Motorcycle adventure in the Himalayas. Anyone ever do this? I've

I've rented motorcycles several times in India and rode a fair bit around the Himalayas. However, I've not had either the time or the budget to do any proper touring in South Asia.

There's not that much risk, aside from traffic.

The last time I was in India, I met a German man with zero riding experience. We both rented Royal Enfields - I have one in the United States, so it was second nature for me - and took a ride from Manali to Kasol.

He was very slow learning to shift and accelerate.

After a couple days, he was fine. Wound up doing Manali to Leh by bike.

There are some portions of road which are either unpaved or flooded, and which require some caution in navigating. However, the route has been traveled tens of thousands of times by foreign and Indian travelers alike - it has its hazards, but it's nothing too extreme.

Having said that, I would not recommend the ride fro somebody with no riding experience, like my German friend. While I also learned to ride in India, it's not a great idea - there's too much that could go wrong.

>>1273064
Interesting, thanks. Are there any alternative roads there more suited for beginners? Or should I just stay away from it all together.

>>1273205

Not really.

To the best of my knowledge, there are two popular routes to Leh.

One passes through Srinagar - it isn't quite as strenuous or beautiful, but allows riders more time to acclimatize themselves to the altitude.

The other route is transited via the Himachal hill station of Manali and requires passing through the high Rohtang Pass. It's quite a scenic ride but is more technically demanding and takes travelers farther away from civilization.

From what I've gathered, the recommended circuit is to travel to Leh from Srinagar and then return via Manali. That reduces the chance of acquiring altitude sickness and ensures that less-experienced riders will better be able to cope with whatever challenges might lie ahead.

Again - this is largely heresy. I haven't taken either route, although I did ride mos of the way up to the Rohtang Pass from Manali. As far as I can tell, Manali to Rohtang is pretty easy - the roads are decent and there isn't too much traffic until you hit the pass. Do make sure your bike has solid front brakes, because there are times when you'll be braking on a steep incline.

My rental didn't, and I had to stay in first gear and rev the throttle to avoid sliding back downhill - it was a little unnerving, to say the least.

If you learn to ride beforehand, try renting a bike in Manali and doing the two or three hour ride to Kasol. It won't be as rugged as the road between Manali and Leh, but the craggy roads and steep cliffs will give you an idea of what to expect.

I'd been riding for a year and a half before I did that and still felt uncomfortable on the initial journey to Kasol - there aren't any guardrails along the ledge and there are lots of twists over broken, dirty roads.

Was going to say pic related, but my Internet here is too slow for a photo.

I would love to do something like this.

How feasible would it be to go north through Kashmir into Taijikistan and then China, maybe through the Wakhan corridor? Is it safe? Possible in terms of visas and bureaucracy?

A Chinese girl told me that southwestern border of Xinjiang was unsafe but I'm not sure if she was exaggerating or not.

>>1273473

More or less impossible.

The northern half of Kashmir is controlled by Pakistan. The border is hotly contested, and I don't think there's really any way you'd be able to cross through.

Could be wrong, though.

Even if you crossed the India-Pakistan border at Amritsar - Lahore, you'd have to travel northward through prime Taliban territory.

I do know a middle-age Australian fellow who hitchhiked through northern Afghanistan alone some years ago. Can't remember which route he took, but he said he wouldn't recommend doing the same - it's very volatile, and there are big problems with highway robbery and random kidnappings, not to mention terrorists.

AFAIK, most of the border crossings from India-China are limited access and can be used by locals only, or require authorisation from the Chinese government (and that authorisation is valid only for that area).

I can't imagine any border crossings in or around J&K, either with Pakistan or China, would be feasible.