Ladakh Diaries 1 - Manali to Leh, Day One

This is the time to Travel to Ladakh. We did it exactly two years back and it was a journey of our lifetime. Hop on with us as we take you around the "Cold Desert" in all its pristine glory.........

“It’s breathtakingly beautiful” – we told our friends as soon as we reached Leh after the spectacular journey of 473 Kms on the Manali - Leh road. Being fed up of the rush hour traffic to office and back, having lived all along in an urban set up, this “Big Trip” gave us all the thrill and excitement which we could not dream existed. The road clings and wriggles through some of the most spectacular terrain in the world- crossing four high passes, fords, streams and tumbling mountain surfaces!

Our journey started from Manali on a cold rainy morning. We were ordered (!) by our Driver Sumit Singh  on the previous day to be ready at 6 AM to leave Manali. The wisdom of driving in Himalayas is "Leave early and Reach early" as you can not depend on the fickle mountain weather.

In front of Johnson Hotel, Manali

Being our first trip in the Himalayas, ascent upwards unfolded a lot of surprises - the omnipresent apple trees with “red juicy” apples, the streams which gently flow down the tall mountains creating numerous waterfalls, the green carpet of trees and plants in the valley, the clouds which gently seem to caress the mountain peaks was a “visual” poetry which can be best seen than written. The road from Manali to Rohtang is an ascent and is surrounded by beautiful valleys. Let the pictures tell the tale.

Beas River, Manali

The Landscape is spectacular with steep cliffs, lovely conifers, streams tumbling down as waterfalls......

The road till Rohtang has heavy traffic and is prone to mud slide as the surface is soft

Our car slowly climbed towards the snow-capped Rohtang Pass only to wait behind a “Kilometer long” pile up of cars due to a “mudslide”. We had a long journey ahead as the plan was to stay overnight at Sarchu at - 13000 feet - which is approximately 150 KMs from Rohtang.

Chai being by a vendor on the roadside as we waited for the road to ........refreshing in cold environs indeed

Employees from Border Road Organization were summoned from Manali to help clear the “mud slide” and when our car cleared this hurdle, we had lost about 2 hours of precious time.

Having had breakfast at Marhi, our journey resumed towards Sarchu. We did not stop at Rohtang - the place where the day trippers from Manali - majority of them newly weds - gather to play in snow. Some glimpses of Rohtang landscape.

First sight of snow!!

Some Wild flowers too...

The journey beyond Rohtang was suddenly silent. The only noise we could hear was the air rushing against the mountain or the tip – tap of the melting snow or the screech of the car tyre on the road or sometimes when a "Bullet rider" overtook us with that "Thumping" sound. The road was sometimes “cemented”, sometimes a “patch of mud” or sometimes “a path through a running stream” . Very soon the green valleys and mountains were replaced by shred of brown and rust and the snow peaks lingered in the background. Driving along the Bhaga River and listening to its different notes transformed us into a different world. We could see many water falls with water trickling away under the sheets of snow above, valleys capped with snow, rocky mountains painted green by wild grass and flowers.....

The landscape turned more beautiful as we drove in the Bhaga valley surrounded by mighty mountains with lush green covers, waterfalls......

Bhaga river giving us company

Fill up your tanks folks, lest you will be stranded!!

The ascent to Barlacha La starts after crossing the bridge

River or road??

Army and Border Road Organisation on the way

We cross Thandi and Jispa  - last villages - and begin our ascent again towards Baralacha la which is at about 16500 ft. The journey was an absolute delight. Beautiful and pristine Suraj tal lake and the winding snow capped roads , the low hung clouds with sun breaking in between and creating a beautiful rainbow, we could not just take our eyes off the road. We wished we had a 360 degree vision. Barlacha la was white sheet spread out in every direction and made us sway between dream and reality!

Adventure on the bikes!!

Beautiful Barlacha La all the way from now on

Pristine Suraj Tal

Sarchu is where we find tents pitched in the pristine valley of the mighty mountains…for a city bred person, having to stay and sleep amid these mountains and listening to the noise of the winds and the gentle noise of the rain/dew/snow on the tent was a surreal experience.

Camp site @ Sarchu

TRAVEL TIPS

Getting there

The journey to Leh by road starts at Manali. Hence make Manali as a base.

By Road

a) There are overnight buses from Delhi to Manali. One can book the luxury Volvo buses run by Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation from Delhi to Manali.

http://www.hrtc.gov.in/hrtctickets/Default.aspx

By Train

The nearest railway station is Chandigarh. If you are coming by train, then the convenient station will be Chandigarh. Unless, you want to visit Chandigarh, i would recommend you to take the bus as mentioned above.

