Ladakh Motorcycle Tour

• Flight from New Delhi International Airport (Terminal 3) to Leh Airport.
• Flight from Leh Airport to New Delhi International Airport.
• Airport Pickup & Drop.
• Royal Enfield Himalayan or Scram 411 as per rider’s choice.
• Twin-shared accommodation (additional $750 in case you prefer separate rooms).
• Backup SUV / Pickup Truck / Mini Bus.
• Protected Area Permit.
• Fuel.
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• Group Leader, Mechanic, Cultural Guide and Support Staff.
• Medical Aid (On-call doctor available).

The classic way to calculate the cost of a Ladakh motorcycle trip is to determine the expected individual expense. For instance: tour package price, international flight charges, visa fees, and other miscellaneous costs (helmet, boots, jacket, etc.).

Now once you have made a list of these expenses, curate them all and add them up to get a ballpark figure. However, this calculation is never accurate and never reliable as there is always a possibility of unexpected expense including but not limited to shopping.

To give you a realistic idea of the actual cost involved on a trip to Ladakh, let’s just say for a 9-day tour, take a note of the following expenses.

All in all, if you opt for a 9-day of motorcycle trip to Ladakh, you will have to keep a budget of $4,920 aside.

However, this expense can be controlled and kept to a bare minimum. The most common way to keep your spending under control is to keep a list of your expenses. We recommend our riders who participate in our guided tours to use TravelSpend, a fairly simple app that is free (basic version) and serves the purpose.

All you do is enter the expenses under the relevant categories (e.g., alcohol, shopping, snacks) to get a graphical representation of how much you have spent and how much you are probably going to spend in the upcoming days.

With rising altitude, the air pressure decreases and so does the ability of a body to absorb oxygen. However, once our body experiences conditions such as these, it immediately begins to adapt with the situation which can be seen by an increased heart beat in order to transport more oxygen to the blood. But this process may last for couple of days depending on the altitude you are riding.

Altitude sickness can affect riders of all age groups, both men and women, smokers and non-smokers alike. Therefore, it is best to address the problem before it becomes worse.

In short, mild symptoms of altitude sickness are quite common while touring in Ladakh. These symptoms fade away in a couple of days as you begin to acclimatize. So, during the first few days of your arrival, make sure you wear warm clothes and maintain a healthy diet.

Staying hydrated enough with electrolyte and water will also help your body to absorb oxygen better. Butter tea, fresh juice, and warm soup will also help, but refrain from alcohol at least for first few days.

Further Reading: How To Prevent Mountain Sickness On A Motorcycle Tour of Himalayas

All the participants that would like to venture on a motorcycle tour of Ladakh are required by law to obtain an Indian visa prior to their departure from home country.

This applies to all foreign nationals, including those from Europe, UK and USA. However, you don’t need to visit any Indian embassy for this, as you can submit the application form online directly with the Bureau of Immigration (Click here to visit website).

Your Indian visa will be emailed to you once it has been issued, and all you have to do is print it out and carry along with you.

Advice: Since you are visiting the country just for leisure, you can apply for an e-visa, also known as ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization), which is the cheapest and fastest way to get a tourist visa.

All the participants that have private insurance cover need to check their policy for international coverage. Typically, coverage outside the home country is limited, and not all policies include medical evacuation in the event of mishap.

This is why we recommend that you choose a specialized travel health insurance that covers your health outside of your home country as well. This type of insurance will protect you in case you fall sick or require any kind of treatment during your trip.

Subject to certain conditions, it will also cover the cost of return transport. Moreover, these insurances are not very expensive and usually cost around $150 for a two-week long trip.

In order to guarantee a quality service at a reasonable price, we require a certain number of participants. As such, we require a minimum number of 6 riders (excluding pillion riders) to successfully commence a guided motorcycle tour.

In the event that this is not achieved, we can propose an exclusive private motorcycle tour for you and your friends for a small surcharge.

