Today 18th May 2020, Manali Leh Highway was thrown open earlier in the day after a long time in the month May. Although it is usually a good news, but then due to Covid-19 travelers will not be allowed to travel from Manali to Leh and it will continue to follow the lockdown norms of the country and local authorities as of now.
This year, the snow clearance operations on Manali Leh Highway for the season 2020-21 have not yet (as of March first week) started from Manali or Keylong’s side from Schools in Gurgaon. But it looks like the snow clearance will begin in a week if the weather holds up vlog video.
It means that the butterflies in the stomach of all the adventure enthusiasts planning their upcoming trip to Leh – Ladakh in 2020 will be more frequent 🙂 🙂 The Manali Leh Highway Status 2020 is still closed, but BRO is going to start the snow clearance operations from Gulaba towards Rohtang Pass on the Manali side and from Satingri towards Tandi – Sissu on Keylong side ( English Speaking).
You might also be interested in tracking the road status for Srinagar Leh Highway.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
When will Manali Leh Highway open in 2020?
After offering prayers, BRO will commence the snow clearance operations and they will target to open Manali – Rohtang Pass – Keylong route as soon as possible to support the locals. According to the sources, BRO will start the operations to clear snow in Lahaul Valley first in the next couple of weeks.
This road clearance will help them connect the Rohtang tunnel with the rest of the major villages in Lahaul Valley. They are also clearing the snow on Manali Leh Highway on different sections to march towards Sarchu.
However, we shall wait for the day soon for the Manali – Leh Highway to open soon and let the adventure for 2020 begin 😀 …
There has been a decent snowfall this year in the entire Himalayas, but the snow seems just enough to let the Manali Leh Highway open by the end of May or the first week of June. As per the authorities, there are about 30 feet of snow stretches that have to be cut around Rohtang Pass, and about 10-15 feet is around Beas Nalla only.
It will be interesting to watch for the weather in the coming days and as we all understand that these predictions are only the means of interest & hope to us, the mere mortals. It is weather and mountains gods which always have the last say when it comes to weather especially in the higher Himalayas 🙂 🙂 …
When does Manali Leh Highway open usually?
This 474 KM long Manali Leh Highway usually opens up by the last week of May or the first week of June, and I do feel this year it may open by June first week. It has been a norm that BRO set up the targets to open the highway early only to realize that the weather has the last laugh.
I have been watching it for the last ten years now, and this year as well, I don’t expect major changes. Eventually, it will all get down upon the weather and snow conditions in the month’s March / April when snow clearance operations are at peak in many parts of the Himalayas including this belt of Himachal Pradesh too.
Should I travel on Manali Leh immediately after road opening?
When making a road trip to Leh Ladakh over Manali Leh Highway, you must keep in mind that even when the road from Manali to Leh opens, it takes some time to get them stabilized. Due to snow sliding and loose gravel, the roadblocks are very common in the initial days.
Hence, it is recommended that you wait for a couple of weeks before planning the trip on Manali Leh Highway after its official opening. The last thing you will want on your much-awaited Leh Ladakh road trip is to get stranded on some lonely yet feezing stretches of Manali – Leh Highway in early June or late May.
Where can I track Leh Manali Road Status 2020?
As per the previous years, I will be starting this sticky post for Manali Leh Highway Status 2020, which so many adventure lovers await every year. Unlike the last few years, I will keep updating this article with the latest updates. Up until the last year, I used to update the progress in the DoW Community forums thread for better tracking of updates.
I understand that a forum topic always helps in better tracking as well as collation of info over time in an organized manner. However, forum management has become a pain due to lack of team. Hence, for all updates on Manali – Leh Highway Status 2020 will be posted or updated in this article only.
Will this thread have updated Manali Leh Road Status in 2020?
Once the Manali Leh road opens, I may not be that active in updating the minor road closures or status because of these roads in the high Himalayas which close and open frequently. It is barely impossible for a single tiny soul like me to update this information daily once the road gets open, so please request you to excuse me on that front and accept my apologies :)…
However, if there is some major blockade of 3 – 4 days, I will try to surely update such information about Manali Leh Highway status 2020.
I hope as per the last years, this year as well this article thread will be useful in planning your journey on Manali – Leh Highway and further to Leh – Ladakh.
If you are traveling from Manali to Leh over Rohtang Pass, you will need to get the permit for Rohtang Pass which can be applied online.
Current Manali Leh Highway Status = OPEN | Update Date: 18 May 2020
BRO has cleared the snow on Baralacha La Pass and opened the Manali Leh Highway way earlier than expected. And we know that, when the road open, it will time to take the bikes out, get the cars serviced and go dug dug dug on a trip to Leh Ladakh…
Last year in 2019, on June 5, the snow was cleared from Baralacha La Pass, and the vehicle movement started on June 7. First, army vehicles were allowed to pass through the highway, and then small vehicles were allowed to travel from Manali to Leh. However, heavy vehicles and Manali to Leh bus service took some time to resume.
