Death Valley (Himachal Pradesh, India)

Thirteen nights from Delhi to Dharamshala, guided, through Spiti and the Pangi valley on a Royal Enfield Himalayan, and the hardest thing the operator runs in Himachal Pradesh.

The operator rates this one tough, and the Pangi stretch is why: the track along the Chenab is cut into the valley side with sheer drops, water crossings and no barrier, and it is a long way from help.

A flight to Chandigarh starts it, then Shimla, Sarahan and Kalpa in Kinnaur. Tabo follows by Nako, with a monastery founded in 996 that holds murals good enough to be called the Ajanta Caves of the Himalaya. Kaza comes next by Dhankar, Lalung and Pin Valley, which is snow leopard and ibex habitat, though neither is ever promised, with a day trip to Kye Gompa, the fossil village of Langza, Komic and Kibber, which the operator describes as the highest motorable village in the world. Kunzum La and the unsealed Losar to Gramphu section lead to Keylong, then Udaipur and the Mrikula Devi temple, an eleventh-century wooden building, Killar in Pangi, and Dharamshala at the end.

The bike hire is included; the full inclusions are not itemised on the operator’s page and are worth confirming at booking. Altitude and exposure both matter here, and the schedule allows for acclimatisation. June to September is the season. Fourteen days of this is for riders with off-road experience who want the Himalaya without the crowds that Ladakh now draws, and the Pangi valley delivers exactly that.