Ladakh Uncharted: Himalayan Basecamp Off-Road Ride Experience

Twenty years ago, I set out on my first motorcycle ride to Ladakh – the land of the high passes, non-existent roads and a ride that used to be a test of man and machine alike. Today, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has done an excellent job of making and maintaining smooth tarmac, even up to the world’s highest motorable mountain passes. These days, anyone with time on hand can make the drive (or ride) up to the roof of the world, with a little bit of planning.

When the opportunity to choose any planned ride during Royal Enfield’s first edition of Himalayan Basecamp came up, I chose what I thought would offer a different flavour – a glimpse of Ladakh through uncharted trails, mostly off-road.

The name seemed apt as well – Ladakh Uncharted – and I joined a party of over a dozen other riders, mostly strangers, from different backgrounds on the nearly day-long off-road ride.

Ladakh Uncharted: A Ride Into the Unknown

Our job for the day was to play “follow the leader” – in this case, Jamie Robinson, a former British racer who somewhere along the way, swapped his racing leathers for adventure gear.

I’ve had the Himalayan 450 for a couple of days by then and had ridden it for over 100 km just the day before along the Zanskar. It was not unfamiliar, having ridden it on multiple occasions in the past. In fact, I was convinced I understood the 450 well, over whatever came our way. Within the first 10 minutes of the ride, the terrain corrected me, but that was more due to riding in a tight-packed convoy.

Also Read: Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 First Ride Review

We took a left from the single-track right out of Chuchot Grounds, on the outskirts of Leh, the venue for the Himalayan Basecamp festival. A few hundred metres down the trail, we approached our first obstacle, a rocky mini-pass, which had several riders struggling to find traction before taking a sharp right-hander along a canal.

Coming to a halt behind other riders isn’t the ideal situation to be in, particularly when you’re in unfamiliar company. But that mini-pass proved to be not much of a challenge, and we were soon on our way, a convoy of Himalayans riding merrily along the canal.

Off-Road Ladakh: Beyond the Tarmac

The surface was a mix of sandy sections, hard-packed gravel and rocks. The front wheel would dance sideways over a patch of round stones, and years of experience riding off-road came in handy.

I let the bike move under me, keeping my arms relaxed, standing up, legs slightly bent at the knee and upper body over the bars, eyes up and past the immediate 10-15 feet of ground in front of the wheel, rather than being fixed on it.

A small stream flowing across a rocky patch threw up a minor water crossing experience – nothing major, but just deep enough to splash up some water over a rocky bed. I remembered the basics – body position relaxed, I crawled through without drama.

Jamie was constantly egging on all the riders, with encouraging yells, high-fives and slaps on the back. I’m certain every single rider in our motley group felt truly accomplished by the end of the day’s ride.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

The Sherpa 450 has enough mid-range grunt to get the bike moving through difficult sections without requiring constant clutch work. There were moments when I simply picked a line, kept the throttle steady and let the motorcycle work its way through.

The excellent suspension set-up of the Himalayan 450 once again proved itself. The Himmie plodded through ruts, rocks and depressions. On occasion, the rear would step out momentarily on gravel, but instead of panic, there’s almost a sense of glee and satisfaction. A stab at the throttle there, a quick correction, and the slide would settle. Small incidents, but enough to paste the perpetual grin on my face under the helmet.

To its credit, the bike kept sorting itself out and as long as I kept my nerves, it sailed over all kinds of surfaces without a whimper.

But it’s not all magic. There were sections I had to slow down and concentrate on every metre ahead. And when the surface became particularly loose, the Himalayan’s weight made itself known.

Ladakh may be all smooth tarmac now, good news for the usual tourist. But for the adventurer, there’s still plenty beyond the black top. By afternoon, I felt almost transported back two decades, to my first ride up the Manali-Leh highway, where every stretch promised something new.

We stopped for lunch at a small resort in the middle of nowhere – places like these are hard to find in Ladakh these days.

Respect Altitude and Change Your Attitude

Ladakh is beautiful, but it isn’t easy.

At altitude, even simple physical tasks can become surprisingly tiring. If you’re flying into Leh, be honest and sincere about acclimatising for the first 24 hours. That means, it’s best to avoid walking, strolling around Leh or general sightseeing.

A colleague from a different publication was hit by acute mountain sickness, or AMS. He had to be taken to hospital, given oxygen and then sent back home to sea level the next day.

And even after spending three days in Leh, the altitude makes its presence, more so, when you’re on a slightly different kind of ride, or going up a high pass.

The Himalayan is no featherweight enduro, or dual-sport. Pick it up after tipping it over, manoeuvre it through a tight rocky section or wrestle it around a steep slope, and you will realise you’re dealing with a substantial machine.

The Himalayan Experience

And that’s the whole point perhaps. The Himalayan was designed for this terrain, born out of what Royal Enfield owners have been doing for decades anyway on simple 350 cc machines.

The Himalayan just makes riding in Ladakh feel easier and more natural.

The performance will have you grinning every time you head up a twisty ribbon of tarmac up a high mountain pass.

And if you decide to leave tarmac behind to see what’s beyond it, it is a rugged machine that can take substantial beating and take you through and over almost everything you throw at it.

You don’t get your best experiences of Ladakh easily. Sure, a fast ride up a high mountain pass could make for an experience of a different kind.

For me, the Ladakh Uncharted experience was one of its kind – one rocky climb, one loose trail, one water crossing at a time.

By the time we got back to tarmac and headed back, it felt like the ride was over all too soon. I, for one, could have done with a few more trail rides with the Himalayan. Heading back to Basecamp, ordinary roads felt almost boring. Long after the ride, I feel I certainly need to get hold of a Himalayan again, soon.