Sleepless in Sarchu : Tweaking the Manali-Leh Highway
May 22, 2008
Sleepless in Sarchu : Tweaking the Manali-Leh Highway
The Manali-Leh is only one of four land routes to Leh. It is also the road you love to hate , if you recognise the early signs of hypoxia and altitude sickness.
Doing this rod you have two main options : basic risk reduction (which probably will spare you from anything more dramatic than headaches and mild nausea ) and tweaking the itinerary so that you are closer to full working order , every day.
BASIC RISK REDUCTION :
* Get a night in Keylong
* Don´t sleep in Sarchu , aka The Vomit Hilton
That´s all there is to it , really : with a night in Manali (2050) and the next in Keylong (just under 3100 ) , you´ll certainly feel better the night in Keylong than anyone flying in to Leh, from three reasons : Manali is higher than 1500 meters , Keylong is some 400 meters lower than Leh , and the Rothang La is 900 meters higher than Keylong. The second leg of the road is the real challenge , moving for a major part between the altitudes of Mont Blanc and Everest Base Camp but most people scrape by even when doing the the all night Manali-Leh run if they don´t get any lengthy delays at max altitude . This is an important caveat , I have experienced being snagged around five thousand meters twice , and the first time it involved dealing with an unconscious fellow passenger.
TWEAKS :
TWEAK # 1 : THIRD NIGHT RULE
The first major change that adaption to altitude brings about is the ability to hyperventilate , a change that you obviously want to be on the right side of before hitting the 5000+ passes . This shift occurs somewhere around the third night at altitude, 2000 to 3000 meters, for the large majority. The more time you´ve spent around 3000 , the better : always chose a night in Keylong over a night in Manali. After your three nights , safe ascent guide lines still apply : if you want to do Sarchu , do it on the return leg.
TWEAK # 2 : STARTING POINTS
The plane :
Acclimatization starts , very slowly , at 1500 meters altitude. A marginal tweak that comes in to play here is the time before Delhi : a long intercontinental flight can be a slight advantage , if you don´t faff about in Delhi. If you don´t have a clear goal with staying in Delhi, arrange your next leg of the trip beforehand : trains from the IIndia Rail site , buses via Redbus
SHIMLA
Shimla is at 2200 meters , and easily reached from Delhi : take the night train (22-ish) to Kalka , and the connecting toy train 5.30 , arriving in Shimla , lunch time. Overnight buses connect with Manali.
DHARAMSALA
Dhasa is at … well , to start with it´s spread out along a series of ridges . The highest sections are around 1800 meters , just over the threshold for acclimatization response. Don´t expect any substantial acclimatization effects from a short stay. On the other hand there are some treks starting here which will give you a definitive edge , like going to and staying overnight at Triund (2800-ish).
MANALI
Manali is at 2050 meters , a working but not ideal altitude to start acclimatization. The first tweak is to go on past Manali to Solang, some twenty klicks north , which lands you at 2500 meters.
Secondly you have Vashisht on the east side of the river : a lot lower than Solang , but still higher than Manali , and within backpacker budget.
The third possible tweak here is to take a day trip up to the Rothang . HPTDC buses makes daily runs in season.
I heard there is a lower place after Sarchu that is a sleeping stopover. Do you have any inofrmation on this?
After Darcha (3400) you come to Patseo (3800) . Beyond that everything is 4000+ until the sharp drop down to Upshi , same altitude as Leh. Very nice location , but practically no one going by jeep or bus stop here since it´s fifty klicks from Leh , with a very good road. I remember seeing one or two guest houses from the road , but have never stopped.
I think Mike must be talking about Pang – some people sleep at Pang. However it is not lower than Sarchu.
Vistet, do you have the right altitude of Bharatpur city – the group of tents below the Baralacha La? Could it be this place instead? There is no proper accommodation for the tourist but it is possible to sleep in the tent restaurant. You need to bring your own sleeping bag. This an option only if you are travelling with own transport.
Pang is almost exactly 4500, i.e. 250 meters higher than Sarchu.Bharatpur – valley opening wide, a series of ridges on your left, meandering streams below-right, and a puddingesque mountain dead ahead, new colors every time. Beautiful place, would love to stay there , doubt very much it´s lower than Sarchu though.
Janne Corax notes a LP , “lowest point” at 4200 , after Sarchu.
At tthis point I should fire up Google Earth again , but I´m thinking of another way of finding out…
Dear Vistet, Thanks for appraising us about AMS. We will e travelling by SX4 and Corolla in Mid June, 2009. After Ambala we will take one night halt at Manali? near Vashishta. We have planned to stop as per your recommendation at Jispa or Keylong for next night halt.Can we opt for night at Patseo, instead? Where do we stay? We don’t have tents or sleeping bags. But we can have them, if required-by borrowing or purchasing. Is there any significant accommodatio facility at Patseo?
Thanks.
Kamleshrut.
why do guys worry about High Altitude I d’ont understand …Is it a kind of phobia that you have created .Just take normal little precautions and drive with safety .I have seen 56 old year people crossing the passes without any hassle .
cheers
ATB
Well , that´s what this post is about : what is sensible precaution -maybe staying near safety guide lines , viewing them the same way we see diving tables ?
Meanwhile that “phobia” that has killed a number of Hindu pilgrims this year en route to Kailash . On the road. And not on the passes. Understanding what makes you sick is the best precaution. The 56 year old argument is also a bit self defeating since the 50+ actually cope better with altitude , statistically. Could be behavior and experience , there are also anatomical differences that can work in this way.
Dear Vistet Sir,
I agree with you. We were 7 persons in 2 cars as mentioned. And 5 out of 7 had AMS. We stayed at Manali 1st night, Keylong 2nd night and a marathon drive on 3rd day to reach Leh [well we had to call it a day opon reaching Upshi]. It was the unforgettable as well as a ‘must repeat’ experience for us. Of course, the headache and vomiting were hell like experience. But we got thro’ unscathed. In our group we had doctors – pediatrician, anaesthesiologist and surgeon as well. And we respect your recommendation. We took all the precautions. However, we felt that it requires at least 5-6 days for some acclimatization. Worst is the stuck up part at high altitude. If AMS hits you, you will be doomed. And if not you are a luckier one.
Thanks again for your warnings.