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Cycling in Leh and Ladakh

Ladakh literally means the land of high passes, but there’s more to it than mere geographical elevation. This arid, rugged mountain range is home to some of the most ancient Buddhist monasteries you are likely to find anywhere in the world. We at Cycling In India have created our Ladakh Cycling Tour to exclusively cover these holy sites and shrines to make you feel the elevation of the other kind – spiritual.

The history of Buddhism in Ladakh is, to use a cliché, as old as the hills. It goes back to the 2nd century CE when Buddhism was first introduced in the region, but it’s not until the 10th century that the religion took deep roots here. Monasteries and many artifacts dating back to the 12th century are still extant and they provide the most authentic glimpse into ancient Buddhism. Our Ladakh biking trip takes you to all these pit stops of Buddhist pilgrimage for an eye-opening spiritual experience that unguided travel can’t provide.

Starting off in Leh, we first cover the gompas (monasteries) to the east of the city, and then to the west. We visit the former royal palaces, the monasteries, the shrines, the assembly halls, the sanctum sanctorum, and witness many exquisite Buddhist artworks in the form of murals, paintings and sculptures. Doing so we bike across the otherworldly terrain of Ladakh. And we cap our Ladakh biking holiday with the ascent of Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world.

It goes without saying that cycling in Ladakh is never easy on your body. We’re talking about altitudes more than 3000 meters high. Acclimatization is crucial, but so is physical strength and mental resolve. All through the tour, our support vehicle accompanies you and whenever you don’t feel like pushing yourself, you can always hop in for an enjoyable ride.

Check out our chockfull itinerary to see all that we have to offer on our Ladakh cycling tour.

Leh - Alchi - Lamayuru - Alchi - Rizong Gompa- Khardung La- Leh

08 Nights / 09 Days

Day 1

Leh

Ladakh Cycling Tour

Our driver or tour guide picks you up from Leh Airport and transfers you to the hotel. Since Leh is situated at the high altitude of 3524 meters, travelers flying in need time to acclimatize. We reserve the first day in Leh solely for rest, relaxation and acclimatizing, which is so crucial for our exclusive Ladakh Cycling Tour.

On the first day you make the acquaintance of the tour team and even get to check your bikes. If you wish, you may go for a short spin of Leh. The Leh mall road is always abuzz with activity. Here, you can do personal shopping for the tour ahead, or you may check out the exquisite Kashmiri carpets sold at the emporiums.

In the evening, many eateries in Leh come alive with travelers and bikers from all around the world. If you want to be on the town, you can drop by at one of these restaurants for a bite or two. If you want to stay in, you can always dine at the hotel. .

Day 2

Leh

At a high altitude place like Leh, it’s always smart to take on smaller physical challenges before moving on to the bigger ones. So we bike around Leh to let our bodies adjust better to the conditions before venturing out to farther destinations. On Day 2, we explore Leh and its many landmarks.

The most outstanding of these hotspots is the Leh Palace, that sits atop a mountain, overlooking the Leh valley. The nine-storey palace, now dilapidated, was built in the 16th century by Ladakh’s great king Sengge Namgyal. Some parts of the palace have been turned into a museum and are open to visitors. The palace also houses a shrine to Maitreya, the future Buddha. Situated nearby and quite higher than the palace is the Namgyal Semo monastery, which is about half-an-hour steep hike from the palace. On our way back to town, we also visit the Leh Mosque.

In the evening, we bike up to the Shanti Stupa, which is a relatively recent structure built by a Japanese Buddhist in collaboration with Peace Pagoda mission. The stupa depicts various events from the Buddha’s life and even houses the Buddha’s relics. It also provides a panoramic view of Leh and the arid mountains beyond. We overnight in Leh.

Cycling : 5-10KMS
Meal : All Meals

Day 3

LEH – STOK PALACE – SPITUK MONASTERY – LEH

We mount the saddles right after breakfast and cycle 15 km south out of the city of Leh, to Stok Palace, a 19th century palatial structure with an intriguing mix of traditional and contemporary architectural influences. To this day, the palace is residence of the royal descendants, but a great part of it is open to the public. You may see the beautiful gardens or get a tour of the library which houses a collection of 108 volumes of the teachings of the Buddha.

