7 Days Road Trip of Kinnaur and Spiti

Tripoto
3rd May 2018

High altitude mountains of Spiti

Photo of 7 Days Road Trip of Kinnaur and Spiti by SoulMountain Yayavar

A wonderful way to explore Spiti in a week, this road trip gives you the opportunity to travel in a relatively relaxed way in a very short span of time. As an alternative route, we enter Spiti through the safer and more compliant Shimla Dhankar route instead of the Manali Gramphu route.  This trip is possible for most parts of year pending road blockages. Exact itinerary can differ due to various reasons.

Day 1: From Shimla to Sarahan to Reckong Peo Spiti Road trip in Himalayan mountains

Day 1

Commencing from Shimla, we begin our journey to Kinnaur, after having breakfast. We can arrange to have a pick up from Chandigarh as well should you require the same, but it needs to be in the early morning. We normally would reach Reckong Peo in the early hours of evening, provided we are met by good road and traffic conditions. After reaching Reckong Peo, we suggest a walk around the village and exploring nearby areas.

Photo of Reckong Peo, Himachal Pradesh, India by SoulMountain Yayavar
Day 2

Day 2: From Reckong Peo to Nako to Tabo

It would take a few moments for our foreign tourists to get a permit here, from Reckong Peo to proceed ahead. Stopping at Nako village and having a meal, we commence our trek to the lake and dwell in the scenic beauty of the lake. After a little rest, we head back to our car, to Tabo, and refresh our selves with the beautiful natural surroundings.

Day 3: From Tabo to Dhankar

Day 3

We visit the famous Tabo monastery in the morning and explore the nearby caves in mountains where meditation by the monks is an ongoing process since the olden days. From these quiet surroundings, we drive to Dhankar, after lunch. Dhankar is the ancient capital of Spiti, while it was used by the kings. We might even be able to see Lalung with its famous “Three Cornered Buddha statue”. Tabo monastery is full of fantastic legendary tales and is a holy place for locals of Spiti.

Photo of Dhankar Monastery, Sichling-Dhankhar Gompa, Dhankhar, Himachal Pradesh, India by SoulMountain Yayavar
Day 4

Day 4: From Dhankar to Ki to Kibber

What a better way to start the day than a walk in the heart of nature and bird watching at Dhankar lake. You will be amazed at the variety of rare wildlife and birds in this wilderness. We pass the Li village and the Famous Ki monastery on the hill as we drive to Kibber village, the largest in the region. And again we have the chance to witness the Spitian wild birds and animals

Day 5: From Kibber to Kaza

Day 5

Today we go to Kaza, the largest town of this district and busy ourselves taking in the sights and sounds off this town. Witness the marvel of the shining Spiti river, marking its presence along the mountain side. We reach the high altitude Shilla valley from this route, where we find local villagers grazing their herds. Here is a chance to do some volunteer work and help the villagers.

Photo of Kaza, Himachal Pradesh, India by SoulMountain Yayavar

Day 6: From Kaza to Kalpa

Day 6

From Kaza we drive to Kalpa village known for its wonderful apple orchards. The multifaceted view formed by the threesome of the grazing grounds, the fields and the apple groves is simply magical. You can be a part of this multicolored arena by volunteering to help the locals with their chores. A Spitian dinner waits for you as you end the day.

Day 7: From Kalpa to Sarahan to Shimla

Day 7

Today marks the end of our wonderful trip as we start for Shimla. On the way we pass Sarhan, where we have momos, and review the trip and the grandeur of nature as we reach Shimla by evening.