How to carry petrol on Bike or in a Car? This is among the first few questions to be asked when you visit a place where gas stations are scarce. If the distance between two petrol pumps cannot be covered in a tankful, you will have to figure out the best way to carry petrol on a motorcycle or in your car safely. Talking on the same lines, in this article, I will provide details on where do you need to carry spare fuel for Ladakh trip and how can you manage it.
When you are preparing for a trip to Ladakh, there are several things that you need to prepare yourself and your vehicle for. From AMS to bad roads to itinerary planning, the list is endless. But I believe one of the topmost concerns for anyone will be the scarcity of fuel.
Also Read: How to Plan a Trip o Leh Ladakh – A Complete Travel Guide
Places that you can hope to find a gas station in Ladakh are still just a few. Depending on your itinerary, there may be instances when you will have to run a stretch for miles or days without a refill.
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Petrol Pumps in Ladakh
To begin with, let us take a look at where can you find petrol stations in Ladakh. On Manali Leh highway, the last petrol pump is in Tandi. After that, there is no other gas station until Karu, for 320 odd kilometers.
Coming from Srinagar, you will find a petrol pump in several places until Sonamarg. After Sonamarg, there will be no petrol pump until Kargil, for about 125 kilometers. You will come across another petrol pump will be in Khalsi while traveling from Kargil to Leh. After Khalsi, there is no petrol pump until Leh, for about 90 odd kilometers.
For local sightseeing, there is one petrol pump in Padaum (Zanskar Valley) and one in Diskit (Nubra valley). But the functionality of both these petrol pumps is highly questionable. There is a high chance that you will reach here only to find it closed.
There are no petrol pumps near Pangong, Tso Moriri, or on the routes leading to these lakes. Chushul route is highly remote so do not expect to find a gas station.
In the end, to sum it up, the only fuel station in Ladakh is in Leh town. So before you leave here, you need to decide how much spare fuel you should be carrying.
Spare Fuel for Ladakh Trip
The first thing to do is to be sure of your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Whether is it a car or motorcycle, please have a close enough estimate of how many kilometers can your vehicle run on a liter of Petrol or Diesel.
For example, if your car’s mileage is 15 km per liter, then to be on a safer side, assume then it would go down to 10 to 11 km per liter in Ladakh. Up there, you would constantly be running in low gears so fuel consumption will be high.
The second thing to consider will be the tank capacity of your vehicle; followed by the distance you will be traveling before reaching the next gas station.
Put all these facts together, do a little math, and you would know how much fuel you need to carry to ensure an event-less trip.
I will provide the information related to distance and gas stations that you can add up with your vehicle’s mileage and fuel tank capacity.
Manali Leh highway
Between Manali and Leh, the last petrol pump is at Tandi. It is a reliable petrol pump and always functional so you should tank up here. After Tandi, there is no other gas station for about 320 odd kilometers until Karu.
So in the case of a Royal Enfield for example, it has a tank capacity of 12-13 liters. Its fuel efficiency is about 25 to 30 kilometers per liter in the hills. So I would carry about five liters of petrol, just to be on a safer side. In the case of a Pulsar with 18 liters of tank capacity, I would not carry any fuel for the Manali Leh highway.
Calculate the same way for any vehicle you are traveling in, be it a car or motorcycle. This can help you decide if you should carry any spare fuel on this route at all. For more details, please take a look at How to Plan a Trip from Manali to Leh.
Srinagar Leh highway
Unlike the Manali Leh highway, Srinagar to Leh is better connected and populated. There is no need to carry spare fuel on this road, no matter what your mode of commuting is. You can easily find a gas station at several places like Srinagar, Kangan, Sonamarg, Kargil, Khalsi. All of these are authorized gas stations and supply good quality fuel. For more details, please take a look at ATMs, Mechanics & Petrol Pumps on Srinagar Leh Highway.
Routes in Ladakh
Now let us take a look at some of the inner roads in Ladakh. For destinations like Nubra Valley or Pangong Tso, one tankful in Leh will suffice for a return journey.
