Imagine riding to the highest motorable road in the world with an all female crew! We have selected a route that has simply stunning scenery, challenging yet achievable for riders with a couple of years’ experience and you’ll be immersed in the ancient Ladakhi culture. We ride higher than Mount Everest base camp on this life-changing new adventure. The route that includes the infamous Rohtang Pass, seen on Worlds Craziest Roads TV show, where the big burly male truck driver spat the dummy and went home!
Before we head to the mountains, we get a taste of India by taking the train to Agra where we’ll explore the grounds and go inside the Taj Mahal, see Akbar’s tomb and the Red Fort before we make our way back to Delhi. In 2013, we stumbled upon a closely guarded secret private motorcycle museum in the heart of the motorcycle district of Delhi. We’ll try our best to gain access again as it is another mind-blowing experience. We should have time to explore the spice markets of Old Delhi before we make our way to the bus station. An overnight trip will see us head towards the largest and highest mountain range in the world – the might Himalayas.
On our way, we’ll drag race across the vast More Plains in a cloud of ancient dust before heading through valleys of unimaginable scale. As we head towards Leh, we take a detour off the Leh – Manali “highway” that takes us close to the Chinese border and towards one of the highest saltwater lakes in the world.
Leaving the lake, we tackle the world’s second-highest pass which will see you riding the best mountain roads you’ve ever seen with each corner blending into the next for kilometre after kilometre. The climax of the adventure – the ascent of the highest motorable road in the world is our goal and we achieve that on the next day. Once you have conquered Khardungla, we turn our engines off and freewheel all the way down to the oasis that is Leh where the 17th century, 9 story Royal Palace watches over us.
Arguably the best roads of the adventure await us on the last day…and we get to do them twice!
Your mind will be swirling, trying to remember everything you’ve seen and experienced in the past 10 or so days as you head home via Delhi. The Himalayas have weaved their magic and will be a part of you for the rest of your life.
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | New Delhi, India |
| ADVENTURE DATES | 2023 – June, Tuesday 20th – Thursday 29th |
| PRIVATE TOURS AVAILABLE | This tour is also available as a private adventure for solo adventurers, a couple, a club or even just a group of mates. This can be any combination of riders, pillions, sidecar passengers or even family in one of our expedition support vehicles. The tour can be shortened or lengthened to suit your desires. Please contact us to discuss your needs.
The best months are from the start of June to the end of September |
| PRICES | Rider: US$3,690 per person Pillion: US$2,790 per person |
| WHAT’S INCLUDED | Transfers to/from Airport and Hotel All internal transfers and other travel for the duration of the adventure A low kilometre, fastidiously maintained Royal Enfield Motorcycle All Fuel Quality Accommodation on a twin share basis (Comfort hotels/guest houses/Camps/tents) Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for the entire tour English speaking guides Medical kit available and Oxygen on high-altitude adventures Mechanics with all necessary spare parts Support vehicles to carry all luggage (if riders are injured, feeling unwell or just want a break then they can jump into our backup vehicle to relax) Bottled mineral water throughout the adventure Tea/Chai & snacks en-route Permits for restricted areas All entrance fees en-route Day Trip to Taj Mahal! |
| NOT INCLUDED | International flights VISA (details sent with rider pack: eVisa NOT acceptable) Travel Insurance (compulsory) Personal Expenses Tipping (US$100 suggested) Alcoholic Drinks |
NOTE: The prices above are based on a twin share basis. If you’d like your own room, then there is a US$650 supplement.
Payment terms: A US$500 deposit must be made at the time of booking. Balance payment must be paid 8 weeks before the tour start date. Payment plans are available upon request.
Terms & Conditions What To Bring Price GuaranteeAdditional information
| Rider or Pillion | Rider, Pillion |
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Most of the flights land at midnight at New Delhi IGIA. Please ensure you arrive with plenty of time to transfer to the domestic airport for your early morning connecting flight to Chandigarh. Alternatively, if you would like to arrive a day early and relax or sight-see let us know and we can arrange accommodation.
We’ll get up early and jump on a train for the quintessential Indian experience. While there won’t be three thousand people sitting on the roof or hanging out the doors, it will still blow your mind at how crazy it is. Sit back and relax with the chickens in the aisle and watch the world go by. You’ll catch a glimpse of the Taj as you pull into Agra station where you’ll we’ll jump on auto-rickshaws to get us to the gates. A guide will explain the history before we leave to see a couple of other sites.
We’ll have lunch before getting the afternoon train back to Delhi where we’ll have dinner and then back to the hotel to crash for the night. There’ll be plenty of stops for food and toilet breaks along the way. We arrive at our very comfortable hotel where you can have a hot shower, meet your trusty two-wheeled companions and have a pre-ride dinner and drinks.
Yesterday was on the train, today we’re on the bus but not until we explore Delhi on rickshaws. We’ll give you a few choices in the morning and then go exploring the spice markets, Old Delhi, the motorcycle district etc. You’ll have plenty of time to exchange money, grab some last-minute supplies and refresh before we jump on the overnight coach to Manali.
