How to plan for Ladakh motorbike trip
How to plan for Ladakh motorbike trip:
Motorbike trip to Ladakh is dream of every rider and here as a tour operator i am giving some advice regarding motorbike trip to Ladakh.
First step is chose a good tour operate who can arrange all ground services for you. I will suggest you to chose your operator from Manali and Ladakh. It will reduce your tour cost if you book your tour directly from Manali and Ladakh.
Second step is start collecting items for your Ladakh motorcycle trip. Here i am giving a small list of items for this trip:
RIDING GEAR:
In Ladakh motorbike trip you will ride in between altitude of 1900m to 5600m so pack right clothes for all weather. In this route temperature varies in between -5 to 30 degree. You can face rain and snow storm also during this trip.
WET WEATHER GEAR
In Ladakh motorbike trip mostly you will ride in rain shadow area. But some time you can face some rain shower also and when it rains you do not want to be caught without wet weather gear. A motorcycle rain suit is what I take in my backpack but others feel more comfortable with high quality adventure gear.
HELMET:
Helmet is compulsory for any motorbike trip. Bring a good quality and comfortable helmet. Bring full face cover helmet only. Bring a bubble visor or goggles also..
GLOVES:
Quality summer gloves are the way to go. Winter gloves are useful to pack if it gets cold and they don’t take up much space.
JACKET:
A jacket with armor is probably best although a leather bike jacket will suffice. If the jacket has a removable liner then that is even better as it’ll allow you to add or remove as the weather changes. Motocross armour is worn by some.
TROUSERS
Again, armored trousers are probably the way to go, but jeans are ok as well.
BOOTS
High ankle shoes are must. This is the most important piece of your gear so don’t skimp. You’ll be in your boots more than you’ll be out of them so they should be very comfortable. We’re going to cross some rivers so you’ll want them to be waterproof.
If your budget is low then you can use gum boots also. they are also very useful for this trip and it would cost you approx Rs 300/- per pair.
OTHER STUFF
Some of the items below can be bought very cheaply, so you could chance it and buy it there but we might be on a tight schedule so it pays to be well prepared.
- A snood (tubular scarf) comes in handy for keeping dust out of the nose and the sun off your neck. Also good to keep you warm if gets cold and vice versa you can always wet it’ll keep you cool.
- Sunglasses with UV protection are essential. If there is snow, you’ll be blind by the reflection of light
- Warm and cool socks, plenty of them.
- Sleeping bag – Rated to -5 degrees Celsius and lightweight.
- Thermal underwear can be useful both for adding warmth and as a sleeping layer
- Some people feel more comfortable with a kidney-belt .
- A small back pack which can carry a 1L water bottle, wet weather gear and your valuable items such as passports, wallets etc.
- A wide brimmed hat is far more sensible that a baseball cap. Nothing beats a sombrero!
- Sunskring with 30+ SPF
- Lip balm
- Torch or Head-torch so you can see your way around at night if there is a blackout.
Every year thousands of riders go to Ladakh from Manali , hence its better to join any group. By joining any group it will reduce your cost and risk of traveling alone. Strongly i will recommend to travel with backup vehicle and mechanic for this trip because you will not find any mechanical assistance in between Manali and Leh. After crossing Baralacha La there is only one mechanic shop at Zing Zing Bar and Pang only.
Also advice your tour operator to carry one oxygen cylinder with group as it helps a lot to avoid AMS. Doctors also advice to take diamox when you will reach Manali just before starting your tour. But consult your doctor before taking diamox.
If you are riding from Manali to Ladakh then take minimum 03 days to reach Leh. if you are very good rider and have very good experience of dirt riding then you can reach Leh in two days also from Manali. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
