Khardung La-Panamik-Leh

J&K complete logs here.

We took a day off after arriving in Leh, a little tired of the long travel done so far and we used the day to acclimatize and look around Leh and we also had to get the vehicle checked. Thikse monastery was the only place we visited in Leh and we couldn’t manage any other sightseeing. Next day would be a big day as we would be traversing through Khardung La. We also utilized the spare day to do some shopping, pick up essentials, fill up the vehicle tank and get the permits (just in case if it is asked for somewhere).

[Idol inside the monastery (top) and view from the monastery (above)]

Next day, we were up early and all set to traverse through the highest motorable road in the world situated at an altitude of 18380 FT! Our plan was to reach Panamik from Leh passing through North Pulu, Khardung La and South Pulu.

Khardung La is a hot spot for tourists, especially bikers who ride in all kinds of bikes (bullets are invariably the preferred choice); stay on the top for a while and either proceed back or halt at Panamik. High altitude has its problems and for people not used to heights, precaution needs to be taken else you could easily be affected by the High Altitude Sickness that in extreme severity can lead to death.

As we left Leh, the roads started winding up gaining altitude and we could see wonderful vistas of the Leh town with the mighty Himalayas in the background. All these hilly terrain roads are maintained by the BRO (Border Roads Organization) and they have people and equipment at strategic locations that is called in whenever required. Also to note, all these are strategically important locations as our neighbors are just across the mountains and the roads need to be kept clear if any immediate troop movement needs to happen.

Driving up to Khardung La is an experience in itself and the vistas you see blow your mind away. For a person like me, who had never experienced a snowfall or a hailstorm; this trip made me experience all the above and we also had to literally drive on ice-slush kind of tarmac in some places that was quite challenging as well as scary.

Khardung La top sometimes resemble a mini market (of one of our cities) with people coming in hordes (picnickers in my language) and there is not a place there where you don’t see a person taking a selfie or a groupie. A small eatery on top offers the much required snacks and a bowl of Maggie if you are really hungry. Yes, Maggie has been a lifeline for people living in such hostile conditions and also travelers visiting them as it’s the quickest and easiest to prepare and it provides you the much needed energy to withstand the cold and fill up your stomach.

We did not directly drive to the top, but took it easy stopping en-route for our customary birding and slowly drove up. We found more birds scavenging on the litter discarded on the top and we could see them feeding on Maggi from a plastic sachet at 18380 FT. Plastic is strewn from the sea depths to the highest mountain tops! After our birding, we had some quick hot Maggie followed by a cup of hot tea to keep us warm and active. Temperatures atop Khardung La is usually in the single digit or in the negative and any individual needs to be prepared for the harsh weather up there. We recorded temperature of -1degC atop Khardung La, the lowest on our entire trip.

Note of Caution: Passing/Driving through high altitude mountain passes is an adventure in itself but one needs to take some precautions before venturing out on the same. Normal human beings get affected by the sudden altitude change and drop in Oxygen levels and it becomes harder to breathe and move around. It is advised not to ‘overstay’ atop Khardung La for more than 20-30 minutes as Oxygen levels are low and it can affect an individual’s health. But, we the ignorant people tend not to follow the advisory and end up suffering. We could see quite a few people visiting the mobile army hospital atop Khardung La for rest and in some cases for some Oxygen intake. Knowing the risks, we were well prepared and informed and acted accordingly. Also advised is to intake lots of water to keep your body hydrated in the cold weather. 

Coming back, how does it feel to be atop the world’s highest motorable road where only a select few visit and as a bounty, we were also treated to some wonderful bird sightings along the way! Finches, Redstarts, Wooly Hares, Bharals were some of the sightings we had along the way. Soon, not to overstay we descended down towards South Pulu on our way to Panamik and a bounty sighting awaited us as we located a Golden Eagle majestically perched atop a rock cliff just beside the busy road. Soon, we realized there were more and finally saw 4 of them together… they were having a feast and we were enjoying the siesta! Amith and PK had a far off sighting of this majestic raptor with difficulty in the Spiti valley and here we were watching 4 of them together and that’s what we call luck.

The road through Khardung La that further passes through Panamik is a strategically important route as it further leads to Siachen (the dispute area with Pakistan) that is a very important post for our armed forces and regular troop movements happen along this route. Interestingly, many vehicles (trucks, bikers, cars) that get stuck in the ice-slush or have a breakdown are mostly rescued/helped by the army personnel moving in their heavy trucks.

As the roads were brilliant, we reached Panamik quicker than expected sighting a herd of Bacterian camels far off in the horizon on the way and at Panamik we started scanning the area for a single bird that we had come in search of. Well, yes we had come to Panamik just to see that one single tiny little bird. Amith and Kannan got fleeting views of the bird before we called off for the day sprinkling hopes for a better sighting the next day. For our stay at Panamik, we walked into a no-name not-yet-completed building looking for accommodation and we got it but on the flip side there was no electricity in the guesthouse. Huber lodge was the name of the place and we caught up with two expat bikers who had come riding from Manali.

Soon, next morning we were up early and out scanning the area looking for that small bird that goes by the name 'White-browed Tit Warbler' that is just about 10cms in size. This small little bird, belonging to the warbler family is generally skittish in nature like other warblers and is constantly on the move and catching a clear sight of them is difficult. This individual kept us on our toes and gave us glimpses only for seconds while on the move.

