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In 2018, HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corporation) launched a direct bus route from New Delhi to Leh, the capital of Ladakh, a region on the edge of Tibet in Jammu and Kashmir. The journey takes 33 hours and covers 1,050 km, crossing four mountain passes.
Without air conditioning, the 47-seat Tata Ordinary, with its 2x3 seating configuration, will face its first challenge as it struggles to navigate one of the world's hottest and most polluted cities. The intense heat from the sun on the asphalt and on the people inside the metal box is anything but pleasant. All the windows must be wide open to let in the breeze and push the heat away from the back of the vehicle.
Speeding along the highway through the countryside, passengers will easily observe a quintessential Indian way of life, or the famous trucks decorated in vibrant colors like giant boxes of crayons. However, the firmness of the seats will exhaust you and make it impossible to sleep; the 50 cm of aisle space is more precious than business class on flights.
Fortunately, this weather condition only lasted for the first half of the journey; the car drove through the night to arrive in Manali, a popular tourist town in Himachal Pradesh, early in the morning. We had about 20 minutes to freshen up and have breakfast before embarking on the first thrilling and exciting kilometers onto the famous Manali-Leh Highway.
One of the most treacherous highways on the planet.
Due to the unique terrain and weather conditions, this approximately 500 km long road is only open for about three months a year, from early June to mid-September, and there is no fixed schedule. Buses can only operate when the BRO (the company that built and maintains the road) indicates when the snow has stopped falling and the road has been cleared. In addition, there are frequent risks of flash floods and landslides that can disrupt the journey.
Be prepared for a sudden shift in all your senses that can be quite shocking. With its location and climate, Manali boasts natural scenery reminiscent of the European mountains I've often seen in books and magazines. Permanent snow-capped mountains and glaciers begin to appear just after the first few incredibly narrow hairpin bends.
Before venturing into the mountain pass territory, you'll, of course, be greeted by… a pass. Just 52 km from the center of Manali, you must cross the Rohtang Pass, a mountain pass reaching an altitude of 3,978 meters and considered a special gateway to the Buddhist cultural region. While not exceptionally high or difficult to traverse, the Rohtang Pass is notorious for its danger due to unpredictable snowstorms.
Passing through Rohtang Pass, you'll encounter some difficulties due to traffic congestion. This is because there's a checkpoint here to control vehicles and pedestrians. Lines of cars wait to proceed, while Royal Enfield motorcycles (very common here) ridden by bikers easily weave through.
The Manali-Leh Highway has a complex geopolitical location, so you should be prepared to occasionally present your passport at checkpoints. But don't worry too much; just show your passport and the bus conductor will assist you. Bus conductors in Ladakh are truly invaluable assistants and the driver's second pair of eyes. Besides basic tasks like tearing tickets, they're practically a 360-degree camera. With the narrow, steep, and extremely dangerous roads along the route, the conductors are almost always jumping on and off to observe and alert the driver with a small whistle worn on their chests.
Besides the endless hairpin bends, the road surface is also a nightmare, as after each winter, nothing but gravel remains. The asphalt layer sometimes washes away from its original position by as much as a meter.
On one side is a mountain, on the other a deep, steep ravine, so steep that you know it will take a considerable amount of time for the car to come to a stop. The lanes are only wide enough for one and a half cars, so drivers here are very considerate of each other, sometimes having to look a kilometer ahead to swerve into the right-of-way to give way to oncoming vehicles. Only drivers with many years of experience are allowed on this route; they are professional and highly focused.
A close-up view of a "collision" between two cars traveling in opposite directions on a mountain pass.
Compared to air travel, traveling to Leh by road is also a way to acclimatize to altitude, as you will then face three more mountain passes: Baracha La (4,890 m), Lachulang La (5,079 m), and the final hurdle, the second highest mountain pass in the world accessible by vehicle, Taglang La (5,328 m). There are up to four ascents and descents in just 24 hours.
More than just a bus ride
The spectacle isn't just at the top of the mountain passes, because this bus tour truly delights you as it takes passengers through at least three different types of terrain. From Swiss-like coniferous forests, to winding roads between snow-capped mountain peaks, and a vast expanse of barren plateau desert valleys. Quite a bargain, right? It's also a shift in religion and anthropology. The influence of Hinduism and Indian people fades, giving way to the appearance of stupas and countless colorful Lungta flags, indicating the presence of Tibetan Buddhism.
Leaving those challenges behind, we arrived in Leh, the capital of Ladakh and the final destination of this bus journey. Lush green vegetation stretched before us. The first Ladakhi people we met hopped on board for a ride. The atmosphere on the bus seemed to change completely; that vitality possessed a special energy. I considered it a warm and heartfelt welcome, the kind you couldn't imagine, before the adventures ahead.
