1. Select a Region

2. Select a Country

3. Search a Keyword

The land of high passes, take the hard work out of getting to Kashmir and Ladakh, let BOA do it for you! We’ll take you on the ‘highest’ navigable road in the world, famous Mughal gardens, houseboats, monasteries, mosques and even a Golden Temple. This is definitely a trip of a lifetime, a talking point for years to come.

Day 1: Meet in Delhi and leave for Chandigarh by 08:00 hours.
Delhi is the capital of India and arguably India’s second largest city. New Delhi is a spacious open city and contains embassies and government buildings. Old Delhi has mosques, monuments and forts. Delhi is also a major travel gateway.

Upon leaving Delhi, we head north through Gharaunda where there are gateways of an old Mughal Serai, then through Karnal, and Kurukshetra where as many as one million pilgrims visit during eclipses. Chandigargh was designed by Le Corbustier in the 1950s, and is one of the cleanest and healthiest cities in the country. Overnight Chandigargh. Drive time four to six hours (230km).

Day 2: Chandigarh to Dharamsala… drive day
For the time being, the plains of India have been left behind and we start to climb the foothills of the Himalayas. Overnight Dharamsala. Drive time seven to nine hours (320km).

Day 3: Dharamsala 
Dharamsala is often referred to as the Headquarters of the Tibetan Government in Exile and the home of His Holiness the 14th  Dalai Lama. This isn’t quite true… it’s located quite close to here at Gangchen Kyishong, between McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala. There will be time to visit McLeod Ganj, Gangchen Kyishong as well as Dharamsala. There are bookshops, restaurants and Internet cafes smattered throughout the area, along with Tibetan monks and organisations… and lots of other Tibetan related stuff! There is also Kotwali Bazaar, which is an interesting and colourful market, as well as the Kangra Art Museum. There is so much to do here; one could just hang out for a week keeping themselves occupied… unfortunately we don’t have this luxury. Over night Dharamsala, though if anyone prefers, it’s possible to take a taxi or bus to McLeod Gange and find alternative accommodation there.

Day 4: Dharamsala to Amritsar
Travel through Pathankot, which is an important railhead, then follow the railway line (which is close to the border of Pakistan) to Amritsar. We hit the Indian Plains again for a few days today. Over night Amritsar. Drive time five to seven hours (205km).

Day 5: Amritsar
Amritsar is a city of over one million people. It’s the centre of the Sikh religion and the Sikhs’ Golden Temple is an exceptionally beautiful and peaceful place. Every day, hundreds of people, if not more, line up for a free meal, there is also free accommodation here and one doesn’t have to be a Sikh or even an Indian to enjoy this privilege. Many other temples and mosques are in the old city. Jallianwala Bagh is a tree and flower filled park, which commemorates an appalling massacre committed by the British in 1919. Over night Amritsar.

Day 6: Amritsar to Jammu
We will be retracing our footsteps to Pathankot and then head northwest from there, still following the railway line until we reach Jammu. Over night Jammu. Drive time five to seven hours (225m).

Day 7: Jammu 
Jammu is the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, and is situated on the North Indian Plains, a short distance from the rolling Siwalik Hills. The town is predominately Hindu, while Islam and Sikhism enjoy a strong cultural heritage in the region. There are many beautiful mosques and temples to explore as well as immaculate gardens. Over night Jammu.

Day 8: Jammu to Srinigar
Along the route are the hill resorts of Katra, Kud, Patnitop, and Batote. Today we leave the Plains of India again until our last driving day from Rishikesh. Before the completion of the Jawarhar Tunnel, Srinigar was often cut off from the rest of India. To the west are the snow-capped ridges of the Pin Panjal Range. Over night Srinigar. Drive time seven to nine hours (300km).

Day 9: Srinigar 
Srinigar is the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and stands on Dal Lake and Nagin Lake, much of it is a maze of waterways and houseboats flourish these waters. The famous Mughal gardens are in this area. The Old City is a labyrinth of alleyways, mosques and houses. There is an option for an overnight houseboat stay. Over night Srinigar.

Day 10: Srinigar to Kargil
On the southern side of the road there is the lush, green scenery of Kashmir while on the northern side everything is barren and dry. Over night Kargil. Drive time six to eight hours (215km).

On one side you have the lush, green scenery of Kashmir while on the other side everything is barren and dry. Over night Kargil. Drive time six to eight hours (215km).

Day 11: Kargil to Leh
There are several gompas worth investigating along this route… as well as spectacular Himalayan vistas and passes adorned with Buddhist prayer flags. Over night Leh. Drive time six to eight hours (240km).

Days 12-13: Leh 
Leh, altitude approximately 3500m, is nestled in a side valley just to the north of the Indus Valley. It’s a strategic centre for the military, which has a large presence here. Art and craft shops are to be found in the main bazaar, and Leh is dominated by the dilapidated nine-storey Leh Palace (miniature Potala) and the Victory Fort. The old town is a maze of alleyways and the houses are stacked with dry wood and dung to use as fuel in the long winter months. A mosque and important Buddhist carvings and several gompas are all of interest. We have two days in Leh, one day will be free to explore and the other day we will explore the surrounding countryside in the BOA truck. We’ll drive to La Khadung Pass, which is allegedly the highest driveable pass in the world. It’s reported to be at an altitude of over 5600m, though many dispute this fact. Over night Leh X2 nights.

