Leh-Manali Highway - Travel Time

Travel Time

The Leh-Manali highway consists of generally bad stretches of roads, snow crossings, water crossings due to glacial melts and occasional landslides. It transverses high passes at over 5,000 metres. Travel time is unpredictable due to uncertainties of weather that can turn inclement any time and play spoilsport. The journey along the road normally takes at least two days if done in a rush, or more days depending on the condition of the road and vehicle (though minimum three days are advised for ordinary tourist because the real fun and pleasure is in the journey itself and not in reaching the destination). Tourists and travellers make overnight stops at Jispa and tented camps such as Sarchu. Alternately, overnight stops can be made at Keylong town.

The peak travel season is during May and June when a lot of tourists visit Rohtang pass. Most of the domesitc tourists return to Manali and do not cross Rohtang pass towards north. Much of Rohtang pass remains covered by snow even during summer. Public buses start from Manali towards Keylong and onwards early at 4 am and after every two hours or so until 12 noon. The noon bus is the last one. The time taken until Keylong is 4 to 10 hours depending upon the condition of the road (that sometimes turns into a slush or becomes too slippery to travel because of fresh snowfall or melting of snow) and traffic jam that occurs at Beas nallah near Marhi and then at Rohtang pass. It is advisable to cross Rohtang pass before 8 am. Private four-wheel drive taxi are available. Share taxi are cheap as they charge per person but should be avoided by tourists as they are overcrowded with local residents and do not allow a good view of the outside. The fun in the journey is lost while travelling cramped in share taxi. Moreover, they cannot be stopped at will at any place. Some tourists travel from Manali to Leh and other places in Ladakh on motorcycles, generally in a group.