However, if you are planning to commute on roads like Agham Shyok road; the Chushul route, you will have to make arrangements to carry spare fuel. Below is information on these routes in detail that can help you decide if you need to carry spare fuel for Ladakh trip.
Leh – Khadrung La – Nubra Valley – Leh
If you just want to travel to Diskit / Hunder and come back to Leh while covering Panamik on the route, the total distance of the journey would be about 330 – 340 kilometers. In this case, you do not need to carry spare fuel.
If however, you want to touch Nubra Valley end to end (Turtuk on one side and Warshi on the other); then the total distance of the journey will be 510 – 520 kilometers. This means that you will need to carry some fuel with you. For more details, please take a look at How to Plan a Trip to Nubra Valley.
Leh – Sakti – Chang La – Pangong Tso – Leh
The last petrol pump while traveling towards Pangong Tso from Leh is at Karu. From here, Pangong Tso is about 190 kilometers.
So it will be a journey of 380 kilometers in total. You may or may not need fuel, depending on your vehicle’s tank capacity and fuel efficiency. For more details, please take a look at How to Plan a Trip to Pangong Tso.
Leh – Tso Moriri – Leh via Chumathang
The last petrol pump again is at Karu. Karzok is about 180 kilometers fro Karu via Chumathang. So it will be a total of 360 kilometers for a return journey. Your vehicle’s fuel efficiency and tank size will decide whether you need to carry spare fuel on this route or not. For more details, please take a look at How to Plan a Trip to Tso Moriri.
Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang – Leh via Tso Kar
If you want to go to Tso Kar from Leh via Chumathang but return via More plains while covering Tso Kar on the way then you will have to bring spare fuel with you. The total distance covered would be close to 500 kilometers in this case.
Sham Valley
You need not carry spare fuel for Sham Valley. Either tank up at Leh or Khaltsi and you will be Ok. For more details, please take a look at How to Plan a Trip to Sham Valley.
Leh – Nubra Valley – Pangong Tso via Agham Shyok road – Leh via Chang La
This route means that you reached Nubra valley from Leh via Khardung La first. From there, you went straight to Pangong Tso via Agham Shyok road. After spending a night at Pangong, you came back to Leh via Chang La. The total journey will be over 550 kilometers and you should carry fuel in this case. For more details, please take a look at Travel Guide on Agham Shyok Road.
Leh – Nubra Valley – Pangong Tso via Wari La – Leh via Chang La
This route means that you reached Nubra valley from Leh via Khardung La first. From there, you went straight to Pangong Tso via Wari La and Chang La passes. After spending a night at Pangong, you came back to Leh via Chang La. The total journey will be over 600 kilometers and you should carry fuel in this case.
Leh – Pangong Tso – Hanle – Tso Moriri – Chumathang – Leh
The total distance covered will be between 700 – 800 kilometers so you will need to arrange fuel.
Leh – Nubra – Pangong – Hanle – Tso Moriri – Chumathang – Leh
This is a longer version of the route above and will also include Nubra Valley in the circuit. You will travel over 1000 kilometers without coming across a petrol station. So yes, you should bring spare fuel in this case.
Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Hanle
Leh – Nubra – Pangong – Hanle – Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Leh
You will also include Tso Karo in this circuit and the total distance will go up by 200 kilometers. The entire journey will be of 1200 kilometers roughly and you must bring spare fuel with you.
Leh – Nubra – Pangong – Hanle – Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Pang – Manali
This will be the longest stretch without a gas station. The distance traveled will be over 1500 kilometers so you should definitely carry fuel. This way, you start from Leh and just go back to Manali while covering Nubra, Pangong, and Tso Moriri on the way. For more details, please take a look at Nubra Pangong Hanle Moriri route guide.
Leh – Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Pang – Keylong – Manali
This is a shorter version of the route above. The total distance would be about 550 km so you should carry fuel.
