It’s known as Lamayuru, a place for Lamas. But what it’s also famous for is the topography. No proliferation of craters, but in the right light and the right conditions, this really does feel as barren and as forlorn as our moon.
Even better is the road that takes you there. The setting, the surface, the condition, the tarmac, its sinuous flow, the backdrops, and what’s best, an almost complete absence of any sort of traffic.
On a high
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to NH-1 or National Highway 1, the road that runs from Leh to Srinagar. A road so beguiling, calling it magical sort of feels like you are underselling it.
We start in the city of Leh. Situated at an altitude of 11,500 feet or three and a half kilometres above sea level (3,500 metres), it lies in a region that falls in the rain shadow, making it into a high-altitude desert. So, most of the immediate topography is scrub like, there are almost no bushes and plants, and only where the river flows are there patches of green with tall Poplar trees.
With almost no dhabas or places to stop along the way, especially since we are in the off season, we don’t leave before the sun is up. Nestled in the Indus valley and surrounded by peaks that are as high as 6,400 metres, the early morning sunlight glints on the snow-clad mountain tops. And some of it is fresh; we see clouds parting.
Boosters strapped on
The Urus SE’s hybrid powertrain has been topped up. Start up is a silent affair. It starts in EV mode. While this seems politically correct, it also feels completely out of character for a Lamborghini, so I pull the throttle-like mode selector to Sport, and the V8 bursts into life. Ahh, proper Lambo Mambo, the sound of an angry bull. Select the right mode on the SE, and it will deliver 800hp to the four wheels, giving it massive dynamic appeal.
So finally, with the route set on the navigation – best to do that when there’s full cell phone network – we leave. Our route takes us past Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, one of the highest airports in India. Its long runway is purpose built. Four-engine jets like the Ilyushin Il-76 of the Indian Air Force need it to achieve a take-off speed of around 340kph when loaded. This runway is also unique in being unidirectional due to high mountains at one end. Also unique is the approach, aircraft have to run along a valley and then take an almost 90-degree left before briefly lining up with the runway. It’s fascinating to see the aircraft bank hard around the corner and come in past Spituk monastery with no ILS, localiser or glide slope to follow. It makes for the perfect morning chai stop.
Earlier, we also made a stop at the ‘Hall of Fame’, the Indian Army’s memorial to those who fought and died in the service of the country and helped us keep Leh and Kashmir. It’s a must visit if you are in Leh, and the stories told are real eye-openers.
Stage one
As we continue on our journey, the valley opens out, and we can see for miles and miles in each direction. The road is now straight for the most part, and with traffic light, I open up the Lamborghini for the first time. Only for a couple of seconds, though. At full lick, the Urus is soon doing silly speeds, all accompanied by a massive shove in the back that pins me to the seat. This is supercar quick. And yes, 800hp and the massive 950Nm of torque can easily be felt. The SE also does 0-100kph in just 3.4 seconds.
Now that I’ve got a taste of the performance on the wide-open plains, I’m rubbing my hands in glee; up ahead are the mountains. And I’ve been reliably informed the tarmac is billiard-table smooth. Why don’t they let the Border Roads Organisation that belongs to the Indian Army build roads in Mumbai?
The route west from Leh is among the most rewarding drives you can do visually. It’s not just the roads or the condition of the tarmac, it’s everything else as well; the topography, how you climb and dive through the craggy backdrop, the immense scale, the deep valleys, towering mountains and, of course, the otherworldliness of it all.
Even better, here, every few kilometres reveal a different character. Barely 30 kilometres into the journey comes one of Ladakh’s most iconic sights. The Sangam, where the Zanskar River meets the Indus. From above, the meeting point is clearly visible. Two rivers, with different shades of water, merging into a single flow.
Escape velocity
Up ahead, the roads begin to tighten up on themselves, ribbons of black looping and snaking along the climb. I begin the climb by easing the Urus SE into the corners, carrying more and more speed just to get a feel. It remains tight, well within its boundaries, alive. And hunkered down on its air suspension, this feels more performance sedan than super SUV.
For one, the nose follows the steering with great accuracy and immediacy. Sharp and quick, it lends great agility. Then there’s the body control, which feels tight and well balanced even on tight switchbacks and U-turns. It goes without saying this feels nowhere near as large as its lardy mass suggests from behind the wheel, and then as we come up to a faster section of switchbacks, I begin to use more and more throttle on the way out. Wow. The duality that is the performance SUV works.
Then we cross over onto a road that has been cut into the side of a mountain. Rocks strewn around every few metres mean I have to be more cautious. But as I look around, something else dawns on me. Are we lost, this looks like we have landed on mars, not the moon. The rocks that surround us now are ochre, red, and deep brown. We stop again. This is clearly not a road where you just drive through.
Soon, the road opens up again, and the flow gets even more delicious. Now, as I go faster, I begin to feel more of the weight of the Urus SE being tossed around. There’s a bit more roll as well, and then I start using the gearbox more aggressively.
Time to up it to track or Corsa mode, and here the Urus feels even more planted and direct. Should have selected this earlier on the Anima. In this mode, the rear helps point the nose in earlier, probably greater use of the rear-wheel steering. Power seems to go down to the wheels with less of an intervening layer, and the updated four-wheel-drive system seems to be more rear biased as well. The progress over the regular Urus is clear.
The eagle has landed
Then the familiar colours of Ladakh start to fade. Now, the mountains that surround us are pale, totally barren, and deliver an impression that we are driving inside a dried-out lake.
Then Lamayuru appears. Wow. I roll past the last few corners. Finally parked against this extraordinary backdrop, the Urus SE takes on a different identity. Throughout the drive, it had been a grand tourer, a high-speed cruiser, and a capable mountain-road companion. But here, surrounded by the moonland, it almost resembles a spacecraft.
The region’s unusual appearance is deeply connected to its geological history. Much of this area was once submerged beneath water. Over time, the lake disappeared, leaving behind the distinctive formations.
Nearby is the Lamayuru Monastery, one of the region’s most significant landmarks, and I go up to see the artwork and feel the spiritual calm that these places radiate. Imagine coming all the way here 1,000 years ago! When the Cholas ruled and Europe was in the dark ages. Imagine that.
As the afternoon light begins to soften across the moonland, it becomes difficult to imagine a better combination. A great road, an unforgettable destination, and a machine capable of turning the distance between the two into an experience worth remembering.
Bull run at 5,300 metres
Taking 18 Lamborghini Urus up to Leh and then crossing some of the highest passes in the world, all in convoy, is not something you do every day. Especially when you have rain, sleet, snow and drivers who have never seen terrain like this before. But that’s exactly what Lamborghini’s first Esperienza Terra – its off-road excursion in India – managed.
Sure, it was ambitious and difficult to put together, but what Urus owners got was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive their cars over some of the best roads in the world, something most could not have done on their own. Needless to say, the owners were over the moon. Kudos Lamborghini India, you’ve set the benchmark high.
