Manali - Leh - Need Advice...

Also can the stretch between Sarchu - whisy nullah - pang or whisky nullah - pang - morray plains be done on a single day (means whats the difficuty level of the stretch?) if so which one is a better choice?

Simple answer: Don't do it. Starting at Rohtang without acclimatisation is very dangerous. Last September I met a guy in Delhi (who is an experienced climber) who very nearly died when doing the Spiti Valley route with Out There Biking. He had been delayed in joining the group because of flight problems, and so went straight up to join them immediately. Despite his experience at altitude he did not recognise his symptoms as altitude sickness, he thought he was just suffering from a bug. By his own admission, the only reason he is still alive is that Cara of Out There Biking insisted on having him jeeped back down to Manali to recover.

The important thing to remember is that the disorientation caused by altitude sickness means that the sufferers don't always recognise they have it, so if you are doing it solo it is doubly dangerous.

By Ladakh standards, the road up is busy and touristy, but its still very beautiful and a nice ride (if apparently never ending). I've gone up once, and down it twice, and would happily do it again, there is always something new to see.

As for your second question - So far as i remember (and this is just from memory), the stretch you are talking about is relatively easy riding (good road surface, not too hilly), but is a very long way, I don't think its doable unless you are very fit and travelling light.

PhilipD is on the button about the Rohtang.

Sarchu to Pang is doable in a day if you're fit, acclimatised and not carrying too much stuff. It's all good but slightly bumpy tarmac but there's lots of climbing and riding at 5000m is always slow.

It would be possible to ride from Pang, across the Moray plains and over the Taglang La in a day with the same provisos as above, but it would be a tough call after doing Sarchhu to Pang the day before. You should stop at one of the tent camps on the descent of Taglang La (there are quite a few) as they're a better option than the grim places at junction in the Indus valley.

I assume you're asking this because you're considering not taking a tent? If so another option which would make a shorter ride out of Pang is to stay at the tented camp at Tso Kar. Turn right at the end of the Moray plains. I haven't been there myself but it seems pretty certain you could stay there.

YUP i was worrying bout the acclimatisation part... i think better to spend some time at the start...Planning to travel lite... but with a tent... another question... been debating on this one... Road bike or Mountain Bike... I was thinking a roadie makes it easier for light weight...

Road conditions are different every year, depending on winter damage and the speed of those Bihari road workers. Most of the route is ok for a tough road bike, but there will always be some very bad sections, usually on the higher passes. Personally, i'd say use your mountain bike, there will be sections you'll be grateful for it. But having said that, iik seems to have managed fine with a road bike.

I struggle with acclimatisation, but the only place I got sick was on the Baralachla. That's because it's significantly higher than the previous pass (The Rohtang). There's a Dhaba you can stay at some way past the military camp on the climb - which helped me significantly. I couldn't have crossed the pass that day and sleeping that high helped me acclimatise. After the Baralachla the passes are higher but not by much so I struggled with the thin air but didn't get sick.

The Baralachla was also by far the roughest part of the road when I did it, but things change all the time.

You could do it on a road bike if the road hasn't deteriorated significantly since I did it 2 years ago. Whether you should depends how resilient you are to riding long distances on bumpy roads with skinny tyres. Gearing is the other issue - although the gradient is never steep, the thin air means you climb very very slowly and need gears to suit. I had 20/28 as my lowest gear and although I didn't use it that much, I was glad of it. Normal road bike gearing would be far too high. Finally I wouldn't want to do it on tyres skinnier than 32mm, so if your frame doesn't have enough clearance I'd use the MTB.

I wouldn't miss the Rohtang La - partly because of the acclimatisation, and also bacause it is a very nice pass on good road surface. Both Sarchu-Pang and Pang-Tanglang La are doable in one day. I did just that on days 9 & 10 here, but I seem to have been one of the fastest on this road, so I recommend to cut the fist one in half, staying in a place after you descend from Gata loops and before Lachalung La. As for the bike, I was happy with my road bike (tripple chainring), lightweight and with 32 mm tyres in front and even 25 mm in the back, althou 28 mm would be ideal. It was slow on rough parts but so would a MTB be.

I'm impressed that iik says <32mm tyres are okay! Me, I'd take the MTB with 45mm+ as it'd be a lot more comfy, and much less chance of pinch flats or loss of traction on rough downhills, or sections of roadworks. FWIW, I used 20x28 quite a few times in HP last year, and was glad I had 20x32 the few times it was used; I have a faster cadence than most people, so YMMV.

Re acclimitisation: Do it! Things can get bad quickly. When 4 of us rode from Pakistan into China in 2000, three of us got noticeably worse between the last checkpoint (4000m) and the pass (~4700m). This only took a few hours. The one who didn't start to feel ill was by far the fastest climber, and so over the pass much sooner. All were okay once we'd descended back down to 4000m, but the closer we got to the top, the worse we felt and the slower we went. Diamox might help, but better to be cautious. The problem with cycling over high passes is that one can climb faster than one can acclimatise, but maybe not always fast enough to get over the top before problems set in.