Leh – Pangong Tso – Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Pang – Keylong – Manali
This way, the distance traveled will be about 950 km. Yes, you will have to bring spare fuel with you.
Kargil – Rangdum – Padum – Kargil
No need to carry any additional fuel for this journey. Just tank up at Kargil and it will be sufficient for a round trip. You may need to carry spare fuel for Ladakh but not in Zanskar valley. There is in fact a petrol pump in Padum as well.
These are just some common routes that I picked here as an example. But the journey can be done in several other ways. But these examples should at least give you an idea of how you can modify our itinerary and how much spare fuel you will have to carry.
Rented Motorcycles
Another important thing to keep in mind would be in regard to rented motorcycles. These bikes are not in the best condition and their fuel efficiency is always low. The agency that you will be renting it from will of course not give you the true picture so do not rely upon their word.
If you are doing the longer routes that I mentioned above, then you would need to make fuel arrangements. But if you are just planning to do the smaller Nubra, Pangong, and Moriri circuits, there are two things that you can do after you rent the motorcycle from Leh.
Either just carry spare fuel to be on the safer side or do a test run in order to get an idea about the mileage. I would advise going a few kilometers towards Khardung La as the ascent starts right after Leh. This will give you a fair picture of how the bike is going to perform while climbing and what will be its mileage.
Also Read: How to Rent a Motorcycle in Leh Ladakh
Getting Petrol from the Locals
I received an email from a reader asking if we can get Petrol or Diesel in Ladakh in black; or do any of the dhabas or chadar tents on the Manali Leh highway sell fuel. About a decade ago, the answer to this question would have been a no. But after the sudden rise in tourism in Ladakh, this kind of arrangement is ample.
Almost all the dhabas/chadar tents/ camping sites on the route keep spare fuel and sell it at a higher price. Expect it to be over Rs. 100 per liter of petrol. This however should be a sort of last option for you. Apart from the steep price, even the quality of the fuel is questionable. However if you do run in an unforeseen situation, then yes you can ask the dhabas on the way for fuel.
How to Carry Petrol on Bike
Now that we know where do you need to carry spare fuel for Ladakh, let us talk about how to carry it. Jerry Cans of course is the answer. If you can get your hands on one, then try to carry a metal one rather than the plastic one. You can even get it online these days. This will be your best option.
If you are buying a plastic jerry can, then please ensure that it is strong enough to withstand the journey. During my last trip to Ladakh, I came across a biker on Manali Leh highway whose Jerry can burst open due to air pressure. So please ensure that you are buying a quality product.
Do not fill up the can all the way to the top as it may start leaking. Leave some space and make sure that it is sealed tight. You may want to put polythene on the lid first and then put the cap on to ensure that it is sealed properly and there is no leakage.
Before mounting the cans on the bike, you should first wrap them in a piece of thick cloth to provide an extra layer of protection. This will prevent any damage to the cans from pebbles or stones while riding on the dirt tracks.
I have actually covered this topic in great detail in another article, How to carry Fuel on a Motorcycle Safely that I will urge you to take a look at.
How to Carry Petrol in a Car
If traveling by car, you can also consider those 20 liters Mineral water bottles. They are pretty strong and will not crack or burst open. If not that, then you can buy a Jerry can either online or from a hardware store. Just make sure that you are keeping it at a safe place and continue checking regularly for any leakages.
Spare Fuel for Ladakh – Conclusion
I hope this information on carrying spare fuel for Ladakh trip was of help. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum and I will be glad to answer.
52 comments
Hi…do petrol pumps in Leh Ladakh region give petrol in 20 ltr cans?..Manali?…understand it is illegal in India. Can you please advise?..planning a trip from Manali to Hanle and back.
Hello Vargis ji
From sunil negi
Iam planning the trip with my family in creta (model 2017). Here is the plan. Pls suggest if u want any changes. Also suggest for extra petrol.
