I did my Ladakh trip entirely by Bike and trust me it wasn’t that difficult. Neither did I had Oxygen issues nor was I terrified of the Roads. But my very recent Spiti trip made me realize how one can go entirely wrong by not packing the essential items. A spiti and Ladakh trip is not a 2 days trip nor is it child play either. You have to plan it properly. Starting from the Season that you are planning to visit in, the gears, the clothes, shoes, some snacks and the most important thing a first aid box. Well! I know it’s a lot but this trip is like no other trip. These are the mandatory things that you must Pack for a Ladakh and Spiti Road Trip.
Basic Items to Pack for the Spiti / Ladakh Road Trip
- Carry at least one Rain Protector- a small Rain sheath will do.
- Pack Cotton Clothes so that you don’t get wet in your own sweat during the day.
- Carry at least 2 Winter Jacket as the nights in these region gets colder.
- Take extra pair of socks or you can also get them from the local market
- Buy Gloves and woolen headwear to protect from the chills during the night
- One Thermal wear
- Sunglasses
- SunScreen and Moisturizer
Food Items to carry on a Ladak -Spiti Road Trip
- Always keep some Vitamin -c chewable
- Dry Fruits
- You can always get local fruits from the Locale market
- Even though Spiti and Ladakh have places remotely located, but you will still find places where you can eat Omelete, Maggi, or Parathas and biscuits. You need not worry about food.
What you must pack in your Emergency First Aid Kit for this Road Trip?
Well! The weather is quite unexpected in the mountains. You never know, when it will rain, or snow or whatever. But one thing you must understand is that you are traveling to places that are at a great distance from sea level. So, it might take time to get acclimatize. There are places like Kaza where people stop by to get acclimatize. For a safer side, these are the items you must carry in your first-aid box on a spiti road trip
- Band-Aids
- Cotton
- Stomach-Ache tablets
- Diamox to deal with Acute Mountain Sickness. It is possible that you might not get this tablet from your local chemist, you can always get a prescription from the doctor and use it during emergencies
- Any medicine for Fever and Cold
- Cofsils to keep your throat clear of any throat infections
- Oxymeter – To measure your Oxygen level
- If you have some space left, you can also carry a small electric heat pad and vaporizer. This is when you are on a long trip to Spiti.
How to deal when you feel breathless at some places in Spiti and Ladakh?
Feeling Breathless in Leh and some places in Spiti is quite normal. Except for taking a Diamox, keep yourself hydrated. Drink Lots of water ingested with Garlic. Yes! the locals suggested we put garlic in our water bottles and keep on sipping it. If, someone from your group is feeling more breathless than others then avoid giving them milk or milk tea too.
Places where you will feel Acute Mountain Sickness more than any other places in Spiti and Ladakh-Leh
On your Leh trip, You will experience a low level of oxygen in Leh town and in Pangong Lake. Especially during the night, the temperatures dip a lot in Pangong, just keep drinking warm water.
On your Spiti trip, You will experience Acute Mountain Sickness in Chitkul, Kaza, Dhankar, Losar, Batal, and on the way from Losar till you reach Khoksar.
What must Bikers keep ready for their Spiti Road Trip?
Apart from the Essential Bike Gears, Riding clothes, and Tool Kit, always ensure to keep your tanks full. Since there will be regions where you won’t find Petrol stations and you don’t want to get stuck for hours.
Lastly, Carry a BSNL SIM, Spiti and Ladakh sometimes have no network for Airtel or Vodafone. Keep an extra BSNL SIM to communicate with your fellow members.
As I said, A Road trip to Spiti and Ladakh is like no other road trip and you must carry these essential items so that your Journey is smooth, unlike the Roads.
