Kanyakumari-Kashmir Round trip - Day 19 - Nyoma - Mahe - Tso Kar - Atal Tunnel - Manali

Day 19 - Nyoma - Mahe - Tso Kar - Atal Tunnel - Manali (stay in Manali)

Kilometers Covered - 390 KMs (13+ hours drive)

Walking - around 2500 steps 

We enquired with locals regarding the Nyoma - Mahe - Tso Kar route and was informed that it will be very scenic and deserted route during morning hours. They also advised to be extra careful with snow covered roads.

We decided to start early for this adventure - 5.35 AM. We reached Mahe easily (well laid roads), however Mahe to Tso Kar stretch of 35 KMs was a bumpy ride. Road works in progress and we patiently snailed through that portion. We spotted 2 trucks and a car enroute and no traffic during the early hours. We entered the polar belt of Tso Kar (frozen lake) and it started snowing heavily. The road was full of snow and we ensured not to use heavy braking as it will skid easily in snowy roads. I would say that it was the best stretch in the entire journey of 12000 KMs. We were enjoying the scenic route and got goosebumps in that natural set-up. Simply astonishing - Wowwww!!!!

We passed through Tso Kar and reached NH3 - snowing slowed down, however snow covered scenes followed in NH3 for another 20 KMs. The roads were awesome until we reached Pang.

We stopped in Pang to get some hot water for instant Poha breakfast. Another interesting group joined us in Pang. An army jawan approached us to check whether we have an additional driver. We didn't know the reason, however informed him that both of us are in an expedition covering Kanyakumari - Kashmir and we both take turns to drive. He requested whether we can help in deporting a family from Pang to Manali in their car. The prime member and driver of the family got sick and admitted in the army camp nusring center for 1.5 days. We obliged politely and Mahadevan agreed to drive their car (Hyundai i20) taking the lady and her daughter with him. The lady's nephew - a young chap boarded our Ertiga to accompany me.

For the first time in this journey, we both started to travel separately in different cars. Moments later, we came across a half broken bridge. We also saw an alternate route to cross the bridge, however it had to pass through a stream of water - and had lot of pebbles. With lesser torque in CNG vehicles, we can't accelerate heavily because the wheel will start spinning awkwardly. We then decided to take the bridge route itself and managed to cross that with utmost care. Infact, I went to the other side of the bridge - requested Mahadevan to take the wheels and instructed tyre signs to sail through the bridge without damages. 

After 5 KMs drive, i20 got stuck in a pool of mud (thanks to the showers that morning) The vehicle couldn't sail through the muddy patch and started spinning. Fortunately, an army truck was coming in the opposite direction. A group of 10+ jawans pushed the car outside the mud and we were able to pass that. We didn't panic as we were already prepared for these kind of blocks (a routine in Leh - Manali route). After crossing the mud path, the army jawans instructed the lady's daughter to board the Ertiga to reduce load in the hatchback. 

The road ahead was full of traffic and uneven patches. We snailed through the patch patiently - no pictures and videos as both of us were were driving. 

Gata loops - one of the most famous hair-pinned roads in the world - almost similar to the Sathyamangalam - Dhimbam stretch in Tamilnadu - full of hairpin bends, a visual treat indeed. This roller coaster ride is a series of 22 hairpin bends that takes you to the top of Nakeela La. The twists and turns can pose a challenge to even the most experienced drivers. It is considered as one of the tourist attractions of the Leh Manali Highway. These loops are said to be haunted by the ghost of a dead trucker. The loops are 10.3 km and each loop is between 300-600 meters. The longest loops are the last two ones being 800 meters and a kilometer and a half respectively. The angularly elevated roads facilitate passage by loaded trucks. There are shortcuts across the loops but only small vehicles can pass through them.

We stopped in Sarchu for lunch (masala veggie maggi and flavored milk). We reached Atal tunnel by around 5.45 PM - a chai break. We passed through the tunnel with lot of excitement.

The road from Atal tunnel to Manali was full of traffic and we spent more than 1.5 hours to cross 20 KMs. The stay was booked in Tashi Homestay, near the Jogini waterfalls walking point, Manali, Himachal. The family also decided to stay in the same hotel. They enquired about our next day's plan and opted to come with us upto Chandigarh. 

Luv,

Krishna & Mahadevan

insta - viswanatkr01