With our mission accomplished, the rest of the group went on to visit the famed hot springs of Panamik while I stayed back to catch up on some sleep. On our return journey, we were to pass through Khardung La pass again birding along the way and also gave a lift to a Buddhist monk, who incidentally resides at the Tibetan camp near Kushalanagara in Karnataka. Our hopes of an early return were squashed as we got to know that Khardung La stretch was closed due to fresh snowfall and they were not sure when that would be cleared. We were advised to rest for the day and continue in the morning. After waiting for an hour, we scouted for options to stay at South Pulu and we found it but somehow were not convinced with what was on offer and the price quoted.

Dilly dallying, we pursued one last attempt to check if the roads were cleared and proceeded towards the check post as we still had an hour to go for daylight to vanish. The person in charge replied in the affirmative that yes the path was cleared for light vehicles to pass through and three other cars that were lined up along with us were clubbed and told to travel as a convoy staying together. We jumped at the offer and started our travel towards Leh. We soon realized why the stretch was closed and in some places there was no signs of the road at all. The weather was worse than the previous day and was showing no signs of improvement and Khardung La looked deserted with hardly few vehicles up there owing to the bad weather. Some moments were scary, but we were cautious and passed through eventually in dimming light. Rosefinches, Snowfinches, Redstarts, Chukar Partridges, Punjab Ravens, Golden Eagles and the mighty Lammergier were some of our sightings all through the day. Back at Leh, we stayed at the same lodge, Hotel Dorjee and hit our beds for some good rest as we were to travel to one of the most beautiful high altitude lakes, Pangong Tso, the next day…

Kargil-Fotu la-Lamayuru-Leh

J&K complete logs here.


Up early with the excitement of reaching Leh, we moved ahead and soon after Kargil town, the landscape that was dominantly green gave way to shades of brown before we were completely engulfed with views of browns all around us. As we had a long journey to accomplish, the breaks were fewer and the travel fast paced with the drive mesmerizing on the windy roads that went uphill and downhill curving through those huge gigantic brown mountains.

The vistas and the views were so pleasing that you would feel like stopping at every turn to capture the beauty. Another point to note is that we were steadily gaining altitude and the town of Leh is located at an altitude of 13000ft. Driving to Leh helps one acclimatize as you just don’t land up at 13000ft but do it slowly and steadily allowing your body to cope with the change.

On the way, we stopped at Mulbek where the statue of Maitreya (supposedly the 5th incarnation of Buddha) is located right off the highway greeting and blessing travelers and tourists alike. This is the-to-be next incarnation of Buddha, whenever that happens. It’s a huge carving on the giant rock and is a good stop to have a look and for a break.

From the time you enter the Ladakh region in Kashmir, you start seeing the white colored ‘domes’ or ‘stupas’ or ‘chortens’ spread across till you exit the region even in remotest of places. I couldn’t figure out what they are or what they are called actually but they hold
some importance to the Buddhists.

We had very few stops for birding but still managed to see Hill Pigeons, Yellow-billed Choughs, Red-billed Choughs, Tibetan Snowfinch, Yellow-billed Magpie’s, Chukar Pheasants all along the way. Next we stopped at Moonland, Lamayuru to catch a glimpse of the moonlike crater landscapes carved into the Himalayas. It’s a visual treat owing to the flat lands that one would have seen all along. The moon shape like domes or craters only seen here are its claim to fame. To reach Lamayuru, one has to pass through ‘Fotu-la’ (la means pass in Ladakhi), the highest pass on the Srinagar Leh highway. The roads are pretty good and a pleasure to drive.

With time racing against us, after a brief stop at Lamayuru and to catch a glimpse of couple of Chukar partridge’s calling, we moved ahead towards Leh. Next stop on the list was at the Magnetic hill that is a small strip on the highway where it is said vehicles are pulled upwards automatically. White-boxes are clearly marked by the BRO for vehicles to stop and experience it. The extract from Wikipedia page states this demystifying the myth surrounding it – “The so called 'Magnetic Hill Effect' observed, is not gravity-defying as claimed but is in fact due to gravity coupled with minor influences from its geographical position and altitude.” We did experience the phenomenon and it’s worth the try if you are passing by.

Finally, at around 6pm after a long drive since morning, we reached Leh and we chose to visit the lake just at the entry of the town in search of some birds. Yes, we the birders are insane! Gadwalls, Garganeys, Coots, Mountain Chiffchaff, Citrine Wagtails welcomed us to Leh and soon after we called it a day and proceeded towards the town in search of Hotel Dorjee.

After searching for a while, we located the Dorjee guesthouse located in a small alley perpendicular to the main road. Initially, the guesthouse refused to acknowledge the booking and told he had no idea about the booking nor was he informed from the travel portal. Tiredness of the day long journey turned into anger and frustration; but after a small discussion he agreed to let out a room for us with additional beds for us to stay for the next couple of days (we booked through Agoda.com and faced no response when my friend contacted them).

Here, more than the issue what I would stress is that we need to be careful about where we do the bookings from and the validity of the sources (especially third party booking portals). Luckily, the accommodation was good and comfortable and we had no issues thereafter. The living room was a nice place to sit and have a chat or read a book. But the guesthouse doesn’t have parking space and it’s better to contact them directly for your booking. We chose to rest for the next complete day just roaming around Leh sightseeing (Thikse monastery) and relaxing as we had hectic days ahead. We also tried out the local cuisines like thukpa, momos, khambir, etc and also got ourselves t-shirts embroidered with the stitch of the critically endangered Black-necked Crane bird image hoping to wear it when we would go in search of it.


...to be continued!