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    Route Guides

    Driving in Ladakh – A Guide

    Are you planning to visit Ladakh and drive to its various attractions? Here is a guide based on my personal journeys in Ladakh over the last two seasons. Before you continue, you may want to read these posts:

    * A suggested itinerary for Ladakh
    * What to pack when driving in the mountains
    * There are many other posts on Ladakh – click here to read
    * Nature calling in Ladakh? Some handy tips
    * You may want to purchase my book, Postcards from Ladakh [continue reading…]

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    Driving in Nepal – A Route Guide

    There are few road drives to match the one across Nepal. Whatever you seek as a traveller is on the menu. Wildlife, adventure, mountains, rivers, history, religion, culture and more. You will never have the time for all the surprises Nepal has in store for you.

    The following is a driving guide across Nepal based on my own journey recently. You may also click here to read posts I have already written on Nepal. [continue reading…]

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    Route Planner: Delhi to Bikaner in Rajasthan

    If you plan to go from Delhi to Bikaner by road, you could follow the route I took. I have presented it in the form of my actual time sheet, and it may vary for you. Of course, there may be alternate routes too or your may set yourself a different pace, but this could serve as a benchmark (don’t get inspired by the speeds I clock though – give me a good road and I can really rev the engine up). And all distances may vary by a few miles depending on your own starting points and detours taken. (Don’t call me from the middle of nowhere if you lose your way either!!) [continue reading…]

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    Marathon Drive: Jispa to Delhi, 750 km, 18 hours non-stop

    I have done some long drives in the course of my travels, but I broke some personal records when I drove from Jispa to New Delhi for 18 hours covering 750 kilometers (470 miles) on my return journey from Ladakh. I took only two half hour stops for lunch and dinner, besides a couple of pitstops.

    To put it in perspective, about 400 kms of this drive was in mountainous conditions; these included stretches you would not call roads by any standards. Add to it delays due to landslides and heavy trucks traffic, this was not a bad run at all. Why am I telling you this? I am telling everyone. Hey, come on, I can be forgiven a bit of immodesty. [continue reading…]

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    Driving from Delhi to Leh, Ladakh

    There are many ways to reach Leh from Delhi, but the most enjoyable way is to do so by road. If you can drive the distance of about 1075 kilometers, taking at least 3-4 days, it is sure to be an experience you will cherish for life. And try to drive yourself; there is a different thrill to it than being driven by someone else.

    I did so myself in July 2008, and the journey came with some learnings as it has its own challenges. Here is a practical plan you could follow to get from Delhi to Leh: [continue reading…]

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