94.7 Laskharimal Satishchandra Service Station, Panipat
Ph: 01742-64133, 66133.Facilities Lubes, cold water, toilets, puncture repairs and adjoining restaurant.

201.1 Haryana Fuel Station(IO)Panipat Chandigarh road
Grand Trunk Road Ph: 0171-610835. Facilities Toilets, drinking water and first aid.

Chandigarh to Manali
4.3 Chawla Complex (HP)Chandigarh, Ph: 0172-679060
Facilities Lubes, toilets, cold water, first aid and adjoining restaurant.

51.0 Indian Oil Service Station Chandigarh-Bilaspur road
Facilities Tyre repair, lubes, toilets and dhaba 83.8 M/s Anant Service Station Swarghat, Ph: 01978-84037
Facilities First aid, water, toilets, puncture repair and adjoining restaurant.

116.8 Sukumar Service Station (IO), Raghunathpur, Dist. Bilaspur. Ph: 01978-22278. Facilities Drinking water, toilets, adjoining dhaba and first aid

231.5 Vishwa Service Station (IBP), Mandi-Kullu road, Panera
Ph: 01905-87251. Facilities Provision stores, STD booth and toilets.

Manali to Leh
0.0 Manali Filling Station Behind Tibetan market. Facilities Puncture repair, lubes and petrol given in jerry cans.

103.9 Lahaul Potato Growers Society Petrol Pump, Tandi
Facilities Just petrol and limited amount of lubes. Last filling station for the 365km till Leh.

460.5 Ladakh Filling Station Near Government Hospital,
Old Leh Road. Facilities Petrol, diesel, lubes and emergency numbers.

Refreshment Stops

Delhi to Chandigarh
39.4 Rameshwar’s Garden Cafe. Can’t miss it. The advertisements start 10km before it arrives. Amazing chat and refreshing thandai and badam milk. The dosas though are better left alone.
7.7 Aakash Vaishnav Dhaba Lots of oily but tasty stuff. Made by a jocular, pot-bellied cook.

137.0 Oasis Tourist Complex Huge tourist complex with fast food and pool and other luxuries. Overnight accommodation available too.

213.7 Paradise Tourist Complex North Indian, south Indian, Chinese and continental menu. Trust us and stick to the North Indian menu.

Chandigarh to Manali
84.5 Himachal Tourism’s Hill Top Hotel Swarghat, just after toll collection booth. The tea here really wakes you up and the breakfast is not bad either. Cornflakes and cheese omlettes are definite favourites.

120.7 Cafe Lake View,Bilaspur. Good views over the lake to help you digest the south Indian fare.

Manali to Leh
22.9 Tea stall on the way to Rohtang. You’d be surprised what a cup of tea can do for you on a chilly, damp morning.

48.6 Rohtang tea stalls. Basic fare like Maggi noodles and omlettes, the latter a more sensible choice.

132.9 Hotel Jispa Jispa Boarding and lodging

139.5 Teahouses Jispa — basic fare of biscuits, tea and omlettes. Don’t experiment with food here and stick to snacks like biscuits or dal and roti. The altitude ahead might give you nausea and a queasy stomach is something you don’t need. Trust me — I speak from experience!
290.5 Pang tea houses. Same kind of basic fare as the teahouses at Jispa. They also have rooms behind where one can sleep for the night for around Rs 50.

Night stay at Sarchu
The drive from Manali to Leh is usually done over two days. The state border between HP and J&K closes at 4.00pm, so it makes sense to take the night halt just before crossing over at Sarchu and then making it comfortably to Leh the next day.
A few kilometres after you descend from the Baralacha La, the first of the tented accommodation sites come into view. They are spread over 10km and the prices range from Rs 180 to Rs 600 per person (including meals) depending on the camp. Sites run by Rashpian and Amtrex have fancy tents and toilets but are pricey. The Himachal Tourism Tents are the last of the lot, just before the Sarchu check post. They offer the best value, though the tents are four-man tents and you might have to share it with a stranger. If for some reason you cannot make it till Sarchu before sundown, you can seek accommodation in the tea houses at Jispa.

