Tour Information
In summer 2011, we will be adding an exciting new Ladakh tour to our range of Himalayan bike adventures. This tour is geared toward those of you who have already experienced our Ladakh Overland or Zanskar & Ladakh motorcycle tours. Other experienced riders are also welcome, of course ! Our 3 Lakes of Ladakh Bike Tour is founded on our 14 years of experience with motorcycle expeditions in Ladakh. You can expect new tracks, passes and highlights never before offered on an organized motorcycle tour.
This is the first tour to take on seven extremely high Himalayan passes as we move along the tour route from Leh to Ladakh - we'll be hitting altitudes of over 5,000 meters five times and tackling the three highest passes in the world! The Ladakh 3 Lakes motorcycle tour route covers all of the highlights of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Ladakh, as well as the three most beautiful Himalayan lakes in the border region to Tibet - all at altitudes of more than 4,500 meters. We'll spend 11 days on the road in Ladakh and round out the tour by visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra. In the first year, the entire 14-day tour will cost only €2,390.00 per rider, including rental of a new electric-start Bullet bike with gearchange on the left, accommodations in double rooms or two-person tents, and domestic flights from Delhi to Leh and back.
Highlights
- Two nights in the Alchi oasis - day trip to Fatu La Pass and Lamayuru Monastery
- Two nights in Nubra Valley at the Hunda oasis (camel ride in the sand dunes - Diskit Monastery - Panamik hot springs)
- Two nights at Tsomori Lake at the monastery and with the Tibetan nomads
- One night each at Pangong Lake and Tsoka Lake
- One night in Agra for a visit to the Taj Mahal at sunrise
- 5.615 m | Kardungh La - Pass - the highest pass on Earth!
- 5.390 m | Tanglang La - Pass- the second-highest
- 5.360 m | Chan La - Pass - the third-highest
- 5.300 m | Wari La - Pass
- 5.050 m | Namshang La - Pass
- 4.900 m | Konka La - Pass
- 4.005 m | Fatu La - Pass - as high as the rest, but one of the most spectacular road passes in the world!
Solid riding skills, a sense of adventure and flexibility are a must when taking part in our Himalayan motorcycle expedition, which covers around 1,200 km and considerable altitude differences. The road conditions along the Leh to Ladakh route vary from freshly-paved to rough tracks. While we never actually leave the road, off-road skills can come in handy on some of the tracks that we will ride on. It's also important to note that it's virtually impossible to predict the weather and road conditions in the Himalayas during the months in which the rest of India is experiencing the monsoon.
Landslides and abrupt weather changes can force us to change our bike tour program on very short notice. You can certainly look forward to great biking adventure. Adjusting to the altitude: Our bike trip of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas starts in Leh at 3,500 meters, so it will be essential to take a couple of days to adjust to the altitude. After two nights in Leh, we'll move on to two nights in Alchi on the western Indus at around 3,000 meters. In our experience, everyone will have recovered from any mild altitude-related symptoms - headaches, dizziness or sleeplessness - by then. In the past five years, we haven't had any cases of true altitude sickness among any of the participants of the similar Zanskar & Ladakh bike trip.
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Day 1 – Leh, no riding today (3,550 m) Hotel in Leh
Arrival at New Delhi International Airport during the night, transfer to the domestic terminal of Indira Gandhi Airport with the free shuttle bus. Check-in will be followed by a breathtaking one-hour early-morning flight in an Airbus or Boeing across the Greater Himalayas to Leh and a transfer to our basic but attractive garden hotel in Leh's old town. Time to acclimatize and take an afternoon walk to Shanti Stupa, followed by our welcome dinner in a local beer garden.
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Day 2 - Leh , 90 km Hotel in Leh
After an introductory meeting, our warm-up ride will take us to the most famous monasteries in Ladakh - Hemis and Tikse - in the upper Indus Valley. Dinner will be served on the panoramic terrace of a local restaurant.
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Day 3 – Alchi, 80 km ( 3.100m) Guest House or Deluxe Tent Camp
The Lakes motorcycle tour starts with a relaxed ride down through the western Indus Valley, stopping off at the ruins and temples of the old royal palace of Basgo and the mighty Snake Buddha statue at Likir Monastery. Our day's destination is the oasis of Alchi. We'll spend the night in a charming guest house in an apricot orchard near the oldest monastery in Ladakh, now a museum of cultural history with outstanding temple murals that have been restored by students of the Technical University of Aachen/Germany. Dinner in the garden restaurant.
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Day 4 – Alchi, 130 km Guest House or Deluxe Telt Camp
Today's day tour takes us down the Indus Valley and up the endless hairpins of the Fatu La Pass that winds its way up to 4,000 meters. On the way back, we'll be stopping off at the imposing Lamayuru Monastery, a symbol of Ladakh. Once again, we'll spend the night in Alchi.
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Day 5 – Leh, 90 km Hotel in Leh
Today we'll be taking our Bullets up narrow mountain tracks to the remote Yang Tang village and across a nameless mountain pass to Hemis Supachen, an ancient, holy juniper forest. It's back to Leh in the afternoon - time to relax in the garden of our Bijou Hotel or shop in Ladakh's only town and bazaar. Dinner's in the beer garden!
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Day 6 – Pangong Lake, 160 km (4,300 m) Guest house at Pagong Lake
Today, we're going for serious altitude! It's time to cross the truly breathtaking 5,360-meter Chan La Pass and follow a rough mountain road to the luminous blue-green magic of Pangong Lake. We'll spend the night in a basic resort with a sweeping view across the lake to the Tibetan shore.
