Splendid Spiti Valley Sojourn

At a height of 2745 metres above sea level, Spiti Valley is a cold desert, mountain valley, located high in the north-eastern part of Himalayan mountain range in Himachal Pradesh. The name "Spiti" means "The Middle Land", i.e. the land between Tibet and India. Travelling through Spiti is an extraordinary experience. With some of the most stunning landscapes you’ll ever see, every frame, every corner of the region is sheer bliss….

You will –

• Find your perfect postcard shots in the picturesque villages of Chitkul, Nako, Mudh, Kaza, Langza, Kibber  
• Experience peace at the primeval monasteries of Tabo, Dhankar, and Key.
• Visit world’s highest (connected) village – Komic and the highest post office – Hikkim
• Discover tranquillity at the clear and perfectly blue Chandratal Lake and peaceful Dhankar Lake

Travelling to Spiti Valley had been on my bucket list for a few years. So, this year when I could swing things and make it happen, there was no way I was going to let it pass…. Post some rounds of calls & e-mails exchange with Mukesh & Lara Tsering of Spiti Valley Tours, the travel itinerary was finalized. Flight tickets booked and bags packed… Thus begun the 10 days Spiti Valley sojourn.

Day 1: Chandigarh – Shimla (114 kms | 04 hours)

I land in Chandigarh by noon and think of checking out the Sukhana Lake and the Rock and Rose Gardens (if time permits) before heading to Shimla. Bags tucked in the spacious, white Innova, I head towards Sukhana Lake. Sukhna Lake is a reservoir at the foothills of the Himalayas. This 3 kms rain fed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills.

The traffic cops caught hold of our Innova driver for not being dressed in uniform. By the time I saw the lake and came back, he was still in conversation with the traffic policeman to sort the issue. Eventually, we ended up visiting the Traffic Challan office to get done with the necessary formalities to be able to proceed with the journey…

Not a good start we thought… Fingers crossed and hoping for the best, we proceed towards Shimla post a pit stop for lunch on the way. Due to heavy rains, poor visibility, rock falls and slippery routes, our journey slowed down considerably. Took us over 6 hours to reach Shimla. In midst of heavy downpour, it was a tricky route to even reach Hotel Rock Castle, where we were staying for the night.

Day 2: Shimla – Sangla Valley (225 kms | 7.5 hours)

Breakfast done, our journey technically begun now as we drove from Shimla to Sangla Valley following the Shimla-Kufri-Fagu-Narkanda-Rampur-Jeori-Karcham-Kinnaur route.

Hatu Devi Temple - Narkanda

About 65 kms from Shimla, Narkanda is surrounded by the Shivalik Range. Our driver suggested visiting the Hatu Devi temple on the Hatu Peak in Narkanda. At a distance of 7 kms and 3400 metres above sea level, Hatu Peak is the highest point in Narkanda. It gives a stunning view of mountains covered in snow and its surroundings. We drove through clouds; amidst blue pine, deodhar, fir and spruce trees to the beautiful, wood carved Hatu Devi (Mandodari) temple.

Hanuman Idol - Kinnaur NH5

We passed through a gigantic Hanuman idol on the route. Around 40 kms from Rampur, every single vehicle passing through Kinnaur’s NH5 pays obeisance to Chandralekha Devi at the Taranda Temple before proceeding ahead. Jawans from Indian army manage the temple constructed in 1965 by Border Road Organization (BRO). 

It was way past noon and hunger pangs were setting in. Lunch break was at the (highly recommended) Choti Wale’s Dhaba at Sarahan, where we had some amazing Makke di Roti topped with dollops of ghee & Sarso da Saag followed by nice hot glass of chai. This non-descript family run dhaba is a must visit if you wish to relish some delicious food.

Driving through scenic and temple lined route for over 8 hours, we reached Hotel Royal Castle at Sangla to halt for the night.

Day 3: Sangla to Chitkul (28 kms | 02 hours) and Chitkul to Kalpa (62 kms |03 hours)

Enroute Kamru Fort

We jumpstart our morning with a small trek to the 800 years old Kamru fort, which also hosts Kamakshi Devi temple.

