Royal Enfield trip - Ladakh 14th to 27th August 2010

 

For the third consecutive year Rakatanga Tour organise a trip to Ladakh in India , with Royal Enfield motorcycles.

The trip takes place in the region where probably are the most spectacular sceneries of the Himalayas . A place even more surprising when driving a motorcycle on the highest plateaus and passes in the world,over passing 5600m altitude.

Some of the benefits of this trip will be donated to the NGO Amigos de Tara which helps children in Calcata and in Nepal and has a literacy programme for them. Tara School is in the neighborhood of the City of Joy, in Kolkata. Since 2007 Rakatanga Tour works and has donated more than 9000€ to this NGO in India which is equivalent to 30000€ in Europe . The amount of the donation will be given to NGOs at the end of the trip, depending on the number of participants.
To see our 2008 2009 trips with groups from Argentina, Spain, United Kingdom, France and Italy click here here

 

S

 

Program

 

Day

DATES

Activities

kms

1

Saturday 14

Arrival of the flights in Delhi . Dinner and night at the hotel.

-

2

Sunday 15

Train to Kalka. We get the motorbikes, heading to Shimla: 2200m.

120

3

Monday 16

Shimla to Mandi : 750m.

160

4

Tuesday 17

Mandi to Manali : 2050m.

125

5

Wedday 18

Rest day in Manali.

-

6

Thursday 19

Manali to Keylong: 3350m (via the Rohtang Pass : 3978m).

140

7

Friday 20

Keylong to Sarchu: 4250m (via the Baralacha Pass : 4830m).

110

8

Saturday 21

Sarchu to Tsokhar: 4000m

150

9

Sunday 22

Tsokhar to Leh (via Taglang La Pass: 5328m).
140

10

Monday 23

Rest day in Leh.

-

11

Tuesday 24

Leh to Khardung La. Highest pass in the world: 5602m.

80

12

Wednday 25

Leh to the Lamayaru monastery.

140

13

Thusday 26

Lamayaru to Leh

140

14

Friday 27

Flight to Delhi, flying over the chain of the Himalayas.

-

 

Dates :

From 14 to August 27, 2010. 14 days 13 nights hotel (day 1 to 13 inclusive).
Arrival and meeting in Delhi on 14 August. If you arrive before the 14th and/or you leave after the27th you will have to arrange hotels on your own.
Please note limited place: Maximum 10 bikes or 14 people. This is to enjoy the trip with a small group.

Price  

- Price for motorbike driver: 1950€.

- Price for pillion passenger: 1750€. It is possible to make the trip as a pillion passenger or in the back-up vehicle.

 

The price includes:

          • Hiring of the motorbike throughout the whole trip (500cc Enfield Bullet).

          • Mid-range clean hotels. 13 nights (1 to 13 included). In Sarchu, comfortable tents with beds and private WC.

          • Twin-share basis; (single room supplement, additional 300€). 1

          • Food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) water and tea during the trip and on the stops on the road.

          • Trilingual guide (english, french spanish) with experience on this trip and a mechanic specialised on Enfields.

          • Domestic flight from Leh to Delhi.

          • Back-up vehicle and driver, to keep the luggage and provide assistance on the road.

          • Spare parts, tools, first aid equipment and medicines.

          • Petrol, tools and repairs and third party insurance.

          • Entries for all gompas in the area of Leh, and all permits in Ladakh.

          • Transfers from hotel to Delhi train station and from hotel to Leh domestic airport.

          • Your contribution to Amigos de Tara NGO.

 

The price mentioned above does not include     

          • International airfares to/from Delhi (between 450€/800€ Europe departure).

          • Your Indian Visa.

          • Vaccines.

          • Personal expenses like washing clothes, souvenirs or alcoholic drinks.

          • Tips for the personnel on the trip, hotels and restaurants.

          • Transfer from/to Delhi airport. (price of taxi between the airport and the hotel is 5 to 7€).

          • Lunch and dinner during free days in Manali, Leh and Delhi (days 5, 9 and 14). Meals in India about 4 €.

          • Transport during the free days in Leh, Manali and Delhi.

