How to self drive a rental car from Delhi to Leh?
After seeing this hub request on my favorite topic "visitingLeh", I sent a mail to Pankaj asking for all the questions he has asked in this request, as the hub question was incomplete, so Pankaj mailed me the list of questions he was asking and I have tried to answer them below.
Here were the questions asked by Pankaj.
I am planning to rent a self-driven car in Delhi and drive to Leh via a halt in Manali. This will be in June end or July first week. I have a couple of questions on this:
1. Is this a feasible drive for a moderate driver? I can drive more or less okay in the hills, but do the Leh roads require specialized drivers?
2. Are cars like Swift, Ikon okay for these roads, or do I need a 4x4 or a jeep? Currently Hertz or Avis are not renting SUVs.
3. Anyone here has done a similar trip before? Any tips? 4. Any experience on self-driven car rentals from Delhi?
The main reason I want to drive is because I want to be flexible about my schedule, and sometimes I spend hours in photographing and it would be spoiled if I rent a sharing jeep (or even the exclusive ones). I can typically drive for 10 to 12 hours per day in moderate lands, in mountains say around 8-10 hours would be fine.
Here are the answers to Pankaj's questions.
1. Is this a feasible drive for a moderate driver? I can drive more or less okay in the hills, but do the roads require specialized drivers?
I think it is not too difficult to drive, you just need to be careful and drive slow if you ae not too sure. Some of the roads are very high almost 5000 meters above mean sea level. It requires a lot of effort, both mentally and physically. If it starts to rain or so, then it might get a bit difficult.
2. Are cars like Swift, Ikon okay for these roads, or do I need a 4x4 or a jeep? Currently Hertz or Avis are not renting SUVs.
4X4s are not required. The basic rule is to take a vehicle with high-ground clearanceand a large tank, as there is no petrol station beyond Pangi which is approximately 75 kilometers away from Manali towards Leh, so carry extra if required. Best Indian vehicles for this trip are Safari, Mahindra jeeps, Innova, and Scorpio, though I know many people driving Maruti 800, Zen, Honda City, etc. over there and other cars, but it is not advisable.
3. Anyone here has done a similar trip before? Any tips?
I have gone once last year and going again this year. Keep some warm clothes, as weather is very unpredictable. You should not be afraid of heights and keep stuff to eat as you would not find anything before Leh and after Manali, except for tea, Maggie noodles, and eggs.
4. Any experience on self driven car rentals from Delhi?
No idea. My problem is that I hate being driven in chauffeur driven car and since it's the snow melting season, I think it is better to take either a self driven SUV or a typical driver driven jeep from Delhi, and self-driven SUV rentals are highly expensive, for example7000/- INR per day plus fuel.
Why don't you go to Manali by a bus from Delhi and then rent a car/shared jeep. I think that will be more cost effective and less stressful. Also, alternatively you can take a bus until Leh and then share a SUV there to visit Pangong Tso and other sights. The cars have a fixed price and you can easily find other groups traveling and can share a trip. Your hotel will help you find a group too. Also, in this way you will add to the local economy by employing a local driver plus you get all the little insights on the place through a local person. This is just my point of view. Think about it.
Have a nice trip.