The road from Manali to Rohtang Pass is closed now for tourists as well and so as the road from Rohtang Pass to Keylong. The road to Leh Ladakh ahead of Keylong via Baralacha La is closed as well.
Some Important Articles for Reference & Regular Updates
- List of Accommodation Options on Manali Leh Highway
- 5 Reasons to choose Srinagar – Leh Road over Manali – Leh Road
- Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization
- 7 Useful Tips for a Self Drive to Leh – Ladakh
- 40 Must-Have Things to Carry on Ladakh Self Drive Trip
- List of things to carry for your Ladakh Trip
Have a travel question?? You can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram or comments on my YouTube videos. I also conduct a weekly Q&A session every Saturday evening on Instagram, so see you there.
Manali Leh Travel Guide Infographic
Download your FREE high-resolution version pdf copy of this Manali to Leh infographic guide. If, you liked it and found it helpful, please feel free to share it with your family and friends to help them too.
Manali – Leh Highway Status = Open | Update Date: 18 May 2020
May 18 2020, Manali: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) opened Manali-Leh highway on Monday for vehicular movement. The BRO had started snow-clearance work on the strategically important road in February.
The road is used to supply essential material to the Army in the border areas of Ladakh, close to China border.
Despite acute shortage of labourers due to Covid-19 pandemic, the BRO, in comparison to the previous years, has cleared the road much earlier this year.
According to Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul Spiti, KK Saroch, a BRO team has moved ahead from the Baralacha Pass from Lahaul side and another team of the organisation is moving towards Lahaul Spiti from the Leh side to connect the Baralacha Pass for traffic movement.
Saroch though said, “The final confirmation of the restoration of road from the BRO is still awaited.”
Meanwhile, IANS quoted a BRO official as saying, “Traffic between Manali and Leh was resumed. This time it was reopened much earlier.”
The official said the snow was 30-35 feet high in some stretches close to the Baralacha Pass, posing a big challenge to those clearing the snow.
The work to repair the entire 475-km stretch, which links the Himachal Pradesh tourist city with Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, was completed.
The Manali-Leh highway winds its way through the Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), Baralacha Pass (16,020 feet), Lachlungla Pass (16,620 feet) and Tanglangla (17,480 feet). – With inputs from IANS
External Source: Manali Leh Highway Reopens after 5 months
Manali – Leh Highway Status = CLOSED | Update Date: 15 March 2020
MANALI, 15 March, 2020: With weather becoming favourable, the BRO today resumed its snow-clearance operation on the Manali-Leh highway.
Inclement the weather that persisted for the last three days had hampered snow clearance operation as the area has received considerable snowfall.
As the weather became clear in Kullu-Manali and Lahaul Spiti, the BRO pressed its machinery and workforce in the morning to clear snow on the Manali-Leh highway.
BRO Commander, Colonel Uma Shankar, told The Tribune that the machinery and workforce were undertaking the task from Gulaba towards Rohtang Pass on Manali-Leh highway. Similarly, from the Lahaul side, one team of the BRO workforce was moving ahead from Sissu towards Rohtang.
He said in Lahaul-Spiti, BRO workforce is engaged at different points in snow-clearance operation. One team of the BRO is engaged in snow-clearance work from the Sarchu side towards Baralacha La.
Similarly, one team is moving ahead from the Darcha side toward Sarchu to restore the road for traffic movement as soon as possible. The state government today operated emergency flight to Lahaul to airlift three patients and other passengers to Kullu. One patient, suffering from heart-related disease, was critical.
The residents of Mandi, Kullu and Lahaul Spiti heaved a sigh of relief as the weather remained pleasant throughout the day. The people were seen enjoying sunlight at Chauhata bazaar and Indira market premises during the day.
External Source: Snow-clearing operation begins on Manali – Leh Road
Manali – Leh Highway Status = OPEN | Update Date: 10 June 2019
Manali Leh Highway has been declared open for vehicular movement for tourists by BRO today. This year it took more than expected time to open the Leh Manali road owing to heavy snowfall in winters and inclement weather plus snowfall in May and June as well.
However, finally, the road from Leh to Manali has been declared open and now you can make your road trip to Ladakh from Manali.
Have a travel question?? You can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram or comments on my YouTube videos. I also conduct a weekly Q&A session every Saturday evening on Instagram, so see you there.
If you know your friends or family are planning a trip to Ladakh, do share this article with them to help them make a memorable Ladakh trip.
No comments: