it was almost impossible to get the rear axle off to remove the wheel. I finally had to remove the side cover, wasting too much time. By the time I had the tire sorted and the rim back in the sun was dropping behind the mountains, painting the sun in brilliant orange hues. As it disappeared, the sky become a gorgeous dark blue - I wish I had taken a picture, but dam I was pretty miffed at that point!

 

Somehow Nako was full, it was green peas season (go figure - who grew peas at this altitute?!) and all the hotels were fulled. Luckily we bumped into a kind soul who took into his house and gave us the master bedroom for the night.

Edited September 7, 2011 by FB666Y

[FB666Y]

Nako to Kaza

The next morning it was a short jaunt to Kaza by Tabo, and it was biting cold. Doing anything in Nako is a struggle - the thin air saps your strenght real quick. We got started and had to cross our fisrt stream. Even though it was early it was gushing quite a bit. The water was more a foot deep along the side, and about 2 feet deep at its deepest point. And it was ice cold. I had to take of my shoes and walk across barefoot - my feet were blocks of ice by the time I got across!

 

 

All things considered it was pretty tame - we had much worse later on but more of that later. Most of these streams are ice-melts and spring unexpectedly and with varying degrees of strenght - most were the garden variety type, but deeper in the Spiti valley there are some really vicious ones.

 

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We reached Tabo before noon. I bumped into a pair of local riders who had been trying to find a pair of front forks for one of their Enfield which had broke coming across the Kunzum Pass. Not very heartening news really. Hopefully the two made it back after welding the forks, though Im sure it was not a very comfortable ride.

 

After lunch we jumped back on the road and we made it to Kaza by mid afternoon. Kaza was going to a rest stop for a couple of days so we could do some exploring in the villages nearby.

 

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We managed a trip to Ki and Kibber, visiting the Ki monastery. Kibber was at some crazy altitute - 4200m, and the thin-air was merciless. We also managed a trip to Dhankar monastery, located at the mouth of two rivers: Spiti and Pin. Perched on a rocky outcrop the views from the top of the monastery are nothing short of mesmerizing.

 

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We also managed a ride up to Langtse, another small high-altitute village surrounded by barley fields. We had our second puncture on that high road, but we managed the second one without any issues.

 

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Complete picture library avalaible here: http://www.fb666y.com/photo_gallery/photo_gallery_india2.php

[Erotomania]

the most deadliest road in himalayas....

[FB666Y]

Kaza to Keylong to Manali

The long ride - about 200km to Keylong necessitated an early start. The ride to Lossar, about 50km was an easy ride along rolling fields with the Himalayas looming overhead, cutting off the sun till it was 8 in the morning. The road was pretty good, some bad sections, but overall we made quick time.

 

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After the checkpoint in Lossar the road fell apart - it was 15km to the top of Kunzum La Pass, and the first 8km or so it was loose smooth pebbles. The bike drifted like it had a mind of its own. The bike kept sliding on those pebbles, and going uphill it felt like riding on ice. We could only manage a measly 15km/h or so, and it took us an hour to get to the top.

 

http://www.fb666y.com/img/photo_gallery/india2/spikin102.jpg

 

Somehow the little Enfield got to the little gompa with its multitude of prayer flags strung across the spires and fluttering madly in the wind. The Himalayas were laid bare - all you could see all around were the jagged peaks reaching into the skies.

 

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We rode down the other side - the road was roughly hewn, scrapped from the bare rocky mountain, with deep runnels. Calling it a road would be a misnomer. It was tough going on the Enfield - you had to keep the brakes covered and avoid the sharp granite (or is it shale) rocks. Fortunately we were going downhill, and after slowly crawling for more than an hour we made it to the rest stop at Batal.

 

From Batal it was another mind-numbing 50km to Gramphu (the turn-off to Manali), with another rest stop at Chattru at around 30km or so. We started tentatively in the alien landscape - the wind was howling and snatching at our clothes and the road was an ant's trail gouged into the side of the mountain. We could barely travel at any speed beyond the 15km/h we had been doing and we had about 5 more water crossing - most of them quite tame, but the last 2 were killers.

 

One was on a downhill slope, the water was easily about 3-4 feet high. The Enfield made it over easily - I saw a line across the gushing water and gunned the little 350 over. I had the impression the bike was rolling over boulders, but then I was out of the water, and onwards to the next crossing.