By Air

The nearest airport is at Kullu which is around 40 KMs from Manali. The flights to Kullu from Delhi are notorious for cancellation/delay due to weather condition in Kullu. Keep this in mind while booking your plane tickets.

Stay Options

There are many options to suit all budgets. We stayed in Johnson Hotel which is one of the oldest in Manali and regarded as an institution. Huge and excellent rooms with a laid back atmosphere. The continental restaurant in the hotel is one of the best in Manali.

http://www.johnsonhotel.in/index.html

Other information

a) This trip is not for faint hearted. You really need to rough it out on the treacherous roads. So be prepared mentally and physically!! Also this trip may not be suitable for young children below ten years as they may get affected by Acute Mountain Sickness. For details on Children and High altitude, please take a look at this National Institutes of Health, USA link

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1112806/ 

b) Remember that you will be driving from a height of 6000 ft in Manali to close to 18000 in Tanglang La.  Acclimatisation is the key. Else, AMS - Acute Mountain Sickness - is likely to hit you at these heights. Most of the cases will be mild and result in nausea, headaches, sleeplessness.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000133.htm

c) Though the trip can be done in two days, we recommend doing it in three days with overnight stay in Keylong and Pang. This will help one acclimatize better and fit and raring to go once you reach Leh.

d) Driving in hills takes more time and speeds are drastically reduced as road condition is not good. Always have buffer time to allow delays due to landslides and flooding of roads. Land slides are particularly common between Manali and Rohtang.

e) Doing the trip in three days will also help you stop and savour the beauty around. This will also give you time to take a detour to Tso Kar a beautiful lake in wilderness closer to Moreh Plains.

f) Our advice is to hire the local transport to do the trip. The roads are narrow and bad. The driver will not be able to enjoy the ride as his eyes will be fixed on the road. We have seen bikers on the road and we do not advise unless you are interested in adventure alone. Believe us; the guy who drives the vehicle - bike or car - will not be able to enjoy the drive. If you still want to drive your own car, make sure it is an SUV or a car with good ground clearance. 

g) Fill up fuel in Manali and carry supplies in Jerry cans. There is only one petrol bunk in Thandi and if it runs out of stock you will curse yourself. Diesel may be available in "black" at exorbitant cost but getting petrol will be difficult.

h) Follow the golden rule of hill driving. Start early and reach early!

i) Carry enough memory cards for your pictures. There is so much to click that you will regret if you haven’t had these chips.

j) Eat less and don’t overfill yourself while driving in hills. Drink lot of water.

k) Carry a good medicine kit. Talk to your family doctor and take necessary medicines.

l) Do not exert and run around in high altitude. Oxygen content in atmosphere is 30 - 40 percent lesser in these areas and will make you tired and sick. Do not stay for more than 10 minutes in passes above 15000 ft

m) Carry a good Binocular

n) Pack your long johns and woolens. You require them at these tented camps where the temperatures fall to 5 deg. If you have a sleeping bag, carry it.

o) Ensure that you have the complete vehicle accessories and kit. If self driving, practice trouble shooting techniques and become confident. Carry a good map of the area.

p) Dal – Chawal , Maggi and Omelets are staple food you get in dhabhas  on the way. Don’t expect anything more!

q) If possible try and plan your drive during full moon day period. You will possibly see the brightest moon ever in these rarefied and unpolluted areas at night in tented camps.

r) Do not rely too much on your cell phone. It may not work most of the time.

s) Do not sleep on the journey. You will regret having missed on some of the outstanding scenery in the world.

t) Lastly, if you get stuck up anywhere and find an army camp close by, go in and take their help. These great guys will never say NO. I can vouch for it having served in Indian Army!!

u) We would recommend that spending one day in Manali will help in seeing some nice places around and also prepares you for the long journey. The transport for the drive can be hired in Manali. The transport charges are generally expensive and it will be good to have at least four people travel in the taxi to reduce the cost burden.

v) It is recommended to go through a recognised tour operator who will ensure all arrangements are made on the way. We did the trip with Ladakh Safari who are very good.  Here is their website and you can get details here.

http://www.ladakhsafari.com/

Related posts on Ladakh in this blog 

Ladakh diaries 2 - Manali to Leh, Day 2 

Ladakh Diaries 3 - Leh, Sights of a mountain town 

Ladakh Diaries 4 - To Khardung La, the highest motorable road in the world 

Ladakh Diaries 5 - Trip to Pangong Tso, the lake at 14000 feet

Ladakh diaries 6 - Basgo and Magnetic hill 

Glossary

Dal - Chawal - Spicy lentils and Rice

Dhabha - Shack

Chai - Indian readymade tea made with milk, sugar and spices

La - Ladakhi word for "Mountain pass"

Tal - Lake

Did you like this post? Do you need help in planning a trip to Ladakh and Manali? Do write to us. Happy to help  

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Sakleshpur - Kaptivated in Kadamane Estate!

