Manali-Leh deluxe bus service restarted

A deluxe bus service that connects this Himachal Pradesh town to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir restarted Tuesday after remaining closed for over seven months due to snowfall, an official said.

One-way fare is Rs.2,500, which includes a night's stay at Keylong, dinner and breakfast.

"The 35-seater bus will leave Manali twice a week at 9 a.m. After stopping overnight at Keylong (in Lahaul-Spiti district), it will reach Leh next day in the evening," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) general manager Yogesh Behl told IANS.

The HPTDC is running this special bus to promote tourism.

"The response of tourists, especially the foreigners, is quite good. A passenger can even get online advance booking," he said.

The Manali-Leh HPTDC bus service normally operates for four months as the 475 km Manali-Leh highway remains shut rest of the year due to snowfall. This year it opened for vehicular traffic June 3.

The bus crosses four high mountain passes in the cold deserts of Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir -- Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), Baralacha Pass (16,020 feet), Lachungla Pass (16,620 feet) and Tanglangla Pass (17,480 feet).

Last week state-run Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) restarted 1,050-km bus journey linking Delhi to Leh via Manali.