Route library · Outstation · Mountains
Delhi to the Milam Glacier Road
The Johar valley beyond Munsiyari was one of the great Indo-Tibet trade routes until the 1962 war closed the border. Its villages — Milam, Burfu, Martoli — are now mostly abandoned stone shells at 3,000–3,500 m, and the road toward Milam glacier up the Gori Ganga gorge has been slowly rebuilt but is not a casual ride. This is a ride-and-trek expedition: bikes to the current roadhead, then walk into a valley with no permanent population, border checkposts, and no help.
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At a glance
- Round trip
- About 1,380–1,520 km
- Riding time
- 3 days to Munsiyari each way; then trek days
- Nights
- 5–6 nights
- Start point
- Delhi (via Almora, Thal and Munsiyari)
- Highest point
- About 3,450 m at Milam village; the glacier snout is higher
- Difficulty
- Challenging. Long Kumaon hill riding to Munsiyari, then a rough, slide-prone and partly unbuilt road up the Gori Ganga — much of the upper valley is done on foot.
- Surface
- Sealed and hill tar to Munsiyari; beyond, a mix of rough cut road, landslide sections and trekking path. The upper valley is not reliably motorable — treat it as a trek.
- Best season
- Mid-May to June and September to mid-October, between snowmelt and the first winter snow. The monsoon (July–August) makes the Gori Ganga gorge genuinely lethal with slides and flash floods.
- Permits
- ITBP has relaxed the Inner Line Permit for tourists heading to Milam, so it is not normally asked for now — but this is border country, so confirm the current rule at the SDM office in Munsiyari before you set out, and carry photo ID for the ITBP checkposts.
The ride
Delhi → Almora → Thal → Munsiyari over three unhurried days — Kumaon hill riding, the Kali-river gorge, and the Birthi climb to Munsiyari under the Panchachuli wall. Confirm the permit position in Munsiyari.
From Munsiyari, ride as far up the Gori Ganga gorge as the road is open (usually to around Lilam or Bugdiyar, conditions permitting), then trek the rest — through Rilkot to Martoli, Burfu and Milam, with a day walk to the glacier snout. Retrace the whole way. Go with a local guide and porters — this is not a self-supported ride.
Day by day
Delhi to Almora
Plains to the hills — Delhi → Kathgodam → Almora (9–10 hours). Night in Almora.
Almora to Munsiyari
The long, beautiful hill day — Almora → Thal → Birthi → Munsiyari (8–9 hours). Night in Munsiyari; arrange the permit, guide and porters.
Munsiyari to the roadhead, then trek in
Ride the Gori Ganga road to the current motorable end, park the bikes securely, and trek to the first camp (Lilam / Bugdiyar). Bikes stay here for the trek.
Trek: up the Gori Ganga
Bugdiyar → Rilkot → toward Martoli / Burfu — the abandoned trading villages, day by day with the guide.
Trek: Milam and the glacier
Reach Milam village; a day walk to the glacier snout and the Milam ridge for the Trishuli / Hardeol view.
Trek out
Retrace down the gorge to the roadhead and the bikes.
Munsiyari to Delhi
Two hard riding days back — Munsiyari → Almora → Delhi — or split into three if the group is tired.
Fuel & services
- Fill up at Almora, Thal and top off at Munsiyari — Munsiyari's pump is small and can be dry, so treat Thal as your last reliable fill.
- There is no fuel beyond Munsiyari, and the ride up the Gori Ganga road plus the return from the roadhead can be 60–100 km of the roughest riding on the trip. Carry 5–10 litres of spare per bike and fill at every opportunity on the way up.
- Munsiyari has hotels and KMVN; in the Johar valley there are only basic trekker huts, KMVN rest houses and homestays in the part-resettled villages (summer only). Everything above Munsiyari is cash, carried in. There is no ATM you should rely on past Almora.
Road & conditions
The ride to Munsiyari is long but sound Kumaon hill tar with the usual slide zones near the Kali river and after Birthi. Beyond Munsiyari the Gori Ganga road is a different thing: cut into a deep gorge, frequently blocked by slides, with unbridged nala crossings, drop-offs and sections that are simply gone. Whether it is rideable at all changes week to week. Treat the roadhead as wherever the road stops being safe, park there, and walk. The gorge is rockfall country — move through the exposed sections early and fast.
Bike, fuel & getting help
- Suggested bike
- Needs a dirt-capable bike (an ADV or a light dual-sport) and off-road experience. Not a commuter route.
- Fuel gap
- A serious fuel gap on this route — carry spare fuel and fill every chance you get.
- Spare fuel
- Carry 5–10 litres of spare fuel.
- Emergency & logistics
- Munsiyari has a basic hospital and the last fuel; district hospital at Pithoragarh; there is no signal, road help or vehicle evacuation above Munsiyari — a rescue in the Gori Ganga gorge is days, on foot or by helicopter in a weather window. Carry a satellite messenger and never go without a local guide.
Best time to ride
Two narrow windows: mid-May to June, after the valley clears of snow, and September to mid-October, after the monsoon and before winter shuts it. July and August are out — the Gori Ganga gorge is one of the most slide- and flash-flood-prone valleys in Kumaon, and people die on this route in the monsoon. Even in season, weather can pin a group for days; build slack into the plan.
What to add to your kit
Beyond the standard ride kit: full trekking kit (boots, poles, a pack, a bag rated well below freezing, layers for 3,500 m), a satellite messenger, a comprehensive first-aid kit with altitude medication, water treatment, 5–10 litres of spare fuel per bike, cash for the whole trip, and time buffer. A local guide and porters are not optional.
Ride this with a group
We run the Milam road as a 7–8 day ride-and-trek expedition — three riding days to Munsiyari, a permit, bikes to the roadhead, and a trek up the old salt route past ghost villages to a glacier, with a high-camp clean-up as the service action. Trek-fit riders only.