Leh–Manali Highway
The Leh–Manali Highway is a long highway in northernmost India connecting Leh, the capital of the union territory of Ladakh, and Manali in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is open for only about four and a half months in a year, from May or June, when the snow is cleared, and mid-October, when snowfall again blocks the high passes. It connects the Manali valley to the Lahaul and Spiti valleys in Himachal Pradesh and the Zanskar valley in Ladakh.
The Leh–Manali Highway was designed and built and is maintained by the Border Roads Organisation of the Indian army. It supports the heaviest army vehicles.
Geographical features
The average elevation of Leh-Manali highway is more than 4,000 m and its highest elevation is at the Taglang La mountain pass. It is flanked by mountain ranges on both sides, featuring stunning sand and rock natural formations.The highway crosses many small streams of ice-cold water from snow-capped mountains and glacial melts without a bridge and it requires driving skill to negotiate fast-flowing streams. The landscape changes immediately after getting past the Rohtang Pass and entering the Chandra river valley in the Lahaul region that lies in the rain-shadow. The greenery on the southern side of the mountain pass disappears and the mountain slopes on the leeward side become brown and arid. However, the mountain peaks are covered in snow and shine brightly in the sun.
The Leh-Manali highway is generally two lanes wide without a road divider, but has only one or one and a half lanes at some stretches. It has over a dozen Bailey bridges, some in poor condition. The highway has many damaged stretches and under-maintained portions, where even a little rainfall can trigger dangerous landslides. The road quality is poor in many places and high speed can cause discomfort.
Length of highway
The total length of the highway is about, in Himachal Pradesh and in Ladakh. The state line is at Sarchu. The length in Himachal Pradesh will shorten by about when the Atal Tunnel is opened in 2020, avoiding the Rohtang Pass.Distances
In Himachal Pradesh:- 1: Manali to Marhi at elevation. It is a steady climb.
- 2: Marhi to Rohtang Pass at elevation. It is a steady climb.
- 3: Rohtang to Gramphu at elevation . It is a steady descent. Turn left at Gramphu on the highway along Chandra river to proceed towards Leh. The right turn at Gramphu leads to Spiti valley and Batal, Kunzum La and Kaza on a road along Chandra river that is paved for some distance and then unpaved.
- 4: Gramphu to Kokhsar, the first village north of Rohtang Pass.. Foreign nationals have to show their passports with valid visa at the police check post here.
- 5: Kokhsar to Sissu at elevation. The highway runs along the left bank of the Chandra River, with a beautiful waterfall on the other side of the river. There is a helipad at Sissu with service to Manali during the winter.
- 6: Sissu to Tandi at elevation . Tandi is at the bottom of a river valley, where the Chandra River and the Bhaga River merge to form the Chandra-Bhaga river. Cross the Bhaga river over the bridge towards the right, take the right turn at the fork, and the road again starts climbing.
- 7: Tandi to Keylong at elevation.
- 8: Keylong to Jispa at elevation. Jispa is a village where two nullahs join the Bhaga River.
- 9: Jispa to Darcha at elevation. All tourists have to register at the police check post here.
- 10: Darcha to Zingzingbar elevation.Zingzingbar is south portal for the proposed Baralach La Tunnel. The steep ascent to Baralacha La starts at Zingzingbar.
- 11: Zingzingbar to Baralacha La pass at elevation. It is a steady climb.
- 12: Baralacha La to Bharatpur. It is a steady descent.The Keylong Sarai located 7 kms from Bharatpur is North portal for proposed Baralacha La tunnel. The Bhaga river and the Chandra river originate from melting snow at opposite sides of Baralacha La, the former flowing southwest and the latter flowing first southeast and then northwest to merge at Tandi.
- 13: Bharatpur to Sarchu at elevation. Sarchu is a military base and has a police check post. Register at the police check post here.
pass is the highest elevation on the Leh–Manali Highway.
- 14: Sarchu to Pang elevation climbing 500 m through the Gata loops at elevation and traversing through Nakee La pass at 4,739 m and Lachulung La pass at 5,065 m elevations. Register at the check post at Pang.
