Planning a Trip To Leh From Trivandrum in My Car

[SankarNarayanan]

Hi Folks,

I am planning for a trip to Leh for a very long time. Initially i planned to do the trip using my bike by transporting my bike to Delhi and then to ride to Leh. But things have changed now, I own a Diesel sedan and i am planning to do the whole trip - Trivandrum to Leh and back in my car. Distance will be around 10-11k kms and i plan to do the trip solo. My life is full of tense IT work pressure and environment and i want to forget about them for couple of weeks. I plan to do the trip in 30 days. I have read somewhere that Leh will be open to people only during June- September. Is it true? I need help with my preparations for the trip. Will a budget of 50k for the whole trip be enough?

Regards,
Sankar

 

[appus]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

Hi Folks,

I am planning for a trip to Leh for a very long time. Initially i planned to do the trip using my bike by transporting my bike to Delhi and then to ride to Leh. But things have changed now, I own a Diesel sedan and i am planning to do the whole trip - Trivandrum to Leh and back in my car. Distance will be around 10-11k kms and i plan to do the trip solo. My life is full of tense IT work pressure and environment and i want to forget about them for couple of weeks. I plan to do the trip in 30 days. I have read somewhere that Leh will be open to people only during June- September. Is it true? I need help with my preparations for the trip. Will a budget of 50k for the whole trip be enough?

Regards,
Sankar

Great to hear that you wanted to do Leh. Another member in TAI going to Leh soon.
I would request you to get a partner along . Not to ride. It may be of some help at times. If you want to take all pain yourself, then 'All the best'.

Be safe. Smooth_Rider / Fyzy / Pradeep? (scropio) are few among members who wrote great travelogue with detailed information. Go thru it - Again & Again.

And, the climate is going to change from cold to extra cold. So, riding on road with your stock tyre may not be a good idea at all !

Again, All the best for the trip. Drive safe.

 

[SankarNarayanan]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

Great to hear that you wanted to do Leh. Another member in TAI going to Leh soon.
I would request you to get a partner along . Not to ride. It may be of some help at times. If you want to take all pain yourself, then 'All the best'.

Be safe. Smooth_Rider / Fyzy / Pradeep? (scropio) are few among members who wrote great travelogue with detailed information. Go thru it - Again & Again.

And, the climate is going to change from cold to extra cold. So, riding on road with your stock tyre may not be a good idea at all !

Again, All the best for the trip. Drive safe.

I always check Faisal's thread. He uploads some mind blowing pictures which tempt me further to do the trip to Leh. But from June to September it's summer season na? I have read that temperatures at Leh can rise to 33c at times during august. Don't know if this is true. Please let me know if this is true.

Regards,
Sankar

 

[Fyzy09]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

Hi Folks,

I am planning for a trip to Leh for a very long time. Initially i planned to do the trip using my bike by transporting my bike to Delhi and then to ride to Leh. But things have changed now, I own a Diesel sedan and i am planning to do the whole trip - Trivandrum to Leh and back in my car. Distance will be around 10-11k kms and i plan to do the trip solo. My life is full of tense IT work pressure and environment and i want to forget about them for couple of weeks. I plan to do the trip in 30 days. I have read somewhere that Leh will be open to people only during June- September. Is it true? I need help with my preparations for the trip. Will a budget of 50k for the whole trip be enough?

Regards,
Sankar

Wow!! Sankar, That is a wonderful idea . Driving solo can be one heck of an adventure. Having said that, let me also tell you it involves its own risks. Not all that you cant over come. Do let me know in case you need any information. I will be more than happy to assist.

I always check Faisal's thread. He uploads some mind blowing pictures which tempt me further to do the trip to Leh. But from June to September it's summer season na? I have read that temperatures at Leh can rise to 33c at times during august. Don't know if this is true. Please let me know if this is true.

Regards,
Sankar

Thank you for the compliments.
Weather in the Ladakh region is quite unpredictable. I did this trip in June which was supposed to be Summer there but you know what we encountered. Dont you??

