16th March, 08
Okay now for some serious stuff for some serious bikers. From the outset I must confess that like others, I was of the view that biking in Kashmir would not be an issue at all…After all a lot of bikers are known to have covered the stretch from Manali to Leh so what’s the big deal, why the hell would we have problems? On landing there, we were caught completely off guard. No bike anywhere in the whole of Kashmir, you wana hire them buy them like the Firangi’s and sell them second hand-was the advice. We were left stranded.
It could only be the wildest stroke of luck that got us out of this hole. But it came at a price, a horrible one at that. We got the bike, a pulsar 150cc at some 400 bucks a day but moods and I would have to put up in a honeymoon suite in a houseboat in Srinagar…for the record that’s what we did for the bike!
As is apparent, getting hold of a bike is the toughest thing in Kashmir. So make sure that you have one before getting there. The Manali-Leh stretch should be the easiest for this, but then you would miss Srinagar which is an awesome experience in itself. So good luck on that front.
Ideally if one can get hold of a machine at Jammu, the Jammu Srinagar highway is worth the pains. At around 320 Kms, the stretch can be covered in a day if one starts early. It takes at least 9 Hrs by sumo so you can plan accordingly. But the experience is worth it. Quite like the rugged terrain that you would expect of the Manali Leh stretch in the lap of high snow capped mountains and steep drops to expanses of plain in between. The highway steadily gains height from Udhampur which increases till one reaches Srinagar.
Srinagar is a huge expanse of plain set between the snow peaks at a fairly high altitude (I am not sure how much exactly but one can think of it as a very high, wide plateau surrounded by rugged peaks). You would have to drive around 50-80 kms in any direction before you hit the mountains. We had two full days but had the restriction of getting back to base by night so we biked within a radius of around a 150 kms.
Day-I: 5302 kms-Gulmarg and Dachigam
Gulmarg is around 80 kms from Srinagar City. That includes around 50-60 kms drive across the plain, a beautiful one at that with the road gently sloping up towards the mountains after Tangmarg, around 30 kms from the city…you would notice the slightest difference of effort in the slope. After hitting the mountain base, the road winds up, giving you the most incredible view of the huge expanse of plain and snow all around. Gulmarg is also a wildlife sanctuary. “Sentuary” as the Kashmiris put it. I would recommend moving off the road and onto the snowy slopes on foot for a while to catch the breathtaking view. One may also catch sight of leopards or Hangoors or even bear if one is extremely lucky though chances are very slim.
After moving down from Gulmarg we continued on to Dachigam wildlife sanctuary which is on the other end around 15 kms from the city and a wonderful drive across Dal lake and into the plains beyond. Dachigam is a must visit for any lover of the outdoors; one is sure to catch sight of leopards and other wildlife for sure as the park area is not too large.
Day-II: Wular and Sonemarg
Wular was a completely different experience after the snow of Gulmarg. Mile after Mile of dusty rugged tracks offered the kind of biking you’d associate with the goggled T.E. Lawrence in the opening of Lawrence of Arabia. In between one hits Manasbal Lake, steely blue and incredibly beautiful among the mountains, and a solitary peak called “Harimukh”, claimed to be the toughest to scale and also claimed to have a “Kotha” at the peak…well…you would have to scale it to confirm that one!
Our intention was to move towards Ori another 100 kms from Wular but unfortunately, the road being blocked we couldn’t. So we whipped back, and decided on a whim to head towards Sonemarg which was another 100 kms from there. And we were not disappointed. The highway to Sonemarg offered absolutely stunning scenes, the best part of our drive. The highway winds up a sea green rivulet, teething with trout…apparently this is the fishing arena during summers and if you get the chance to do so, I absolutely plead you not to throw it away. The highway hits a huge Snowy wall, and goes around it for around 10 kms to reach Sonemarg. Tricky and slippery but can be negotiated during summers.
Overall, we covered around 430 kms (5735 end reading) in two days to finish the most incredible experience of my life. Although it was not to the extent we had intended, it was intensely satisfying and left us wanting for more.
So although Manali Leh is the traditional route adopted by bikers, I would suggest trying out the Srinagar Leh route as well. At around 475 kms, it would take around two days with a possible stop at Dras or Kargil. But get your permits in place for that one.