- 15: Pang to Taglang La pass at elevation,. This stretch crosses a plateau at 4,700 m called the More plains or Morey plains.
- 16: Taglang La pass to Upshi. The highway crosses the Indus river to reach Upshi village on the north.
- 17: Upshi to Karu After crossing the Indus river at Upshi, the highway bears left for Karu. The right turn is an ancient trading road heading east toward Pangong Lake and Tibet. There is a helipad on this road.
- 18: Karu to Leh at elevation, Staying to the left and following the Indus River leads toward Leh. There is another turn-off to the right that goes to Shyok, Pangong Lake, and Tibet.
The distance from Lachulung La to Taglang La is via Pang.
Travel time
The journey from Manali to Leh normally takes two days, but can take longer depending on the road and vehicle. Travel time is unpredictable since the weather and road conditions can change suddenly. The Leh-Manali highway has bad stretches of roads and occasional landslides. It traverses mountains at over 5,000 metres.The peak travel season is during May and June, when tourists visit Rohtang Pass. Most domestic tourists return to Manali and do not cross north of the pass. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation and the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation both operate buses that travel the entire highway in two days. Buses start from Manali north at 4 am and after every two hours or so until 12 noon. The time to Keylong is 4 to 10 hours depending upon the condition of the road. Traffic jams may occur at Beas Nallah near Marhi and again at Rohtang Pass. It is advisable to cross Rohtang Pass before 8 am.
Private four-wheel drive taxis are available. Shared taxis are cheap as they charge per person, but they may be full of local residents who will prevent good views of the scenery outside. The tourist cannot stop either a bus or a shared taxi for sightseeing. Some tourists travel from Manali to Leh and elsewhere in Ladakh on motorcycles, generally in a group.
Road surface
Snow and rain can make the highway slushy or too slippery to travel. Past precipitation can also create travel hazards. Much of Rohtang Pass remains covered by snow even in summer. Adjacent glaciers melt and water overruns the highway in many places. This water is ice-cold and travellers should avoid situations where they might have to wade through it.Fuel stations
There are no fuel stations in the final between Tandi and Leh. Vehicles should fill up at the start of this stretch, and motorcycles and vehicles with small tanks should carry additional fuel in cans. In an emergency, fuel may be available at small towns en route, but this fuel may be adulterated.Altitude sickness
At high altitudes, the air is thinner and contains less oxygen. Acute mountain sickness is possible, whose symptoms include headache, nausea, dizziness, and vomiting. It can be fatal. If reaching the area by air from lower terrain, the traveller should acclimate to the high altitude by staying at least one night at the starting point, and plan to stay over at either Keylong, Jispa or Darcha before ascending to the highway's highest passes and plains after Darcha. Travellers should minimise the time spent at the high altitudes and therefore not stay over at Sarchu or Pang. They should carry chocolates, glucose or other high-energy food on the journey.Climate
Ladakh is a cold semi-arid desert. It is cold along the highway even in summer ; the days are warm in bright sunshine but the nights are very cold. Light woollens are required during the day and thick woollens are required at night. There is no rainfall between Rohtang Pass and Leh even during the monsoon season in July–September as the entire region lies in rain shadow.Accommodations
In India, a dhaba is a roadside eatery with low prices and no frills. These are found at some otherwise uninhabited places along the highway. Dhabas are not motels, but many let customers lie down and rest, and some can provide an inexpensive dormitory bed.There is a variety of hotels to suit all budgets at the highway's endpoints, Manali and Leh. There are also hotels and PWD rest houses at Sissu and at Keylong. There is one luxury hotel at Jispa.
Guesthouses are available at Jispa, Karu, Kokhsar village, and Upshi.
The remaining option is to sleep in a tent. These are generally basic and inexpensive, though luxury tents exist in Jispa and Sarchu. Some dhabas offer basic tents. Tent [|accommodations] are available in Bharatpur, Darcha, Jispa, Pang, and Zingzingbar.