The bus services between Himachal Pradesh’s Manali town and Leh in Jammu and Kashmir that were halted due to heavy snowfall have resumed its operations after a long gap of 6 months. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) started running special buses on the 475-km route to promote tourism in the state.
'Earlier, the bus services were scheduled for July 3, but it couldn't be made operational due to bad weather. Now it will ply every alternate day between these tourist destinations,' HPTDC senior manager Dev Raj Sharma said.
During the 18-hour journey, the bus will halt overnight at Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district. From there, it will depart at 4 a.m and reach Leh district in the evening. The one-way fare is Rs.2, 000, which includes a night's stay at Keylong, dinner and breakfast. Besides, tourists will be provided tented accommodation at Keylong.
Travelers can book HPTDC luxury buses online by paying through credit/debit cards. Their fleet of luxury buses that includes Volvo A/c coaches, A/c and Non-A/c coaches are available for destinations like New Delhi, Manali, Shimla and Dharamshala. Presently, online reservation is available from New Delhi to Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala and vice versa.