ACCOMMODATION
Leh — Hotels in Leh are expensive and heavily booked from mid-June to end-September. It is best to book in advance.

Hotel Omalasia
Changspa Road, Leh 194101 Ph: 01982-52119/51178
Scenic and quiet location with running hot water showers.
Rate: Rs 2500 (Rs 1800) with meals (without meals).

Hotel Horzey PO Box 54, Old Leh Road, Chulung, Leh 194101
Ph: 01982-52454/52380 Well located hotel, with doctor on call and parking space. Also has a laundry service and Indian, Chinese and Tibetan cuisine.
Rate: Rs 2070 (1200) with meals (without meals).

Hotel Spic-n-Span Old Leh Road, Leh 194101 Ph: 01982-52765/51225 Beautifully constructed hotel with traditional architecture. Every room has a nice view of the mountains or Leh Palace. The facilities available are a cyber café, laundry and doctor on call. Rate: Rs 2500 (Rs 1530) with meals (without meals).

Gypsys’s Panorama Hotel Changspa, Leh Ph: 01982-52660
Located at the foot of the Shanti Stupa, the hotel
has central heating among other facilities.
Rate: Rs 3000 (1900) with meals (without meals)

Hotel Ga-Idan Continental Old Fort Road, Leh Ph: 01982-52436 Top-of-the-line luxury hotel with prices to match.

Hotel Tsomo-RiFort Road, near Tourist Reception Centre,
Leh 194101 Ph: 01982-53611 Budget hotel with decent rooms. The manager arranges permits and can even get you one on Sunday when the district magistrate’s office is closed.
Rate: Rs 500 without meals.

Manali — Manali is simply packed with hotels and you can easily get budget accommodation, especially in old Manali which is a sort of hippie hangout.

HPTDC’s Log Huts Off Old Manali Road Manali Ph 01902-52407
An absolutely divine place to stay if you want to get romantic and cosy. Each log hut consists of two bedrooms, drawing-cum-dining room and a kitchen. Rates: Log huts (deluxe) cost Rs 4400 a day, non-deluxe.Rs 3800 and orchard huts Rs 3300. During the off-season there’s a considerable discount.

HPTDC’s Hotel Beas On the banks of the river Beas, just after the bridge.Quaint place with a peaceful ambience with the sound of flowing water in the background. Ph: 01902-53197. Rates: Rs 500-600 a day with 30 percent off during off season.

Holiday Inn Manali Nagar Highway Manali 175131 Ph: 01902-52562 Manali’s best five-star hotel with all the creature comforts like beauty saloon, golf course, central heating and doctor on call. Rates are sky high and they accept credit cards.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Manali
HPTDC Tourist Information: 01902-25116
Emergency cash on credit card (13 per cent fee): Northface
Adventures, opposite temple, The Mall.Ph: 01902-52441

Leh
Summer temperature: 15 to 25C, winter: 10 to -35C
Acute Mountain Sickness Hotline: 01982-52360
Ambulance: 01982-52014. Police Station: 01982-52018
Tourist Reception Centre: 01892-52297

ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS (AMS)

At over 4000m, due to lack of oxygen and lower atmospheric pressure, one feels the mild effects of AMS in the form of headache, nausea, loss of appetite and breathlessness. AMS can also cause the brain to swell and the lungs to fill with water, but this is rare. The only cure is to acclimatise — do not ascend too fast. Drink plenty of water and avoid smoking and alcohol. Eating a little garlic with your food helps too. If extreme symptoms occur then descend immediately. Medicines reduce the intensity but the side effect is that if the altitude doesn’t suit you, you won’t get the warning signs till it’s dangerously late. Once you reach Leh, spend the first 36 hours relaxing before you attempting any strenous activity like a trek or river rafting.