In barely a month thereafter, he was on the road for one of the most challenging drives in India. He was absolutely aware that the drive to Ladakh via Zojila Pass in May will be one of immense hardship because of slippery ice on the steep inclines, thick walls of ice on both sides of the treacherous road, slush, landslides and all the vagaries of nature.
He successfully completed a 6569 km / 15 days solo-drive from Kolkata to Leh/ Ladakh and back to Kolkata in his 2*2 Mahindra Scorpio SUV with wife, daughter and mother-in-law.
The epic drive commenced from Kolkata 25th May 2015 (Monday).
After leaving Kolkata at 6.30am, the drive took him through Asansol, Barhi, Sasaram, Varanasi, Allahabad, all on NH2 and 800 kms away. He crossed Allahabad around 8pm. He drove past Kanpur, another 200 kms north of Allahabad at 11.30pm.
The thrill of driving to Ladakh was motivation enough for him to drive upto 2.30am and that is when he decided to have a short nap inside his Mahindra Scorpio for a little over 3 hrs only.
In the forenoon hours of Day 2, he had crossed Etawah, Agra and was cruising along India's famed Yamuna Expressway.
25th May 2015 (Day 1) to 26th May 2015 (Day 2):
Kolkata – Varanasi – Kanpur – Yamuna Expressway – Ambala – Kharar - Rupnagar – Hoshiarpur – Dasuya – Pathankot – Samba – Udhampur – Patnitop.
Distance covered on Day 1 and 2 together 2234 km.
Start of Day 1 from Kolkata at 6.30 am.
Reached Patnitop on Day 2 at 11.30 pm without checking in at any hotel between Day 1 and Day 2.
First view of Kashmir valley.
Sunset at Dal Lake on Day 3 of 15.
27th May 2015 (Day 3):
Patnitop – Srinagar.
Distance 195 km.
Started at 10.30am.
Reached at 6.30 pm.
28th May 2015 (Day 4):
Srinagar - Sonamarg - Zojila - Drass - Kargil.
Distance 235 km.
Started at 8.30 am .
Reached at 7.00 pm.
29th May 2015 (Day 5):
Kargil - Mulbek - Namik La - Lamayaru - Khaltse - Nimmu - Magnetic Hill - Leh.
Distance 260 km.
Started at 8.30 am.
Reached at 5.30 pm.
Shanti Stupa is a white-colored domed-shaped structure, located in Chandspa which looks extremely beautiful during night when it is illuminated. This peace pillar was built by a ‘peace sect’ of Japanese Buddhist organization to celebrate the completion of 2500 years of Buddhism and for the promotion of world peace. It was inaugurated by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama in 1985. This pillar is known for its gilt panels depicting the life stories of Lord Buddha. It is just 5 kms away from the main city of Leh and is surrounded the traditionally built houses of the locals and snow-covered mountains. Take the steep slights to reach the Stupa that offers beautiful sunrise and sunset views.
Hall of Fame, located near the Leh Airfiled, is a museum constructed as well as maintained by the Indian Army in the memory of the soldiers who had lost their lives during the Indo-Pak wars. It is also termed as a memorial for the war heros. This building consists of two floors. While on the ground floor, there is information about the brave soldiers as and a souvenir shop but on the first floor, there are artifacts of various wars (mainly Kargil war) such as the weapons used during the war and some important documents, related to the same. There is another section dedicated to the Siachen glacier.
30th May 2015 (Day 6):
Leh rest and acclimatization. Also Leh local sightseeing.
31st May 2015 (Day 7):
1st half - Spituk Gompha, Leh palace.
2nd half - Shey Palace, Santi Stupa, Leh Market.
Distance 80 km.
Leh and around:::
Leh Palace:
Leh Palace was built during the 17th century by the ruler King Sengge Namgyal. Its construction is on the same lines as the construction of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. This palace had to be deserted by the royal family in the middle of the 19th century, because of the taking over of Ladakh by Dogra forces. After this the royal family is living in-exile in the popular Stok Palace. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is restoring some of the ruined portions of this nine-storey palace. While the store rooms were on the lower floors, the royalty resided on the upper floors. The roof of this palace offers an excellent view of the valley.
Jama Masjid:
Located in the heart of Leh town is the Jama Masjid, which is one of the major historical mosques in Ladakh. This mosque is considered to be the biggest mosques in the Ladkah region and consists of a memorial which is known as Shahi Hamdan. This memorial is made in dedication to Mir Syed Ali Hamdani, a Muslim Sufi Saint. It was built in 1666-67 A.D. as a result of an agreement between Aurangzeb, the Mughal Emperor and the then ruler of Ladakh, Deldan Namgyal. Since the time of its construction, the mosque has been dismantled and re-constructed using new techniques.
