“Independence. It’s not free. It costs soldiers.”
This is how the Siachen Base Camp welcomed me – an area open to Indian tourists since 2019. Parked at the gateway to the world’s highest battlefield, I appreciated my machine – the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 that got me here – and looked at the landscape in awe.
How’s the road?
The road from Panamik village to the Siachen Base Camp in northern Ladakh’s Nubra Valley is arguably the most scenic in India. Surrounded by snowcapped peaks all year round, it feels like another planet.
But this road takes you to one of the world’s most brutal, and most defended, places – the 700 sq km Siachen Glacier. Located at an average elevation of 5,400 metres, its highest Indian Army outpost is Bana Top (6,447 metres), where winter temperatures drop to -50 degrees Celsius. On two wheels, exposed to the wind, I could feel the drop in temperature with every passing kilometre, even as my bike’s long-travel suspension kept me comfortable.
How to reach?
You cannot reach the Glacier. The road ends at the Base Camp (3,658 meters) – to reach here, you need an Inner Line Permit from Leh, clearance from the Base Commander, the fitness of an athlete to ride above the Khardung La (the world’s second-highest motorable road at 5,359 metres above sea level), and acclimatise in Nubra.
The best time to visit is between June and September.
Navigating this terrain on my own would have been daunting, but I was part of the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey – an annual expedition that manages permits, a back-up SUV, and a medical support team so that you can focus on the road.
Operation Meghdoot
Siachen was a frozen no man’s land until 1984, when Indian intelligence found that Pakistan was planning to occupy the glacier in April-May. At lightning speed, India launched a pre-emptive strike, taking control of the glacier on April 13-14. The operation was called Meghdoot, and it remains the longest continuing military operation in history – over 42 years and running.
Today, Siachen gives the Indian Army a tactical advantage, allowing our soldiers to keep an eye on China to the east and Pakistan to the west. But it has come at a cost. Since 1984, India has lost over 1,200 soldiers here, the majority falling not to bullets, but to biting cold.
How do soldiers go up?
While the Himalayan’s liquid-cooled Sherpa engine handled the thin air with ease, our soldiers face a far more daunting task. They trek over 15-20 days, acclimatising for a couple of days for every few hundred metres of climb. Once at their posts, they remain there for 2-3 months, living inside insulated huts.
The legend of OP Baba
At these heights, you don’t just need physical and mental strength to stay alive, but also divine intervention – the soldiers posted at the base camp told me over sweetened army chai.
Between 1980 and 1984, a soldier named Om Prakash was lost in Siachen, and his body was never recovered. But the troops believe his guardian spirit travels between the base and the glacier, and gives them warnings about storms and avalanches by appearing in their dreams. His office is respectfully maintained – complete with his uniform, desk, chair, and a neatly made bed. Nearby, the OP Baba temple is open to people from all faiths, where soldiers bow their heads before heading up the glacier.
The Siachen War Memorial
A must-visit place is the Siachen War Memorial. The entrance gate will stop you in your tracks. It shows a family but the silhouette of the man is missing, representing the soldier who never returned. It’s here that the silence of the valley can feel deafening, and it may dawn upon you that some rides aren’t just road trips, but pilgrimages.