1-jun day 1 .- delhi to jammu – petrol full
2-jun day 2 – jammu to srinagar – petrol full
3-jun day 3 – cont in srinagar petrol full
4-jun day 4 – srinagar to kargil – petrol full
5-jun day 5 – kargil to leh- petrol full
6-jun day 6 – cont in leh- petrol full
7-jun day 7 – leh to nubra valley. is petrol pump available?
8-jun day 8 – cont in nubra valley
9-jun day 9 – nubra valley to pangong – petrol pump ?
10-jun day 10 – pangong lake to leh – petrol full
11-jun day 11 – leh to tso moriri- petrol pump?
12-jun day 12 – tso moriri to sarchu -petrol pump ?
13-jun day 13 – sarchu to manali – petrol full
14-jun day 14 – manali to delhi
Hello Negi Ji,
Your itinerary looks good. For fuel related questions, please read through the following post.
https://vargiskhan.com/log/fuel-availability-in-leh-ladakh-manage/
Thx vargis ji
Few more advise from u
(1) can i carry 40 ltr extra petrol in car if travelling via delhi-srinagar-kargil-leh route.
(2) carring extra petrol in 2 VALVOLINE DIESEL ENGINE OIL drum
(3) any idea when rohtang pass will open. Because as per my schedule i will reach sarchu on 12-jun from leh and if on that time rohtang pass will not open then i will get problem
(4) how much ILP cost for 4 person including 2 adult + 13 yrs daughter + 4 yrs son for nubra vally, pangong, tso moriri, khardung la
(5) can i get oxigen mask in leh and what will be the cost
Thx
Sunil negi
Hello Vargis ji, I am planning for a leh trip this year. I am planning to cover Leh – Nubra valley(halt) – Pangong Tso(halt) – Tso Moriri(halt) in three days. Is it possible?
Hello Derick Ji – Do you mean
Leh to Nubra
Nubra to Pangong
Pangong to Moriri
Moriri to Leh
If yes then yes it is possible
VargisJi, I am planning from Moriri to go back to Manali directly?
No then you should give up Moriri and do Pangong to Pang / Sarchu and Pang / Sarchu to Manali
Tso Moriri to Sarchu is only 145 kms right? I was thinking that was doable. I know the biggest problem we are going to face is the fuel availability.
Hello sir I am planning to go leh on September. 17, 2018 in my fortuner with 7 persons. Any advise from your goodselves thanks
Hi Vargis Khan. I am planning for a visit from leh to nubra to pangong to leh. Is it possible in bike RE 350cc. 1. How much litres of petrol I shud carry? 2. How many days required for pangong? 3. Can you guide me for this leh to nubra to pangong to leh trip. Is it good to hire cab or bike is also possible? 4. Can you give the approximate expense? Thanks a lot in advance.
Hello,Mr.Khan ,we are 2 friends who are planning for a trip from Delhi-Leh ladakh on single bike (classic 350) via Manali along with luggage is it possible before 10th october ?And can you confirm a route in which we can cover most places?
Yes it should be possible but really depends on how the weather turns in September. How many days do you have in hand for Delhi to Delhi?
Is there a petrol pump in nyoma?
I am planning leh – nubra – pangong via shyok – tso moriri via chushul – tso kar – keylong
Sir,
I am travelling to Leh in first week on June 2018, following will be my itinerary in Leh:
Day 1: Leh to Nubra Valley
Day 2: Nubra to Pangong Lake
Day 3: Pangong to Hemis
Day 4: Hemis to Tso Moriri
Day 5: Tso-Moriri to Sarchu
Day 6: Sarchu – Manali
Sir, Please suggest if my itinerary looks good or you can suggest any changes if required.
This would be first visit to leh and I am not very much aware of the places. It will be very helpful if you suggest me some more places to visit where I can go.
It looks good Rajnikant Bhai. How are you traveling BTW?
Sir, I will be riding my bike, Apache RTR 200 on this tour.
My bike has only 11 Liters fuel tank capacity, so I am little bit concern about the fuel during my travel. Although I have planned to carry couple of 5 Liters fuel jar canes.
Is there anything else which I have to take care of?
