We Couldn’t Breathe at 5,300m — Altitude Hit Hard

Crossing Tanglang La Pass was one of the hardest days of our entire journey. At over 5,300 metres above sea level, every breath felt heavy. Simple movements left us exhausted. And while our bodies were struggling with the lack of oxygen, our motorcycle Tilly was fighting her own battle — overheating at extreme altitude, with more than half the ride still ahead. The road toward Leh pushed us through water crossings, cliffside tracks, deep potholes filled with melting snow, and unpredictable Himalayan traffic. At this altitude, there is no room for mistakes. The seriousness of it all truly hit when a car stopped and asked us for canned oxygen — their child was struggling to breathe. At 5,000 metres, oxygen levels are already reduced by half. This episode isn’t about speed or adventure highlights. It’s about limits — mechanical, physical, and human — and what it really means to ride at extreme altitude. If you enjoy raw, real overland travel and seeing the world beyond the postcard version, you’re in the right place. –––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Timestamps* 00:00 – 00:24 Intro 00:24 – 00:38 Map & facts 00:38 - 02:11 The Air Is Getting Thinner 02:11 - 03:45 Cliffside Danger with Indian Traffic 03:45 - 04:06 “That’s INSANE!” 04:06 - 05:12 A Road on Mars 05:12 - 08:44 Tanglang La - 5328m 08:44 - 11:45 Breathing gets heavier 11:45 - 13:57 Over the Top of Tanglang La 13:57 - 15:22 The Narrow Meltwater Section 15:22 - 17:15 The Oxygen Request 17:15 - 19:39 Overtaking the Smoking Car 19:39 - 22:50 3,500m Still Feels Unreal 22:50 - 23:46 We Made It to Leh 23:46 - 24:04 Preview Next Episode –––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Watch more:* 🎥 Season 2 Playlist –    • Season 2 – Riding the Himalayas: Motorcycl...   🎥 Season 1 Playlist –    • Get ready for our first video of our rtw t...   –––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Support the journey ❤️* If you enjoy following our around-the-world motorcycle journey and want to support what we do, you can become a *tilly2wheels member* on Buy Me a Coffee. Monthly memberships are available at *€10 / €20 / €50 / €100* and directly help us keep riding, filming, and sharing these stories from the road. Depending on the level, members get perks like: • Personal postcards from the road • A handwritten letter with personal stories and travel insights • Access to our private Polarsteps with real-time updates, behind-the-scenes insights, personal high/low lights, and A LOT more photos and videos • A personalized souvenir from every country 👉 Become a member here: https://buymeacoffee.com/tilly2wheels No pressure at all — just watching and being here already means a lot to us. –––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Follow us behind the scenes:* 📸 Instagram –   / tilly2wheels   📘 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... 🔗 All our links – https://linktr.ee/tilly2wheels –––––––––––––––––––––––––– Maddi & Oli #tilly2wheels #MotorcycleAdventure #AroundTheWorld #AdventureBike #CoupleTravel