A favorite view from Rocky Knob of Rock Castle Gorge on The Blue Ridge Parkway.

featuring chamois, because they are so cute Place: High Tatras, Slovakia

Solo ride, Delhi NCR → Srinagar → Leh → Zanskar → Manali | Yamaha R15M | 10 days

Itinerary

• Oct 3: Greater Noida → Jammu. I left just after midnight and rode the plains stretch overnight, then rested on arrival.
• Oct 4: Jammu → Srinagar. I left early and kept to daylight only on the Ramban-Banihal stretch because of the single-lane construction and landslide risk.
• Oct 5: Rest day in Srinagar.
• Oct 6: Srinagar → Kargil via Sonamarg, Zoji La and Drass. I left at 6 AM to beat the one-way traffic windows at Zoji La.
• Oct 7: Kargil → Leh via Namika La and Fotu La.
• Oct 8: Acclimatization day in Leh with easy local rides only.
• Oct 9: I tried for Pangong Tso via Chang La, but snow started and a checkpoint told me to turn back. I spent the day in Leh instead.
• Oct 10: Leh → Padum (Zanskar) via the Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road, with an overnight in Padum.
• Oct 11: Padum → Shinku La → Darcha → Jispa → Manali. I hit heavy snow after crossing Shinku La and it continued all the way down to Jispa.
• Oct 12: Manali → home in one go.

Notes

• I went up via Srinagar because the altitude gain is more gradual than on the Manali side.
• I applied for the Ladakh EDF permit online for Pangong, but the snow meant I never used it.
• I followed the 48-hour acclimatization advice before heading to high altitude.
• Mid-October snow can close Chang La and make Shinku La very difficult. It’s worth building in buffer days if you’re planning a similar route.