Walking Wanderer

Journey to Leh Ladakh was one of the best bike journeys which I could ever accomplish in my life. I am usually asked from where did I rented a bike and how I planned an entire trip so in this article I will explain everything from where to rent a bike, what all things to carry and some other FAQs regarding Leh Ladakh trip.

Leh Ladakh is one of the most beautiful city you will ever see in your life, Its a paradise situated in the center of cold desert surrounded by dry mountains all around. I have been planning a trip to Leh since a long time but it never happened.

This year I wanted to do it by hook or by crook, no matter how bad the climate would be and finally I did it. I covered almost 6 high mountain passes in 6 days. Yes you heard it right I almost traveled through all the high mountain passes covering all the major locations in Leh including Nubra valley, Pan gong lake on my rented bike from Manali. Usually you are not allowed to travel around Leh city on rented bikes or the bikes you have brought on rent from Manali or Delhi but I managed some how.

My Trip to Leh Ladakh

I have told my bike rental provider thakur bhai, one of the most trusted source I know in Manali for renting bikes that I need a 350cc classic on rent for nearly 10 days for Leh Ladakh trip. We started our journey around 10AM in the morning. After an hours journey we reached Rohtang pass, the journey was easy till now but the tough part began after we left Rohtang. The condition of road from Rohtang pass to Khoksar was in terrible condition. On first day I drove around 160Km till Jispa.

In Jispa you will get an authorized Royal enfield setup for May, June, July August where you can check your bikes because after this you won’t get mechanic till Leh. After that on second day I first planned to stay at Pang which was 161Km from Jispa  but on reaching Pang I thought of riding ahead. On second day I drove continuously for 12 hours and reached Leh by 7 in the evening.

Next day locals told me that I won’t be allowed to travel to Magnetic hill, Pangong or Nubra valley on the bike which I rented from Manali so I called thakur bhai and he arranged something that I was allowed to travel on that same bike by paying some amount to Ladakh bike association.

Next day I planned to visit Hunder, a small village in Nubra valley and also covered Khardungla mountain pass on the way which is regarded as highest motor-able pass in the world.

After that next day we covered Pan-gong lake and returned back to Leh. And on the second last day again we drove from Leh to Jispa and on last day we reached Manali.

How to book a bike for Leh Ladakh from Manali

• In Manali one can get number of bike rental services but the only thing that matters is the condition and how the person helps you with things around.
• I would suggest always make a prior booking if you are planning to visit Leh Ladakh during the months of June, July or August. As these months are the peak season months so sometimes availability of bikes in Manali becomes nil.
• Always rent a bike from trusted source.
• The itinerary for Leh Ladakh can never be standard according to me. I was myself able to do the entire trip in 6 days because the weather was in fantastic condition. There were no major Nalas on the way which may not be the case with you guys. So always book from those who can provide you 24*7 hour support.
• Bikes rented from Manali or Delhi are not allowed for local visit to the places like Hunder, pangong etc so always look for those agencies in Manali which have association with travel agencies in Leh. This will either help you in using the same bike in Leh Ladakh or they will provide bikes you at 50% discount.

Iam here sharing a number of Thakur bhai who run a travel and tour company in Manali and also  provided me bike for my Leh Ladakh trip and the best part was his bike was even allowed for the local sightseeing in Ladakh.

Thakur Bhai =6230586604

Read: How to plan weekend trip to Kasol

Things to carry for Leh Ladakh on bike trip

Saddle: saddle which is also known as carrier is one of the most important thing which one should never forget for Leh Ladakh trip. May it be a single rider or double, one should always carry saddle for Leh trip. You can never carry a backpack hanging on your back for 8-9 days and if you do so it will surely hurt your back badly and can even spoil the fun of your trip. So I will recommend saddle to all the readers of walking wanderer for sure. If you have a bike and just want to rent a saddle you can call thakur bhai on 8988265439

Gum boots: The only mistake which I did on my trip to Leh Ladakh was not carrying the gum boots and I don’t want you guys to repeat the same mistake. You will get 2-3 Nalas on the way from Rohtang to Keylong and other few on the way from Jispa to Zingzing bar.

