The Leh–Manali Highway is more than just a road—it’s a rite of passage for adventurers. With its high-altitude passes, barren...

We had just finished the Batal stretch on one of our Spiti trips when the group finally reached Chandratal for our first Chandratal lake camping night. Everyone was tired. Dusty. Running on whatever was left after three days of mountain roads. The walk in from the parking point is about two kilometres and by the end of it the energy was purely functional, just enough to get there. The first ten minutes were predictable. Photos, reels, drone footage, everyone trying to get their shot with the...