Stok Palace:
Stok Palace, built by King Tsespal Tondup Namgyal in 1825, in the present times is the residential palace of the royal descendants of King Sengge Namgyal. The architecture of this palace is a perfect mix of the traditional and the contemporary architectural styles. This palatial property consists of a number of beautiful gardens as well as a library that has around 108 volumes of the Kangyur (a collection of teachings of Lord Buddha). The palace is located around 15 kms away from the main city of Leh. This palace hosts an annual dance-mask festival in which there is a huge participation by the locals. There is also a collection of royal clothing, crowns and other important things which you can see while on the excursion of the palace.
01st June 2015 (Day 8):
Leh - Khardung la - Diskit - Hunder.
Distance 145 km.
Started at 9.40 am.
Reached at 5.30 pm.
02nd June 2015 (Day 9):
Hunder - Agam - Sheyok - Pangong.
Distance 175 km.
Started at 9.00 am.
Reached at 5.45 pm.
03rd June 2015 (Day 10): Spangmik - Man - Merak - Chusul - Tsaga - Nyoma - Mahe - Sumdo - Tso Moriri - Korzok and back to Leh.
04th June 2015 (Day 11): Leh sightseeing.
05th June 2015 (Day 12): Leh - Kargil - Srinagar - Pahelgaon.
06th June 2015 (Day 13) to 8th June 2015 (Day 15): Pahelgaon - Udhampur - Samba - Pathankot - Ludhiana - Ambala - Yamuna Expressway - Varanasi - Kolkata.
Route from Pangong Tso Lake to Hanle:
There exist a direct route between Hanle / Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso as well. In most cases, one drives the direct route of Pangong Tso to Hanle because drivers/ riders can exit Ladakh from Tso Moriri towards Manali Leh Highway after visiting Hanle and Tso Moriri without coming back towards Leh.
Secondly, both Hanle and Tso Moriri is higher than Pangong Tso so as per acclimatization schedule one should stay near Pangong Tso before spending night at Hanle and Tso Moriri. However, all depends subject to the approval of permits for this route via Chusul. Foreigners are not at all allowed to go beyond Man – Merak Villages as permits are not issued to them for this route.
Spangmik (Pangong Tso) – Man (9 KMs) – Merak (12 KMs)– Kakstet (4 KMs) – Chusul (24 KMs) – Tsaga La (33 KMs) – Tsaga Village (20 KMs) – Loma (23 KMs) – Hanle(51 KMs) = 176 KMs
Route from Hanle to Tso Moriri:
After visiting Hanle, one can opt to go towards Tso Moriri from where one can either go to Ladakh or exit towards Manali via Manali Leh Highway.
There exist two routes to reach Tso Moriri from Hanle, one via Mahe bridge and other via Chumur.
The route to follow to reach Tso Moriri from Hanle via Mahe bridge: Hanle – Loma (51 KMs) – Nyoma (22 KMs) – Mahe (25 KMs) – Sumdo (10 KMs) – Tso Moriri / Korzok (53 KMs) = 161 KMs
Most difficult stages of the drive:
Nubra to Pangong.
Pangong to Tso Moriri.
Tariffs and names of hotels where Soumitra and family stayed:
Patnitop: Hotel Greentop, Padora Enclave, Patnitop, Udhampur, J&K - 182142. Ph: 01992287529. (Tariff @ Patnitop Rs.800).
Srinagar: Hotel Mount Inn, Old Gagribal Road, Durgjan, Srinagar, J&K - 190001. Ph: 09906728273. (Tariff @ Srinagar Rs.1500).
Kargil: J&K Tourism Facilitation Centre, Kargil. (Tariff @ Kargil Rs.800)
Leh: Solpon Guest House, Changspa Rd, Leh. Ph: 09906994466. (Tariff @ Leh Rs.1000).
Nubra: Ldumra Oasis Guest House, Hundar 194101, Nubra. (Tariff @ Nubra Rs.800).
Pangong: Can’r recall (Tariff @ Pangong Rs.1200).
Leh: Zee Guest House, Upper Changspa, Leh, Ladakh - 194101. (Contact person: Dorjay Angchok) Ph: 09469261374, 09596862205, 09906989175. (Tariff @ Leh Rs.1200)
Pahalgaon: Can’t recall. (Tariff @ Leh Rs.1500)
Food joints worth mentioning where Soumitra and family had their food.
Mughal Darbar, Srinagar.
Hotel Kargil Continental, Kargil.
Hotel Niranjana, Lamayuru.
Himalayan Cafe, Main Market, Leh.
Dolma Restaurant, Diskit.
Hoshiarpuri Bhaaiyaan Da Dhaba, Hoshiarpur.