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Day 7 – Nubra Valley, 150 km (3,000 m) Snow Leopard Guest House in Hunder
Time for some double-pass action! After crossing the Chan La Pass, we'll descend into Shakti Valley. From there we have a steep climb - the recently-opened road leading up to Wari La Pass at 5,300 will demand our undivided attention. Cresting the pass, it's a wild ride down on our bikes into the vast, arid expanse of Nubra Valley, where we'll visit the ancient, remote Diskit Monastery. Today's destination is Hunder, an oasis where we will have dinner and spend the night in the Snow Leopard Guest House with its cozy garden.
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Day 8 – Nubra Valley, 110 km Snow Leppard Guest House in Hunder
We have a half-day ride through the broad valley to the hot springs of Panamik, followed by an afternoon riding camels through the sand dunes of Hunder. Dinner is once again in the peaceful garden of the guest house.
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Day 9 – Leh, 160 km Hotel Leh
The summit! It's time for the world's highest motorable road, the Kardungh La Pass (5,604 m)! this is one of the highlights of the Ladakh 3 Lakes Motorcycle Tour. Later, we'll return to our "headquarters", the Hotel Bijou in Leh. The afternoon is free to relax or shop, or visit the Shanti Stupa at sunset. Dinner at the only Italian, or the best Tibetan place - the choice is yours.
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Day 10 – Tsomori Lake, 230 km (4,500 m) Nomadic life - deluxe tent camp
Today we'll ride out into the eastern Indus Valley to Mahe Bridge. After passing the Inner Border Line checkpost, our route once again starts ascending. After cresting Namshang Pass (5,050 m) we'll reach the land of the Tibetan nomads, with Tsomori Lake shimmering turquoise in the distance. Our comfortable tent resort is near the Korzok village and monastery. Time to enjoy the lake and the view to Tibet on the other bank. A hearty Ladakhi dinner will be served in the resort's restaurant tent.
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Day 11 – Tsomori Lake, 0 km (4,500 m) Nomadic life - deluxe tent camp
No riding today. We'll explore the old monastery and hike to the tents of the nomads in the rugged valley just behind Korzok. If you're up to it, take a cool dip in Tsomori Lake. We'll have plenty of time to take in the gorgeous landscape and atmosphere in our comfortable lakeside camp.
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Day 12 - Tsokar Lake , 90 km (4,600m) Basic tent camp
On bone-dry trails through desert valleys - it's time to eat some dust! Our bike tour route takes us past sulfur springs and over the windswept, 4,900-meter Pologonka Pass. Our day's destination is Tsokar Salt Lake, a nature reserve and home of the shy wild mongoose and rare birds. Our camp is roughly 2 km from the lake, near the only fresh-water spring. Tonight is our last night in a basic tent resort - sleeping in a "thousand-star hotel" at 4,600 meters - an unforgettable experience.
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Day 13 – Leh , 120 km Hotel
Today we'll be tackling the world's second-highest road pass, the Taglang La (5,390 m). The leisurely ascent is followed by a spectacular motorcycle ride through a rugged gorge, descending nearly 2,000 meters to the Indus river. We'll return to Leh in the early afternoon, bringing us to the end of the Himalayan Bike Adventure tour. Last chance for a stroll through the bazaar, and in the evening it's time for a farewell dinner in your favorite place.
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Day 14 – Agra hotel
We'll catch a plane to Delhi in the early morning and take an AC deluxe coach from the airport directly to Agra (200 km, 5 hours). In Agra, we'll check into a 4 or 5-star hotel near the Taj Mahal and take it easy for the rest of the day. A buffet dinner is available in the hotel.
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Day 15 – The transfer bus to the airport departs
We're out before breakfast to see the world's most famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal, at sunrise. After breakfast and a stop at Agra's monumental Red Fort, we'll take our AC bus back to New Delhi, arriving at our favorite tandoori restaurant in time for our farewell dinner. After dinner, it's off to the bar or one of the available hotel rooms to freshen up a bit.
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Day 16 – Independent travel to your home or next destination. no hotel
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We ride new 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet Motorcycles featuring electric starters, 5-speed gearboxes with the gearshift on the left, front disk brakes, large, rugged leather saddlebags, crashbars and twin horns. If you would like to ride a Classic Bullet with a kickstarter, 4-speed gearbox and gearshift on the right, we can arrange that as well.
- Domestic flights from Delhi to Leh and back
- All airport transfers
- Accommodations in double rooms, generally with showers and WC en suite
- Roomy alpine 2-person tents with awnings (simple sleeping mats will be provided)
- Large dining tent for group breakfasts and dinners, separate latrine tent
- Breakfast and evening meals (various teas, coffee and bottled water are included, alcoholic drinks and soft drinks are not)
- Hot lunches and bottled water during the tour
- All road and bridge tolls and admission fees for the entire program
- Enfield Bullet 500cc rental motorcycle with comprehensive insurance (EUR 500.00 deductible) and touring gear; all bikes are 2007 to 2009 models with electric start and gearchange on the left
- Fuel, oil and replacement parts for the bikes during the trip
- English-speaking guide for the entire duration of the Ladakh bike tour
- Support jeep for luggage
- Second 4WD vehicle for crew, tents and kitchen
- Experienced motorcycle mechanics
- Reserved seat in support jeep for all passengers
- Excursion in a private AC minibus from Delhi to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal with accommodation in a 4 or 5-star hotel at the end of the to tour
