Hanle to Tso Moriri – Exploring Offbeat Ladakh

This article is in continuation with a previous one and a part of my Ladakh travelogue. The post below talks about our 10th day of the trip, Hanle to Tso Moriri (Karzok Village). To read the previous parts of the travelogue detailing our journey from Delhi to Leh via Manali Leh Highway, please click on the links below.

The journey so Far:

• Delhi to Manali via Bilaspur – Day 1 & 2
• Manali to Jispa via Rohtang Pass – Day 3
• Jispa to Sarchu – Day 4
• Sarchu to Leh – Day 5
• Leh City Sightseeing, Repairing Bikes & Shopping – Day 6
• Leh to Pangong Lake – Day 7
• Pangong Lake to Leh – Day 8
• Leh to Hanle – Day 9

We had slept peacefully the night before, and both woke afresh at 7 am. The morning rituals were comfortable and easy, unlike our last stay at Hanle, all thanks to the modern toilet at our homestay. The bikers from Bangalore were almost ready to leave. We bid them adieu before going for a breakfast of bread and eggs in the homestay’s very cozy kitchen.

The queue was long again at the telephone booth, so we resisted the urge to make one sync-up call to our friends at Leh. In any case, chances were pretty high that they would have left for Korzok already.

Our hosts for the night seemed to be a tad business-oriented, at least when compared with the folks at Spangmik. So after coughing up the money for the night before, we began our ride from Hanle to Tso Moriri by 8:30 am.

Day 10 – Hanle to Tso Moriri (Karzok)

A mini-jam created by a huge flock of Pashmina goats on the Hanle plains delayed our progress by 10 minutes or so; a delay that was much appreciated.

Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Hanle from Leh

We spotted several Kiangs en route, but eventually gave up stopping to shoot them as there were too many, and we did not have enough time. Barring one that came too close to the road, we did not stop for the rest of them. Hmmph, so much for the wild fauna of the Changthang cold wildlife national park!

Our homestay at Hanle, with the observatory visible on the distance hilltop

We bid adieu to the Hanle fort, not visiting it yet again

Helicopter Sighting at Rhongo

An hour and a half later, we stopped at Rhongo village to stretch our backs. A weird buzzing sound was coming from somewhere nearby, but it was nothing to talk about, or so we thought. We flexed our muscles, drank some water, opened up a small packet of dairy milk to munch upon and a packet of juice to relish.

The buzzing sound continued, but we still chose to ignore it. I took the camera out to shoot the lovely green village, and I was peering through the view-pane when a helicopter started to rise up some 50m ahead from where we stood! It was quite a sight! I quickly took a few shots before the helicopter went out of sight. We did not get the time to take out the 300 mm rifle.

The helicopter took another right turn in the distance, and this was when we realized that it was just practicing sorties as a training exercise. It came all the way back and now it picked up two huge bags, lying on the helipad, and took off again. It must be practicing for relief operations, we guessed.

We happily shot its antics, the 300 mm lens now very much in place.This was our second encounter with exotic army equipment in as many days, and my smitten ‘army’ kitten, Aarti, was only too happy to have witnessed this exercise live. I too was on a different kind of a high from that experience.

A surprising sight that awaited us on Hanle to Tso Moriri road

Loma Check-Post

We reached the Loma post again and signed ourselves off. That is when we saw one of the Bangalore biker guys coming from Chushul towards the post. We waited as he came back and informed us that one of the bikes had a flat tire on the way towards Pangong Tso.

Also Read: The Beasts Of Changthang Valley

I was surprised that the army jawans had let them go without permits for Chushul, but I guess these folks were ill-informed of the new rules prevalent in the region. To be honest, I was majorly jealous of their good luck. But such is life, sometimes you get all the permits you can dream of, at other times permits for the most basic places are denied.

The pretty setting of Rhongo Village

The ride back towards Nyoma was largely uneventful and through the same dramatic landscape, obviously. We resisted our temptation to take as many stops as the day before to capture it on our lens. The day’s ride was relatively short and we intended to keep it that way.

Nyoma

We were on the periphery of Nyoma at about 11 am when a strange structure on the side of the road aroused our interest. It was surprising that it had gone unnoticed yesterday. The structure was circular in shape and had 4 concrete stands erected all around it. It was close to the river and hence was lush green but had a small strip of bald land right in the middle.

We realized that it was a bloody cricket pitch with some semblance of a stadium/amphitheater around it! Cricket at 4100 m above sea level! I wonder how people manage to play here, I would be breathless on my first run for sure.

Also Read: Fuel Availability in Leh Ladakh – How to Manage?

We went back to the kind lady we had met the day before in Nyoma to buy the fuel we had promised. Although she was not there but was thoughtful enough to have asked her husband to wait up for us.

The agreed rate was 70 rupees a bottle, which I assumed to be a liter. However, they were selling it in beer bottles, which are typically 650ml. I was a bit confused earlier on how they were able to sell the fuel at lower than market prices, but now of course it made sense.

