Manali Shakedown Ride: Day 2 of Our 11-Day Himalayan Motorcycle Tour

Day 2 of our 11-Day Himalayan Motorcycle Tour: Zanskar and Ladakh is a short one: about 30 km from Manali up the Hamta road to the village of Sethan and back. On the itinerary it is called the preparation day. Riders call it the shakedown ride, and it decides how the next nine days feel.

This post follows that day as our September 2026 group rode it, with the distances, the heights, the road surface and the reasons we do not skip it.

Day 2 at a glance

• Route: Manali, Prini, the Hamta road, Sethan, and back the same way

• Distance: about 30 km in all

• Start height: Manali, about 2,050 m

• High point: Sethan, about 2,700 m

• Road: tarmac out of town, then forest dirt, loose gravel and close to forty hairpin bends

• Time: three to four hours with stops, lunch included

• Bike: Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

• Night: Manali

Why a Himalayan motorcycle tour starts with a short day

Most riders reach Manali on Day 1 after a long coach or taxi ride from Delhi. Some have flown across several time zones the day before that. Nobody is at their best, and nobody has sat on their bike yet.

From Day 3 the road stops being forgiving. The tour crosses Shinku La on Day 4, Khardung La on Day 7 and Umling La on Day 9, and the surface under the wheels changes several times a day. We would rather you met your first broken hairpin here, where the air is thick, the town is close and the mechanic is a few minutes behind you, than at 5,000 m.

So Day 2 does three jobs:

• You learn the bike. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is the machine for the whole tour. The controls are set up for you in the morning, and the Hamta road tells us whether anything needs changing again.

• We learn the group. Our road captain sees how each rider handles gravel and tight bends, and sets the pace and the riding order for the days ahead.

• The bikes get checked under load. Anything that needs a tweak gets it in the workshop that afternoon, not on the roadside in Lahaul.

It also helps with altitude. Manali sits at about 2,050 m, and a day spent riding to 2,700 m and sleeping back in town is a gentle first step before Jispa at 3,200 m.

The route: Manali to Sethan on the Hamta road

Out of Manali

We leave after breakfast and a short briefing. The first few kilometres run down the valley to Prini on tarmac, with the usual Manali traffic of taxis and buses.

Manali takes its name from Manu, who in Hindu legend stepped off his ark here after the great flood. For riders it has a second meaning: it is where the road to Ladakh begins.

Into the cedar forest

At Prini the Hamta road turns off and starts climbing straight away. Within a few minutes the tarmac gives up and the surface turns to packed dirt under tall deodar cedars. The light drops, the air cools and the road narrows to one vehicle wide.

This is where most riders stand up on the pegs for the first time. There are a few wet patches where streams run across the road, shallow enough to be fun and a fair preview of the water crossings later in the tour.

The hairpins

Above the forest the road opens out and the bends begin: close to forty of them between Prini and Sethan, stacked one above the other on the hillside. The surface is loose stone on the outside of each bend and hard-packed dirt on the inside line.

We take them slowly, with the road captain setting the pace at the front. Somewhere around the twentieth bend it usually starts to feel easy. That is the point of the day.

The Kullu Valley from above

Every few bends the trees part and the Kullu Valley appears below: the Beas, the apple orchards, and the forested wall of the far side of the gorge. We stop where there is room to pull over, partly for photographs and partly because it is a good place to talk through what the last few bends felt like.

Sethan, 2,700 m

Sethan is a small village at about 2,700 m, roughly 12 to 16 km from Manali depending on where you measure from. It is known to snow seekers in winter and to trekkers in summer, because the trail to Hampta Pass continues up the valley from here. The pass itself, at about 4,270 m, is a walking route and not a road, so Sethan is where we turn around.

We stop here for lunch in the open, under a line of prayer flags.

The afternoon: back down and ready for Day 3

The ride down is the same forty bends in the other direction, which is its own lesson: engine braking, looking through the corner, staying off the front brake on loose stone. We are back in Manali by mid-afternoon.

The rest of the day is quiet on purpose:

• bikes go to the mechanic for any adjustments

• luggage is sorted into what rides with you and what goes in the support vehicle

• the road captain gives the route briefing for Day 3

• dinner, and an early night

What to wear and carry on Day 2

• Full riding gear from the first kilometre: helmet, jacket, gloves, boots and knee protection. Riding gear is not part of the tour price, so bring your own or ask us about options before you travel.

• A light layer under the jacket. Manali is warm in the sun between June and September, and the forest is cool.

• Sunglasses or a tinted visor, and sunscreen.

• Water. The support vehicle carries more.

• Your phone or camera. Our photographer rides with the group, but the valley views are worth your own pictures.

If this is your first trip to the country, our guide to what to know before a Himalayan motorcycle tour in India covers visas, money, food and what to pack.

Where Day 2 fits in the 11 days

The tour runs about 1,480 km from Manali to Leh through Lahaul, Zanskar, Nubra, Pangong and Hanle, with ten riders at most, a road captain, a mechanic and a support vehicle.

• Day 1: Delhi to Manali

• Day 2: Manali preparation day, the ride in this post

• Day 3: Manali to Jispa

• Day 4: Jispa to Padum over Shinku La

• Day 5: Padum to Lamayuru

• Day 6: Lamayuru to Leh

• Day 7: Leh to Nubra Valley over Khardung La

• Day 8: Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake

• Day 9: Pangong Lake to Hanle over Umling La

• Day 10: Hanle to Leh

• Day 11: Departure from Leh

For the wider picture of the road north, read our Manali Leh motorcycle tour guide. If you are still deciding where to begin, we have compared flying into Leh and riding up from Manali.

Questions riders ask about Day 2

Is the Hamta road difficult?

It is a fair test and not a frightening one. The bends are tight and the surface is loose, but speeds are low and the road captain sets the pace. Riders with no off-road experience have done it with us and enjoyed it.

Can I skip the preparation day and join on Day 3?

We strongly advise against it. The day is short, but it is where the bike is set up for you and where we set the pace for the group. It is also your first step up in altitude.

Do we ride to Hampta Pass?

No. Hampta Pass is a trekking pass with no road over it. We ride the Hamta road as far as Sethan, at about 2,700 m, and turn back.

How long are we on the bikes?

Three to four hours in all, with photo stops and lunch in Sethan.

What if it rains?

The Hamta road gets muddy after rain. The road captain decides on the morning how far the group goes.

Ride it with Offhorizon

Day 2 is the smallest day of the tour and the one that makes the rest possible. To see the whole route, the inclusions and the bike, go to the 11-Day Himalayan Motorcycle Tour page. Departure dates are on the calendar, and if you have a question about your own riding level, write to us.

Next in this series: Day 3, Manali to Jispa.