After breakfast, we’ll have a rider briefing with our adventure leader, check personal equipment and cover safety precautions before being properly introduced to the Royal Enfield motorcycles. We’ll take the bikes out on the adjacent narrow roads of the surrounding villages and through the mountains. This is your chance to familiarise yourselves with the motorcycles and get to know the roads. In the evening we get back to the hotel for dinner and rest before the tour starts proper
The first 35km is a nice winding road until Marhi and then we have to cross the infamous and challenging 5km of muddy road on the way to Rohtang pass. Here you catch fantastic views of the surrounding Himalayan mountains.
“Fun” Fact: Rohtang pass literally means a pile of corpses, due to people dying in bad weather trying to cross the pass. This road has been featured a couple of times on the TV series – World’s Deadliest Roads. The road has vastly improved in just the past few years and now is a stunning scenic ride rather than an all-day physical challenge.
We descend into the Chandra Valley, stop at a checkpoint and have a chai break before we continue along the bank of the mighty Chandra river. We head through Tandi and enter the Ghar Valley along the Bhaga river through the town of Keylong. We have another chai break and then finally head to the village of Jispa through the Tod Valley, where we will spend the night in a Hotel.
After stopping at the police checkpoint, we follow the winding road and cross one of the toughest passes of the journey: the Baralacha pass and catch stunning views. We then descend to Bharatpur for a well-deserved chai break and hot lunch.
The most awesome part of the trip on the Manali-Leh highway begins right after Sarchu, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Gata Loops consists of a succession of 22 hairpin bends which will have you ascend 450m in no time at all. Soon followed by Lachlung pass at over 5,065m and Nakee pass at 4739m that leads you to Morey Plains, a 42km extension of the Changthang plateau. You cut across a sandy track on your right leading you to the saltwater Tso Kar Lake.
The Tso Kar basin has a long mix of meadows and marshy land. It has fresh water and a brackish lake, several natural springs and streams. Migratory birds also use the lake as their breeding ground. Apart from its sheer beauty, Tso Kar is known for the Indian and Tibetan nomads who live here in the winter months.
After spending time at a nomadic campsite, we ride alongside the majestic Indus River to Leh. We have dinner and stay overnight in a hotel in Leh.
After a good rest and hearty breakfast, it’s time to tackle the Khardung La, which the sign at the top says is the world’s highest motorable road at 5350m (The sign says 5602m but it isn’t that high). It is tarmac most of the way and it is usually in excellent condition. We switch our engines off and roll all the way from the top to our hotel 43kms below in Leh!
Rolling silently at speeds of up to 70km/h was an entirely new experience and was the highlight of the tour for many. You will arrive back in Leh in the afternoon with plenty of time to explore the many sights it has to offer. We have dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Leh.
After breakfast, we ride to Photoksar which was the earlier trekking route to Zanskar. This is a new road that is rarely explored by riders or tourists. We continue to the impressive Lamayuru Monastery for lunch and then head back to Leh via Alchi where we will see a small but ancient monastery.
That’s it, folks, you’ve just completed one of the most challenging motorcycle expeditions in the world. You’ve crossed three of the world’s highest motorable passes, seen huge hanging glaciers, ridden by high-altitude lakes and immersed yourself in the colourful cultures of Ladakh.
Time to board the flight back to Delhi and onward home. Back on home turf, you won’t be able to explain the scale of this journey; photographs and videos will fail to do justice to your adventure. Your memories of this epic adventure will stay with you forever.
INSURANCE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
(INDIA, NEPAL, BHUTAN, TIBET, MONGOLIA, MYANMAR and SRI LANKA)
In the countries we conduct adventures, commercial insurance on motor vehicles is either not available, or is of questionable value. 3rd party insurance will usually not cover foreigners and even if it does, it is generally worthless if one needs to make a claim. In the event of an accident in these countries, the situation is usually settled on the spot without the “assistance” of insurance companies. If insurance companies are involved, it can take days, weeks and even months before there is a resolution.
Damage Cap Option “DCO”
Himalayan Heroes offers its riders the option of capping the cost of your damage bill on the motorcycle you are riding. The cost of this damage cap option “DCO” is US$195, paid as a lump sum before the tour starts. In the event you damage the motorcycle, the DCO will cap your damage bill at US$200.
3 Scenarios
- If, like most of our riders, you do not damage the motorcycle then the total cost to you is only the cost of the DCO = US$195.
- If, like some of our riders, you put the bike down at slow speed and damage mirrors, levers, foot pegs etc and the damage bill is say, US$120 then you pay the US$120. The total cost to you is US$315 (US$195 DCO + US$120 damage bill)
- If you have a big off and damage the tank, forks etc and the damage bill is say US$750 then your damage bill is capped at US$200. The total cost to you is US$395 (US$195 DCO + US$200 damage bill).
The DCO is optional, so if you would like to carry the risk yourself, you are welcome to. At the completion of the tour, you will be presented with an itemised bill of the damage to the bike. Approximately 50% of our riders do not damage the bikes and of the 50% that do receive a damage bill, the majority of the bills are less than $300. Please send us an email if you’ve got any questions about the DCO.
The DCO is not an insurance policy and therefore any costs related to it cannot be claimed on a travel insurance claim.