We did not mind the extra financial burden and bought all the fuel they had, around 10 L. With the fuel tank brimming to the top and the jerry cans already full, Tandi did not seem so far away.

A dramatic bend on the way to Nyoma

Regroup with the Rest​

We resumed our journey towards Korzok, our halt for the day. We crossed the ICVs once again but this time decided not to stop to gawk at them, rather just moved ahead. Up ahead in the distance, we saw a group of people with their bikes parked just before a bend. In the distance, neither their number plates nor the type of bikes was visible.

Hell, I was not even sure if they were on bikes. But I had a strong hunch that they would be our friends who began the day earlier from Leh and were supposed to meet us up at Korzok. Moving closer, we were delighted to see that it was indeed KD, Sagar, Gunjan, and Yeshu! Talk about great sync up at 4000 m above sea level!

Also Read: How to Prepare your Bike for Ladakh Trip

They were mesmerized by what lay ahead, and the other couple even rode a couple of km ahead to have a closer look at those tanks. When they returned, we all headed towards the check-post and took a break at the dhaba there. On a cup of tea, the police personnel posted there shared their stories with us about the area and mentioned that those ICVs (he called them tanks) were actually firing about-to-expire shells.

Apparently, those shells are pretty dangerous to keep lying around and need to be fired every now and then. The dual objectives of disposal and training are served at the same time, much like what we do for those fire extinguishers here in Delhi.

We were off towards the lake, for our final haul of the day, by about 12:30 pm.

More ICVs

​Mahe & Sumdo

The stretch between Mahe and Sumdo lay in a narrow valley and runs along a small stream. We were initially leading the group, but as it always happens, our frequent photography stops made us trail them instead. Aarti’s favorite pink sweatshirt, my sweater, and a couple of other things were tied with a bungee at the back.

Unknown to us, it was a bit lose and when we stopped for a shoot at Sumdo village, we realized that the sweater and sweatshirt were gone! We honked desperately hoping that others up ahead would stop and then we could turn back and look for the lost jacket, but alas they were too far ahead to hear us.

Fearing that sync up might be an issue further up, we decided to let go of the clothes and moved on, thinking of the pleasure some Changpa girl would get by wearing the pink sweatshirt. The sweater was a lost cause, so no tears were shed for that.

Also Read: Motorcycle Water Crossing Technique & Tips

Namshang La & Kiagar Tso

Aarti sulked throughout the climb to Namshang La, which can be described as the easiest climb to a pass ever! Hell, it should not even be called a La in the first place. A short break at the top and we were off.

The tarmac disappeared as we crossed Tso Kiagar, a small but beautiful lake of Ladakh. What was left was a sorry dirt track, which was quite a pain. It was dusty and full of small stones, making the ride till Korzok horrible.

It must have taken us at least an hour to reach the village which was hardly 20 km away. The cut for Chumur was marked with a decently sized board this time around, but what was surprising was that a lot of tourist buses were coming from that road. Maybe some people had decided to view the lake from the opposite bank.

Goddess poses at Namshang La

Bar-headed geese next to Tso Moriri

Karzok

Finally, we reach Korzok, our halt for the day, and found it to be quite congested as per Ladakhi standards. The roads were narrow. The town seemed to be much more well equipped for tourists than Spangmik at Pangong Tso. We immediately went down to what seemed to be luxury tents. Though quoted much higher, we negotiated a reasonable price of 1,100 bucks for the night for each tent.

Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Tso Moriri

It was a tad higher than homestays, but everyone had reached a consensus. After a sumptuous lunch of chowmein, a quick shower, and a cat nap, we were all set to spend the evening by the lake. The boys, who had skipped the nap and were coming back from the lake as we headed towards it, reported a nice spot where the road ended a little further up.

It was hardly a km away, and the dirt track climbed a steep gradient to reach a small hillock, where the road ends. The view of the lake and the village from this vantage point was absolutely fantastic.

Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Leh Ladakh – A Complete Travel Guide

Tso Moriri

It was already 6:30 and the sun was about to set, the golden light making the lake and the mountains that surround it look divine. The road towards Chumur seemed well marked on the opposite bank with at least 3 camps visible from this distance. I guess they were temporary camps of the road construction workers.

The calm waters of Tso Moriri

A 180-degree panorama from the viewpoint at dusk – it was a magical sight

As the evening progressed, the light over the lake changed quickly too

After soaking in the vistas, we rushed back to the tent and called it a night, marking an end to our journey from Hanle to Tso Moriri. The best part of the journey was almost over now, and what remained was a long ride back towards civilization. We will have to go back through the same route which we came upon a few days ago. And with that depressing thought, we drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

Journey Ahead: Tso Moriri to Manali

The ride the next day was going to see us move to Sarchu from Karzok and then eventually push off to Manali via Rohtang. Please click on the link above to read the next part of the travelogue.

Hanle to Tso Moriri – Conclusion

I hope the travelogue, pictures, and information on traveling from Hanle to Tso Moriri were of help. If you have any questions or need any other details, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum, and I will be glad to answer.