Ladakh, Travel Planning
Do I need to carry fuel on road trip to Ladakh?
One of the common questions that comes to mind when planning a road trip to Ladakh is the need to carry fuel in the car / bike. Will there be sufficient Fuel stations on the way ?
We’ll try to answer this question based on which vehicle you are driving & which route you are taking. You must understand your vehicle’s mileage & fuel tank capacity in order to make an informed decision. There is no need for being overly cautious either.
Below is the fuel station map which will help you get an overview of the locations where fuel is almost always available
Various Vehicles and there fuel tank capacity
- Bikes RE Thunderbird 500 CC have a fuel capacity of 18 Ltr
- RE Classic ( 500 CC or 350 CC ) 13.5 Ltr
- RE Himalayan 15 Ltr
- Mahindra Scorpio : 55 Ltr
- Mahindra XUV 500 : 70 Ltr
- Toyota Fortuner : 70 Ltr
- Duster : 50 Ltr
If you are driving XUV / Duster / Fortuner / RE Thunderbird then by and large you won’t need extra fuel with you
Fuel on Srinagar – Leh Highway
On Srinagar Leh highway, there is absolutely no need to carry fuel whether you are driving a bike or an SUV. There are fuel stations available at regular intervals. Just refuel when you see the fuel station and be rest assured.
Detour to Zanskar on Srinagar – Leh Highway
Padum has a fuel station and if you are planning to go all the way to Padum then you are good just ensure that you leave from Kargil with a full tank
If your plan is to go to Rangdum and go up till Penzi La and then return to Kargil even then you are okay and no extra fuel is required for SUV but if you are doing it on bike then you certainly require extra fuel
Do carry extra fuel if you are planning to do the Rangdum/Penzi La and back to Kargil on a bike
Fuel on 3 Day trip to Nubra – Pangong and back to Leh
Before 2018, there was no fuel available in Nubra Valley and if your plan was to do a this 3 day trip via Shyok or Wari La and include turtuk then you were seriously short of Fuel.
But now there is good news as Diskit fuel pump is fully operational for past 2 years ( 2018 onwards ) and hence you can explore Nubra Valley and go to Pangong without any worries ..
The fuel station near Diskit is now functional and there is no need to carry extra fuel now for this 3 day trip
Fuel in Changthang Region
While planning to visit the remote areas of Ladakh like Tsaga La – Chushul – Hanle – Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Leh you definitely need to carry fuel. This circuit is close to 700 kms so carry fuel based on which SUV / bike you are driving
A shop in Tangste village sells fuel and you can inquire should you need in case of emergency.
No Fuel is available in this circuit, so carry fuel when planning a road trip through this region of Ladakh
Leh – Manali Direct Route
The only availability of fuel on this route is in Tandi. Tandi is roughly 300 kms from Karu. Karu is roughly 50 kms from Leh towards Manali / Pangong side which has the fuel pump. Most bikes will need to carry fuel while most Cars/SUV will not need to carry fuel on the Leh – Manali section
How to carry fuel
Please remember, if you carry fuel in regular plastic cans in a Car, you could suffer from nausea due to the fumes it emits.
Please remember, if you carry fuel in regular plastic can in a Car, fumes do come out and it can cause nausea, so make an informed choice
Only a steel Jerry Can, such as this one, is robust and can be carried safely.
Desi jugad is to use a polythene sheet to tighten the lid of the Can
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Absolute Networks, Mumbai
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Friends from SriLanka
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Clifford Chance, Delhi
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KPMG, Bangalore
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Great to see the know-how of the Unwind Outdoor team regarding every aspect of the Srinagar - Leh - Chandigarh self drive trip. From weather conditions, to road conditions, to health/clothing requirements, and also driving instructions - Sunil and Manpreet are warm, meticulous and knowledgable. Villa Himalaya in Sonamarg surpassed all our expectations and ensured that our expected standards for the rest of the trip were extremely high.
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Symbiosis Law School, Mumbai
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Singapore
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Assistant Director, Jurong Town Corporation, Singapore
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