Post a sumptuous breakfast we head to Chitkul. At a height of 3450 meters, this is the last village on the Indo-Tibet border. The route from Sangla Valley to Chitkul offers breath-taking views of the Baspa River running through the lush green Sangla Valley covered with pink flowers and of clear blue skies speckled with white clouds. The valley offers an unsurpassed view of the Baspa River with vistas of snow-clad mountains on the left and apple orchards and wooden houses on the right.

Kagyupa Temple - Chitkul

On reaching Chitkul, we head to the peaceful Kagyupa Temple where Shakyamuni Buddha is worshipped.

We then walk down to the riverfront for amazing views of the Baspa riverside. After spending some time there, we enjoy a nice warm lunch amidst afternoon rain showers. Chitkul is a heavenly place where you can spend hours and days and not want to leave!

Maha Bodhi Monastery at Rekong Peo

After visiting the Maha Bodhi Monastery at Rekong Peo, we offer prayers at Narayan-Nagini temple and Hu-Bu-Lan-Kar monastery at Kalpa. Here, we bump into Ayush & Nitin from Mumbai, who kept meeting us at different places over next few days.

With a cloud obstructed view of Kinnaur Kailash, we call it a day at Hotel RollingRang.

Day 4: Kalpa to Nako (100 kms | 3.5 hours) and Nako to Tabo (65 kms | 1.5 hours)

Kinnaur Kailash - Kalpa 

Stuffed with hot parathas and chai, we drive from Kalpa to the nearby Suicide Point, which is known for its vertical slope and dangerous ditch. Next we pass through Roghi Village known for its apple orchards. We park the car for almost half an hour in vain, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Kinnaur Kailash peak.

View of the Khab Sangam from Khab Bridge

Our next stop is at Khab Bridge to view the Khab Sangam – the confluence of rivers Spiti (flowing through the Spiti valley) and Sutlej (originating from Mansarovar Lake in Tibet).

Nako Lake - Nako

From Khab we move to Nako, which is the largest village at an elevation of 3,625 metres in the Hangrang Valley. We have Dal-Chawal for soul at the Nako Dhaba, and then proceed to see the Nako Monastery (which was shut) and the Nako Lake.

We then drive to Tabo and check in to Hotel Tiger's Den for the night. With time at hand, we set out to explore the Old Monastery that was a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Hotel Tiger's Den - Tabo

At the Tabo Monastery (Old), we meet Shashank from Andhra Pradesh. An interesting character, who quit his job at an architecture firm to follow his calling. At Tabo for 40 days, Shashank befriended the monks and taught some basic subjects to the young lamas at the monastery. 

With Shashank & young lamas

Shashank enlightened us on lives of the monks and introduced us to Tashi Deley (Wishing you happiness) and Julley (Hello). He simplified the meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum. Shashank shared the monastery timings so that we could visit both the (old and new) monasteries in morning. He suggested exploring the Buddhist caves nearby. 

Thoughts brimming with Shashank’s conversation, it was time to satiate our tummy and call it an early night. 

Day 5: Tabo to Dhankar (30 kms | 01 hour) and Dhankar to Mudh Village (51 kms | 2.5 hours)

Old Monastery - Tabo

Over a thousand years old, Tabo is one of the most important Buddhist monastery. It was an early morning for us as we visit the Old and New monasteries at Tabo to participate in the morning prayers offered by Lamas. At the Old monastery, which dates back to 996 A.D., a Lama was reading old manuscripts in light from a single flame burning from the lamp. The sound of prayer recitals in the wee hours of morning, transports you to a different zone. 

New Monastery - Tabo

In the peaceful and serene assembly hall at the New Monastery, lamas of all age were seated and reading prayers from the manuscripts. After a while, we were served tea.

Post a 15 minutes gradual ascent on the hills, we explore the easily accessible Tabo Caves. Monks carved these caves in the hills for purpose of meditation. It is believed to be used as abode for the Buddhist monks during Himalayan winters. The caves are used even today for meditation by monks.