The Ladakh biking trip takes us further on a route alongside the Indus River (from which India derives its name) to the Spituk Monastery, one of the most beautifully situated gompas of Ladakh. The name ‘Spituk’ literally means ‘exemplary’ in Tibetan. It comes from a great 10th century Tibetan scholar who came to Ladakh to establish an exemplary monastic community.At the top of the monastery is the Mahakal Temple, which houses a giant statue of Vajra bhairava or Kali. The statue stays under cover,but is unveiled during the annual Spituk Festival.

Biking for the day is relatively easy, save for the ascent to Spituk Monastery. The road is smooth and tarmac, but the air is thin with oxygen. So you may feel the need to catch your breath after every few kilometers. After Spituk, we transfer you back to Leh where we overnight.

Cycling : 35-40KMS
Meals : All Meals

Day 4

LEH – SHEY – THIKSEY – HEMIS MONASTERIES – LEH

Hemis Gompa Ladakh

A cycling holiday in Ladakh is incomplete without a tour of the monasteries which give you a look into this region’s rich Buddhist culture and religion. Not least, these tours take you on a mesmerizing Ladakh terrain where villages are nestled in oases surrounded byrugged and barren landscape. We start with the bike tour of the monasteries or gompas to the east of Leh.

Fifteen kilometersout, we arrive at Shey, the ancient capital of Ladakh, now home to a ruined castle and a monastery, which houses a giant statue of the Buddha. Here, you also see many old murals, among which is a painting depicting Padma sambhava, the 8th-century Indian monk and missionary who spread Buddhism in Tibet.

Few gompas in Ladakh can rival the picturesque beauty of Thiksey monastery, which sits atop a pyramidal hill with many monk quarters and chortens (reliquary monuments) crowding the lower slopes.The monastery has a 12-meter high gilded statue of Maitreya. It is a work of sublime sculpting. Farther afield is Hemis Monastery, a sprawling structure with an assembly hall of 36 tall wooden columns and many colossal statues. Hemis is most famous for the mask dance festival held annually. After visiting Hemis, we transfer you back to Leh for overnight.

Cycling : 45KMS
Meals : All Meals

Day 5

LEH - ALCHI

In the morning, we may take a break from cycling to enjoy rafting in the Indus river. Thereafter, we hit the road on our bikes to visit the Alchi Monastery, about 60 km to the west of Leh. We bike past the small settlements of Nimu and Basgo and the ancient caves of Saspol where Buddhist hermits used to meditate. Here, we leave the highway and cycle across the Indus River to head for Alchi, where you would see the only monastery on the flatland in Ladakh.

Built in the 12th century, the shrines at Alchi are among the oldest in Ladakh and they boast of some magnificent murals which have been described as one of the wonders of the Buddhist world. Owing to this, Alchi has become the go-to port of call for many travelers.

Besides the paintings depicting scenes from the Buddha’s life, here you see murals of mandalas with many deities, the colossal statue of Avalokiteswara (the Bodhisatva of compassion), the idol of Manjushri (the Bodhisatva of wisdom) and the sculpture of Vairochana (the central divinity of Alchi). The shrines also feature plenty of Greco-Gandhara architectural motifs that were used in Kashmir around the 10th century. We overnight in Alchi.

Cycling : 60KMS
Mealx : All Meals

Day 6

ALCHI – LAMAYURU - ALCHI

If you think you’ve seen the best of Ladakh at Alchi, wait till you get to Lamayuru, which is situated in a surreal landscape of rugged hills with steep scree-slopes. The monastery sits on a cliff that, from a distance, looks like a giant anthill. The village is located on lower slopes. Most of the structures stand out in the dusty terrain because of their white colour. The mystique surrounding this place is unequaled in Ladakh.

Built in the 10th century, Lamayuru is among the largest and oldest Buddhist sites in Ladakh. Many tourists visit it especially to see the statue of the eleven-headed and thousand-armed Avalokiteswara. But there’s plenty more to watch and admire in Lamayuru.

