The Route
The Manali–Leh highway is one of the world’s great motorcycle roads — 479 km of tarmac, gravel, and river crossings at altitudes topping out above 5,300 m at Tanglang La.
I’d been planning this trip for two years, waiting for the right machine. The Honda Transalp 750 with its 21-inch front wheel and 270 kg kerb weight turned out to be the perfect companion: planted on loose gravel, comfortable on the long tarmac stretches, and tall enough to give me confidence at altitude.
Day 1 — Manali to Jispa (175 km)
Left Manali at 6 AM to beat the tourist traffic over Rohtang Pass (3,978 m). The first 50 km of the old Rohtang road are still mandatory until the tunnel is congested; the new Atal Tunnel whisks you through in 10 minutes and drops you in Sissu, already above the treeline.
From Sissu the Keylong valley opens up. Green hillsides give way to bare scree as you gain altitude. The road is freshly patched here — GREF keeps it in surprisingly good shape considering it’s a military supply route.
Arrived in Jispa at 4 PM, camped at a riverside site run by a Ladakhi family. Altitude 3,200 m — mild headache, nothing serious.
Day 2 — Jispa to Sarchu (165 km)
Baralacha La (4,890 m) before lunch. The last 15 km of the climb is a dirt track in places — fun on the Transalp but I saw a couple of sporties really struggling with ground clearance.
The descent to Bharatpur is loose and exposed. Take it easy; there’s no guardrail and the drop is biblical. Bharatpur itself is a seasonal tent town, a string of dhabas with generator power and yak-butter chai.
Gata Loops: 21 hairpins climbing from 4,200 m to the Nakee La (4,739 m). After that it’s a long straight run across the Morey Plains into Sarchu.
Day 3 — Sarchu to Leh (280 km)
The longest day but the most dramatic scenery. Tanglang La (5,328 m) is the second highest motorable pass in the world. At the summit I sat on the Transalp for ten minutes just staring at the Zanskar range.
Dropped into the Indus valley at Upshi and followed the river into Leh. The last 40 km along the Indus are some of the most beautiful miles I’ve ever ridden.
Stats and map generated automatically from GPX files by the build pipeline.