 

http://www.fb666y.com/img/photo_gallery/india2/spikin110.jpg

 

The final water crossing - about 15km from Chattru was almost our undoing. It was uphill and the water was roaring - it was a river of ice cold water. It started with small rocks, and pretty soon the Enfield was stuck in big football size rocks. The water was muddy and flowing so strongly it hid all the rocks. I almost burn the clutch trying to get the bike out. Finally we had to pull the bike backwards about 10 metres, scrapping it against rocks. Once again we had to walk the course, feeling the boulders under our feet, trying to find a suitable path across. My eventual line was to put the bike to the left, where the rocks were smaller, then cutting to the right over several smooth boulders, and that put me right in the path of the gushing water at the highest point. But we didnt have much of a choice, and hopefully the water didnt drown the little Enfield. Somehow we made it across - the water came up to the thighs, and some broke over the tank, but it didnt have any lasting effect.

 

http://www.fb666y.com/img/photo_gallery/india2/spikin111.jpg

 

However my pants were drenched and I was standing in squelchy shoes! Good thing I had my flip flops and made like a local and rode with my flip flops the rest of the journey. Chattru showed up, and we had a well deserved chai. From Chattru the road improved, the scenery got more green, and pretty soon we made it to Gramphu. We made it into Keylong by late afternoon, and reflecting back I realized it took us something like 7 hours to do the 80km stretch from Lossar to Chattru.

 

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The following day it was time to sample the Rohtang Pass. It had been closed in late July on account of all the rain and mud, and we were going to have a first hand look at it. Coming up from Lahaul side it was easy going up (I remember it being a much worse road back in 2007). The top was covered in clouds, and the problems really started on the downhill stretch towards Manali.

 

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Mud - plenty of it. There were trucks stuck. Traffic builds up very easily - our little Enfield was luckily small enough to make its way around most of the trucks. In some places the mud was thick and squelchy, it others it was watery, but the worst when there is just the right amount of water and sand and it creates an amazing mud that is super slippery. In some places the mud was so thick the only way was to ride in the truck's trail.

 

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After crawling and sliding our way down we burst into sunshine and Manali was but a stone's throw away.

 

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[ludacris10]

Bro wanna ask did you ride all the way from singapore???

[FB666Y]

Bro wanna ask did you ride all the way from singapore???

 

No I didnt. I rented from New Delhi.

You cant ride all the way - Myanmar wont let you through.

You will have to ship it across either by boat or flight.

[Guest alonzamiller]

Amazing post! Well thanks for sharing your experience. Your trip report is just so nice and fantastic. It provides a motivation and enthusiasm to others to travel and explore the lovely place.

 

villas in ibiza | villa mallorca

[ORen]

I'm glad the spammer before me bump this thread

 

Fantastic report, thank you for all the photos and details ! "thumb:

Were you riding 2 up ? I can only see one bike, and heavy loaded at that - must have been tiring, wasn't it ?

What cc is the Enfield ? How did it fair up slope and on that terrain ?

Did you plan any camping gear or you always managed to find a roof for the night ?

If the answers are in part 1 & 2 of the story, let me know, I'm on my way to read those threads as well

[FB666Y]

Part I was Manali - Leh - Srinagar in 2007

Part II was Nepal in, bloody hell, I think it was 2009

Part III is Spiti & Zanskar in 2011.

 

The Enfield Thunderbike is the little bike that can.

Absolutely crap but it managed the high roads like a agile cat (well, actually not).

Its 350cc and its ... fair on slopes - that depends on the height though.

Itll do 3000m without any problems. Some of the passes are 4000m plus, and thats where itll wheeze and sputter

But it will get up the passes ... eventually.

 

 

I'm glad the spammer before me bump this thread

 

Fantastic report, thank you for all the photos and details ! "thumb:

Were you riding 2 up ? I can only see one bike, and heavy loaded at that - must have been tiring, wasn't it ?

What cc is the Enfield ? How did it fair up slope and on that terrain ?

Did you plan any camping gear or you always managed to find a roof for the night ?

If the answers are in part 1 & 2 of the story, let me know, I'm on my way to read those threads as well

[ORen]

Looked at the photos again and got that you were indeed riding two up. How much was the rental of the Enfield?

What's the average lodging prices in the region and price of a meal?

 

You flew in so you brought your riding gear with you or bought it/rent it ?

[doctor phil]

dear FB666Y

 

many thanks for the fabulous photos and travelog. am planning a similar trip westward in about three years time. have a question about the timing. was informed that after may as a whole india get clobbered by the monsoons and that makes riding more hazardous than usual, yet as i understand this road is only open in summer. was the rain an issue at all?

[FB666Y]

The moonsoon starts around June/July.

The rain will be an issue, however the rain does not extend into the Himalayas.

So on that count youll be fine.

 

Having said that the weather patterns have gone out of whack somewhat - there was a foot of snow on the Rohtang Pass and about 50km into the Himalayas last year at the height of summer.

 

The weather can be dicey but having a Plan B may be wise.