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  • The Great Himalayan Drive, Kashmir to Arunachal starts January 29

    by Ajay Jain on January 20, 2010

    in Himalayas, The Great Himalayan Drive

    The Great Himalayan Drive, Kashmir to Arunachal starts January 29

    Is it possible to cover the entire span of the Himalayas from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh as one unbroken journey by road? Yes, it is. And I am setting out to show how it can be done, starting January 29, 2010. And I will drive for approximately 120 days.

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    Billed to be a trip never done before (certainly not in recorded memory), the journey will stretch from the western border of the Indian Himalayas in Kashmir to the eastern end in Arunachal Pradesh. It will also go through Ladakh, Lahaul Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.

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    The journey has been made possible with sponsorships from TripAdvisor.in and Yatra.com.

    It is the ultimate driving challenge, one full of adventure, excitement and fun. Why am I doing this trip? To show it can be done. To record all the wonderful sights and sounds along the way. To meet the various peoples and develop a greater understanding of their lives, their society and their cultures. As in my earlier travels, I also hope to get closer to our natural world so I can respect its beauty and fragility more. By sharing my experiences and stories with the rest of the world, I hope they too learn from the ways of those in the mountain. And start caring for the environment as it may not be same forever.

    To a great extent, it will be an expedition into the unknown. I am not going with any fixed itinerary, only a tentative one. The idea is keep taking and following tips from locals and those in the know about these regions. This is the surest way of unearthing gems for a travel writer. Following guide books may give a greater sense of security, but not knowing where the following night will be spent is another thing.

    The journey will take place in two phases. The first leg, starting January 29, will go from Nepal to Arunachal Pradesh and last 8-10 weeks. The second leg will go from Kashmir to Uttarakhand, ending where the first started. This will start in May for 6-8 weeks. It is being done this way keeping weather conditions in mind. The higher passes of Ladakh and Lahaul Spiti are open only from May – September approximately. This is also a time when the eastern Himalayas get too wet. In theory, one can do the whole stretch in the summers at one go. But then one would also miss out the spring flowers of Sikkim and Bhutan. Hence such an itinerary.

    I will be posting updates with photographs en-route whenever connectivity allows on TripAdvisor.in, Yatra.com’s Fan Page on Facebook, on Kunzum.com and Twitter (@ajayjain and @kunzum). At the end of the trip, I will also be bringing out a pictorial travelogue.

    The Tentative Route

    Phase I:

    NEPAL: Mahendranagar (Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve), Khaptad National Park, Bardiya National Park, Lumbini, Pokhara, Jomsom, Chitwan National Park, Kathmandu, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
    INDIA:
    Darjeeling, Guwahati, Itanagar, Ziro, Daiporjo, Alang, Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary, Dibrugarh, Mon, Jorhat, Mokokchung, Kohima, Kaziranga, Shillong, Gangtok, Nathu La, Yumthang
    BHUTAN:
    Thimpu, Paro

    Phase II

    INDIA: Rudrapur, Bhimtal, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag, Rishikesh, Barkot, Mori, Sarahan, Sangla, Kalpa, Lahaul Spiti, Jispa, Leh, Tso Moriri, Pangong Tso, Siachen, Nubra, Alchi, Kargil, Zanskar, Srinagar, Uri, Jammu

    Watch this space for live updates!

    { 41 comments… read them below or add one }

    1 Sudhanshu Jain January 20, 2010 at 10:00 pm

    Hi Ajay how you guys travelling? looking forward for all the updates, All the very best. it sounds real interesting will dfntly be following you…. liked your mahakumbh snaps, very lively

    2 Sumita Varma January 20, 2010 at 10:00 pm

    good luck Ajay. Wll wait fr ur updates.

    3 Rohit Chauhan January 20, 2010 at 10:00 pm

    with you in spirit !!!!! have fun

    4 Shalini Verma January 20, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    Sounds Adventerous. Have fun, Ajay!!!

    5 Vikas Talwar January 20, 2010 at 10:04 pm

    How many days .

    6 Ajay Jain January 20, 2010 at 10:05 pm

    Will be driving myself. Will be updating on the move whenever I get net connectivity. Will do so on Facebook, Twitter (@kunzum and @ajayjain) and kunzum. Will be driving for 90-120 days.

    7 Vijay Ramanathan January 20, 2010 at 11:18 pm

    All the best Ajay. Who is accompanying you? What vehicle are you using? This will indeed be a trip of a lifetime! Soak it all in.

    8 Ash Singh January 21, 2010 at 8:00 am

    your trip is truly inspirational and I hope that you have the richest of experiences, meet the best of friends and are protected throughout your journey and nobel quest.

    9 Ajay Jain January 21, 2010 at 8:03 am

    Hi Vijay…A friend of mine, a keen traveller and photographer, is coming along for a part of the trip. Solo otherwise. Driving a Pajero.

    10 B P Bhat January 21, 2010 at 12:42 pm

    Mr Ajay, I recently came to know about your site. I am very much interested in such activities. Is it possible to join you for your second leg of the tour?. As I am busy till March end, I can not join you in the start point of the first leg. However I do not mind joining the first leg somewhere in between. I have done few himalayan trekkings. And I am also a very good driver.

    11 shivani nagar January 21, 2010 at 10:20 pm

    hi ajay …… breathtaking trip ! who all are accompanying you ?

