KINNAUR - SPITI
Everyone reaches Chandigarh by Noon and then we head to Narkanda. We hit the lower Himalayas a few kilometers from Chandigarh and head to Narkanda. We shall escape the traffic of Shimla city and take a different route taking us to Chail and Kufri. Enjoy the beautiful ride via Chail and Kufri. We shall stop for a cup of tea at Chail. Final stop will be Narkanda. If time permits, we shall visit the famous Hatu temple and spend sometime there. Relax in the evening.
We shall head out early in the morning after breakfast, visit Hatu temple in Narkanda and hit the road to Sangla valley- one of the most beautiful valley in India. On your way after Rampur, you shall also see huge construction sites of Wangtoo Karcham Dam and the ruthless side of Sutlej River. We shall call it a day after reaching Sangla. Stay in Sangla.
Sangla : The name Sangla itself is engulfed in romantic lore. Sang is said to mean 'light' and la of course means 'pass' in the Tibetan language. In other words it is the 'pass of light'. Sangla village is surrounded with gigantic Kinner-Kailash peak (6,050m) towering over it.
After breakfast proceed for Chitkul. The drive is one of the most fascinating, Pine trees slowly giving way to ‘Bhojpatra’/Birch trees and then the tree line disappears and one reaches the meadowland. Nagasthi is the last border outpost and short walk from Chitkul. Civilians are not allowed beyond this point. The walk is a level one and slightly going down the path through a pastureland and fields overlooking the freely flowing Baspa. A 1.5 hrs walk takes you to the outpost where the Jawans’ smiling faces greet you. Back to Rakcham. O/n Rakcham.
Proceed for Kalpa (2758 mts – 2 hrs). Kalpa is a beautiful and main village of Kinnaur. Across the river faces the majestic mountains of the Kinner Kailash range. If time permits visit Roghi village form hotel, suicide point there. Also don’t forget to troll around kalpa village, post office, school. Watch the lovely sunset and sunrise (next day) at Kalpa over Mount Kinner Kailash. About 4 – 5 Hrs of total drive on this day. Overnight at Kalpa.
Start your day early and watch the vistas en route over Hindustan Tibet Highway Check Out Khab, Confluence of Spiti and Satluj Rivers. See the Leo Purygal Peak from Khab Bridge. Have your lunch at Nako Lake. Meet the dreaded Malling Nalla ahead of Nako. After Chango – Sumdo you will enter Spiti Valley. After Sumdo police registration, detour towards Geyu Village to visit the 500 Year old Mummy. About 8 – 9 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between. By the time we reach it will be evening and the monastery will be shut. So we shall visit the Monastery next morning. Rest in Tabo. Overnight at Tabo.
Start your morning with a nice breakfast and a visit to the Ajantas of Himalayas- Tabo Monastery. A 1000 years old monastery and not even a single day has passed since it inception that prayers have not been offered. The murals, wall paintings and thankas will leave you speechless- especially the wall of the 1000 Buddhas in the main sanctum. We shall walk to the other side of Tabo where we shall visit the caves where the monks use to meditate in the ancient times. We shall head out of Tabo and our next stop will be Dhankar Monastery- a 1000 years old monument whose setting is like none other. Dhankar Monastery hangs on a cliff overlooking the confluence of Spiti and Pin River. Dhankar use to be the seat of the King in the ancient times and the monastery use to follow the sect of the King. The ones who want to check their lung capacity and are adventurous can hike to Dhankar lake which is a 45 minutes hike from Dhankar village. The non-adventurous ones will walk around the village and get ready for Lunch. Post lunch we head to Pin valley- the home of Snow Leopard and Siberian Ibex. On our way to Pin Valley- we shall visit Khungri Monastery in Sagnam which is the strong hold of Buchen Lamas of Nyingma sec of Buddhism. We shall finish our journey for the day at Mudh village- the entry point of Pin Valley National Park. Stay in a homestay at Mudh and understand the life of locals at this altitude- how they live, what they grow, what they eat, how do entertain themselves, their culture, music, food etc etc.
Mudh is the starting/ ending point of 2 very famous treks- the Pin Parvati Pass trek and Bhaba Pass trek. Early morning we shall take a walk inside the park and head to Kye and Khibber after breakfast. We shall head to spend sometime next to the river near Kaza over the lunch- all picnic style. Visit one of the most famous monastery of Spiti valley- The Kye Monastery, have a cup of tea with the monks and understand their life. Kye Monastery is the biggest monastery in Spiti valley and is home to a young monks who come here to follow Buddha’s path. After spending some time at the Monastery, we head to Khibber village which use to be highest village in the world some time back before Komic took that position. Walk and hike around this beautiful village which is also part of a sanctuary. Head back to Kaza and take rest.
Today visit the road less travelled or off beat places near Kaza. Great view of Chau Chau Kang Nelda peak from Langza. Statue of the Buddha near Langza looking down the valley. Tanggyud monastery at Komik, is one of the most important and the highest monastery in the Spiti Valley. You can move to Losar if you would like to stay away from hustle bustle of Kaza. About 2 – 3 Hrs of drive in the day excluding Losar. If planning to go to Losar, Enjoy the most scenic drive of entire Spiti Valley between Losar and Kaza at an easy pace. About 2 – 2.5 Hrs drive between Losar and Kaza, depending upon the breaks you take in between. Overnight at Kaza or Losar.
Visit Chandratal via Kunzum Pass and enjoy the day there Camps are about 2.5 KMs from the lake, either stay there or back to Battal where there is a PWD rest house now though without electricity. But, no point going back a painful ride to Losar over Kunzum Pass unless you want to stay in guest house with electricity. Better stay at Battal and save time as well as energy for next day. About 4 – 5 Hrs drive minimum. Overnight at Battal or Chandratal Camps.
Head back to Manali via Rohtang Pass. Drive through Battal – Chattru – Gramphu towards Rohtang Pass is out of the world. About 7 – 8 Hrs drive easily if you do not get messed up Rohtang Pass. Overnight at Manali.
Proceed for Chandigarh (9-10 hrs). Reach Chandigarh by evening. Check into the hotel. O/n Chandigarh..
Morning after breakfast drive to Chandigarh Airport/Railway Station where you will board the Flight/Train with memorable experience of the tour conducted by team TravelSpree.
Kinnaur is one of twelve administrative districts in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, India. The Spiti Valley is a desert mountain valley located high in the Himalaya mountains in the north-eastern part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
