Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey Explore 2026: A Birds Eye Perspective Shift

The opportunity to travel to the Himalayas always sees my hand immediately shoot skywards accompanied by “pick me, pick me, pick me!”, words that I appear to be mouthing almost involuntarily. And though this is conduct unbecoming of a 40something senior in the office amongst a bunch of gen z juniors, it’s practically a knee jerk reaction, one that I have little control over. This time around it was for the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey! But wait, it wasn’t just the usual ride. The Explore leg of the 2026 Odyssey was aimed at more experienced riders with a more hardcore route! Sign me up anyways, challenge accepted. 

Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey 2026 

The 22nd edition of the Himalayan Odyssey coincided with Royal Enfield's 125th anniversary and to celebrate this the Odyssey was going to have a number of different legs. The 16 day long  OG leg which would run from Chandigarh to Leh, to Umling La and back to the plains. The Explore leg, that I would be on, would start from Leh, ride up to Umling La and finish in Leh over 9 days. And a shorter 8-day Nubra leg that would run from Leh to Nubra valley and back.

The two new legs would be easier to participate in due to the shorter duration and with a slight twist. The bikes would be provided by Royal Enfield themselves, you just fly in and ride. The OG odyssey would still continue with the traditionally ‘ride-your-own-bike’ convention.

The Unchanged 

Day 1 & 2: Acclimatisation

 
After a rest day in Leh to acclimate we were greeted by the Royal Enfield team and handed the keys to our Himalayan 450s. A thorough check was needed as these were all rental bikes gathered from the local rental companies around Leh. This little bit of logistics is on account of the transport union in Leh not allowing people to ride motor vehicles that aren’t in your own name if they are registered in a state other than Ladakh. Credit to Royal Enfield for running checks on all of these rentals and getting them up to spec with a quick field corrective maintenance (oil and coolant levels checked, chains freshly lubed and brakes checked). We tanked up and were left to our own to prepare for the 9 days ahead. 

Day 3: Leh - Khardung La - Nubra Valley

This was actually the proper start to our Odyssey - a quick ride up to Khardungla at 17,582ft. A solid altitude gain followed by a descent back down to the Nubra valley. A distance of around 125 kilometers. With the Explore leg, one of the unique requirements was that we would be travelling fully loaded with all our luggage on our bikes. No luggage van as is the convention with the traditional Odyssey. With a shortish ride we initially planned to leave at a leisurely 9am but then a last minute announcement that the road was going to close around 9am due to a VIP movement meant that we had to make a dash to make it past the first check point before the barriers were closed. We managed to make it in time and the early start was welcome too. Who starts a ride at 9am! On the way up I kept a good pace as did the group of 21 riders. Quickly making it to the top of our first himalayan pass of the ride. A quick photo at the top and we were back on our way down to a very pleasant resort in Hunder. A place I've been to before but one that I always look forward to. A really stunning descent on a nicely surfaced road as you soak in the magnitude of the mighty Himalayas. 

Day 4: Hunder - Turtuk - Hunder

Day three saw us do a quick ride to Turtuk which at around 90km away is the furthest point you can travel to before the border. The ride was along the Shyok river for the whole way so no real altitude gain and the group was able to get another day to adjust to riding at higher altitudes. Not all of us were doing well though, as three riders were down with the flu and sat out the day’s ride to recuperate. We did some touristy things today in Turtuk with a nice local lunch followed by lending our ears to one of the region's oldest residents. A man whose life is split between India and Pakistan - land on one side, family on the other. A victim of the endless territorial war between two nations.

Day 5: Hunder - Pangong Tso

The start of the day was a little bittersweet because the three unwell  riders weren't able to recover from their flu and had to travel back to Leh. From now onwards we would only be climbing higher into the mountains, carrying on would be a serious health risk on account of the risks of acute mountain sickness (AMS). After bidding farewell to our new friends we made our way towards a ride that I had been looking forward to. The ride from the Nubra valley to Pangong Tso is a really beautiful and challenging ride. One that has many, many watercrossings, beautiful valleys and finally culminates in one of the Jewels of the region - Pangong Tso. One of the most picturesque places I’ve ever seen. 

The ride up to this point is one that I’ve done before and it was as stunning as my memories from before. But some things have changed. The roads are a lot better and as a consequence the footfalls of tourists is also a lot more. No longer is this the playground of the daring few that accepted the challenge and the dangerous roads and conditions. It’s now very much a tourist laden circuit that sees hundreds of your everyday travellers making the trip every single day. The other insane bit is that in places the roads have become highways, with smooth tarmac, painted margins dividers and even street lights! Something that was unimaginable just a handful of years ago! An inevitability of progress.

The New 

Day 6: Pangog Tso - Hanle 

Another late start to the day at 9:30am. Not by happenstance, but by design. Our morning routine was to wake up early, around 6-7 am with the rising sun, brave the morning cold for a cup of chai/coffee if we were lucky and wait for breakfast to be served. Then gently soak in the rays of warmth, down a few more cups of chai and eventually start to get all our gear on. In contrast to what I’ve been used to in previous Ladakh trips, this felt sinful! Usually it’s an early morning start before first light, a rush to get ready and leave as early as possible “just in case”. Just in case the road is bad, just in case the weather turns, just in case…. But good roads, with reliable back up, all our luggage on our bikes and good seasoned riders in the group, there really wasn’t any need. I think I can get used to this! Pangone Tso to Hanle is a new route for me. We started off riding along the banks of the majestic himalayan lake and were sad to see it turn north as we headed eastwards to the Rezang La Memorial. Built to commemorate bravery of the Indian soldiers who fought to the last bullet against insurmountable odds. A poignant and thought provoking moment experience that moved us all. Need I add that more gorgeous scenery and colours greeted us as we rode into the Changthang valley. An early night was the need of the day for the big target for the next day. 

