Srinagar to Leh Highway Expedition

Arrive in Srinagar. Check into a traditional wooden houseboat on Dal Lake. In the afternoon, meet your tour director and mechanics for bike allocation and a brief ride around the scenic Boulevard Road and Mughal Gardens. Enjoy a relaxing evening Shikara boat ride under the setting sun. Overnight briefing covers the Zoji La crossing and permit regulations.

An easy, scenic ride along the Sindh River. We leave the busy streets of Srinagar behind and wind through lush Kashmiri villages, apple orchards, and pine forests. We arrive in Sonamarg, the "Meadow of Gold," by afternoon. Spend the rest of the day checking your riding gear and relaxing. This day is designed to slowly acclimatize you before we cross into the cold desert tomorrow.

Today is a legendary riding day. Leaving Sonamarg, the road climbs sharply up the narrow, muddy switchbacks of Zoji La Pass (3,528m / 11,575 ft). Watch out for heavy trucks and military convoys on these single-lane mud tracks. After descending the pass, we ride through the barren valleys of Drass, stopping to pay respects at the Kargil War Memorial. We continue along the Drass River to reach Kargil town for our overnight stay.

We ride on outstanding, smooth asphalt today. We climb over Namika La (3,700m) and Fotu La (4,108m / 13,478 ft)—the highest point on NH1. We stop at Lamayuru to marvel at the yellow, moon-like soil formations. We then speed along the Indus River, stopping at the Magnetic Hill and the Sangam confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers, before riding into Leh in the evening.

Our Srinagar to Leh expedition ends today. After breakfast, we organize airport transfers. Because you have ridden up gradually over 4 days, you are fully acclimatized and can safely fly back or continue your journeys into Ladakh independently.