{"id":13252,"date":"2018-11-04T04:44:58","date_gmt":"2018-11-04T04:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vargiskhan.com\/log\/?p=13252"},"modified":"2019-07-01T01:16:35","modified_gmt":"2019-07-01T01:16:35","slug":"manali-leh-highway-status-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vargiskhan.com\/log\/manali-leh-highway-status-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Manali Leh Highway Status 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manali Leh Highway status 2019 as of now is closed<\/strong>. The road was shut down for all kind of vehicular traffic in mid October after it started to snow at all passes en route. Like previous years, this will remain to be a dedicated post where I will update the status of the highway and it’s condition the next season. For recent updates and pictures, I will request you to please check the Forum Thread, Manali Leh Road Status 2019<\/a>. <\/strong>You can also scroll towards the bottom of this page for latest news<\/strong> on Manali Leh road opening date.<\/p>\n

Manali Leh Highway Status 2019 –<\/span> OPEN<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Update: June 30th<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Sharing updates sent by travelers about road conditions on Manali Leh route and in Ladakh as well.<\/p>\n

“Hi Folks,
\nJust got to Keylong last night (Thursday),Vibhor nailed the current conditions, but we will add a couple of extra points. Trip took longer than expected, we did Leh-Pang (good cheap acccommodation) and then onto Keylong next day. There was some ice on lachulung-la but it was easily possible by bike. Road from Pang to Sarchu was rough generally, but Baralacha la was the hard point. No ice, but deep holes\/very rough and a river down the road at one point . We had a clear run through, but talked to one group that had to wait an hour when a snow wall collapsed. Re small cars we saw a few, but they must have really struggled, on the rough road and taken a battering. We also had one deep- ish stream crossing on the run down into Keylong.
\nIn summary. Full on, but good fun and best split up into 2 shorter days, stopping in either Pang or Sarchu.”<\/p>\n

Another Update:<\/span><\/h4>\n
Phase 1: Road Conditions in Ladakh
\n<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Started from Leh on 14th June around 10 AM and reached Hunder at 4 PM. There was bit of a jam at Khardung La due to 1 bottleneck [Post Khardung La] which delayed us by almost 1 hour.
\nVisited Turtuk village on 15th and last village [Thang – no visit, only saw it from last army checkpost]. Started return journey from Hunder to Leh 6.30 AM. Weather started turning cloudy while we were heading to Khardung La top. At Khardung La top, it had started to snow (not very heavy though).
\nReached Leh at 11.30 PM without any trouble.<\/p>\n

Rested in Leh on 17th June as second phase of my travel was going to be a long one [Leh -> Tso Moriri -> Jispa -> Manali].<\/p>\n

Phase 2: Road Conditions from Leh to Manali<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Started from Leh around 9 AM on 18th June. Weather was bad and it was raining in Leh. It kept raining till we reached Upshi checkpost. Post that, till Chumathang, weather was cloudy and rainy (mixed with light snowfall). At Chumathang, there was a bit heavier snowfall with strong winds. However, weather started clearing up as we headed for Karzok [Tso Moriri].
\nReached Karzok around 3.30 PM.<\/p>\n

Started from Karzok for Jispa at 8 AM [got a bit late as I had cold start trouble with my vehicle]. Will come straight to Baralacha La condition as it looks like most people want to know how is this pass.<\/p>\n

On 10th when I had crossed Baralacha La from Jispa, there was plenty of snow\/ice on road itself. This time, there was no snow\/ice on the road itself. However, the snow walls were still huge and there were plenty of stretches where two small cars can barely pass each-other. As this road has been thrown open for all kind of vehicles now, there were plenty of trucks coming in both directions which makes this stretch bad. To make matters worse, there is no presence of BRO\/Policy\/Army on the entire stretch. We got stuck at 3 choke points due to trucks in opposite directions.<\/p>\n

Had to manage the traffic ourselves with couple of truck drivers. I have found truck drivers very understanding compared to private vehicles and they understand better when they need to move back and let other vehicles pass. Finally, we were able to reach Jispa at 8.30 PM after being at Baralcha La stretch for more than 2 hours.<\/p>\n

Took a night halt at Padma Lodge and started for Manali at 7 AM. This time Rohtang traffic was very well managed and number of vehicles had also dropped considerably. We reached Manali at 12.15 PM while last time we took 6 hours just to reach Rohtang top from Solang valley.<\/p>\n

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Update: June 17th<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Manali Leh route was declared open again but there is a lot of snow at passes which is making it extremely difficult for people to travel. Below are a few updated I received from 3 different people who traveled on the road last week. <\/strong>Another important thing to remember is that a quota has been allotted to Beyond Rohtang Permit as well for now. The exact number of the permit is not yet known but it is close to around 500. Will this remain applicable for the entire year will get decided later in the season but for now, you will have to struggle to get Beyond Rohtang permit as well. These are booked for several days in advance and average wait time is of 3 to 4 days.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beyond Rohtang Permit is also available in Black for Rs. 2500 per permit.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Hi Vargis! I\u2019m in leh today. It\u2019s been a very distressing journey. I would not recommend anyone to come from manali side yet! As I was stuck at Baralacha for 12hr and their is very heavy snow fall from last few days and road is frozen with ice. We managed to get to sarchu at night around 11pm but all the cars were stuck and people were rescued next day by BRO ambulance. Road situation is very bad and road is anyway declared open but BRO recommends not to travel as weather is very bad. Snow fall starts at zing zing bar, Baralacha, sarchu and pang. We had to put our bikes on truck from sarchu to leh cause of the weather. “<\/p>\n