Likewise, a maximum of 14 riders are allowed in a group in order to guarantee a satisfactory experience.

A group of 6 or more riders may, by mutual consent, request customization before booking the tour. Such customizations may include a change in the overall duration of the tour, starting date, addition of specific destinations, altogether different motorcycles, or changes in the level of difficulty.

As an alternate to the aforementioned motorcycle tour, we also have few other routes on offer. Feel free to explore our entire range of Himalayan motorcycle tours to get a detailed insight.

All the pillion riders accompanying the tour have a guaranteed seat in the backup vehicle.

However, do note that we may change the vehicle type depending on the number of pillion riders accompanying the tour. For instance, a couple of pillion riders can easily relax in the back seat of an SUV, but if the group size is significantly big, we would switch to a 15-seater mini-bus.

Yes, international travelers must carry their country-issued driver’s license along with international driver’s license in order to drive any kind of motorized vehicle in India.

This international driver’s license is a kind of translation of your country issued license and is meant to make it easier for the officials or the traffic patrol officer to check whether you are authorized to ride a motorcycle or not.

Apart from a valid driver’s license, passport and your ETA / Visa, all the international riders visiting Ladakh need to carry a Protective Area Permit (PAP Act 1958) to visit regions that are close to the international borders or are deemed restricted by the Government of India to ensure the protection of ecosystem and the local culture alike.

Not to worry though, the day you arrive in Ladakh, our representative will ensure that you have this important document issued before we enter in these restricted regions.

Do note however, if you are a diplomatic passport holder, a member of the United Nations, or a citizen of any neighboring countries of India (see list here), you will have to apply for this permit yourself three months in advance from either Indian Ministry of External Affairs or Home Affairs.

You are required to deposit cash in the amount of $500 prior to the start of the tour. This deposit will be refunded in full after inspecting your motorcycle at the end of the tour.

And while all minor tumbles or tip-overs that do not significantly damage the motorcycle are generally covered by us, no refunds shall be made in the event of a serious fall, particularly involving negligence on the part of rider.

As a guided motorcycle tour operator, we bear the responsibility for carrying all the luggage on the tour. We usually bring a pickup truck along on these kinds of tours to store reserve fuel, spare parts, and luggage of all the tour participants.

Except for some remote locations where even Indian sims won’t work, almost all regions in the Himalayas have an Internet connection.

So, in most cases, you will have access to a Wi-Fi network in your hotels, through which you can connect with your friends and family back home. Besides, we usually lend a cell phone to our group in case the local network is slow or has a poor connection. All in all, the choice is yours!

All the Indian traffic laws and regulations apply to the Himalayan region of Ladakh as well.

Remember that vehicles in India drive on the left side of the road. Moreover, as a motorcyclist, always make way for bigger vehicles in case they are overtaking or are coming from the opposite direction.

And remember, honking in India is not at all offensive. It is sometimes used as a gesture to warn someone or as a precaution while entering a blind curve.

Road signs are equally important to understand as they guide drivers on the road. Read everything about them here.

Motorcycle touring in Ladakh also means relaxing over a cup of tea or enjoying your time with a delicious bowl of hot soup and noodles in between.

You will find many restaurants and cafés that serve authentic traditional dishes as well as international cuisines (Chinese, Nepalese, etc.), so you can really indulge in anything you like.

As for beverages, in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, there are many good bars and pubs that offer countless alcoholic options such as scotch, wine and beer. In the other remote regions, you won’t find much except for beer, so you can keep some reserve in the backup vehicle if you wish.

It is advised to carry Indian rupees with you during the entire tour period.

All the international travelers are allowed to carry a maximum of 25,000 rupees while crossing international borders. However, you can bring in up to US$5,000 in cash into India without following any legal formalities. Should you wish to bring in more foreign currency, you will need to fill out a customs declaration form provided by the authorities.

Upon arrival in India, you can either use your credit / debit card with pin to withdraw cash from the ATMs found almost in every part of the city, or you can visit a foreign exchange counter at the airport.