You will also get fuel in black at most of the shops in Ladakh but if you are carrying Jerry cans than it is even better.
Thank you Sir, for all the information.
Sir, could you please also suggest if there are any particular places which are not much explored and I can go there and visit?
It will be helpful, as this places is totally new to me and I only get information from internet, but I wanted to visit places which are not very much explored by others.
You can try going to Turtuk and Warshi in Nubra valley
Hello Sir-
I am travelling in August with 11 others. Taking 6 Royal Enfield Bullets 500 CC from Leh for the rest of the route.
Planning to take the below route, Please suggest
1. Leh to Nubra. (Stay In Nubra)
2. Nubra-Turtuk-Nubra (Stay In Nubra)
3. Nubra to Pangong (Stay In Pangong)- Which route should be taken?
4. Pangong to Tso Morori (Stay in Tso Morori)- Which route should be taken?
5. Tso Morori to Leh. (Stay in Leh).
Please suggest me for the fuel Availability,Permits required for the entire route, road Conditions, Any specific thing we need to take care of?
Thanks In Advance.
Rahul
Hi Rahul
1. Good
2. Good
3. Take Shyok road
4. Cannot go straight to Moriri from Pangong. That road is off limits this year. Will have to come back to Leh and then go to Moriri the next day from there.
See posts below for fuel and permits.
https://vargiskhan.com/log/fuel-availability-in-leh-ladakh-manage/
https://vargiskhan.com/log/obtaining-ilp-for-ladakh/
I am planning Manali – Jispa – Tso Kar – Hanle – Umling La – Hanle – Pangong – Nubra – Leh – Manali in July 2018. Total about 1800+ Kms. I will be driving my Scorpio. Mileage (after reduction) must be about 9-10 ish. Do I need to carry fuel? If yes how and how much?? Are 20 Lts Bisleri cans safe for Diesel?
Hanle, Umlinga and Chushul routes are off limits this year, cannot go that way. See the post below.
https://vargiskhan.com/log/permits-for-hanle-umling-la-chushul-suspended/
For fuel, see the post below.
https://vargiskhan.com/log/fuel-availability-in-leh-ladakh-manage/
Travelling in new Celerio Maruti car from Manali to Leh is a right decision or not. Please suggest
It depends on your driving skills. Is the car capable of doing the trip, Yes but then you must be experienced enough to take it across bad patches and water crossings without the belly of your car hitting the ground.
hello… i am planning ladakh this may on my dominar. It will be completing 1 year in June and will have done 7k to 8k kms by then. i read your articles regarding preparing bikes, anything else you will like to add?? and considering dominar has only 13 litre tank, i guess i need to make arrangements for spare petrol??
Hi Aayush – The only thing apart from what I mentioned in other articles that I will recommend in regards to Dominar is removing the lower faring. That tends to get damaged while crossing bad road sections and water crossings. And yes, depending on your itinerary, you will definitely have to make some fuel arrangements. What is your travel plan?
Can I carry petrol in High quality plastic pet bottle like Tupperware bottles?
I have read in one of your posts, that spare fuel can be carried in coke/pepsi bottle. So there’s no chance of burst due to pressure I hope. Logically it shouldn’t burst as Coke/pepsi/water bottle are also sold in ladakh, and they are being carried from lower altitude only. Your thoughts???
No it won’t burst. I always carry it that way. Just make sure it is packed at a place where it won’t get punctured by anything though.
Yes you can
Thank you 🙂
You are welcome
Hi ! Sir,
Is it safe to carry spare petrol in steel water bottles as I would travelling to Khardungla on my RE Himalayan ? Will the bottles hold good at such altitude ?
Hi Dipankar Bhai – Steel water bottles are fine but how big are those?
Hello,
We will be traveling on bullet from leh to nubra to pangaong and back to leh and then to kargil and back to leh so will we need to carry extra fuel.
Direct route from Nubra to Pangong is closed so you cannot go, will have to come back to Leh. If it however open at your time of travel, then yes, you will need to carry extra fuel. No need for Leh Kargil Leh route. There is a gas station in Kargil as well.
