Bengaluru Auto Driver Completes Epic 7,900 Km Journey to Ladakh in His Three-Wheeler (WATCH)

Bengaluru's Balakrishna Mohan took his CNG auto on a solo 7,900 km trip from Vidhana Soudha to Ladakh and back in just 24 days. He crossed several tough Himalayan passes to reach Umling La, and his auto even became a local attraction in Pangong. The whole adventure cost him around ₹1.8 lakh.

When a Bengaluru Auto Became a Star in Ladakh!

Imagine an auto-rickshaw, something you see every day in Bengaluru's crazy traffic, suddenly showing up near Pangong Lake in Ladakh. That's exactly what happened on 35-year-old Balakrishna Mohan's trip. His auto, a common sight on city roads, became a total superstar in the high Himalayas.

Balakrishna, who was born in Mysuru and grew up in Bengaluru, drove a massive 7,900 km all by himself. He started his journey from Vidhana Soudha on his birthday, August 1st, and was back in Bengaluru by August 24th.

‘If Others Can, Why Can't a Karnataka Auto Reach Ladakh?’

Balakrishna got the idea after seeing people from Kerala and even foreigners travel to Ladakh on all sorts of vehicles. He thought to himself, “Why can't someone from Karnataka go there in an auto?” That's what pushed him to take on this challenge.

He converted his regular yellow-board commercial auto into a white-board private vehicle for the long haul. He even took a loan to cover the costs and packed all the essentials, including food and his vlogging gear.

450 km a Day; Then Came the Himalayas!

In the beginning, he was clocking about 450 km a day. He travelled through Bengaluru-Kurnool, Nirmal, and Sagar to reach North India. Rains and floods caused some delays, but he still managed to cover 492 km from Delhi to Amritsar in a single day, and another 465 km to Srinagar.

The real test began after he crossed Srinagar. Many people warned him that reaching Ladakh in an auto was impossible, but Balakrishna was determined and didn't back down.

An Auto Ride All the Way to Umling La

He successfully crossed several high-altitude mountain passes like Zoji La, Khardung La, Chang La, and Fotu La, eventually reaching Umling La. For a stretch of about 3,500 km, there were no auto service centres, but he had full faith in his CNG auto and kept going.

A highlight of his trip was in Pangong, where locals gathered around his auto, completely fascinated. For some of them, it was the first time they had ever seen an auto-rickshaw up close.

A ₹1.8 Lakh Adventure, with Kanyakumari Next!

The entire trip cost him around ₹1.8 lakh. This included the vehicle conversion, fuel, insurance, food, stay, and his equipment. Balakrishna is now planning to convert his auto back for commercial use, and he's already set his sights on his next big adventure: a trip to Kanyakumari.