“I reached at zing zing bar around 11am yesterday from there we were asked to wait since there’s was a military convoy suppose to pass, it did pass but one commercial truck carrying steel bars got stuck at baralacha and clearing of it took around 12hrs. Some bikers were allowed to go ahead from zing zing bar but they got stuck at baralacha around 7pm and then snowfall started so everyone had to return back to Zing zing bar. Though the route was cleared the truck again got stuck ahead and the route got jamed again. Hopefully it must be fully cleared today. Snow at baralacha is around 30-40feet and very risky after sunset.”<\/p>\n

“Yes stranded at Baralacha La for more than 10hr and literally frozen to death. BRO didn\u2019t open the road initially yet as the weather is worse on the top hill. It might have improved now, I\u2019m not sure about that. Nubra valley had a avalanche slides day on Friday due to which more than 150 tourist were stuck and BRO recovered them. If planning to go from Srinagar keep in mind that from sonmarg till zozzila pass its very cold and huge traffic. Manali to Rohtang is same too. “<\/p>\n

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Update: June 12th<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Baralacha La has again been closed temporarily. Everyone on their way to Ladakh is stuck in Manali or Jispa right now. On top of it, weather is closing in and more snow is expected in next couple of days. There will also be plenty of rains around Manali. Rohtang, Baralacha La, Sach Pass and Kunzum Pass will definitely get some snow this week. Please postpone any plans you had of traveling on Manali Leh route for this week at least and wait for the weather to clear. Below are a few pictures of Baralacha La right now. See the amount of snow and ice on the road and it will probably get worse this week. Even cars like 2WD Scorpio and 1 Mercedes GLA 250 were stuck at the pass.<\/p>\n

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Update: June 10th<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

After what can truly be called as an agonizing wait, Manali Leh Highway was declared open today for the year 2019. The opening of the pass comes a good 3 weeks late this year in comparison to its opening in previous years. The heavy snowfall that came along with the winter season delayed the opening of almost every road and pass across the Himalayas and Manali Leh route was no exception either. Both the locals and people planning a trip to Ladakh have been patiently waiting for BRO to give a green signal and it finally happened today.<\/p>\n

Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Ladakh – A Complete Travel Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

As per the Border Road Task Force (BRTF) Commander Colonel Uma Shankar, BRO has completed snow-clearing operation of the road which remains block due to the accumulation of snow during winter at various passes en route. The route was freed of snow a few days ago actually but the local authorities were assessing the situation and determining whether or not the road was safe for civilian traffic to be allowed.<\/p>\n

Tourist season in Ladakh is actually already on and a lot of people have already traveled there from the Srinagar side. But it is usually the Manali route that brings the full flow of tourists in the region each year. With the road now being open, thousands of people will be traveling to Ladakh by either their motorcycles, cars or public transport. It is not just the tourists actually. This road also serves as a lifeline for the people of Ladakh region ensuring essential supplies as well as a stocking for winters when the region remains cut off from the rest of the country.<\/p>\n

With that being said, the situation at Rohtang is a bit out of hands right now. There is a daily and massive traffic jam at the pass which results in a wait time of 3 to 4 hours for vehicles (see images below). With the opening of Manali Leh route, things are bound to get a lot worse. Manali Kaza road will be opening this week as well which will result in even more traffic. Getting a permit to visit and cross Rohtang Pass too is a task in itself right now.<\/p>\n

In the end, however, if a trip to Ladakh was on your plans for this year and Manali route was a part of your itinerary then now is the time for you to make the dream come true. My advice would be to give it at least 2 to 3 weeks more before you travel on the road though. BRO is still working on stabilizing the road which means that temporary closures can still happen. Condition of the road too remains to be a bit bad in the first few weeks. Hopefully, if you waited, things with Rohtang permit too will get better.<\/p>\n

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How to Plan your trip from Manali to Leh<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

If you are thinking of a trip to Ladakh next year then I would suggest you to read through How to Plan a Trip to Leh Ladakh – Complete Travel Guide<\/a>. <\/strong>In this article, I have covered in details almost every aspect of traveling to Ladakh. Reading this, you will have information on things you must carry; clothes you should pack; planning your itinerary; things you must see and where you can stay. Some of the other things that you must know and covered in the article above are on how to prepare your vehicle for the trip; how to handle acute mountain sickness in Ladakh; what you should keep in mind while traveling with children and elders.<\/p>\n

A few articles that will provide you information on Manali Leh highway are listed below. Go through these posts and prepare yourself for the trip as you wait for the road to open.<\/p>\n