Way of the road - Himalaya

• Our journey starts in Delhi, and after some sightseeing in the northern city, we’ll board a bus toward the mountains. India can be a real culture shock for first timers.
• Pretty much everyone who arrives at the international airport in Delhi, has a moment where they consider getting on the first flight out. But leaving the chaos and the crowds of the metropolis behind, arriving in Manali offers instant relief.
• We’ll discover that India has a thousand faces. In this mountain town you’ll start to enjoy India’s bustling everyday life. 
• While you acclimatise to the higher altitude, you’ll be allocated your very own Royal Enfield Bullet 500 motorcycle. The legendary Bullet was used in both world wars, and has retained the same design since then.
• So riding through the Himalayas on the back of one of these, is just like it would have been in our grandparent’s 

• We’ll go on some short rides around Manali to try out our motorcycles, and then we’ll enjoy some rest in the local thermal baths.

• On day four we’ll leave Manali behind us and ride toward the Rothang Pass. We’ll sail past green steppes, terrace fields, and grand waterfalls.
• High in the sky above vultures will circle, and on this day we’ll also see our first 6000 metre high mountain forming on the horizon.

• We head toward the Bara-lacha Pass at an altitude of 4890 metres. This high mountain pass connects two completely different worlds; the green valleys of the Hindu region, to the Buddhist region marked by a rocky desert.
• Symbolically, this is where we truly step into the Himalayas, and the first day where we truly experience Ladakh’s incredible rocky desert landscape.
• The scene is reminiscent of a crater-covered moon landscape, surrounded by giant mountain peaks that seem to reach for the sky.

• We zoom toward the Tanglang La, which – at 5329 meters high – is the second highest mountain pass traversable on motorbike.
• We wind around these high roads, where monasteries dot the mountain-sides, and we’ll pass by many local Buddhist monks. Finally, riding alongside the Indus River we arrive in Leh.

• In Leh we’ll take a short break from the 5000 metre high passes and the simple mountain accommodations, and we’ll prepare for the highlight of the adventure - a visit to Pangong Lake.
• This is one of Asia’s biggest saltwater lakes, and sits at 4350 metres above sea level.
• The lake completely freezes to the core of its 100 meter depth during winter, and on its banks just a handful of families remain through the coldest months.
• These families host us during our one night stay in a family-run camp. So we’ll catch a glimpse of their lives, and taste the local food.

• From Pangong Lake we will head towards Nubra Valley in the riverbed of the Shyok river on a tiny road which is only ridable for one month each year.
• The natural landscape completely changes here to a sandy desert and we’ll even ride past camels! Next day the road back to
• Leh can only be described as the top of the world for motoring enthusiasts. We’ll head to the world’s highest pass that’s crossable by motorbike.
• The Khardung La awaits us at 5359 metres from where we'll descent almost 2000 meters to Leh.

• After breakfast we’ll bid farewell to Leh for two days and take a trip to Dah Hanu. This timeless village preserves a unique indo-european cultural heritage unusual for this part of the Himalayas, where the inhabitants are mainly mongolian or tibetan.
• We spend the night in a traditional tent in an apricot orchard, where medieval terrace techniques are still employed. On the way to Dah Hanu, we visit the spot where the Zanskar and Indus rivers meet. We climb the magnetic hill, where uphill and downhill merge together in a strange illusion.

On our last day on two wheels we are entering into our last 5000 meters high pass. Before heading back to Leh we will stop off in Lamayuru and Alchi the home of 1000 years old monastery.

A flight from Leh to Delhi and it's back home!