Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation’s (HRTC) longest route bus passing through some of the harshest mountain terrain in the world began on Thursday after a gap of 8.5 months.
The bus was flagged off at Keylong for Leh at 5am with 15 passengers. This stretch of the route passes through 5 mighty Himalayan passes and one of the highest highways in the world.
These passes have recently been cleared of heavy snow by the Border Roads Organisation(BRO).
The 990 km long Delhi-Manali-Leh route can take 32 to 36 hours with no night halt. Drivers change in Himachal Pradesh. Running through Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh’s Manali before entering tribal and rugged Lahaul & Spiti and entering Ladakh’s Leh. The ticket costs Rs 1827.
Foreign tourists also take this bus before it closes sometime in September.