Morning meditation and trek done, we head back to our hotel to freshen up and have breakfast before heading to Dhankar.

Stupa near Dhankar Lake

Dhankar Lake

The New Monastery at Dhankar also happens to be the base from where the 3 kms trek to Dhankar Lake begins. At the height of 4136 meters in middle of hills, Dhankar Lake can be reached by climbing a steep, narrow trail scattered with loose pebbles. Many consider it an easy hike. But the climb can make you breathless within a few seconds. For people who are not used to steep climbs, hike to the lake can be physically challenging. However, the hike is worth the view for those who don’t quit. Set amidst green meadows, the fish shaped Dhankar Lake leaves you appreciative of the alluring display of colours and the landscape. After spending some peaceful time by the lake, we begin descent. A sumptuous lunch at the New Monastery Guesthouse followed by a quick visit to the Old Monastery at Dhankar, we proceed to the Mudh Village.

Atop the terrace at Tara Guest House

As we near Tara Guest House, we see Ayush and Nitin chilling on its terrace. After checking into our room, we head to terrace for a chatty evening with Ayush (Engineering student and an aspiring actor) & Nitin (Insurance surveyor) who are joined by Camille (a decade old solo traveller from France), Jayesh (solo traveller) from (Amazon) Bangalore and a couple from Delhi. Over several rounds of hot, piping adrak chai in the pleasantly cold evening, we share our Spiti experience and travel tales.

Spitian houses in Mudh village near the Pin Valley National Park, offer good choice of food, a grand view of the lofty peaks and a pleasant home-stay. Tara Guest House is one of the best and highly recommended home stays in the Mudh village.

The night was getting cold and the clear sky was studded with dazzling stars. At dinner table, we meet Mallik a solo traveller Nagpur and a few Israelis who share their travel stories. Happy with a hearty meal of Tibetan pizza and Momos, we call it day in the nicely freezing night in Mudh.

Day 6: Mudh Village to Kaza (50 kms | 05 hours) via Key Monastery & Kibber

An early morning walk through the green pea’s field to the Parvati river bank and a photo session on the local wooden bridge… The serene, barren and beautiful Mudh village in the Pin Valley offers some splendid views that set adrenaline rushing.

Key Gompa

From Mudh, we head to the picturesque Key Gompa located at an altitude of 4116 metres, close to the Spiti River. This Buddhist monastery has a distinction of being the oldest and the biggest in the Lahaul and Spiti district. It is home to around 300 lamas who receive their religious education here.

At Kibber

Next on our list for the day was the beautiful village of Kibber situated at a height of 4205 meters above sea level. It holds the distinction of being the second highest motorable village in the world. We head to Kaza after a sumptuous lunch at this tranquilly scenic village situated in a cold desert, surrounded by quaint mountains, barren landscapes, and green meadows.

Situated along the Spiti River at an elevation of 3,650 metres, Kaza is the largest township and commercial centre of the valley. Having checked in at Hotel Old Monk, we set out to explore the Kaza market. We also meet Mukesh & Lara Tsering of Spiti Valley Tours for a chitchat and clearing the balance payment.

Post sorting our stay at Manali for an extra day to accommodate the slight change in our itinerary, we again go to Kaza market. Wandering around, we stumble upon Sol Café, a cool little coffee shop, offering super-strong coffee, variety of teas, items made from sea-buckthorn, and light dishes such as French toast, pancakes and whole-wheat baked goods. You can buy stationery, small goodies and many varieties of sweets. We liked the idea where you can write your thoughts /wishes for the world on a colourful paper and stick it on the café’s ceiling. Another interesting thing at the café was presence of a book shelf to exchange old books for free. Sol Café is an amazingly cosy place that you wouldn’t want to miss visiting when at Kaza. We make our way back to hotel to hog on freshly made dinner served with warmth and love.

Day 7: Kaza to Komic via Langza and Hikkim (45 kms | 06 hours)

Kaza Monastery

The newly built Sakya Tenggyu Monastery at Kaza (2009) leaves us speechless with its crisp Buddhist designs in lively colours that highlights the painstaking detail throughout the elegant structure. It is one of the stunning and peaceful monasteries in the region.

We start out to explore the unconventional, high-altitude villages of Langza, Komic and Hikkim. These can be easily explored at an easy pace in half a day from Kaza.

Buddha Statue - Langza

Apart from the breath-taking landscape, the presence of the magnificent 1000 year old Lord Buddha statue in the meadow gives Langza a heavenly feel. Langza is located above 14,000 feet in Spiti Valley at the crossroads between Tibet and India. Lara’s Homestay at Langza is one of the premium properties that you can check out if you wish to spend a day in the ‘Switzerland of Spiti’. Langza is also well known for its rich fossil reserves that can be found speckled near the village.

At Komic

From Langza we head to Komic. Situated at an altitude of 4587 meters, Komic is the highest village in the world connected by a motorable road. The village houses Tangyud Monastery and has a population of 60 odd people spread across 15 houses. Komic with its high vantage points is a blessing for sky gazers and photographers to witness some stunning views of the Spiti Valley.

At Hikkim Post Office

About 4 kms from Komic and at an altitude of about 4440 meters is Hikkim, which is known for housing the highest post office in the world and also for being the highest polling station of the world. We walk down the extremely steep road to the post office where they have postcards on sale. Pick your postcard and send it anywhere in the world. It’s a must do thing at Hikkim as it’s not every day you get to send a post card from the world’s highest post office.

From Hikkim, we drive to Lara’s Homestay at Langza for lunch. Post resting for a while, we decide to move back to Kaza. As the main road was shut, we travel via Hikkim bypass road to reach Hotel Old Monk. Our souls lost in the beauty of these unusual villages, we drift into dreams of yet another place to travel the next day.

Day 8: Kaza to Chandrataal Lake (~80 kms | 06 hours)

We left Kaza in the wee hours of morning to brave the treacherous road to Chandratal. The route is all mud and rocks and waterfalls and pagal nalas! Our aim is to cross Losar before the road immerses in water from melting glaciers. Post crossing Losar we stop for breakfast and then proceed to Chandratal via Kunzum La.

Kunzum Devi Temple

At a height of 4590 meters, Kunzum Pass (Tibetan: Kunzum La), connects the Kullu Valley and Lahaul Valley with the Spiti Valley. We offer prayers at the famous shrine of Kunzum Devi to seek her blessings to travel through the rough terrain. Kunzum La offers a breath taking view of Bara-Sigri, the second longest glacier in the world, the Chandra-Bhaga Mountain and Spiti Valley.

6 kms from Kunzum La is the virgin and pristine Chandratal Lake, located at a height of 14,100 feet. We drive through the narrow, zigzag road to reach the campsite which is at least 3 kms from the lake. Post freshening up in our tent at the Moonlake campsite by the Chandra River, we continue our drive to the parking lot at Chandratal Lake. From here, the lake is a 15 minutes leisurely walk.

Chandratal Lake - Entrance

You can spot smaller water bodies on way to the lake. There is a small stupa covered with numerous prayer flags at the entrance. The changing colours of the lake water from blue to green based on reflection of the sun rays was astounding. Trailing half way around the edge of the lake, we are amazed by the pristine beauty of the place.

Chandratal Lake

All around the lake and also on our way back to the parking lot, we see plenty of stones stacked on top of each other. I later found out that these are wishing stones. The local belief is that if you make a pile with seven stones and wish for something with a pure heart, the Himalayan Gods will fulfil your wish.

Back at the campsite, we meet people who'd hiked up till the lake. So, we decide to revisit the Chandratal Lake early in the evening through the trek route. An hour long 2 kms hike through wild flowers and colourful stones adorning the slightly steep and somewhat plateaued route takes us to the Chandratal Lake. This crystal clear, sweet-water lake changes hues throughout the day reflecting colours of things around it. The sight of blue waters of the lake surrounded with the lush green grass and mighty mountains provide a mesmerizing, unforgettable view.

As evening sets in, the temperature drastically falls during our descent to the campsite. We drive towards our tent to rest up and immerse in our rendezvous with one of the most stunning places in Spiti. An early dinner with teeth chattering in the freezing weather was followed by sweet slumber snuggled in woollens and thick blankets.

Day 9: Chandratal Lake to Manali (130 kms | 07 hours)

Rohtang Pass

With fond memories of Chandratal Lake, we head towards Rohtang Pass and then to Manali. About 15 kms from the campsite, we stop for breakfast of freshly made parathas at the famous Chandra Dhaba a.k.a. Chacha-Chachi Dhaba at Batal. An aged couple – Dorje uncle and Chandra aunty own the derelict stone structure. With a satellite phone at hand, this rugged dhaba makes for a perfect stay in the absolute wilderness of Spiti.

After a quick halt at Chattru, we continue our journey through boulders and stones and barrenness of the cold desert and pagal nalas to reach Rohtang Pass. At a height of 3979 metres, Rohtang Pass is located on the highway to Keylong/Leh. This pass is a gateway to Lahaul Spiti, Pangi and Leh valley. Post a quick round of photo session at the Rohtang Pass, followed by a lunch break, we continue to Manali, which is still another 51 kms away.

Waiting to relish Himachali Thali at Vibes

An uphill drive through apple orchards on a meandering road for almost 7 kms of Kanyal Road, we reach Vivaan – The Sunrise Resort. Post a nice warm shower and a stroll down the Mall Road, we relish a healthy Himachali Thali for dinner at Vibes.

Day 10: Manali

Breakfast done, we check in to Hotel Thomas Villa. It was now time to explore places in and around Manali.

Our first stop is the Vashisht village located on outskirts of Manali across the River Beas. Here we visit the famous sulphurous hot water springs with healing powers, Vashisht temple and Ram temple build opposite Vashisht temple.

Ram Temple - Vashisht Village

From the beautiful Vashisht Village, we trek to the Jogini falls situated on its northern edge. From a height of around 150 feet, Jogini waterfall flows through several levels. Jogini Mata temple at the base of the waterfall is a holy site. The short, gentle trek of 3 kms to the fall was a pleasant one through narrow lanes, apple orchards, tall pine trees and small water streams.

Jogini waterfall

On the main road, we get off the car to get a closer view of the Beas River from its banks.

Next, we visit the Hidimbi Devi Temple built on a huge rock and the adjacent tree temple for her son Ghatothkach. Skeletal heads and animal horns hang from the outer walls of the temple and at the Gatothkach shrine. Famished from the trek and temple visits, we grab a quick bite at a local eating joint near the temple.

Manu Temple - Old Manali

An arduous 1.5 kms walk takes us to the Manu Temple, which is dedicated to sage Manu, who is believed to be the creator of the world and the writer of Manusmriti. The magnificent temple is one of the prime attractions in old Manali. It is supposed to be the place where sage Manu meditated after stepping on earth.

At Manali Chill Cafe 

As we walk down the dreamcatcher laced Manu Temple Road, a dainty bright café caught our attention. We thus settle for a nice hot chai cuppa & pakodas at Manali Chill Café.

Refreshed and charged for rest of the evening, we walk down to the Club House. Some shopping at Club House and the remaining at the Mall Road, we are fatigued to the core.

Post a quick dinner we head to Hotel Thomas Villa to pack our bags one last time on this trip…

10 days flew by so fast that we didn’t even realize it was time to head back home.

Day 11: Manali to Chandigarh (316 kms | 08 hours)

With memories to fill our heart and experiences to charge our soul, we leave early morning for Chandigarh to board flights back to Mumbai.

The enthralling Spiti Valley journey will forever have a special place in my heart.

On landing in the city of dreams, reality hit hard and how! 

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Ajay Kumar

P.S: A special thanks to driver Ajay Kumar for safely and skilfully manoeuvring through treacherous roads of the Spiti Valley and making our trip a great one...