Next week I will be heading off to Leh from Delhi with my two cousins. This is a well overdue trip which we have been waiting for and finally, its being planned, of course with the help of the forum! The trip to Leh would be via Srinagar as it is a route recommended by some friends. Is it true that it is better than the Manali route? All three of us can drive, and we have planned to make it a straight drive to Leh by taking turns to drive, is this a good idea? Or do you think we should make a night stop somewhere? Is there any place where we would have problems getting diesel on the way to Leh? Is the road towards Leh single or a double road? What are the road conditions like going towards Leh, would we come across much traffic?
Hello, @Amar! Welcome to the forum! A few advantages of the Srinagar > Leh route would be: The ascent to Leh is very gradual as compared to the Manali route. The chances of acquiring Acute Mountain Sickness is lesser this way. The journey is a bit more easy than the Manali route. You can descend using the Manali route without any acclimatisation problem again. The sceneries are quite amazing but then again, so are the sceneries in the Manali route. If you aren't an experienced driver or your friends aren't either, then you can certainly choose the Srinagar route. The roads are easier and there's less challenges on the journey. Likewise, if you're new to trekking, then this would be the obvious choice. Manali is preferred more by the adventurous people and experts in trekking already. If you leave pretty early, then you can drive straight to Leh. Considering you have enough fuel, food and water, you may not have to stop. However, the problem lies in the acclimatisation process. It's not recommended to not stop for a night because your body needs to be properly acclimatised. Possible stopovers are Kargil and Uletokpo. With stopovers, you can reach Leh in two days time or less. Make sure that you carry extra bottles filled with diesel because you cannot get them en route to Leh. There is a petrol or diesel refill station in Leh though. Some roads have double lanes and others don't have double lanes. But mostly, it has double lanes. From Srinagar to Sonamarg, there is no problem, roads are complete and in good condition. Once you reach Zoji La though, you can experience driving through unpaved roads and patches. Dirt and gravel are your main enemies here. Then comes Kargil, where people usually stay for the night, it is usually in excellent condition. The next routes are easy to take until you reach Hangro Loops which have steep roads and sharp turns. After that, you can reach Leh without any problems. There's not much traffic except on one-lane roads. I hope this helps!