To start with, the dokhang, or the assembly hall, is a riot of colours. Here you see the giant idols of the Buddha Sakhyamuni (the silent one from Sakhya) and his two disciples Sariputra and Mogallana. You witness an array of divinities like Marpa, Vajradhara and Milarepa. You get to visit the 900-year-old Sengge Gang temple. By evening, we drive you back to Alchi for overnight.

Cycling : 60KMS
Meal : All Meals

Day 7

ALCHI – RIZONG GOMPA – LEH

We leave Alchi in the morning for a westward bike ride towards Rizong gompa, which, having been established in 1831, is among the recent monasteries in Ladakh. What’s striking about Rizong is its isolated location. Sitting on the top of a rocky valley to the north of the river Indus, Rizong is a monastery of Gelugpa order and is known as the paradise for meditation. The monastery enforces a strict regime of discipline on the resident lamas.

The assembly hall of the monastery has a beautiful gilded image of Sakhyamuni Buddha as the presiding deity. To the left of this image stand the smaller figures of Manjushri and Amitabha. To the right is a resplendent Avalokiteswara. The sacred chamber houses the statue of the monastery’s protector deity, Mahakala. The shrine has the sitting figure of Maitreya. And there are a good number of wall paintings and mandalas.

Since Rizong monastery is more than 70 km from Leh, we prefer to drive you back in our support vehicle. By evening, we are back in Leh, where we dine and overnight.

Cycling : 60KMS
Meal : All Meals

Day 8

LEH – KHARDUNG LA – LEH

We save the ultimate cycling challenge for last. Khardung La, at the altitude of 5359 meters, is touted as the highest motorable pass in the world and summiting it with sheer pedal power is any biking buff’s dream.By no stretch of the imagination is the feat easy. You have to gain more than 1800 meters of altitude in about 40 km of cycling from Leh. Add to it the thin air that makes you want to pause after every few meters.

As soon as we leave Leh, the road ascends the craggy slopes through a series of hairpin bends until we begin to come upon natural rocky gateways that were formed when the roads were blasted through the slope edges. Looking back, we see the stunning view of the snow-capped Stok Range. Pressing forward, we climb up the main ridge of the Ladakh mountain range.

Getting to Khardung La takes quite a bit of physical strength and mental resolve, but you are rewarded with the top-of-the-world feeling. Khardung La is more than 700 meters higher than Mont Blanc, which is the highest alpine summit. From here you get apanoramic view of the distant mountain ranges surrounding Ladakh. This is truly the high point of our Ladakh Biking Holiday Trip. You may choose to cycle up to Khardung La. Or we may take you to the pass in our support vehicle and from there you may cycle down back to Leh. Either way, the trip is worth it.

Cycling : 50KMS
Meal : All Meals

Day 9

LEH - TOUR END

Leh cycling holiday expedition comes to an end. In the morning, our driver drops you at Leh Airport for your onward journey.

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Bikes: Mountain Bikes

Bike Sizes: 13-21

Bike Hire: Includes on Tour Cost. You may bring your own bikes, but in this case let us know in advance. Other equipment provided: Pedals, helmet, water bottles.

Accommodation

Accommodation is offered at all locations. Most of the hotels are Culture Resort, Eco Resorts & family run hotels - all with a common line of quality in service. Our costs are based on 'twin-sharing' foundation. For those who wants single room, we offer single room, but at extra cost.

Terrain

The landscape includes flatlands, mountains, backwaters and village streets.

Climate

The variety of the regional features of this country has led to a corresponding variety in environment. The Great Varies have awesome environment throughout the year, while the flatlands are warm and moist. The common level of yearly rain fall is superb in Kerala, Sikkim and some of the Northern Eastern Declares of Native India, when compared to other Native India. July to Aug is the monsoon season, with heavy downpours. It is always recommended to check weather and temperature at websites.

Transportation/Support Vehicles

All transport is involved in the cost. We provide backup vehicle at all times during cycling trip. The vehicle can be used to boat your baggage & yourself as required.