Let me know a tentative date when you are planning to do the trip. I will try and put across a drive plan for you. :)

BTW, which car are you banking on??

 

[konkantrip]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

SankarNarayanan Its really an awesome thought. I think September should be Ok. But again you Cannot predict the weather over there. I would suggest you to follow the following thread and they can provide you the latest road conditions over there

Manali - Leh Road Status, 2013 - BCMTouring

Most updates are provided by Mr Top Singh. He stays in Leh and is always update with the Manali - Spiti - Leh route.

Also can you tell us which sedan you are planning to take. As Ground clearance will be a real concern.

Best of Luck

 

[Fyzy09]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

Also can you tell us which sedan you are planning to take. As Ground clearance will be a real concern.

Konkantrip,

He is planning to do the drive solo, so IMO GC should not be a concern.

 

[appus]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

He got a Dzire LDI turned VDI (except tacho ) with stock tyre & alloy wheels !
He changed everything except tyres.

I have a Dzire VDI. I did not change anything except Tyres !

Konkantrip,

He is planning to do the drive solo, so IMO GC should not be a concern.

As it is Dzire, I think it may have some GC issues at times !

 

[Fyzy09]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

He got a Dzire LDI turned VDI (except tacho ) with stock tyre & alloy wheels !
He changed everything except tyres.

I have a Dzire VDI. I did not change anything except Tyres !

AFAIK stock tires should not be a problem. I have seen Altos doing Rohtang La and Khardung La on stock tires

 

[amit1km]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

Hi Folks,

I am planning for a trip to Leh for a very long time. Initially i planned to do the trip using my bike by transporting my bike to Delhi and then to ride to Leh. But things have changed now, I own a Diesel sedan and i am planning to do the whole trip - Trivandrum to Leh and back in my car. Distance will be around 10-11k kms and i plan to do the trip solo. My life is full of tense IT work pressure and environment and i want to forget about them for couple of weeks. I plan to do the trip in 30 days. I have read somewhere that Leh will be open to people only during June- September. Is it true? I need help with my preparations for the trip. Will a budget of 50k for the whole trip be enough?

Wow...Another massive travelogue is in the making .
I have not done this trip but considering the number of days and KM to drive, 50K budget will be very tight one.
Nearly 35K will be spent on the fuel only and rest apart other expense.

 

[konkantrip]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

I have seen an Fork Ikon struggling at rohtang pass and it was stuck in stones we 15 guys literally had to lift the vehicle and remove the stones. The reason for my statement is low GC can damage the car.

Konkantrip,

He is planning to do the drive solo, so IMO GC should not be a concern.

But there can be some luggage in the back, also you may need to carry extra 30-40 lts of diesel between Manali and Leh.

 

[SankarNarayanan]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

Wow!! Sankar, That is a wonderful idea . Driving solo can be one heck of an adventure. Having said that, let me also tell you it involves its own risks. Not all that you cant over come. Do let me know in case you need any information. I will be more than happy to assist.



Thank you for the compliments.
Weather in the Ladakh region is quite unpredictable. I did this trip in June which was supposed to be Summer there but you know what we encountered. Dont you??

Let me know a tentative date when you are planning to do the trip. I will try and put across a drive plan for you. :)

BTW, which car are you banking on??

Faisal i need every bit of help regarding information on routes, medicines to be taken, and what all preparations needs to be taken before in do the trip. Also i need to know the budget for such a trip. I currently have around 50k and have time till next June to do the trip so can increase the budget to 1L.

Yes from your thread i clearly understood the weather in Leh. But if Summers are like this i don't want to go to Leh in winter or off season

Regards,
Sankar

 

[appus]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

Oops. Initially I read "plan to do the trip in 30 days". Now, i am reading "have time till next June to do the trip".

All the best. Take your time than hurrying things. You can check Smooth_Rider Travelogue too as he traveled in a 4 wheeler. He carried some Oxygen too. He is a doctor and that TL will definitely help you additional to Fyzy's TL. The more you read, the better idea you get

Be safe !

