<p>A deluxe bus service that connects this Himachal Pradesh town to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir restarted Tuesday after remaining closed for over seven months due to snowfall, an official said.<br /></p>.<p>One-way fare is Rs.2,500, which includes a night's stay at Keylong, dinner and breakfast.<br /><br />"The 35-seater bus will leave Manali twice a week at 9 a.m. After stopping overnight at Keylong (in Lahaul-Spiti district), it will reach Leh next day in the evening," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) general manager Yogesh Behl told IANS.<br /><br />The HPTDC is running this special bus to promote tourism.<br /><br />"The response of tourists, especially the foreigners, is quite good. A passenger can even get online advance booking," he said.<br /><br />The Manali-Leh HPTDC bus service normally operates for four months as the 475 km Manali-Leh highway remains shut rest of the year due to snowfall. This year it opened for vehicular traffic June 3.<br /><br />The bus crosses four high mountain passes in the cold 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).<br /><br />Last week state-run Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) restarted 1,050-km bus journey linking Delhi to Leh via Manali.<br /></p>
<p>A deluxe bus service that connects this Himachal Pradesh town to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir restarted Tuesday after remaining closed for over seven months due to snowfall, an official said.<br /></p>.<p>One-way fare is Rs.2,500, which includes a night's stay at Keylong, dinner and breakfast.<br /><br />"The 35-seater bus will leave Manali twice a week at 9 a.m. After stopping overnight at Keylong (in Lahaul-Spiti district), it will reach Leh next day in the evening," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) general manager Yogesh Behl told IANS.<br /><br />The HPTDC is running this special bus to promote tourism.<br /><br />"The response of tourists, especially the foreigners, is quite good. A passenger can even get online advance booking," he said.<br /><br />The Manali-Leh HPTDC bus service normally operates for four months as the 475 km Manali-Leh highway remains shut rest of the year due to snowfall. This year it opened for vehicular traffic June 3.<br /><br />The bus crosses four high mountain passes in the cold 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).<br /><br />Last week state-run Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) restarted 1,050-km bus journey linking Delhi to Leh via Manali.<br /></p>