Khardung La - Kargil Road

I rode up the Khardung La in August of 2009, while on my honeymoon; this was the climax of a memorable trip from Manali to Leh with Redspokes. The climb was planned for the day after the Dalai Lama visited Leh; as this road has military significance, you need a permit to get past the checkpoint about halfway up. The govt office granting the permits was closed the day the Dalai Lama was visiting. This meant that we had to start the climb while our tour guide frantically worked on getting us the permits! They came through just in time, thankfully. The ride itself was awesome...desolate high country with views that stretched for miles and miles. In fact, you could look back and see the city of Leh almost from the top, 47 km up the road. It seemed relatively gradual, but the high altitude and rocky, dusty conditions made it tough. At times the road was almost single lane and convoys of army vehicles would be coming down the road towards us, leaving us very little room and kicking up much dust. However, finally getting to the top was a great reward! The sign indicates its the highest motorable road in the world, but the posted height of 18,380 feet or so is optimistic. This is definitely a trip Ill remember the rest of my life.

My personal climb rating: