Ladakh in April
 

Good morning guys!

Once again it's that time of the year where myself and a few friends start looking at bike trips. This year it's looking like it will be India.

The idea is to fly into New Delhi, hire bikes and head north to see Ladakh/Leh and ride Khardung La.

However...being early in the year is this feasible? Will the roads be passable or is it not worth the risk of flying out and not being able to get anywhere? or being absolutely freezing cold and miserable...

Alternative to this is to fly into Mumbai and ride down the West coast to Kerala and fly back from there. Slightly concerned this route may not be as picturesque as Kashmir/Ladakh though.

Any comments/thoughts/general advice would be appreciated.

The route down the west coast, now NH66 can be nice especially if you go up into the Western Ghats to Jog Falls, Ooty, Madikeri and even down to Munnar where you will find one of the best biking roads in southern India, from there down to the coast and back up through Kerala to Goa. It will be getting a bit warm on the coast and be cooler in the hills but a good trip.
From what I know it is too early for Ladakh which probably would be the more spectacular route, others might know better.

Hi Tom,

Option 2 - from Mumbai seems nicer as you many never know that roads got blocked in northern India.

West coast route is nowhere near as picturesque as Ladakh, utterly different, though not a bad place to visit. But it's your only choice out of the two, as I don't think the high (5000 m+) passes into Ladakh open until late May or even June.

Northern and Central India get damn hot in April, as this is when the pre-monsoon heat is building.

You could still get to Srinagar and see how far into Kashmir you can get, the scenery will be far more spectacular than the west coast route, but you'll end up doubling back at some point.

If you have to go in April, I would look at a route lower down in the Himalaya, or go to the NE of India, but the better option would be to wait a couple of months and go to Ladakh.

EO

thanks guys.

Ok so all things considered (time off work being a big factor in timing) it seems better to do mid-South India.

Decdied New Delhi to Kerala is too long for a relatively short trip and hat we'd be trying to fit too much in so going to do Mumbai to Kerala I think.

Any advice on what to see along the way and in the surrounding areas will be appreciated!

Thanks

Did you end up taking that trip? I'm headed to Kerala this February and would love some advice.