To the highest motorable road in the World
Ever since my solo motorcycle trip through Ladakh in 2020, when I reached Khardung La (17,982 ft above sea level), I have been fascinated by this region. The sense of peace, the breathtaking landscapes, and the warmth of the people left a lasting impression on me. What stood out even more was the immense respect I have always had for the Indian Armed Forces and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Seeing, even briefly, the harsh environment in which they work only deepened that admiration. It gave me a greater appreciation of the effort and dedication required to build and maintain such remarkable road connectivity in these remote, high-altitude regions.
Since then, I had wanted to reach Umling La—the highest motorable road in the world, at 19,024 ft (5,797 m) above sea level.
My first thought was to drive there, but that wasn’t really practical. The journey would have taken too long, and getting that many days of leave wasn’t possible. The second option was what I had done before—ride a motorcycle. As much as I liked the idea, my own lack of confidence on a two-wheeler made me think twice.
Around this time, I came across a cycling expedition to Umling La organised by YHAI. Given my level of fitness and the lingering effects of multiple infections on my lungs, I had my doubts about whether I would be able to complete it. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try and booked my place.
I had every intention of training properly for the expedition. Unfortunately, that plan went the way many of my workout plans do—it never quite happened.
The expedition was spread over 12 days. Given the high altitude and the physical demands of the ride, the itinerary included four days of acclimatisation—three at the beginning and one midway through the expedition.
The cycling began on Day 4 from Leh (10,500 ft above sea level). From there, the route progressed gradually through Shara Village (12,000 ft), Chumathang (12,960 ft), Nyoma (13,710 ft), and Hanle (14,000 ft). A rest and acclimatisation day at Hanle helped prepare us for the final phase of the journey.
The last two riding days were the most demanding. We cycled from Hanle to Chisumle (15,250 ft) and, the following day, climbed to Umling La (19,024 ft), the highest motorable road in the world, before descending back to Chisumle.
Days 1–3: Acclimatisation
Most of our time was spent exploring Leh town on foot, visiting the local market, and getting to know the rest of the group. On Day 3, we were issued our bicycles and went on a short test ride to Shanti Stupa, about 5 km from our accommodation. It was an opportunity to get familiar with the bikes and make any necessary adjustments before the expedition began the following day.
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Day 4: Ride to Shara Village
Distance: 62 km
Ride time: 0900 hrs – 1630 hrs
The expedition began with our ride from Leh to Shara Village. We started at around 9:00 AM and reached our destination by about 4:30 PM after covering 62 km.
Google lists Shara at an altitude of around 16,000 ft above sea level. However, that didn’t seem to match our experience. I suspect the village where we stayed was closer to 12,000 ft, or perhaps Google refers to another part of Shara located at a higher elevation.
We spent the night at Langlay Homestay, a small, cosy homestay that perfectly reflected the warmth and simplicity of Ladakhi hospitality. Dinner consisted of delicious local Ladakhi food, and after a long day on the bicycle, we ended the evening with a leisurely walk through the quiet village before calling it a day.
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Day 5 : Ride to Chumathang
Distance: 82 km
Ride time: 0800 hrs – 1800 hrs
This turned out to be one of the longer and more tiring days of the expedition, so we started early at around 8:00 AM. The roads were excellent throughout the day, making for enjoyable riding. The weather was almost ideal, with calm, mostly cloudy skies. However, the high-altitude sun was much stronger than I had anticipated. Despite the cloud cover, I ended up with sunburns on my wrists and knees. In hindsight, packing only cycling shorts and no full-length pants was probably not my best decision.
We stopped for lunch at Indus Café at around 1:30 PM before continuing towards Chumathang. By the time I reached our accommodation around 6:00 PM, I was completely exhausted. Thankfully, a cup of hot tea and some snacks were waiting for us, and they were exactly what we needed after a long day on the road.
Any lingering tiredness quickly disappeared when we stepped outside and saw a beautiful rainbow stretching across the valley in front of us.
Our accommodation was located right next to the Chumathang Hot Springs, which meant a constant supply of naturally hot water. After spending the entire day on the bicycle, a hot bath was one of the highlights of the evening.
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| Hotsprings - Chumathang |
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Day 6: Ride to Nyoma
I went to bed early and woke up around 5:00 AM. Before breakfast, I took a quiet walk around the hot springs. A short distance away was the Indus River, with a peaceful spot along its bank overlooking the surrounding mountains. I spent some time there, simply sitting by the river and taking in the morning silence before the day’s ride began.
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| Streams along the way for "top-up" |
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Day 7: Ride to Hanle
Distance: 77 km
Ride time: 0800 hrs – 1700 hrs
Altitude: ~14,000 ft ASL
This was another long day on the bicycle, covering 77 km with a gradual climb towards Hanle. We started from Nyoma at 8:00 AM under pleasant skies, and the weather remained comfortable for the first couple of hours.
By this stage of the expedition, I had realised that carrying a packed lunch wasn’t necessary for me. I found it easier to have small snacks at regular intervals during the ride and stop for a proper meal along the way.
We reached the Military Café in Hanle at around 2:30 PM, where I had a simple lunch of Maggi and an omelette with the local chilli chutney. It was exactly what I needed after several hours of riding.
Our accommodation, Migail Homestay, was another 4 km from the café, and we reached there at around 5:00 PM. The following day was scheduled as a rest and acclimatisation day before the final push towards Umling La.
The evening rewarded us with some beautiful views. We watched yet another rainbow stretching across the valley, and the mountains directly opposite our homestay had received a fresh dusting of snow. It was remarkable to see fresh snowfall in the middle of summer.