    12 Satish Sutaria January 23, 2010 at 9:58 pm

    Hi Ajay,
    Great idea. My son Ronak & self hope to be with you all through, whenever ‘Net’ allows. Our best wishes.
    Satish Sutaria

    13 Ankush Maria January 29, 2010 at 2:01 am

    ALL THE BEST!

    14 Nisha January 29, 2010 at 9:07 am

    All the best !
    We’ll be following you….. of course on FB, Twitter & on Kunzum.

    15 Divya Verma January 30, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    Amazingg!!!!!! All the best for the breath taking journey.. I would want to do this once in my life too…Somebody I dream to do this & find joy.
    I’ll be keen to read your updates!

    16 Samiron Ghoshal January 31, 2010 at 5:18 am

    Ajay,

    U beat me to it. I have been planning for some years, but job/family took precedence. Lets join forces sometime soon and conquer new frontiers.
    Regards
    Samiron

    17 Shrikant Rawale January 31, 2010 at 11:54 am

    Wowww,Ajay Good Luck..
    Looking Forward for many more snaps…..pls upload

    18 Coenie Osthuizen February 1, 2010 at 10:23 pm

    Hi Ajay. I love the Himalayas and I envy you for doing this trip. Wish you all of the best and will be watching for updates. Its a wonderfull idea, do you know if it has been done before?
    Coenie
    South Africa

    19 Vikas Bhardwaj February 3, 2010 at 3:20 pm

    Dear Ajay,

    Best of luck for your journey.

    Please tell me how can I be a part of such trips . I have a strong desire to travel to all parts of India by road,driving by myself.

    20 Tiruapti February 4, 2010 at 3:30 pm

    Nice. It is really a good idea. Total how many days the journey takes?Any way all the best,have fun.

    21 B P Bhat February 8, 2010 at 6:09 pm

    Dear Vikas Bhardwaj, (Sl No 19 above),

    I had posted a similar question (Sl No 10 above) to Mr Ajay, but there is no reply. Do not know the reason.
    In fact I have seen the entire states of KL, KA, TN, MH, CH, and part of AP by road, driving myself. I have also seen AN Islands. In case if you are interested in exploring other parts of India (mainly non-South India), you may contact me on bpb.sharadhi@gmail.com

    22 Ajay Jain March 14, 2010 at 9:50 pm

    Hi Coenie, Thanks for your wishes. Don’t think it has been done before. Just finished day 45 of the journey. Miles to go. But yes, the Himalayas are wonderful and the trip has been a dream come true so far.

    23 Ajay Jain March 14, 2010 at 9:51 pm

    Hi Tiruapti, Thanks for your wishes. Expect the whole journey to take about 90 days.

    24 Maninder Pal Singh March 14, 2010 at 10:17 pm

    Dear Friend, i’m glad hear this that u are going on a such a wonderful trip, i think you are very lucky to get this opportunity of life time, best of luck for ur journey.

    update ur blog regularly, i’ll be in contact, cheers.

    25 Sanjay Dhawan March 20, 2010 at 5:35 pm

    All the best. Have a safe and enjoyable journey.

    26 Bhaswati Ghosh March 20, 2010 at 5:35 pm

    Yes, all the best, Ajay! Enjoy the ride and report back of your adventures!

    27 Munish Kaushik March 20, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    Best of luck. Have a safe journey

    28 Divya Sharma March 20, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    looks like an adventure! i want to go too :) have fun and bring back a ton of stories! cheers!

    29 Sharik Verma March 20, 2010 at 5:37 pm

    Pajero???Dont stop after 90 days…Its the world trip you should plan for…I’ll tramping the other way round…See you in Arunachal…20th feb is festival time there…

    30 Kapil Anand March 20, 2010 at 5:37 pm

    oh how did i miss this !!!! next time kindly update us about all such road trips..all the very best to you….

    31 Kundan Chaudhary March 20, 2010 at 5:38 pm

    Hey man.. all the very best.. have a gr8 time..

    32 Pavan Vaish March 20, 2010 at 5:39 pm

    real enthu ajay , damn good and xciting

    33 Ajay Jain March 21, 2010 at 7:57 am

    Hi Samiron, Thanks for writing in. Sure, am open to all possibilities that keeps taking me back on the adventure trail. Feel free to ping me anytime.

    34 Ajay Jain April 17, 2010 at 8:08 am

    Thanks Satish. 80% of the journey is complete. More when the passes open in Lahaul Spiti.

    35 Ajay Jain April 17, 2010 at 8:10 am

    Hi Vikas, I cannot promise you how you can join in the journeys. My plans are usually quite fluid and I hit the road at short notices. But I think the time has come to plan some itineraries where we can all go together in a group in our respective vehicles. Should be fun.

    36 Rajiv Lulla April 17, 2010 at 8:36 am

    all the best Ajay, stating 2012, count me in on your trips…..

    37 Shailza Sood Dasgupta April 17, 2010 at 8:36 am

    All the very best Ajay. Wish you a safe and memorable journey…

    38 Nilesh Vats April 17, 2010 at 8:37 am

    All the best dude………………allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll isssssssssssssssssssss wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll………………………

    39 Manav Abrol April 17, 2010 at 8:37 am

    best of luck – btw, see http://www.jimrogers.com for the hedge fund guy who drove around the world

    40 Nazifa Burud April 17, 2010 at 8:41 am

    All the very best…

    41 marmaris hotels August 31, 2010 at 11:56 am

    wow I admire your adventure spirit, love to see Himalaya too and go into a journey that makes your life change. where can i find and read your finished trip? thanks all the best!

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