The arduous 1,050 km bus journey linking Delhi to Leh via Manali restarted on Thursday after remaining closed for over eight months due to snowfall, an official said.
However, the deluxe bus service, run by Himachal PradeshTourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) between Manali and Leh town, willrestart on July 1.
The Delhi-Leh bus route, which includes a night’s stay atKeylong — the district headquarters in Lahaul-Spiti, will take two days tocover the journey.
“After stopping overnight at Keylong, it will reach Lehthe next evening,” a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) officialtold IANS.
The HRTC will now run a daily bus service on this route viatourist resort Manali and it is a special attraction for the tourists.
“Seeing the advance booking rush, the response oftourists seems quite good. A passenger can even get online advance bookingtoo,” an official said.
The Delhi-Leh bus service via Manali normally operates forfour months as the 475 km Manali-Leh highway remains shut rest of the year dueto snowfall.The bus crosses four high mountain passes in thecold 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).