Food

Food is a very essential part of these trips. We make sure that the meals we offer is method delicious, unless you ask for dull meals. You are also permitted the choice of veggie or non-vegetarian meals. We suggest that you consume only the canned standard water. Please make sure that the container is enclosed.

What to bring

Footwear

  • Bike shoes
  • Sun cream lotion
  • Relaxed shoes for walking
  • Shoes for other sightseeing
  • Socks

Clothing

  • In Indian, the conventional of outfit is more traditional. We counsel you to prevent very short shorts/skirts and limited tops/tanktops when viewing small non-urban places, temples, mosques or other sacred sites as this may limit your access.
  • A hotter set of outfits (Fleece, Coat, hat and gloves) are required for visits going through Munnar and other thin air places.
  • Water resistant jacket.
  • Riding a bike equipment like safety gloves and shorts.

Others

  • Torch
  • Mosquito repellent
  • Eyewear, cap
  • Sun lotion of spf at least 35
  • Individual Bike riding equipment like bar finishes, pedals, chairs and headgear
  • Helmets for riding a bike

Health

Water is higher risk; hence we suggest that you drink only nutrient water in bottles during your trip. A cage of standard nutrient water is always focused for in the start of the vehicle during trips as an urgent evaluate. Despite the high requirements, it is worth providing basic OTC medications for disappointed tummies, complications, pest attacks etc. Indian is a financially creating democratic republic and has worked very hard to control illnesses. Sufficient medical care is available in the major inhabitants' facilities, but is usually limited in the non-urban areas of the country. Many western worlds are utilizing the state-of-the-art healthcare services available in Indian. The cost of treatment is much less expensive here in comparison to the same features available in innovative nations.

The most important cause of sickness of tourists in Indian is food and water-borne illnesses. Malware, bacteria, or harmful bacteria can cause diarrhea. Attacks may cause simple diarrhea and throwing up, high temperature, or, in extraordinary instances, liver organ damage (hepatitis). Malaria is a avoidable disease that can create trouble if neglected. One can prevent disease by taking recommended anti-malarial drugs and defending against insect attacks. The areas you will be passing are Malaria-free. Make sure that your insurance provider includes illnesses and injuries overseas.

Precautions

  • Bring all the important medications and OTC medications. Do not ignore to have the brands as well as the general titles of the medications one needs to have.
  • Use a sun hat when revealed.
  • Consume a lot of liquids. Don't drink tap water. Use only bottled water which is always kept in the back of your automobile.
  • Bring your personal medical kit and pest resilient.
  • To avoid fungus and parasitic attacks, keep legs clean and dry, and do not go without shoes.
  • Do not eat food bought from road providers.
  • Do not drink drinks with ice.
  • Do not eat milk products unless it is known that they have been pasteurized.
  • Prevent managing creatures (especially apes, pets, and cats) to avoid attacks and serious illnesses.

Medical Information Update

Details given above are liable to change every now and then and one should contact the Native India tasks of the specific country or the government vacationer offices for more details.

Shopping

You will get possibilities en-route to do a bit of purchasing. However unless particularly requested for, our guide will not suggest any particular store. Neither we nor our driver/guides take any percentage on purchasing.

Spending Money

Every visitor will have different cash specifications and varying personal costs. Please assess your own spending routines while enabling for beverages, purchasing and falling. Also keep aside cash for extra costs like:

  • Foods which are not included
  • Emergencies
  • Optionally available activities /additional sightseeing
  • Shopping/Souvenirs

Foreign Exchange

As Indian currency value tend to go up and down, make reference to the following website for daily return rates: www.xe.com.

Airport Taxes

There is no airport terminal or leaving taxation from any airport terminal of India.

Exclusions

  • Insurance Policy - Please take your own Insurance
  • Tips
  • Beverages
  • Laundry
  • Telephone bills
  • Cycles
  • Support Vehicle, parking, toll, driver's allowances
  • Cycling guide
  • Breakfast at all destination
  • All Accommodation on Full board
  • First Aid Kid
  • Backup of Support Vehicle