Petrol cans: After Manali you guys will get petrol pump in Tandi, which is at 109km from Manali. Either you guys can fill up your cans in Manali or Tandi because after Tandi the next petrol pump is at a distance of 330km from a  place called Upashi, a small village in Leh. These cans will be helpful on the way to Pangong as well as Hunder so if you are planning a bike trip to Leh Ladakh then I would suggest petrol cans as must carrying things.

you will get petrol cans in Manali itself particularly in the place called Bhang just 3 km from Manali on the way to Rohtang. You can either buy them or even rent them.

Tarpaulin: it will also be among one of the important things to carry, As tarpaulin will help you safegaurd your luggage from rain which can take place anytime anywhere during the Leh Ladakh trip.

Elastic Ropes: Elastic ropes will help you in keeping your luggage intact with your bike saddle, so ropes also belong to the must carry things for bike trip to Leh Ladakh.

2 Helmets: Always carry two helmets for Leh Ladakh when riding with the pillion. As we all know that Ladakh is a cold desert and the winds here are very cold and dry, these winds along with burning sun will take no time to tear your skin apart. So wearing a helmets and that too full face is one of the most important thing when riding a bike to Leh Ladakh. If you only have one helmet you can rent helmets by calling on the number I shared above

Raincoats: The biggest mistake which I have seen people doing on bike trip to Leh Ladakh is not carrying the raincoats along. So I would suggest you to always carry raincoats along doesn’t matter how clear weather conditions are.The weather conditions at passes like Rohtang la, Baralacha la , Nakeela, Lachunga la and Tanglang la changes at once so if you get wet here it will be very difficult for you to ride as these passes are at great elevations.

Suns cream and Lip-balm: You can forget to carry Tarpaulin but you can never forget to carry suns cream and lip balms for your bike trip to Leh. Trust me guys these two things will be the most used when you will be riding on Manali – Leh highway.

So always carry raincoats along whether they come to your use or not.

Spare things of bike to carry

When we plan a bike trip to Leh on our own bike, we are basically familiar with its condition and how it behaves but when we plan a trip on rented bike we should always be prepared for any problem which may occur on our journey. So here is a list of few things which you should always carry as spare when planning a trip to Cold desert of India.

Spark Plug: Always carry an extra spark plug for your trip. I was told by the mechanic if your bike gives some problem with start then do check for batteries, fuse box, connections and finally check the spark plug and he also provided me one spare one. So I would suggest you guys carry one plug as spare.

And few other things which you can carry for your bike trip to Leh Ladakh are Race wire, extra fuse, Clutch wire, chain lock, Puncture kit. 

Note: If you are planning a trip during May,June and July you will get a help or support from fellow riders who will be traveling to Leh during this same period. So these things will be more then enough to carry.

Read: How to plan trip to spiti valley

Best bike to rent for Leh Ladakh

If you planning to rent a bike from Manali for Leh Ladakh then I would suggest you guys to go with Royal enfield 350cc classic.

There are few reasons for which I believe that 350cc classic is the best bike to take on rent from Manali for Leh Ladakh are:

Budget: Royal enfield 350cc classic bike will cost you around 1200-1300 per day and 500cc bullet will cost you around 1500Rs per day. I myself completed my journey on 350cc bullet which was 2018 model and was provided to me along with saddle for 1200Rs per day. I was not even told to pay deposit by thakur bhai but that won’t be your luxury as thakur bhai is my old link

Petrol: The second reason is obviously the average of the 350cc bullet which is obviously more than 500cc or Himalayan.

Note: Finally its upto you guys on which bike you want to plan this amazing trip of your life but I will suggest only one thing that it should always be planned on ROYAL ENFIELD bikes because no bike can give you the feel which this bike gives.

At last I would like to conclude by saying that I hope this article has given you enough information on how and from where you can rent bikes for your next Leh Ladakh trip and how you can plan it effectively without getting into any problem.