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Hunder to Pangong Tso

According to our calculations, we would arrive at the lake later at 3:30 pm. But that was a big miscalculation, since our destination for the day was Merak, which is another 35 kilometers away and is a complete dirt track that takes some time to cross. Let’s see how the journey progresses.

It looks like we need to show our licenses again. It took a lot of effort to get this gentleman off the road.

The Shyok River stayed with us most of the trip

The road conditions after that were very good, with some small bad spots in the middle. Take a look.

The journey continued with the sights of Agham Shyok Road. One of the most picturesque units we had.

Agham Shyok Road

It’s really hard to choose which photos to share when you have almost 5,000 stored on your thumb drive.

Below is the next photo before we finally get to Pangong Tso

It looks like a waterway when glaciers are melting. Fortunately, it was completely dry now.

Last view of Shyok river. It looks like some army settlement there.

I loved the rock formations and the colors in the Ladakh region.

Drive into a valley and take a deep breath for the little one.

Next stop, Durbuk, where the road from Leh to Pangong via Chang La meets.

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Pangong Tso

Finally, the time has come for us all to dream last year. It was one of the best views I had ever seen in my life.

You get the first glimpse of Pangong about 4 kilometers before you actually reach it. We arrived at this place around 3 pm and the sky was covered with white clouds.

Finally we were about to witness this “eighth” wonder, something we meticulously planned.

Pangong is a brackish lake, and much of it is in Chinese territory. It is surrounded by arid mountains, but the beauty of the lake is at stake. You can literally see the waters change from light blue to emerald green, purplish to bluish in a matter of hours and even the mountains range from brown to red and gray in various shades of light. The off season is the best time to visit (as we did), virtually no crowds, no trash and a lot of peace and tranquility.

Time to pose with the little one. She performed far above our expectations. We are in Pangong with a 13 year old car without a single hiccup.

Spangmik to Merak

It was such a wonderful feeling to be there that by the time we realized we had to move on, it was already 5 pm We quickly decided to move on and crossed Spangmik.

Another sight on the way. As previously reported, Pangong Road onwards is a total dirt track. Below photo will give you an idea.

By the time we crossed the village of Man, it was past six o’clock, and believe me, we hadn’t found a single soul on the road in the last hour or so.

We weren’t sure if we were on the right track, as we could see another slightly higher road on the mountainside. But according to the information we have gathered, we had to stay on the track that runs along the lake.

We saw a biker coming from the other side. We stopped him thinking we could get some information. His response was: “I was also going to Merak. But it was not possible to glimpse any village for the next 10 kilometers. So back to the man. “He advised us to do the same and left.

We were in a total solution and lost another 10 minutes in discussion. This was the moment when we panicked a little. It was almost dark. Finally, we decided that we have no turning back. We decided to trust the offline Google maps we downloaded especially for this section.

We continued our journey in complete darkness and isolation for the next 45 minutes. There was no sign of any village exactly as the biker had said.

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Man Merak Ladakh

But suddenly, after a bend, we could see lights in the distance. We all applauded and increased our speed to finally reach our destination around 7:30 pm.

The clue is that the village of Merak is located behind a large curve of the mountain. So you don’t see until the last kilometer.

We had a finger-licking dinner and some hot coffee afterwards to end our long and adventurous day.

How to get from Hunder to Pangong

There are three ways to travel from Hunder to Pangong Tso. The first and most common way is for you to return to Hunder’s Leh via Khardung La and then travel to Pangong the next day via Chang La. The second route is through the powerful Wari La Pass, which is also the most difficult. The third route that has now become the most popular is to travel on the Shyok road, which I described in the travel diary above.

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Distance between Hunder and Pangong

The distance between Hunder and Pangong by road is about 165 kilometers along Shyok Road. The trip can be completed easily in less than 6 hours.

The distance via Wari La increases to about 235 km and takes at least 9 to 10 hours.

Hunder to Pangong via Shyok

To travel the Shyok Road, you first have to return from Hunder to Khalsar. Here one road will follow towards Khardung La and the second towards Agham village. Ask any of the locals if you were unsure and continue on the road to Agham, which is about 25 kilometers from Khalsar.

At Agham, the road will split again in two. The one on the right goes towards Wari La and the left on towards Shyok. You will turn left, drive for about 47 kilometers and reach Shyok Village. From here, the road continues for another 16 kilometers to merge with the Chang La road in Durbuk. After Durbuk, it’s 35 straight kilometers to Spangmik (Pangong Tso).

Distance Hunder to Pangong via Shyok

Along this route, you will travel approximately 165 kilometers. The road is smooth all the way, with some bad sections in between. But mostly, it’s a nice and fun drive.

Hunder to Pangong Route via Wari La

Now let’s talk about the Hunder route to Pangong Lake via Wari La Pass. This is necessarily a recommended road for an SUV or a large motorcycle, such as RE 350. From Hunder, you will drive to Agham, as I explained above. You will turn right and climb Wari La Pass after a very steep and difficult climb on a road that will get very bad in some places. From Agham, the top of Wari La is about 35 kilometers away. After crossing the passage, you will descend to reach the village of Sakti after 26 kilometers. From Sakti, it is the regular route from Leh Pangong via Chang La Pass.

Hunder to Spangmik

If you searched Google for Hunder and Pangong, the distance shown is not correct because it takes you across the lake, which is actually a restricted area; I don’t know why this happens. Spangmik is the village you should look for to get an accurate idea of ​​the distance between Hunder and Pangong Lake by road. The man is 9 kilometers from Spangmik and Merak is another 11 kilometers ahead; so if you are staying in one of these places, you can add it to the total distance.

For more details and a better overview of all the information I mentioned above, see my Detailed and Detailed Map of Leh Ladakh.

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