 

[SankarNarayanan]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

SankarNarayanan Its really an awesome thought. I think September should be Ok. But again you Cannot predict the weather over there. I would suggest you to follow the following thread and they can provide you the latest road conditions over there

Manali - Leh Road Status, 2013 - BCMTouring

Most updates are provided by Mr Top Singh. He stays in Leh and is always update with the Manali - Spiti - Leh route.

Also can you tell us which sedan you are planning to take. As Ground clearance will be a real concern.

Best of Luck

Thanks for the info. I will be taking my Dzire LDi to Leh. GC is a concern but changing tires isn't an option for me now as i will have to change my alloys as well. Stock bridgestone tiress are ok for normal day to day driving but i think may fall short for such a long trip.

Konkantrip,


He is planning to do the drive solo, so IMO GC should not be a concern.

But shouldn't i carry extra fuel, lots of food, some medicines and lots of cold weather clothing? Won't this add a lot to the weight of the car?

Wow...Another massive travelogue is in the making .
I have not done this trip but considering the number of days and KM to drive, 50K budget will be very tight one.
Nearly 35K will be spent on the fuel only and rest apart other expense.

Currently i have 50k ready and should definitely increase to 75k-1L savings for the trip. But my ride in highway gives normally 24-25 KM/L so won't diesel costs for the trip stay at 25-30k? The trip i am planning will take 30-31 days and i don't want to just go to Leh and come back in a jiffy. My plan is to visit a lot of places, temples, historical places and i will take my time at each and every destination. Such a trip would be possible only if your solo i guess.


My answers are in bold.

Regards,
Sankar

 

[SankarNarayanan]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

AFAIK stock tires should not be a problem. I have seen Altos doing Rohtang La and Khardung La on stock tires

Are you sure about this. Will my car with stock tires be able to negotiate Leh without any issues? I was planning to speak to MASS regarding this and had planned to increase GC just before commencing the trip if it is possible somehow.

I have seen an Fork Ikon struggling at rohtang pass and it was stuck in stones we 15 guys literally had to lift the vehicle and remove the stones. The reason for my statement is low GC can damage the car.


But there can be some luggage in the back, also you may need to carry extra 30-40 lts of diesel between Manali and Leh.

I plan to increase GC at MASS if they can do that somehow. As of now i don't know if it's possible. Is such a think possible? I will have to drive atleast 4k kms before reaching Leh so will raising GC here in Trivandrum affect my car's handling?

Oops. Initially I read "plan to do the trip in 30 days". Now, i am reading "have time till next June to do the trip".

All the best. Take your time than hurrying things. You can check Smooth_Rider Travelogue too as he traveled in a 4 wheeler. He carried some Oxygen too. He is a doctor and that TL will definitely help you additional to Fyzy's TL. The more you read, the better idea you get .

Be safe !

Sorry about the confusion. I plan on doing the trip next year by July or August and trip duration will be 30 days .

I have already started saving money for the trip. Also will be starting mods to the car for doing the trip like installing Hella 700FF or Hella 3000 driving lamps. I won't b hurrying in any manner before or during the trip and i plan to enjoy the trip very much my spending good amount of time at different important destination along the way and also clicking lots of pics for sure

Again my reply in block.

Regards,
Sankar

 

[SankarNarayanan]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

He got a Dzire LDI turned VDI (except tacho ) with stock tyre & alloy wheels !
He changed everything except tyres.

I have a Dzire VDI. I did not change anything except Tyres !


As it is Dzire, I think it may have some GC issues at times !

Aha you still remember about the absence of Tacho in my car na?

Can GC be increased for the trip? If possible then - I will have to drive in plains for atleast 3k kms so if i increase GC from Trivandrum will it affect handling?

I plan to do the trip with stock tires. Is it possible

IMHO stock tires are ok for normal driving conditions.

Regards,
Sankar