Before we start, it is a great news to know that Western Ghats have been selected as one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Just read the news today. This will possibly help in conserving this great bio diversity hot spot in India.

We wanted to experience rain. What else can be a better place than the Western ghats in South India to experience it? We had been to Sakleshpur in August 2011 and it was a fabulous Journey.

But this trip was totally unplanned. The spark for this trip was lit during our visit to Sinnadorai's Bungalow in Valparai in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India in March this year recounted in the post Valparai - An Unexplored wonder in this blog. We happened to see an excellent book on  the "History of plantations in South India" which also listed old bungalows built by British. One of them happened to be at Kadamane Estate in Sakleshpur in the state of Karnataka in South India.

When we came back from Valparai, we called up Mr Cariappa, the Manager of Kadamane estate. He said that the place was under renovation and would take couple of months before it is thrown open for guests. We let it pass. In May, we call up Cariappa to check the status of the place. Back comes his confirmation that the rooms are ready and we could come over.

So the plan is made. To leave Bangalore on Saturday 26 May, stay for a night and come back the next day. The drive from Bangalore is uneventful with the road being in fantastic condition throughout. We loved the stretch from Hassan to Sakleshpur which is virtually under the canopy of trees. 

Sakleshpur is a small town in the state of Karnataka. The town and surroundings are known as plantation country with Coffee and Tea being major crops apart from paddy fields and betel nut plantations. Sakleshpur is also known for thick forests, flowing streams, waterfalls and beautiful meadows stretching for miles. Sinnadorai's Bungalow at Kadamane is at a distance of 22 KMs from Sakaleshpur town and the road is pretty good. The last ten KMs is a beautiful cemented road. 

Lovely cement road

We reach the gate of the estate around 12.30 PM having left Bangalore around 8.30 AM. The security guard opens the gate after checking our credentials. Kadamane estate is one of the largest estates in Sakleshpur with a holding of more than 10,000 hectares of land coverage. It is a big township with hospital, school and post office dedicated to the estate. Established in probably in 1920s by British, the estate is now part of EID Parry group, one of the largest industrial groups of South India.

Oldest tea bush in the estate - planted in 1929!! Look at the width of the bush!!

We are now in green country. The drive from the gate to our cottage is soothing through winding roads of the estate. It is miles and miles of greenery. Thick evergreen forests and valleys of Western ghats mark the boundary of the estate. 

The Green road!!

Notice Shola forests acting as boundary at the edge of the estate

We reach the "Sinnadorai Bungalow" and are received by Prabhu.The Bungalow is under renovation. It is a beautiful Victorian villa. We have to give it to British to select the place for their living which is generally the highest spot in the garden with excellent views. The bungalow is large and typically English with wide driveways, huge lawn and large verandas. It looks similar to the bungalow in Valparai but larger in size. The main bungalow will be ready by September says Prabhu as he leads us to our "Cottage". These two cottages are newly built. We check into the cottage which has two rooms. This can accommodate two families. There is another cottage few steps from us which has only one room. The location of cottages is lovely overlooking the green expanse of the garden. The rooms are spacious and nicely done.

The twin room cottage. Notice the setting. Lovely.

The cottage with single room. Lovely.

The Porch - Notice the valley view in front

Freshened up, we sit out for sometime to savour the fresh air and soak in the greenery of the place.It is dead quiet out here. Clouds gather in the sky and we are hopeful to experience the rain. The location of the cottage overlooking the valley of Kadamane is a perfect place to enjoy the rain.

Prabhu calls us for lunch. We are served lunch in a makeshift dining hall inside the bungalow. The food  - South Indian vegetarian - is good and tasty. Since it is early in the afternoon, we start planning our post lunch activity. The plan is to go to the famous temple of Kukke Subramanya and drive back via Bisle ghat, time permitting. Prabhu provides guidance on the route to Kukke and we hit the road after lunch.

Kukke Subramanaya is a famous shrine dedicated to Lord Subramanya or Snake god. Nestled in the serene environs on the banks of Kumaradhara river in western ghats at the foot hills of Kumara Parvata - Hill of Kumaraswamy, another name for the lord - this is a venerated place where hundreds of pilgrims gather to perform plethora of rituals to invoke blessings of Snake god. We do not want to do any ritual but have a quick "Darshan" and come out. We join the long queue and still make it within 45 minutes and head back to the car.

It is 4.15 PM as we come out of the town and see the signage to Bisle ghat. Going through Bisle means a detour of 50 KMs but a chance to drive through thick jungle and experience the amazing valley of Bisle. I know that the road is bad but this is the only chance for us to do the drive as it is impossible during rainy season due to landslides and tree falls blocking the road. Another worry was whether we would be able to make it to the view point before darkness set in. The whole effort would go waste otherwise. Before starting Poorna ask the local villager on the road condition in Kannada - the local language. The guys says that first eight KMs is bad but our car being a SUV, should not bother much.

We are now on the ghat road. The signage says that distance to Bisle village as 16 KMs. We start driving and realise that there is virtually no road. It is more of a gravel path with potholes and craters. Having driven on worst of the roads in Madhya Pradesh in Central India, we are still comfortable. We are betting on the villager's guidance and hope that the bad patch last only 8 KMs. But the bad road continues beyond that. We are also worried as there is virtually no traffic on the road and we are driving through thick forest. Though there is not much of wildlife, we are more worried if something happens to the vehicle and get stuck. 

Suddenly, we see a car behind us. It is Maruthi Omni driven by local driver. We are happy to let him overtake us and we start following him. Being a local guy, he will  manoeuvre well and act like a pilot. The road is pathetic and we take one hour to cover 15 KMs. It is a backbreaking exercise and Brinda is not very happy either. We reach the viewpoint and notice a TATA Sumo - a SUV - already parked. We could hear people speaking loudly. It seems like an all male gang having a party. We don't climb up but savour the views from the roadside. The valley view of Bisle ranges is breathtaking. I have never seen such a valley and huge expanse of virgin forests. It is mind-blowing.

Pictures of Bisle Ghat - Notice the huge expanse of virgin forests of western ghats. Awesome!

The road from the Bisle viewpoint is in good condition and it is downhill now as we head back to Kadamane. It is cloudy but no rain. The lush green meadows we had seen in August last year is brown and waiting for showers to change colours.

Waiting for the rain!

We reach Kadamane around 8 PM. The detour via Bisle makes us take longer time.

It is time for some bubbly after a hard drive. We sit in the porch and the silence is broken only by cicadas. We want rain gods to answer our prayers. But we are not fortunate as Prabhu calls us for dinner. After a nice dinner we return to sit in the porch of the cottage for sometime  to immerse in the silence of the place. Still no signs of rain.

We wake up to the calls of birds in the morning. We look at the watch which tells me that it is only 6 AM. Being summer, the sun is already up. We open the door and come out. It is a lovely morning. Refreshing and soothing. There is a nip in the air and the sky is overcast. We walk around the cottage and see beautiful sights of clouds hugging the forest behind the cottage. We go for a morning walk through the estate clicking some nice pictures. The vistas of Kadamane looks lovely in the morning.

Kadamane estate in full glory in early morning light

These two tufts of forest on top of a manicured tea bushes looked like a young boy with mushroom cut!

The clouds were chugging the trees and sun plays hide and seek!

Pathway between cottages - notice the valley view

Tennis court built by British!

Thick shola forests populate the valleys

Green, Green everywhere!

This is my favourite......the monotony of green broken by white of the workers' shed

Wanted to experiment.......Tagore and Tea!!

Time for flowering of lovely Orchids

Tea garden bordered by forest. The contrast is great.

We return and Prabhu is ready with freshly brewed tea. We sit in the porch and sip the freshly brewed tea and watch the lovely surroundings. Cariappa who has finished his morning rounds join us and we start chatting. A young and energetic guy, Cariappa says that we should not miss visiting "5 Acres" a beautiful view point which is at a distance of 2 KMs from the bungalow. He confirms that we can take our Scorpio. We are game and plan to see this place after breakfast. He also talks about a trekking trail to a nearby falls which would take around three hours. We tell him that has to wait for next trip as we had to return to Bangalore by afternoon.

