Manali-Leh Highway — The Complete Road Trip Guide

# Manali-Leh Highway — The Complete Road Trip Guide

Quick Facts

**Distance:** 474 km

**Duration:** 2 days (recommended) to 3 days (comfortable)

**Highest Point:** Tanglang La (5,328m)

**Passes crossed:** Rohtang (3,978m), Baralacha La (4,890m), Nakeela (4,739m), Lachalung La (5,065m), Tanglang La (5,328m)

**Season:** June to mid-October

**Permit:** Rohtang Atal Tunnel requires online permit (free for Indian nationals via HRTC website)

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 0: Manali (acclimatize)

Arrive and spend a day in Manali (2,050m). Walk around, eat well, sleep early. Tomorrow you'll cross 4,000m before lunch.

Day 1: Manali → Jispa/Keylong (120 km, 5-6 hours)

Drive through Atal Tunnel to Lahaul

Stop at Sissu for the waterfall and lake

Lunch at Keylong (3,080m)

Overnight at Jispa (3,200m) — several good camps and guesthouses

**Altitude:** gentle introduction to high altitude

Day 2: Jispa → Pang/Sarchu (160 km, 8-10 hours)

Cross Baralacha La (4,890m) — first big pass

Stop at Suraj Tal lake (4,950m)

Lunch at Bharatpur or Killar Sarai

Cross the Gata Loops (21 hairpins!)

Overnight at Pang (4,600m) — tent camps only

**Warning:** Pang is brutal cold even in summer (-10°C at night)

Day 3: Pang → Leh (200 km, 7-8 hours)

Cross More Plains (40 km straight road across a plateau)

Cross Tanglang La (5,328m) — the big one

Descend to Upshi and the Indus Valley

Follow the Indus to Leh (3,500m)

Arrive mid-afternoon

Fuel Stops

**Tandi** (last reliable pump from Manali side)

**Pang** (Army fuel available, not guaranteed)

**Karu** (approaching Leh)

**Carry extra fuel** — 10-15 litres in jerry cans is standard practice

Health & Safety

**Diamox:** Start 1 day before the drive. 250mg twice daily.

**Hydrate aggressively.** 3-4 litres/day minimum.

**Don't rush.** Altitude sickness kills. If you have severe headache, nausea, or confusion, descend immediately.

**Oxygen can:** Carry one per person. Available at Manali chemists.

**Warm clothing:** Even in July, passes are 0-5°C with wind chill below freezing.

Who Should Do This

This highway is for everyone with a sense of adventure — you don't need to be a biker or mountaineer. Families with kids (above age 8-10), couples, solo travellers — all do it in comfortable SUVs. The key is respect for altitude and weather.