Ladakh Ride Day 5 – Amritsar to Ramban
We woke up early morning and packed the rest of the luggage, loaded it onto the motorcycle, and cold-started it. We paid the hotel bills and started around 08:00 AM. Our initial plan was to reach Srinagar (Approx 440 KM) by evening so that we could get a full day for sightseeing in Srinagar, but we ended up riding from Amritsar to Ramban.
We refueled at a nearby fuel station and headed towards the highway. Shortly, we crossed the traffic congestion near a popular bus stand and reached the four-lane highway.
Roads were pretty much smooth, and we started cruising around 90 Kmph, and in no time we crossed Batala and Gurdaspur. We stopped for a tea break and waited for 15 minutes to feel the breeze. Still, many Kilometres to cover, so we started, and this time we planned to halt near Lakhanpur toll plaza, yes, at the Punjab and J&K border.
But we ended up stopping near Malikpur, again we had tea and cakes. During the discussion on road conditions, the shop owner advised taking the Samba-Udhampur direct road rather than the NH via Jammu. Google Maps also suggested this route, so we were pretty much confident to take that SH. We reached Lakhanpur, and I wanted to capture the moment to enter the J&K border. So I stopped a few kilometers before, tried to set up the Action camera, and somehow it started, and we captured the moment.
After a few kilometers roads got smoother, and quickly we reached Samba from where we needed to take a right towards Udhampur. Roads were being constructed in some sections. But the surrounding beauty was so eye-soothing. We were maintaining around 50-60 Kmph. There were a lot of potholes, hump, and bad patches that made us tired, and then we finally stopped for a break. We stopped near a bridge, one railway overbridge was there, we captured a few pictures, and enjoyed Maggi & Tea.
Reaching Udhampur was a task for us through this kind of road, but somehow we managed till Udhampur.
Oh my god, it was more pathetic later. As per locals, almost the entire road till the Jawahar tunnel was under construction, which caused massive traffic congestion. With lots of dust and mud in some sections, we questioned our decision to reach Srinagar. Then we again stopped and had tea.
Local said the four-lane highway is under construction, and they also suggest we stay either in Banihal or in Ramban. Otherwise, we may reach Srinagar around midnight. As always, we decided to ride as long as possible and would take a night halt in case of bad roads.
Through all these bad patches, we reached Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, which was like cold water in the middle of a desert. Inside this tunnel, we felt like all the vehicles were roaring. A few morons drove very carelessly, and sometimes they even came into the opposite lanes. This 9.2 KM tunnel lasted for 9 minutes only, then we had to face the bad patch again.
Once we thought of staying at Patnitop, but we had to drop that plan as well due to a shortage of days.
With all these obstacles, we reached Ramban around 05:45-06:15 PM and stayed at the booked hotel, Ramban Regency, for a cheap price, although the room was good and clean. But the real problem was food. For snacks, we order Tea & Chicken Pakora and Chilly Chicken & Fried rice for dinner. All the items were the worst I’ve ever had. Even my wife fell sick the next day.
As always, we put everything in charge and planned to reach Srinagar the next day; instead of a full day sightseeing, we planned to have a Shikara ride and roam around local places.
Conclusion​
Being a remote place, a lot of preparation is needed before the Leh Ladakh Tour, be it mentally or physically. Don’t forget the weather in the Ladakh region is extreme, and most of us are not accustomed to it.
So, be prepared, and everything in your Leh Ladakh tour will go well. You may also check out below generic posts below to make your Leh Ladakh trip successful and memorable. I am sure you will love it.
- How to prepare for Ladakh
- Things to Carry in Ladakh
- Medicines needed in Ladakh
- How to fight AMS or High Altitude Sickness
- Mobile Network Connectivity in Ladakh
- Inner Line Permit Procedure for Ladakh
- Complete Guide for your Ladakh Trip
If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.
Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.
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