Manali to Leh One Day Bus Service by HRTC

by Vargis.Khan

Yes, you read it right. Now it is possible to travel from Manali to Leh by Bus in one day. Manali to Leh one day Bus service was a recent addition by HRTC to cut short the total travel time between two places. This will be greatly beneficial for people who did not have a lot of days for the trip. What’s more? You can even book your ticket online.

Also read: How to Plan a Trip to Ladakh – Complete Travel Guide

I remember about a decade ago, Manali to Leh by road was considered a 3 day’s journey minimum. Any less was thought to be rushed and unsafe. In recent times, the duration was reduced to 2 days and that is how people traveled. The time frame seems to have gotten even lesser this year onward.

manali to leh one day bus service

Manali to Leh One Day Bus Service

There were two types of bus services available between Manali and Leh earlier. One was the HPTDC Deluxe Bus and the other one being the ordinary HRTC Bus. Both of these were a 2 day’s journey with a night halt at Keylong. This new bus service however will take you through the entire highway in a single day.

It will start from Manali at 4 AM and will reach Leh by 8:30 PM. The fare per person is Rs. 833 for one way journey. You can book your ticket online at HRTC Online Portal. Click on “Book Tickets Online” towards right side of the page at the top.

It will take you to the next page where you can search for the bus. In the dropdown, select your preferred date and make online bookings.  There is also a tab that read “Select Seats”. Clicking on it will show you the Bus layout and you can even select your own seats in the bus.

Also read: How to Travel to Ladakh by Bus and Shared Taxis

Below is the schedule of the Bus

It will start from Manali at 4.00 AM so please ensure that you reach the bus stand at around 3.30 AM. The Bus will cross over Rohtang Pass in dark and arrive at Kokhsar at 7.00 AM. By 9 AM it will reach Keylong; Sarchu at 1.20 PM and finally at Leh by 8.30 PM.

Also read: How to Handle Acute Mountain Sickness in Ladakh

Benefits

This bus service of course will have its own set of advantages and disadvantages. I will list down a few that come to mind.

  • The biggest benefit will of course be of time. Now you can actually make to Leh even from Delhi in two days. Just board a Delhi to Manali Bus in the morning and then Manali to Leh bus. It has shortened the duration of the journey tremendously.
  • This bus service is also a great option for people traveling in a limited budget.
  • It also saves the hassle of changing buses and looking for hotel for night stay at Keylong.
  • You can complete the journey in a single day without worrying about driving yourself all the way.

Disadvantages

There are however a few disadvantages as well which too I will list.

  • It is too long a journey and bound to get you tired. You are covering almost 500 kilometers and across 5 high altitude passes in 15 hours non-stop on a long winding road.
  • Acute Mountain Sickness is definitely going to hit you and probably hit you hard.
  • You will miss a lot of scenery as well once you start from Manali in dark and then cover the last bit of the journey in dark again.

Below is a picture of the notice at Manali Bus stand near Mall road.

Manali to Leh One Day Bus Service – Conclusion

I hope the information above on Manali to Leh one day bus service was 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.

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27 comments

Yusuf August 15, 2019 - 12:28 pm

Thank for making such clear and beautiful explain about journey.
I had two questions below if you can help it would be greats..

Can I get bus from leh to Manali in last last week of September -2019?

And also share price of shared taxi and also tempo traveler cost per person?

Reply
Vargis.Khan August 15, 2019 - 10:58 pm

You are welcome !!! The one day bus service is not available this year but you can get the 2 days bus in September as well. See the following post please.

https://vargiskhan.com/log/manali-to-leh-bus-2019/

Reply
Vishnu August 6, 2019 - 4:32 pm

Hi.. need to know about buses from leh to manali.. and how to book tickets for the same?

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Divyansh bhojane July 20, 2019 - 9:17 am

Manali to leh one day bus running august 2019??

Reply
Vargis.Khan July 20, 2019 - 5:11 pm

yes

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shalini garnaik January 6, 2019 - 12:45 pm

Is there a similar one day service from leh to manali like it has been introduced now covering manli to leh in one day?

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Vargis.Khan January 6, 2019 - 5:50 pm

Yes there is

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shalu shalini January 11, 2019 - 6:05 am

What time does it leave from Leh and reach Manali? Is online booking of that bus available?

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Divya B Zacharias July 22, 2018 - 8:35 am

there are some reviews that the bus gets delayed and all that and then there will be a stay over st pang, is this true. We are trevalling to Leh on a time constraint and really want to take this bus- It mentions Manali to Leh in 16hours. is this true?

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Vargis.Khan July 22, 2018 - 7:03 pm

Yes it is possible. Cannot predict the weather and roads in that region. If the bus got delayed then yes, you will be staying at Pang for the night.

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Sunny July 21, 2018 - 6:05 pm

Hi Vargis…thanks for detailed information. Please can you confirm where this bus starts from in Manali. Exact boarding point .

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Vargis.Khan July 21, 2018 - 7:40 pm

Hi Sunny – It starts from Manali Bus Stand near Mall Road

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Subin July 15, 2018 - 3:33 pm

Does the return bus from leh to Manali reach in a single day?does it run daily?

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Vargis.Khan July 16, 2018 - 12:44 am

I do not believe this bus completes the return journey in a single day. That option is open only from Manali side.

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Pronit Ghosh July 4, 2018 - 8:46 am

Leh to Manali one day bus running?

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Vargis.Khan July 5, 2018 - 3:08 am

Yes it is

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Pronit Ghosh July 7, 2018 - 1:47 pm

How can I booked Leh to Manali one day bus service from Leh. Online or physically present in leh

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Vargis.Khan July 7, 2018 - 8:44 pm

No booking system available. You will have to buy the ticket in person

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Nicole June 23, 2018 - 4:42 pm

Hi Vargis,

I love your posts, they are so detailed. Thank you, it’s helping me a lot to plan our trip. I have a questions regarding Jeep from Manali to Leh. I heard there are also options for shared Jeep, do you know anything about these and estimated prices?

Thanks!

Reply
Vargis.Khan June 23, 2018 - 7:28 pm

Hi Nicole – Thank you for your kind words. Yes there are shared taxis available from Manali bus stand. It will cost you between Rs. 2000 to Rs. 2,500 per person for Leh.

Reply
Harsh Maheshwari June 11, 2018 - 5:07 am

How to get rid of AMS caused by this Journey?

Reply
Vargis.Khan June 11, 2018 - 6:07 pm Reply
Abdulhussain June 6, 2018 - 6:03 pm

Hello Varghis,

Thanks for the info mate, I have booked the tickets for our 3 people on 16th June. I just wanted to know if you have any idea about where the bus will depart from manali and where would it drop us at Leh ? I looking for hotel accommodation in Manali as I have to leave early morning and transportation availability is my big question.

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Stephen Brady June 19, 2018 - 4:28 am

I was told the bus goes from the main bus stand, near the mall in Manali. Is this the case? How was your journey? Any advice?

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Vargis.Khan June 19, 2018 - 4:18 pm

Yes the bus goes from Manali main bus stand near Mall road.

Reply
Vargis.Khan June 23, 2018 - 7:30 pm

Hi Abdul – Sorry I missed responding to your comment. I was myself traveling at that time. Did you travel by this bus?

Reply

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