 

 

Climate and clothing during the trip

In July, and August the temperatures in Delhi and Kalka can exceed 35°C. When going up in altitude, starting from Shimla, the weather is milder with temperatures around 25°C with very sunny days. When crossing the pass on the road from Manali to Leh, the weather is, in general, dry and sunny but it can suddenly change and temperatures may drop. It is thus usual to pass from one extreme to the other several times during the day. We should have some very sunny and hot days, some cold days, and maybe some days riding under the rain. At more than 4000m of altitude, the sun can burn the skin easily and on the road there are very few places with shade. It is thus advised to bring high protection sun lotion, sunglasses and gloves.

Motorbike gear: helmet (best an open one), wind-breaker, gloves, closed boots, and motorbike equipment for the rain (those in two parts preferably). In windy days, the top of the wind-breaker could be enough for not feeling cold. In Ladakh, the rain is rare in July and August, but the weather is unpredictable. If you are sensitive to the cold, bring protection. A motorbike tank bag is very useful to keep the camera, hand gloves or small things within reach.

State of the road and driving in India  

This trip is one of the most spectacular and impressive that one can make on a motorbike. Nevertheless, this trip is not an easy walk and is not obvious for everybody. If driving in India is not easy (the rules are not the same as in our countries), one gets used rather quickly to the “local habits”. The traffic is chaotic in the cities but there is in general very little traffic on the roads and people drive slowly. The road, in particular from Manali up to Leh, is very variable. One rolls on for kilometres on roads in very good state that change abruptly into dirt tracks with sand and stones. We could encounter landslides blocking the road for a while or small rivers to be crossed on motorbike. The state of the roads varies each year, since the road is closed for eight months and it is covered with snow, which destroys the asphalt.

This is a memorable trip to make on a motorbike, but I do not advise it for the inexperienced biker. I advise you, even to those which have a long riding experience, to take an advanced driving course before making this trip. One can even be surprised of all the things which one can learn in this kind of course!!

India is an incredible country, full of magic, but it is not an easy country for those who do not have patience or are not used to the delays and the unforeseen situations. If you decide to join the group, I will ask you to be flexible with the possible delays and the unexpected situations due to the special conditions of the country. This type of motorbike adventures always has a share of risks of which you must be aware of and accept before joining the group.

Being open minded with a good amount of humour is essential to be able to enjoy this trip to the maximum. A trip that you will almost certainly never forget in your whole life.

 

The RoyalEnfield Bullet  

The Royal Enfield continues to be manufactured in the Indian factories of Madras after the closing of the head office in England in the Fifties.

There have been very few aesthetic and technical changes since then. It is a very solid motorbike with a legendary look and motor noise. With the gear box reversed and a 500cc engine, the Royal Enfield gives a pleasurable sense of a bygone time on the Indian roads. The Bullet is far from being a fast motorbike but it is the best adapted for the hard conditions of the roads in this part of the world.

 

Details of the trip

Day 1 Flights a rrival in Delhi. Afternoon meeting and briefing with the group at the hotel: (introduction to the country, motorbike riding in India and trip programme). Dinner and sleeping at the hotel.

Day 2 Departure by train early in the morning from Delhi to Kalka on the Shatadbi Express. Four hours later, we will join the team who will assist us during our trip and have our first contact with our motorbikes. We will practise near the train station to get used to them. Kalka is a small town much easier and more pleasant to start out than in the frantic streets of Delhi. After that, departure towards Shimla. Lunch on the road. The road is full of bends until we arrive in the old summer capital of the English Raj. Shimla is a picturesque city, established on the mountainside with plenty of British style architecture from colonial times. Dinner and night at the hotel.

Day 3 Departure to Mandi. The road is surrounded by mountains, fields and sloping terraces. We will cross the Sutjej River and we will arrive in the evening at Mandi where dinner will await us at the hotel.

Day 4 We continue through the green Valley of Kullu. The road follows the river until arrival in Manali with splendid sights of canyons, long tunnels, and wooden bridges suspended over the river. We will crosshe right-side of the river crossing where we'll find small villages with wooden houses typical of the Himachal Pradesh State architecture.

Day 5 Manali: Free day and acclimatization to altitude. You will have the choice to wander around Old Manali, visit the village of Vaishist with its thermal springs, trek in the nearby mountains or simply get lost in the bazaar of the city unearthing Tibetan antiques which are legion in the stores.

