Going from Chandigarh to Leh
I am planning a road trip to Leh, Jammu & Kashmir, India, that's quite a place for motorcycle enthusiasts. However, due to some time constraint, I may not be starting my trip from Delhi.
I checked out various web pages about shortest travel routes which could minimise the travel time. I came up with these two cities Pathankot and Chandigarh. I calculated the distance and travel time which were respectively almost similar from both places to Leh.
However I'm not certain whether to take public transport from Pathankot/Chandigarh to Leh or just hire a bike from these two places. Can someone detail the travel time from these two cities to Leh.
Best Answer
Leh is quite difficult to reach: there are only two roads, one from Srinagar and the other from Manali. Starting from either requires at least two days by public transport, and starting from Chandigarh or Pathatkot means you will need to add a day just to get to Manali.
If you are pressed for time and are starting from Delhi, the sensible thing to do is to simply fly from Delhi direct.
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How can I reach Leh from Chandigarh?
The fastest way to reach from Chandigarh to Leh is cab to New Delhi, then flight to Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport and takes 6h 46m. The recommended way to reach from Chandigarh to Leh is flight to Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport and takes 20h 15m.How can I plan Leh Ladakh from Chandigarh?
Leh Ladakh Tour Package From Chandigarh ItineraryCan I take my car to Leh?
You can use the outside rented self-drive cars to reach Leh over Srinagar Leh Highway or Manali Leh Highway. However, these self-drive rented cars outside Leh Ladakh are not allowed to do any sightseeing within Ladakh including places like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and Tso Moriri.Which route is better for Leh?
Altitude Sickness So if it is your first time at high altitudes or you are new to the entire road-trip thing, you should choose the Srinagar route to get to Leh. Your body will get accustomed to high altitudes better this way and you would have less chance of suffering from Acute mountain sickness.Ladakh Road Trip | Chandigarh to Leh by Road | Adventure
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Answer 2
Pathankot to Leh will take a lot lesser time due to better road conditions as compared to Chandigarh to Leh via Manali. You would save atleast ten hours of driving time if you started from Pathankot.
The reason Pathankot-Leh road is better is because it is used by the Indian Army as a supply route to Kargil and other regions where as Manali-Leh road is hardly used by anyone except for local commuting.
Source : I have been to Leh by road five times and used both routes.
Answer 3
I would suggest taking overnight bus from Chandigarh to Manali. This way you can travel comfortably in the night saving time. From Leh you can either hire bike to ride till Leh (if you're an adventure enthusiast, and more importantly have prepared well for Manali-Leh Bike trip) or take Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus which runs daily from Manali to Leh (overnight stay at Keylong). HRTC bus starts from Manali in the morning at 9:00am and reaches Keylong in the evening and next day starts early morning from Keylong reaching Leh by night. Bus would take around 36 hours.
Also remember this route Manali to Leh is not open all year round and closes in Winter due to snowfall.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Suket Dedhia, Benjamin Suter, The Lazy Artist Gallery, Ono Kosuki