Day 7: Umling La

The highest pass lay ahead of us at 19,024ft and 0.73 inches! Apparently the 0.73 is really important because the certificate you receive at the top (a touristy thing you can do if you stay at the pass long enough) mentions it! We left earlier at 8:00am and started our way up the harder of the two routes up to Umling La. A complete dirt track that appears to head straight up the gentle slope of a mountain. Our bikes felt light without our luggage strapped to the back, a pleasant consequence of returning from the pass to the same hotel in the evening. And on the dirt roads I was having some fun. Standing on the footpegs and pushing the 450 Himalayan through the gravel and loose sand. 

With Hanle itself at 14000ft we were already in rarified air. Lots of deep breaths, breaks to drink water and steady progress later we started the climb up towards Umling La. Expectation, anticipation and wonder were all interspaced between deep, deep breaths. How was the road? Would I make it without a head ache? Oh look, it’s snowing. I think I should take a deep breath between my deep breaths?. And suddenly we were at the top!. The top of the world quite literally. New achievement unlocked!

Day 8: Hanle - Tso Moriri

A day that started out with multiple possibilities. The hard route, with lots of water crossings, off-road riding, what the Explore leg had promised. The long route that went one way first and then turned back on itself to reach our destination and finally the short route. Weather ruled out the challenging one, and the long route being the one no one wanted to take, we ended up on the more direct road to Tso Moriri - another large Himalayan lake. The road was beautiful today. And the one memory I’ll keep from this trip is from this day of riding. I’ll try and describe it - our convoy was stretched out with about 100-150 meters between each biker. I had 7-8 riders ahead of me and we were all cruising at around 90-100 kmph. We were in a huge valley, one so vast that it was impossible to see where the road snaked off to, up over the distant mountains. And I could see each of those 8 riders ahead of me, with the smallest dot almost a kilometer away. Moving at great speed in unison but in such a vastness that it appeared, momentarily, like we were standing still. In the company of 21 riders and yet alone with my thoughts. Riding bliss. 

And after we got over those mountains in the distance. More bliss. Tso Moriri. Majestic, beautiful, and the way it comes at you all of a sudden is almost surreal! I think I like it more than Pangong Tso. The pictures may not be as crazy beautiful as Pangong Tso but the place has a better feel to it. But don't tell everyone or else they will all land up there! 

Day 9: Tso Moriri to Leh

The final day of the ride was a long blast on tarmac back to Leh. The promise of beautiful roads and a nice hot bath in the relative luxury of a big city kept our throttles pinned and breaks and stops to a minimum on the road back to Leh. There had been reports of inclement weather and landslides in the area so we had our eyes out for any pitfalls on the road, but the Border Road Organisation or BRO had done their thing and cleared a clean path. Though the aftermath left us with a glimpse of how fragile our experience in these regions is. For 9 days we sailed through with only clear skies, a few drops of rain and good roads, but just 24 hrs earlier this very same route had come to a stand still as a cloudburst had turned the road into over 2 kilometers of impassable sludge.

 

The evening we celebrated with the Royal Enfield Crew and the riders from the Original and Nubra Valley legs together in Leh a fitting and well deserved night of revelry to our long days in the saddle. 

A Changed Perspective 

Change is inevitable and with it we all have lost something in the new Ladakh and its beautiful mountain passes. Gone is the remoteness. Finding yourself alone in places like Hanle, Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri is no longer possible.  We had a network every single day, Airtel mostly works everywhere at least on this trip and for those that are on other networks, almost everywhere had wifi. So Ladakh is no longer a complete escape. But it’s also safer. We get updates of road conditions quicker and more accurately and can also keep loved ones updated back home.

The roads are brilliant. If you love touring you will love it, If you remember the challenge of the Ladakh of old you may not. You needed to be prepared, possess some skill or a great deal of determination. You would spend evenings asking cab drivers who just travelled the route you plan to take what road conditions were like, now you barely need to. But it’s also safer and more accessible to more people. But that has its own problems but that’s also an endless conversation we’ll leave for now.

I love lazy morning starts. We should always travel like this. Get up early but wake up properly, have a nice breakfast and ride hard through the day. A much nicer way to travel on two wheels instead of squinting into the freezing cold morning through half open eyes and gear you threw on too quickly with a stale sandwich in your backpack. Yes, you may be a hardened traveller but soft is nice too!

I actually like the Himmy 450! For a bike that I didn’t love when I first rode it, I’m really appreciating the Himalayan 450. Despite being rentals, each with over 20k kilometers on their odometers, they all chugged along brilliantly, got us over the highest passes and survived countless dunks in water crossings (not by me). I talk about the Himalayan more in this article here.

Royal Enfield needs a mention for keeping up the Odyssey and changing its flavour. This new format makes a great addition for those who want a quick and easy way to join in to this yearly pilgrimage to the mountains. It was sweetly organised, Kagan and Altaf were great hosts and I can’t wait for that call to ride in the mountains again! I’d just build a couple more off-roady days into the route next time but as a concept it’s brilliant.

Ladakh isn't the Ladakh I remember. It’s changing in many ways and the insane part is that I’m actually excited to see how it changes too. Yes, I will miss the hardcore nature of the old explorations but that only means that there will soon be newer and more exciting places to visit too and that thought makes it ok. So the next adventure in the mountains comes calling, my knee is going to jerk again.