Days 14-15: Leh enroute to bush camp (night 14) and Keylong (night 15)
When we leave Leh you will see the last of the magnificent gompas, and then begin the steep drive to Tanglang La (5328m). The road then flattens out along the Morey plain, then descends through a series of gorges to Pang. Lachlung La (5060m) is the second highest pass on this road, and after Sarchu it is a short climb to Baralacha La (4883m) pass. The road then follows the Bhaga and Chandra Rivers in to Keylong.

Somewhere along this stretch of road we will have a bush camp and all of us will spend the night in our tents. We would have already picked up our cook and supplies in Leh and the cook will prepare our food for us until we arrive in Keylong where we drop him off. Many hands make light work and a little bit of help from volunteers would be much appreciated by our cook. Over night Bush camp (night 14) and Keylong (nigh 15). Total drive time fifteen to seventeen hours (400km).

Day 16: Keylong to Manali
Keylong is the administrative centre of the region. The road to Manali climbs steadily, and at Sissu there is a waterfall set under spectacular peaks. Rohtang La (3978m) marks the start of the descent in to Manali. We will most probably encounter a severe and frustrating high altitude traffic jam on Rohtang La. Over night Manali. Drive time seven to nine hours (120km).

Day 17: Manali
A popular resort town for the locals. Mano Maharishi Temple and several after temples are interesting for tourists to visit. Shawl emporiums, and Tibetan Handicraft shops, and thangkas are for sale in the Underground and NAC Markets. Manali used to have a reputation as a bit of a hippy hangout… the countryside produced ‘charas’ which was of quite desirable quality! It now has a reputation for being the gateway for many adventure activities including mountaineering and trekking. Over night Manali.

Day 18: Manali to Shimla
This area is dominated by a number of tall peaks, and Manali is at the northern end of the Kullu Valley and the road follows the Beas River to Mandi. This town has a large Sikh community with more than 80 temples dotted around the hillside. If we time it right, we’ll stop at Mandi for lunch. At Naldehra there is a golf course, which is one of the oldest and highest in the world; from this area to Shimla there are a number of interesting villages and resorts. Over night Shimla. Drive time seven to nine hours (250km).

Day 19: Shimla 
Shimla almost has a European look and feel about it. At one time it was part of the Nepali Kingdom and received few visitors until it was ‘discovered’ by the British in 1819. In 1864 Shimla became the Summer capital of India. Until 1939 the entire government of India would migrate to Shimla’s cool heights for Summer. Post Independence, Shimla became the capital of Punjab, but in 1966 it became capital of Himachal Pradesh. Nestled amongst hills covered with pine trees, sprawling Shimla has stunning views all the way to the Himalaya from where we have come. The Viceregal Lodge and surrounding Botanical Gardens, Christ Church and Jakhu Temple are all worth visiting. The Himachal Emporium has a collection of local handicrafts. The Tibetan Refugee Handloom Shop sells carpets, clothes and other Tibetan crafts. Lahkar Bazaar is Shimla’s main souvenir market. Over night Shimla.

Day 20: Shimla to Rishikesh
Nahan is a historical town packed with crumbling temples and an interesting bazaar, Paonta Sahib has an impressive Sikh temple on the bank of the holy Yamuna River and Dehra Dun is the capital of Uttarranchal. We pass through all of these cities today. Over night Rishikesh. Drive time seven to nine hours (250km).

Day 21: Rishikesh
Rishikesh is said to be the ‘Yoga Capital of the World’. Situated on the banks of the Ganges and surrounded on three sides by hills, it is conducive to meditation. There are many ashrams in this area with aspiring students and yoga devotees from all over the world converging here. The Lakshman Jhula suspension bridge crossing the Ganges affords views of the huge 13 storey temples of Swarg Niwas and Shri Trayanbakshwar. It is interesting to be at the Triveni Ghat at dawn when people make offerings of milk to the river and feed the fish. At different times of the year, the Hindu pilgrims flock to Rishikesh… though there is always a smattering of them around the place. After sunset priests place floating lamps on the water in the Ganga Aarti ceremony. If one decides to take a dip in the Ganges here… beware, although the river is reasonably clean, it flows very fast and many people have gone in and not come back out. Over night Rishikesh.

Day 22: Drive day and end of trip.
We finally return to the plains of India today and re-join the masses in Delhi! Before arriving in Delhi, we pass through Hardiwar which is where the Ganges emerges from the Himalayas. Hardiwar is one of the most sacred cities in India for Hindus, pilgrims flock here all year round to bathe in the Ganges which is crystal clear and very cold! We also pass through Meerut, location of the 1857 uprising against the British.

Our drop off point in the late afternoon or early evening is the Good Times Hotel in Karol Bagh. Drive time seven to nine hours (250km).

Included: 

• hassle free overland transportation in a cool Mercedes Benz vehicle
• a western leader/driver
• a really unique itinerary and all logistical support
• drinking water and battery charging facilities
• choice of accommodation: hotel or use our tents
• truck kitchen/cooking facilities available and heaps of personal storage space
• a cook and meals whilst bush camping between Leh and Keylong
• a well stocked library and games locker
• first aid kit with oxygen
• any applicable permits
• option for overnight houseboat stay in Srinagar   

Not included:

• hotel/guesthouse stays
• entrance fees/guides
• meals or drinks (Apart from drinking water)
• personal expenses
• personal insurance (this is a must guys!!)
• visas
• airport transfers