The six members of Royal Sons Nagaland who recently rode to Leh Ladakh.
Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | September 28
Living the ultimate dream of every passionate rider across the mountains on a bike, six members of Royal Sons Nagaland including Chiset Disong, Neibulie Sanchu, Akhu Zao, Kenei Valeo, Mamang Sitlhou and Rükhe Theünuo have accomplished one of the most arduous and thrilling bike trips anyone can undertake by riding to Leh-Ladakh.
After six years of planning and failing, their dream of riding to the world’s highest motorable road turned into a reality when they shipped their bikes to Delhi and started riding on September 3, 2022 and made it back to Delhi on September 13, 2022.
Covering a total distance of 3500 kilometers on their motorcycles, the six members travelled from Delhi to Chandigarh on Day-1, Chandigarh to Keylong, through Kullu and Manali on Day-2, Keylong to Sarchu on Day-3, Sarchu to Leh on Day-4, Leh to Nubra, through Khardung La on Day-5, Nubra to Pangong Tso and back to Leh on Day-6, Leh to Srinagar on Day-7, Srinagar on Day-8, Srinagar to Jammu on Day-9, Jammu to Amritsar on Day 10 and Amritsar to Delhi on Day-11 respectively.
In their words, “Breakdowns, delays, unplanned stay overs, altitude sicknesses, body aches, beaten bottoms, communication gaps, breakaways and detours, and a lot more complaints. But they are all insignificant comparing to the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the trip. The experience was absolutely wonderful and thrilling. We only wish we could capture even half of the beauty we actually witnessed.”
Giving thanks to God for His constant grace and journey mercies, they also express, “A special thanks to the dear wives of our married members for the permissions granted” while adding that, “all in all, it was a bike trip we will cherish and talk about for the rest of our lives.”
Royal Sons Nagaland is a club based in Kohima currently comprising of nine members. “We are all professionals and we hardly get time to ride our bike, but every year, we try to plan one local trip and one ride outside Nagaland,” says Neibulie Sanchu, who is a first class contractor and has been riding ever since he got his first Royal Enfield Bike some 6-7 years ago. In the past, the members have undertaken bike trips to places like Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Moreh and Bangladesh to name a few.
Royal Sons Nagaland was formed when a group of friends came together with their common love for biking and while people tend to have different interpretations of bikers, some of whom view it as “rowdy,” Neibulie Sanchu highlights that “we want to keep the club free from alcohol and we don’t drink when we ride.”
Talking more about his experiences with the recent trip, he says, “we have been planning for so many years and to finally make it happen, we planned six months ahead.” “I would say it was a very long, tiring and lengthy ride but the roads are so good everywhere, it was very enjoyable,” he goes on to say.
Every family friend, who are not into biking had advised, “why don’t you just fly there or go on a nice vehicle?” But as he says, “only a rider will understand how it feels like to visit such a place on a bike.” For him, “riding gives you that that freedom that you can’t even put to words. You forget everything and it’s just the road and you, and you enjoy the beautiful scenery.”
“If you are really visiting a place, then you should visit on a bike,” he further puts across.
