Spiti is bordered in the northern side by Ladakh, Tibet in the East, Kinnaur in the South-East and Kullu valley in the North. This majestic cold desert valley in Himachal Pradesh is replete with pine forests, green meadows, beautiful monasteries and inhabited villages that will leave you totally awe-stuck.
Overview
7 nights 8 days in Spiti is a fairly long stay. It gives you ample time to see the best places in Spiti and also soak in the beauty of its landscapes and culture
Itinerary
Start a bit early, you can start by 9-10 AM easily to reach Narkanda well in time. Take the road towards shimla Once at Shimla, you can either chose to stay here or if you still have some time left, go all the way to Narkanda which is another 3 hours journey from Shimla. Personally , I prefer to stay at Narkanda. It is a quiet and peaceful small village and a better option than crowded Shimla. Total distance covered on this day would be 350 kms if you are staying at Shimla and 430 kms if you plan to go to Narkanda. Travel time would be 8-10 hours. Road is mostly good all the way till Narkanda
From Narkanda , continue on the highway again towardsrampur, Karchham. At Karchham, leave the highway again and take the diversion towards Sangla. From here, you will enter the beautiful Sangla valley. Stay on the road until it ends at the small village of Chitkul. You will also cross Sangla on your way which is also quite a famous town. Lot of people chose to stay here but I will recommend Chitkul. There is an ATM at Sangla in case you want to withdraw cash.
Karchham is the site for a huge dam on river Sutlej which you will see as you go towards Chitkul. Sangla is famous for Nages god temple and Kamru Fort. Chitkul is a beautiful small village located right next to Baspa river.
Road will mostly remain bad all the way till Chitkul. At several stretches, there will not be a road at all and you will end up driving on dirt trails. Total distance covered would be 125 kms approximately and will take 6-7 hours easily.
From Chitkul, return once again to Powari and take the highway towards Pooh. The next petrol pump is not until Kaza so you should definitely tank up your vehicle at Reckong Peo. Register yourself at the check post at Pooh and continue straight towards Nako. I would personally recommend staying at Nako but if you want to, you may continue all the way to Tabo and stay there for the night. There are a couple of hotels at Nako and also a PWD guest house right next to Nako Lake. In case you want to stay at Tabo for the night, there are a few hotels here, of which the Banjara Camps retreat is the most luxurious. There are other hotels and hostels like Tashi Gangsar, Menthok Dumra at Tabo, including the monastery’s own guest houses.
See the confluence of Spiti and Satluj rivers at Khab. The bridge at Khab also offers a great view of Leo Purygal Peak.
A few kilometers before Tabo, you will come across a cemented gate on your right and road heading towards Gue village. This site is famous for a 650 year old Mummy located here and is worth a visit. From the gate, it is an 8 kms drive to the village. The temple where the Mummy is placed is on a hilltop and is hard to miss once you have reached the village. You can also ask any of the locals and they can point you in the right direction. After visiting the temple, drive back 8 kms to the highway and continue towards Tabo. Primary attraction at Tabo is the Tabo Monastery which is said to be over a thousand years old. Just before Nako is the much dreaded and famous Malling Nallah
Total distance until Nako is 100 kms and 150 till Tabo. Road is bad up until Pooh but after that it is mostly good all the way till Nako. As you start to get closer to Tabo, it is a mix of good and average. Reaching Nako will take about 4-5 hours and about 6-7 to reach Tabo
Destination for today will be Kaza but you will be visiting the village of Dhankar as well on the way. Primary attraction at Dhankar are the two, Old and new, Dhankar monasteries. There is also a lake near Dhankar but to visit there, you will have to do a bit of trekking, a couple of hours. Kaza is approximately 115 kilometers from Nako and 60 from Tabo. Road is a mix of good and average so you can do this journey at ease, no need to rush. At most a 4-5 hours journey from Nako.
You will spend this day in Kaza, travelling the places around. Visit the famous Ki monastery and take a drive to the nearby villages of Kibber, Tashigong, Langza, Kaumik and return to Kaza by evening. This area is famous for some very old fossils that were found here. Tanggyud monastery in Koumik is worth a visit. Langza offers a great view of Chau Chau Kang Nelda peak. There is also a large Buddha statue here which is quite magnificent.
After Kaza, the roads will start to get bad to the point that it will become a nightmare to cross. Chandratal is at about a distance of 60 kms from Kaza. Head towards Losar, then to Kunzum Pass which will be your first high altitude pass in the journey so far. After you cross the Kunzum Pass top, you will notice a signboard and small road going towards Chandratal, a stretch of 14 kms. Turn on this road to reach Chandratal and check in to one of the several camp sites here. All the camps however are at about 3 kilometers distance minimum from Chandratal and to reach the lake, you will have to cover this last bit of distance on foot as vehicles are not allowed after a certain point.
Roads will remain mostly bad throughout the day.
Manali is only at a distance of 122 kms from Chandratal but make no mistake; this journey will easily take 7-8 hours, even more. You will be driving through the worst patch of road that you have ever encountered in your life. From Chandratal, reach back to Kunzum Pass, then head towards Batal. At Batal, you will take the road towards Gramphoo and then start on your ascent to second high altitude pass of the journey, Rohtang La. From there, it is a straight run to Manali
Return to home
Cost
The trip cost includes
- ● Breakfast and Dinner on all days
- ● Accommodation in Standard Hotels / Camps on
- all days
- ● First Aid kit
- ● Sightseeing as per itinerary
- ● Inner Line permit / Manali Green Tribunal Permit
- ● Transfers and local sightseeing
- ● Bonfire wherever possible
The trip cost Exclude
- Not mentioned in includes
You should at least make a Spiti Valley trip in 8 days as you need 5 days in total to reach Spiti via Kinnaur side and come back from Manali side. So, having three more days will help you explore Pin Valley, Langza, Hikkim, Komic, Ki, and Kibber Villages around Kaza
Inner thermals 2-3 pairs (must have)
A fleece jacket or windcheater jacket or windproof jacket to prevent the winds (must have)
Good insulated boots or trekking shoes in winters. …
Woolen socks 2-3 pairs.
Heavy woolens 2-3 sets – Sweatshirts, pullovers, warm hoodies.
Road Conditions from Route 1 (Delhi – Shimla – Spiti)
The greatest advantage of taking the Shimla-Spiti route is that the road is mostly in good condition. You will find some of the best and the smoothest road patches between Shimla, Narkanda, Jeori, Karcham, Sangla, and Kalpa.
