Day 3 — Manali to Leh cycling expedition
18 August 2018 — Sissu to Jispa
Crossing the first high pass Rohtang La boosted our confidence. It assured us that we do have what it takes to successfully cross all the remaining high passes on the road.
After Rohtang La, we stayed at Sissu, which is a small town in the Lahaul valley surrounded by beautiful flower farming. Sissu also has broccoli, cauliflower, and potato farms on all the surrounding hillsides. Sisu has a government helipad, which is required during emergency in the winter months as this place gets cut off from the rest of the world due to heavy snowfall at Rohtang La.
The next morning, we crossed Kyelong, which is the administrative center of Laul and Spiti district. This is an overnight stop for travelers going to Leh from Manali. Kyelong has small hotels and hosts a bazaar too. Every year in the month of July, the Lahaul Festival is organized in Kyelong, which showcases many cultural activities. If you can spend a day or two in Kyelong, you can visit nearby beautiful Kardang, Shasur, and Tayul monasteries. These monasteries have a long history of Tibetan Buddhism dating back to the 12th century.
Quick tip — Kyelong has a government regional hospital, which provides health checkups and medicine at no cost.
After crossing Kyelang, we stayed at Jispa. Jispa has many accommodation options such as tents, hotels, and homestays.
Quick facts
• Day 3 — Manali to Leh cycling
• Route followed— Sissu > Gondhla > Tandi > Keylong > Gemur > Jispa
• Distance covered— 52 km
• Altitude gained — Sisu is at 10,270 ft and Jispa is located at 10,860 ft.
• Challenges faced — No challenges faced. There is no high pass located on this route. The road is pretty good and scenic.
And the cycling continues, read on…
Scroll down to view some of the pics we captured on Manali to Leh cycling expedition day 3
