Route library · Outstation · High passes
Delhi to Lahaul & Sissu
The Atal Tunnel under the Rohtang ridge turned Lahaul from a five-month summer cul-de-sac into a valley you can reach in an afternoon from Manali. On the far side the greenery stops: Sissu, Keylong and the Chandra-Bhaga valley are high, bare and brown, ringed by white peaks. It is the gentlest possible introduction to cold-desert riding.
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At a glance
- Round trip
- About 1,200–1,300 km
- Riding days
- 4–5. Two days to Manali (split at Mandi), a day through the tunnel to Keylong, two back
- Nights
- Nights on the road: 4–5
- Start point
- Delhi (via Chandigarh, Mandi and Manali)
- Highest point
- About 3,080 m at Keylong; 3,100 m at the tunnel's north portal (higher if you add Kunzum at 4,590 m)
- Difficulty
- Challenging. The tunnel removes the Rohtang ordeal, but this is still altitude, cold, and long days on mixed roads.
- Surface
- Delhi–Manali is highway and the widened Kullu road; the Atal Tunnel and the Sissu–Keylong road are good tar; side roads to Chandratal and over Kunzum are rough
- Best season
- June to October for the tunnel-and-valley trip. The tunnel stays open through much of winter but Lahaul's side roads and the passes beyond (Baralacha, Kunzum) are snow-closed roughly November to May. Monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings slides on the Mandi–Manali road.
The ride
Delhi → Chandigarh → Mandi → Kullu → Manali is the long approach — two days done properly. From Manali the Atal Tunnel (9.02 km, one of the world's longest high-altitude road tunnels) drops you into Lahaul near Sissu, with its roadside lake and the Palden waterfall behind the village.
Ride on to Keylong, the district town, and Jispa on the Bhaga. From here the choices open up: the rough loop to Chandratal lake over the Batal side, the run towards Baralacha La on the Leh road, or the Pattan valley down towards Udaipur and the Trilokinath temple. Keep the first Lahaul trip simple — Sissu, Keylong, Jispa — and save the passes for when you are acclimatised.
Day by day
Delhi to Mandi
Delhi → Chandigarh → Bilaspur → Sundernagar → Mandi (9–10 hours). Overnight at Mandi.
Mandi to Manali
The widened Kullu valley road to Manali (4–5 hours). Rest, hydrate, and sort a tunnel-day start. Manali sits at ~2,050 m — a useful acclimatisation night.
Manali to Keylong via the Atal Tunnel
Through the tunnel to Sissu (waterfall, lake), then on to Keylong or Jispa (3–4 hours total). Take it easy — you have gained real altitude.
Lahaul day
A local ride: Jispa, the Kardang and Shashur monasteries above Keylong, or a cautious push towards Baralacha if acclimatised. Do not attempt Chandratal on day one at altitude.
Keylong to Manali / Mandi
Back through the tunnel while it is quiet, then down the valley. Overnight at Manali or push to Mandi.
Back to Delhi
The final highway leg. Leave early.
Fuel & services
- Fuel is easy to Manali.
- Tandi, just past Keylong, has the fuel station that everyone on the Leh road talks about — after it there is nothing until Karu near Leh, about 365 km. For a Sissu–Keylong–Jispa trip, fill at Manali and top up at Tandi; carry a spare if you add Chandratal or Baralacha.
- Sissu and Jispa have hotels and campsites; Keylong has the widest choice of guesthouses. Signal is patchy; carry cash. Nights are cold year-round.
Road & conditions
Delhi to Mandi is highway; Mandi to Manali is the much-improved Kullu valley road, still slow in the towns and slide-prone in the monsoon. The Atal Tunnel is smooth, lit and cold — no stopping inside. The Sissu–Keylong–Jispa road is good tar. The side trips are where it gets rough: the Chandratal approach and Kunzum are broken track with water crossings, and Baralacha is high and exposed. This route is only as hard as the options you choose to add.
Bike, fuel & getting help
- Suggested bike
- Easier with more torque and travel — a 250cc-plus or a small ADV. A confident rider can do it on a commuter.
- Fuel gap
- A serious fuel gap on this route — carry spare fuel and fill every chance you get.
- Spare fuel
- Carry 5 litres of spare fuel.
- Emergency & logistics
- District hospital at Keylong; the Tandi pump is the last for ~365 km toward Leh; signal is patchy in Lahaul; evacuation over the tunnel is quick, over the passes it is not.
Permits & local rules
No permit is needed for Lahaul, Sissu, Keylong or Jispa. Carry photo ID and vehicle papers for the checkposts near the tunnel and at Tandi. If you extend towards Spiti over Kunzum, no permit is required there either, but the road is a different order of difficulty.
Best time to ride
Mid-June to early October is the reliable window for a tunnel-and-valley trip. July and August bring landslides to the Mandi–Manali road but Lahaul itself is in the rain shadow and often stays dry. September to early October is the clearest and coldest. The high side roads and passes open later and close earlier than the tunnel — check locally.
What to add to your kit
Beyond the standard ride kit: genuinely warm layers and a windproof (Lahaul is cold even in July), thermal gloves, something for altitude, a fuel spare if you add the passes, tools and a puncture kit, and cash. Give yourself an acclimatisation night at Manali before the tunnel.
Ride this with a group
We run Lahaul as a first cold-desert ride over five days — an acclimatisation night at Manali, the tunnel day kept short, side passes only if the group is ready, and a Sissu clean-up as the service action.