Route library · Outstation · High passes
Delhi to Leh via Kinnaur & Spiti
The back door to Ladakh. Instead of the fast, brutal Manali sprint, this route climbs the Sutlej through Kinnaur, crosses Spiti and Kunzum La (4,590 m) into Lahaul, and only then joins the Leh-Manali highway over Baralacha La, Nakee La, Lachulung La and Tanglang La to Leh. You gain altitude over days, not hours — the single best thing you can do for a first Ladakh ride.
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At a glance
- Round trip
- About 2,300–2,500 km on the full loop
- Riding days
- 12–14. Roughly 6–7 days in via Kinnaur, Spiti and the Leh-Manali highway, time in Ladakh, and the return (via Manali, or back the way you came)
- Nights
- Nights on the road: 12–14
- Start point
- Delhi (via Shimla, Kinnaur, Spiti and the Leh-Manali highway)
- Highest point
- About 5,328 m at Tanglang La
- Difficulty
- Expedition. Two weeks of remote, high-altitude riding across multiple 4,500–5,300 m passes, on roads that range from broken tar to river-crossed dirt.
- Surface
- A full mix — good tar near Shimla, broken and cliff-cut through the Sutlej gorge, rough dirt over Kunzum, and the graded-but-battered Leh-Manali highway with water crossings and washboard
- Best season
- June to September only. The Sutlej gorge slides badly in the monsoon (Jul–Aug); Kunzum and the Leh-Manali passes open by June and close with snow from October.
The ride
Delhi → Shimla → Narkanda → Rampur → Kinnaur → Kalpa / Sangla → Nako → Tabo → Kaza. Take four days to here so the body keeps up.
Then Kaza → Kunzum La → Batal → Gramphu → Keylong, and onto the Leh-Manali highway: Jispa → Baralacha La → Sarchu → the Gata Loops and Nakee La / Lachulung La → Pang → the More Plains → Tanglang La → Leh. Return via Manali (Rohtang/Atal Tunnel) for a loop, or retrace Spiti.
Day by day
Delhi to Narkanda
Delhi → Shimla → Narkanda (8–9 hours). Overnight Narkanda, ~2,700 m.
Narkanda to Kalpa
Rampur → the Sutlej gorge → Kalpa (6–7 hours). Overnight Kalpa, ~2,960 m.
Kalpa to Tabo
Kalpa → Nako → Tabo (6–7 hours). Overnight Tabo, ~3,280 m. Gompa in the evening.
Tabo to Kaza
Tabo → Dhankar → Kaza (3–4 hours, short on purpose). Overnight Kaza, ~3,650 m.
Kaza acclimatisation / Key & Kibber
An easy day — Key, Kibber, Chicham. No big height gain.
Kaza to Keylong over Kunzum
Kaza → Kunzum La → Batal → Gramphu → Keylong (7–9 hours, rough with water crossings). Overnight Keylong.
Keylong to Sarchu / Pang
Jispa → Baralacha La → Sarchu, or push to Pang. A high, cold day. Sleep as low as you sensibly can.
Sarchu/Pang to Leh
The Gata Loops, Nakee La, Lachulung La, the More Plains and Tanglang La to Leh (7–9 hours). Overnight Leh, ~3,500 m — rest a full day on arrival.
Ladakh days
Rest and local rides — Leh, the Indus monasteries, Pangong or Nubra as separate legs (own routes). Build in weather buffer.
Return: Leh to Jispa/Keylong
Retrace the Leh-Manali passes, or if returning via Spiti, head back over Kunzum. A long high day.
Keylong to Manali
Over the Atal Tunnel to Manali (or retrace Spiti). Overnight Manali.
Manali to Mandi
The Kullu valley road to Mandi. Overnight.
Mandi to Delhi
The final highway leg. Leave early.
Fuel & services
- Fuel is easy to Rampur, then thin: Reckong Peo, and Kaza (the only pump in Spiti).
- The big gaps: Kaza to Tandi (past Keylong) is ~190 km over Kunzum with nothing; Tandi to Karu near Leh is ~365 km — the longest fuel gap on any Indian highway. Fill completely at Kaza and Tandi and carry 10 litres of spare fuel, more if you can.
- Kaza, Keylong, Jispa, Sarchu (tents), Pang (dhaba tents) and Leh have stays; several are tented camps at altitude. Nights are below freezing on the highway. Carry cash for the whole trip and hard rations for the pass days.
Road & conditions
Every surface India offers: good tar near Shimla; broken, cliff-cut, rockfall-prone road through the Sutlej gorge; rough dirt with glacial-melt water crossings over Kunzum La and around Batal; and the Leh-Manali highway — graded but battered, with washboard, sand, water crossings and the Gata Loops. It is the altitude, the cold, the distances and the fuel gaps, not single obstacles, that make it an expedition. Ride passes and crossings in the dry morning, in a tight group.
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 10 litres or more of spare fuel.
- Emergency & logistics
- The Tandi–Karu stretch (~365 km) has no fuel and almost no help; hospitals at Kaza, Keylong and Leh; Army medical posts along the Leh-Manali highway; carry a satellite messenger and know your check-in points.
Permits & local rules
No permit is needed for the Delhi–Leh spine itself (Kinnaur, Spiti, the Leh-Manali highway) for Indian nationals — carry photo ID and vehicle papers for the many checkposts. For Ladakh (including the side-trips to Nubra, Pangong, Hanle and the Aryan valley) Indian citizens no longer need an Inner Line Permit — that was lifted in 2021 — but the Ladakh environment and wildlife fees must be paid online (lahdclehpermit.in) and the receipt carried with a photo ID. Foreign nationals need permits for parts of Kinnaur (near the Tibet border) and a Protected Area Permit for the Ladakh protected areas. Rules change — confirm before you ride.
Best time to ride
June to September only. The Sutlej gorge slides badly in July and August — ride the shoulders or accept multi-day delays. Kunzum La and the Leh-Manali passes are usually open by mid-June and close with snow from early October. September gives the clearest, coldest, most stable weather but a short daily light window.
What to add to your kit
Beyond the standard ride kit: expedition-grade cold-weather layers, a down jacket, thermal gloves and socks, a balaclava, waterproofs, a 10-litre fuel spare, full tools, spare levers, clutch and throttle cables, two tubes, a puncture kit, a tow strap, a first-aid kit with altitude medication (discuss Diamox with a doctor first), water treatment, high-calorie food, a power bank and a satellite messenger. Cash for the whole trip.
Ride this with a group
We run Delhi to Leh via Kinnaur and Spiti as a vetted two-week expedition — a deliberately slow, acclimatising climb, the fuel gaps planned with carried spare, passes ridden only in the dry morning, satellite comms carried, and pass-and-camp clean-ups hauled to town.