Ladakh – The complete guide to Leh – Manali Road – IV
Stopping at Keylong
The mountains raise so high that I have to bend down to have a look at the summits through my hotel window. I can see the bottom of the valley, but the river has carved a gorge for itself deep enough to hide the flow from the view. Lower slopes are green, with square fields of aloo-matar and willows along their edges. But it is brown and barren high up. On the high peaks and depressions of the slopes are bits of snow that have survived the summer.
Keylong’s edifices look tiny against these giant mountains. Allow me some cliche here: standing high on the slopes of one of those mountains, they look like tiny matchboxes spread haphazardly on the floor. The town is a good stopover if you have your own vehicle and travelling to Leh at an easy place. It is not too high a place to sleep, and summers are reasonably warm. The great views are a bonus.
If you are charmed by the views or stuck (like we were) waiting for transportation for the way ahead, there is enough in Keylong to keep you occupied. The two monasteries near the town – Shashur and Kardang – are midway up the mountains on the opposing slopes. Lucky few (again, like we were) may end up arriving here on a day when a festival is on at the monastery. Celebrations here are usually tourist-free, unlike the crowded ones in Ladakh.
Most hotels in town are spread along the mall road. Being a popular stopover, the hotels tend to get full for most of the duration when Manali-Leh highway is open. If you haven’t booked ahead, the next option is to search at the ‘old bus stand’ on the Manali-Leh road, where the hotels tend to have rooms available.
Landing up at Keylong and trying to find transportation for the way ahead can be hard. The luxury buses from Manali usually run full. The uncomfortable Delhi-Leh bus run by Himachal Road Transport Corporation is not exactly the best option, but even that can get filled up quickly. Drokpa Travel on mall road can book private cabs from Keylong or shared taxis leaving from Manali.
Ahead of Keylong, the road gently climbs up along Bhaga Valley and slowly makes its way to no man’s land.