Hanle is a small village with a surprisingly large number of homestays. As tourism has increased over the years, many local families have opened their homes to visitors. Despite the growing number of places to stay, the village has retained its quiet and peaceful character.
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Day 8: Rest day
The rest day gave us an opportunity to visit the Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle. At an altitude of about 14,000 ft, the region offers exceptionally dark skies, low humidity, and minimal atmospheric disturbance, making it one of the best locations in India for astronomical observations.
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| Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) |
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| GROWTH-India Telescope |
Hanle was chosen as the site for the observatory because of its excellent observing conditions. The region enjoys around 260–270 clear nights each year and receives only about 5-10 mm of annual rainfall, providing ideal conditions for optical and gamma-ray astronomy.
Although the observatory is located in Hanle, its telescopes are operated remotely from the Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) campus of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Hosakote, near Bengaluru, using satellite communication through GSAT-16 and GSAT-18.
The observatory became operational in 2000 and currently houses three major telescopes:
- Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) – a 2.01-m optical telescope operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
- GROWTH-India Telescope – operated by IIT Bombay as part of the international GROWTH collaboration for time-domain astronomy.
- Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) – operated by BARC, dedicated to studying very high-energy gamma rays.
It was fascinating to see such an advanced scientific facility in a place as remote as Hanle. From the outside, the observatory appears remarkably modest, and there is little to suggest the world-class astronomical research being carried out there.
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Day 9: Ride to Chishumle
Distance: 52 km
Ride time: 0700 hrs – 1600 hrs
Destination altitude: 15,250 ft ASL
We started from Hanle at 7:00 AM for what would turn out to be the most physically demanding day of the expedition.
The first 12 km were on smooth, well-paved roads, allowing for a comfortable start. After that, the road conditions changed completely. For the next 13 km, there were no paved roads, and the route consisted of loose gravel, rocks, and rough tracks.
The toughest section was the approximately 7 km climb to Nurbula Pass (17,328 ft ASL). To make things more challenging, it started snowing and raining during the ascent. The combination of the steep gradient, rough terrain, and the weather meant that I spent much of the climb pushing my bicycle rather than riding it.
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| At the top of Nurbula pass ( 17,328 ft ASL) |
Reaching the top of Nurbula Pass was a welcome relief. From there, we had a pleasant 15 km descent on good paved roads before arriving at Chisumle (15,250 ft ASL) at around 4:00 PM.
We stayed in tents that night and had dinner at the nearby Nomad Restaurant. It was here that we learnt that the direct road from Chisumle to Umling La had been temporarily closed because of ongoing road construction.
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| Stay at Chisumle ( 15,250 ft ASL) |
This meant a change in plans for the following day. Instead of beginning our climb directly from Chisumle, we had to wake up at 4:00 AM and drive about 80 km via Photile–Koyul to the base of the climb.
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Day 10: Ride to Umling La top and back to Chishumle
Start: 0419 hrs
Summit: Umling La (19,024 ft ASL)
Reached summit: ~1300 hrs
The day began much earlier than planned. We left Chisumle at 4:19 AM for a two-hour drive to the starting point of our ride. Since the direct road from Chisumle to Umling La was closed due to construction, we had to approach the climb via Photile–Koyul.
The drive itself was interesting, as the road runs close to the India–China border. At several points, our phones picked up the Chinese mobile network, and the time automatically switched to China Standard Time. Our starting point was only about 12 km from Demchok, one of the last Indian villages before the border.
We soon realised that this alternate route was considerably steeper than the usual approach. Instead of the regular 25 km climb with an elevation gain of about 2,000 ft, this route involved an 18 km climb with nearly 5,000 ft of elevation gain.
Being the least fit member of the group, I spent much of the climb pushing my bicycle rather than riding it. For about 5 km, I also received welcome assistance from the support team. Without that help, it would have taken me considerably longer to reach the top.
I finally reached the summit of Umling La (19,024 ft ASL) at around 1:00 PM. We spent about an hour and a half at the top, taking photographs, looking around, and simply enjoying the moment.
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| Higher than the Everest base Camp |
Fortunately, none of the participants developed any significant health issues during the expedition, despite spending several days at high altitude.
There was a small souvenir shop at the summit where I picked up a few mementoes of the trip. I also met and chatted with several other travellers who had reached Umling La by motorcycle and by car. It was interesting to see people arriving by different routes, all sharing the same excitement of finally reaching the highest motorable road in the world.
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Day 11: Back to Leh
After spending some time at the summit, we loaded our bicycles and travelled back to Leh by van.
I can’t honestly say that I cycled all the way to the top. There were long stretches where I had to push my bicycle, and I also received significant help from the support team during the steepest sections. But that doesn’t take away from how grateful I am to have reached Umling La. Standing at the highest motorable road in the world was a moment I had wanted to experience ever since my first visit to Ladakh in 2020.
The journey left me with an even greater admiration for the Indian Armed Forces and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Travelling through these remote regions gave me a small glimpse of the conditions in which they live and work, and of the enormous effort involved in building and maintaining roads that connect some of the highest inhabited places on Earth.
Looking back, what made this expedition memorable was not just the destination. It was the entire experience—the landscapes, the villages, the people we met, and, above all, the group I had the privilege of travelling with. We came from very different professions and backgrounds, but everyone shared the same enthusiasm for the outdoors. The group was cheerful, supportive, and always ready with a joke or a helping hand. It is easily one of the best travel groups I have been a part of.
I hope this account encourages others to visit this remarkable part of our country.
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