Hello Vargis Khan ji, we are family of 4 + driver in our xuv travelling from Lucknow to Leh via Manali in next 4-5 days. My xuv is 38500 kms & not yet 3 year old (july 2014). I want to go to Manali, Leh, Nubra, Pangong & Tso Kar if possible. Please tell what permits would be needed & how to get them. Someone was saying that getting them online is also possible. Do you know of any budget guest house in Chandigarh for our stopover before Manali, we just have to spend a night. Just plain AC & attached bath.
Hello Punit Singh Ji – You will need to obtain Inner line permit once you reach Leh in order to visit Nubra and Pangong. There was an online portal launched for ILP last week but it not complete and unreliable as of now so best is to reach Leh and get the permits in person. Please read the link below for more details on permits and how to obtain. I am sorry but I do not have any information on budget stay in Chandigarh.
https://vargiskhan.com/log/obtaining-ilp-for-ladakh/
Hi Vargis
Any idea on how time will it be neaded from jispa to manali. I have a night stay planned in Jispa and on the very next day I have to board bus at 5 pm from Manali. I will be traveling by bike .so by what time should i start from jispa to reach manali on time
.
Hey Pratik – Hmmmm, I thought I replied already to this comment but now its gone, strange. Anyways, I would advise that you leave Jispa between 5-6 AM and keep your breaks limited on the way to Manali. That should see you arriving at Manali by 2-3 PM and you can easily board your 5 PM bus.
Thanks Vargis… yes you replied to me.. but i mistakenly posted the same question in two different blog of yours .Thanks again for your reply.
No worries brother … don’t forget to share a few pics once you are back from your trip
My scorpio has run only 82000kms and is in mint condition as I have 4 more cars to drive but my scorpio is a October 2004 model, will it be allowed to go to Leh from Manali? As I have planned to start from Jabalpur in the 1st week of June. Please reply
No, they will not issue you the permits for Rohtang Pass. The only way you can take your Scorpio is either via Srinagar or from Spiti route.
Thanks a ton Vargis ji! One more query can I come back from Leh through Manali route via Rohtang in the same Scorpio of 2004 model as going from Srinagar side as advised by you and returning from Manali side, then also do I require the permits? Please reply!
You are welcome Paritosh ji. And yes, this is what I meant. You should go via Srinagar and return via Manali. The restriction of permits is only applicable if you are going from Manali towards Rohtang. No such restriction is in place for traffic coming from the other side of Rohtang towards Manali.
Again Thanks a ton Vargis ji for ur precious nd valuable information, one thing more I just want to ask is that traveling to Leh from Srinagar side will be safe as regarding the present scenario going on in kashmir nd the hotels will be available immediately as we r not booking them prior! Will I get the hotels bookings immediately ! Please reply as I am only relying on u! Thanks!
You are welcome Paritosh ji. Kashmir valley is under a complete shut down right now, curfew imposed and internet services unavailable. It should get better in a few days but with Kashmir, no one can really guarantee when it all may start again. Best would be to keep a check on the news before you start. No need to book hotels in advance, you will just end up paying more. Best would be to reach your destination, find a hotel of your liking and check in, plenty of options available.
Once again Thanks a ton Vargis ji, I know I am bothering you a lot but I have only you as a genuine reliable person wid whom I can clear my doubt, if I go to Manali via Shimla and kullu and then go to spiti then I will not be requiring the permits and then from spiti I can go to Leh, will this plan will work and then return back from Leh to directly to Manali as u have already helped me in felling that I will not get the permits fir my 2004 model scorpio! Please reply as going to Leh from spiti side will be feseable? And I really sorry to brother u again and again!
Not a problem at all Paritosh Ji, am happy to help. Yes, you can start from Shimla, travel to Spiti and from Kaza, go straight to Keylong to continue further to Leh. No permits needed here. On you way back, you can come to Manali and wont need any permits for return journey as well.