Day 6 This is the when things become serious with the true beginning of the mythical road to Leh. We will reach the Rothan Pass before entering the Lahaul Valley with splendid landscapes and valleys as far as the eye can see. Arrival in the evening at the village of Keylong.

Day 7 Green vegetation becomes increasingly rare letting room for the ochre colours and the lunar landscapes which will prevail until the arrival in Leh. That night we sleep in a tent camp in Sarchu at more than 4000 m of altitude.

Day 8 The road and the landscape become more and more spectacular. We take the 21 turns of Gata Loops to continue going up and up reaching the Pang Valley, probably the most magical place we'll see during the day. We have in front of us all the snow-covered Himalayan chain. Behind us, a flat valley formed by a glacier at more than 5000 m of altitude. Night at our camp in Tsokhar near its salted lake.

Day 9 The road keeps going up until the Taglang La Pass at 5328m of altitude, the second highest pass in the world. The rest of the day is much easier as we go down to the plains which will lead us to Leh while passing by Tibetans temples or Gompas, perched high in the mountains. Visit on the way of the of Hemis and Thiksey gompas. Thiksey resembles the Potala Palace in Lhassa, Tibet. Arrival in Leh in the evening.

Day 10 Well deserved rest for us and the motorbikes. Free day in Leh, capital of the State at 3500m of altitude. The old city is a true labyrinth of small lanes with Tibetans houses made out of brick and wood and with the Old Royal City Palace dominating the city from above. The city is full of bazaars and shops with Tibetan antiques.

 

Day 11 Departure towards Khardung La in the Nubra Valley. It is the highest pass in the world (5602m of altitude) that can be crossed on a motor vehicle! A few years ago, there was a panel which said “From here you can talk directly with God". We must obtain special permits as it is a military zone near a hot China border area. Return to Leh.

Day 12 Departure to Lamayaru, the oldest and most spectacular gompa of all Ladakh. Dating from the Xİ century led on a medieval site village surrounded by the typical Ladakh lunar landscape. We will overnight in the monastery.

Day 13 Lamayaru back to Leh, riding through one of the most beautiful roads of our trip. We cross one of the most deserted parts of the area. Back to the hotel in Leh to say bye bye to our Enfields and final farewell dinner with the group.

Day 14 Flight departure to Delhi. The flight out of Leh to Delhi is one of the most spectacular one can make in India, flying over the mountains of the Himalayan chain overseeing the highest mountains in the planet. Early arrival and transfer to our first night hotel in central Delhi. End of the trip.
Delhi, a city full of monuments, including the stunning Grand Mosque and the Red Fort, is also a shopper's paradise of all kinds. People with night flights today, may leave their luggage at the hotel in Delhi and there will be two rooms available to take a shower. Flight departures to Europe.

Reservation

In order to make a reservation, it is necessary to pay a 400 € deposit. The deadline to be registered is on 15Th of July. On the 16st of July, the domestic flight, and the hotels will be comfirmed. An e-mail to each person with confirmation of the Leh-Delhi flight, as well as the electronic ticket reservation will be sent.

For payment of the outstanding amount, you have two options:

  1. To make an account transfer with the balance due, or
  2. To pay in cash (in euros) on arrival in Delhi.

The trip will take place with a minimum of five people and a maximum of 10 motorbikes or 14 people. If by 15th July, there are not at least five reservations, the trip will be cancelled. In that case, the deposit will be fully refunded (400 €), without any expense to you.

For any cancellations between the 15 July and the 30th July, 300€ would be deducted (flight and hotels reservations). No refund will be given after the 30th July.

To make a reservation please send an email and a form to fill in would be sent to you.

Contact:

If you have any questions, contact web site section.

By phone: 00 (33) 6 16 76 14 49

By post : Pablo Alvarez, 70 Bld de Clichy 75018-Paris, France.

  1. The inscriptions will be done by booking date order. That means that if you book at the last minute, you might perhaps have a single room option if there is no other person to share a double one. So the sooner you make your booking the more possibilities you will have to have a double room.
  2. It is compulsory to obtain travel insurance if you don't have one that goes with your credit card or your car/motorcycle insurance. This type of insurance covers medical expenses abroad and airplane repatriation in case of illness or accident. You will also need to bring your International Driving License.