After an excellent breakfast, Prabhu joins us to guide us to "5 acres". It is a short drive and Scorpio does a good job as we reach the summit. It is a "WOW" experience as we get down from the car. This is an experience only a trekker can get when he reaches the summit. We are now on top of the hill!! A river flows in the middle which is now dried into a small stream. This must be a spectacular place when it is raining. 

Take a look at the pictures and you will agree why we said so.

Yours truly with the beast on top of the hill!!

The Beast on the greens!!

Five Acres - Awesome, Breathtaking and Just beautiful!!!. The following pictures were all taken at Five Acres

A video of the valley shot by us can be seen here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs3_Rmkx4QU

Radhika - Cariappa's wife - who is the Managing "Sinnadorai's Bungalow" meet us and we settle the bill, say goodbye to "Kadamane". An awesome place,we are sure to return to explore further when it is pouring. We missed the rain in Kadamane - a reason for us to get back in Monsoons. But we had an experience of our life as we went up to "5 Acres".

Once the renovation of the Bungalow is completed, the place will have nine rooms inside the bungalow and two cottages outside of it. Once done, we have no doubt that it will be a charming addition to list of places one should visit from Bangalore.

Returning back is quick as usual. We stop over on the highway near Solur to pick up fresh mangoes and jack fruit. We are back at home by 5 PM after a weekend spent amidst greenery.

Kadamane in Sakleshpur is a perfect weekend getaway from Bangalore.

Post Script - Though there are many home stays in Sakleshpur, we can say that this place is unique. The estate will be closed for visitors due to renovation and monsoons and will open in end August/first week of September. You may contact Ms Radhika Cariappa @ 94819 25930 for bookings. The renovation is done and the beautiful Buangalow welcomes you now. You can see this post on this blog for details 

Kadamane revisited

Here is their website - Sinnadorai's Bungalow @ Kadamane Estate

Travel Tips

Getting there

a) By Road - Sakleshpur is at a distance of 220 KMs from Bangalore and is a four hours of pleasant drive. There are many buses from Bangalore to Sakleshpur.

b) By Train - The Bangalore - Mangalore express train stops at Sakleshpur.

c) Nearest airport is Mangalore. Bangalore is also a convenient choice.

Stay options 

There are many resorts in Sakleshpur. There are also many  homestays in Sakleshpur apart from Sinnadorai's Bungalow at Kadamane estate.

For information on home stays and resorts in Sakleshpur please visit Homestays and Resorts in Malnad 

Some good options to stay in Sakleshpur are as follows

Mugilu - www.mugilu.com, 

Jenukallu - www.jenukallu.com  

Tusk and Dawn - http://www.tuskanddawn.com/ 

The Hills - www.thehills.in ,

Rottikallu - www.rottikallu.com

Makkithitta - http://www.makkithitta.com/

Hulivana - http://hulivana.com/

Activities

• Go for small hikes in forests. You may get a chance to see some animals in western ghats.
• Do a day trip to cover spectacular 57 feet monolithic statue of Bahubali atop a hill in Shravanabelagola, UNESCO Heritage temples at Belur and Halebid. ( See the post Halebid - Zenith of Hoysala Architecture! on sculptural marvels of Halebid in this blog)
• Drive up Bisle ghat for spectacular views of Western ghats
• Picnic on lush meadows
• Visit historic Manjarabad fort
• Visit famous temple of Kukke Subramanya
• Mountain biking
• Angling
• Off roading
• Do bird watching and see birds of western ghats
• Treks to waterfalls
• Just pick up a book and savor the clean, cool atmosphere!
• Do nothing!!

One can comfortably combine Sakleshpur with Coorg as the road from Sakleshpur to Coorg has lovely landscapes and road condition is good.

Glossary

Western Ghats - Mountain ranges in Peninsular India stretching for miles. A bio deiversity hotspot.

Maruti Omni - A small car famous as peoplemover in India
Darshan - one to one meeting with god!
Sinnadorai - Junior Manager. The Estate manager during British era in Kadamane estate was called as "Dorai" in South Indian language of Tamil which translates as " King or Boss". The Assistant manager or Junior Manager was called as "Sinnadorai". Sinna meaning Junior or Assistant.

Sakleshpur is breathtakingly beautiful after monsoon. You may look at this post 

Sakleshpur - Monsoon drive in western ghats!

Useful links

Western ghats - Western Ghats on Wiki
Sakleshpur - Sakleshpur on Wiki 

Bisle Ghat - Bisle Ghat on Wiki

Shravanabelagola - Serenity of Shravanabelagola

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