The flat terrain and straight roads near Sarchu do not last long. Crossing Tsarap river soon after Sarchu, the road starts climbing suddenly, forming the most dramatic section of the road since leaving Manali. A series of hairpin bends take the vehicles up by more than 1500 feet in less than an hour’s time. Peeping out through the window, what you get is the top view of the vehicles trailing below and layers of roads going back and forth at different heights. Gata loops, as they are called, have more than 20 switchback loops that quickly climb up above 15,000 feet.
At the end of the climb is the views of vast planes of Sarchu far below and the road taken to come up from there. On the other side of the valley are the mountain ranges of Zanskar that do not look very high from where we are standing. A few walking trails go across these mountains that make me wonder what on earth do people do by crisscrossing this barren valley. I would later learn, as I explore the valleys of Zanskar, that it could be one of the trails that emerges out of Zanskar to Sarchu, used by locals as well as trekkers occasionally. Leh – Manali highway may be a barren land but even here, you are never too faraway from people and habitation.
As we climb up the loops, I saw a truck overturned and fallen out of the road. Thankfully it is a relatively flat location and the truck hadn’t taken the plunge into the valley. It seemed to be a very recent accident – the driver of the truck had climbed up on it and was assessing the damages done. The Border Roads Organization that manages these roads was very quick to respond: they had already arrived with a crane and were working out a rescue plan. It did not look like the truck suffered too many damages, and seemed fit enough to continue on the journey once they get it back on the wheels.
For the treacherous mountain roads of Manali-Leh highway, accidents seem to be few and far apart. The rate of accidents seemed much less than what we see along the highways in the plains, where people drive recklessly and get into trouble when they run out of control. But one bad turn and there won’t be much hope for the vehicle and its occupants. Along the entire stretch of the road, I could notice at least half a dozen trucks that took the terrible tumble down the mountain. What remained of them were just skeletons of the frame, after every useful part was removed and taken away – engine, gear assembly and wheels included.
At the top of the Gata loops is Nakeela (altitude – 15,547 feet or 4740 meters), which for some reason is left out from most of the maps and travelogues that I had looked up before taking the route. It is a BRO sign on the top that first introduced me to the pass. The terrain is very dry after Nakeela with no streams or rivers to sight. As if to compensate for it, we witnessed mild snowfall as we drove over the pass, which morphed into a drizzle when we lost some height. The landscape ahead gets monotonous as the road descends into a dry valley and quickly climbs up towards the next pass – Lachlung la (altitude – 16,616 feet or 5065 meters).
There is again some change in the landscape when the road approaches Pang, as life is infused into the scnery from the clear flow a stream – Kangla Jal. It soon widens to appear like a river, flowing next to the army camp and parachute tents of Pang (altitude – 15,200 feet or 4600 meters). Pang’s setup is much different from earlier campsites. Looming far away on the way to Leh are the mountains leading towards the highest pass on the road. Eroded mountain cliffs raise suddenly behind the camps, and in the other direction is Kangla Jal flowing over a rocky bed. Just across the tourist tents is an army camp where a sign proudly proclaims it as the “world’s highest transit camp”.
Keylong to Sarchu
+ Next: Ladakh – The complete guide to Leh – Manali Road – VII
Pang to Leh via Morey Plains and Tanglang La
