Stretching boundaries once again, Razdan Holidays organized an exclusive “By Invitation, only” 4x4 Self Drive expedition to Zanskar and Ladakh via Shinkun La, Singe La & Sirsir La.
These roads have been taken by the fewest travelers in the world, and it's indeed a great achievement for all the participants to have traversed the terrain which not many humans have done so far. It is also worth a mention that this was the first-ever driving expedition undertaken by any tour operator or travel agent from India or elsewhere.
The expedition was led by a professional motorsport expert driver and Managing Director of Razdan Holidays, Mr. Sanjay Razdan. The “Sweep Car” was driven by Mr. Dhruv Razdan, one of the Directors at Razdan Holidays. All cars were connected via a Walkie–Talkie (thanks to our friends at BrutForce) as communication is prime in these kinds of roads and terrain.
The lead car was supported by Yokohoma as they sponsored the brand new all-terrain tires on the vehicle which ensured a hassle-free journey for the lead car.
This expedition was for a duration of 12 Days wherein the participants crossed the regions of Himachal Pradesh, Zanskar, Ladakh, and Jammu & Kashmir.
The participants also traversed over eight high-altitude mountain passes averaging over 5000 meters. The main highlight of the route was the journey to Zanskar over ShinkuLa and the journey to Ladakh via SingeLa and SirsirLa.
These new roads are still in their earliest fancy with plans to connect Zanskar valley via multiple roads for the army to have alternative routes to the border areas but will eventually be beneficial to the local population as well as the tourists in the future.
However, with no tarmac on these roads, the participants and their machines had to go through extreme levels of testing of their driving capabilities as well as endurance levels. The route covered the stretch between Keylong and Padum via Shinkun La in one day, a grueling journey of almost 14 hours with just one stop planned for Lunch under the massive mythical mountain, Gonbo Ranjon.
Mr. Sanjay Razdan, who had completed the recce of the tour before its actual departure, exclaimed to the participants that "this will be a test of both your mental and physical endurance in a way never experienced before".
This journey was conceived and developed after Razdan Holidays organized the first-ever driving expedition to Shinku La (Atal Tunnel & Beyond) in October 2020 in which about 20 Tour Operators participated. Once ShinkunLa was achieved, the ambition to take the journey to the next level was imagined and hence the planning started from that day and finally the tour was organized all the way over Shinkun La (5100 Metres) to Padum and subsequently to Nurla over SingeLa (5050 Metres and SirsirLa (4850 Metres).
For some of the people like Mr.Sanjay Razdan himself and Mr.Rajiv Tomar, the route was highly nostalgic as it used to be a popular trekking route that was undertaken by them multiple times.
Razdan Holidays would like to congratulate all the Tour Operators and their families who participated in this unique and “once in a lifetime” trip. The terrain and roads (read off-roads) were extremely tough but everyone was rewarded with visuals and beautiful landscape one would have never imagined even existed as well as with the sense of achievement of doing something which no tour operator had even thought of. The experience overall was extremely enriching which all participants would not forget for a long time to come.
The following adventurers participated in this trip:
Dear Sanjay, Congratulations ,you have made me proud..This is one Adventure very few dared or even thought of. You have also carried on the flag high which your father raised to promote tourism and adventures.I took the first group from Ausventure, of Australia in 1978 ( trekking ) over Shin Kun la . From Panikher to Darch, today there is the road. I wish I could retrace this route.
Best of luck for more daring drives. Prem Pawa. (,Then Adventure Tours, Srinagar) Mob:7006640340