Want to drive your own SUV up to the Himalayas, but terrified of the permits, service and all the other planning that goes in to a long road trip? Cougar Motorsport is back with the eight edition of the Himalayan Dash, a luxury escapade in to the Himalayas, where all you’ve got to do is arrive with your SUV, and they will organise everything — right from hotel bookings, food stops, sight seeing, backup service and anything else you might need.
The entire journey is for 11 nights, but don’t lose heart if you can’t get away from work for that long. They also give you the option of joining the expedition for four nights or eight nights. The drive starts from Shimla, and then participants will drive to Sangla, Kaza, Jispa, Sarchu and Leh. Once they reach Leh, they will drive around Leh, to Pangong Tso and Hunder in Nubra Valley. However, if you opt for the four day drive, your journey will end at Kaza, while on the eight day drive, it will end at Leh, without going to Hunder and Pangong So.
If you do go for the drive, you can be assured you’ll be staying at great hotels like the Oberoi and luxury camps like the Banjara camps, so you know you’ll be well taken care off.
Participation fees per person is:
For 4 nights (Shimla – Kaza): INR 40,000/-
For 8 nights (Shimla – Leh ): INR 75,000/-
For 11 nights (Shimla – Leh +Hundar + Pangong Tso): INR 95,000/-
Cougar Motorsport has said that having an SUV with AWD isn’t a requirement. You can get a two-wheel drive vehicle provided it has sufficient clearance to deal with the harsh conditions of Ladakh. Cougar Motorsport will be taking a maximum of 15 vehicles along with them, so slots are limited!
Find out more about the Himalayan Dash here.