Famously known as the last inhabited village on the Indo-Tibet Border, Chitkul is also the most beautiful village of the striking Baspa Valley in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.Chitkul height is about 11,319 Ft in altitude.
As I say, all things worth having in life never come so easily,also Sangla is famous for his Holi festival,So I add Chitkul to my Bucket list.
Day 1 : Delhi - Shimla / Overnight Journey - Chitkul
I joined a Group trip this time with the awesome family ( Safarnama). The group assembles at the Majnu Ka tila and meets the team captain & other team members there and afterwards head out on an overnight journey to Shimla.
Early in the morning(Holika Dahan day), I arrived in Shimla and changed our transportation from the bus to Tempo Traveler and headed out for Chitkul.
En-route traversing through the beautiful towns of Kufri, Narkanda, Rampur, Sangla and witness the Karcham Dam with the Sutlej river flowing alongside.
Since Chitkul is an offbeat remote area, you'll not get access to ATMs. But not only that, even medical centers, hospitals, fuel stations, and many other necessities are not present in Chitkul.So it's better to take all the things along with you while on this trip.
Upon reaching Chitkul, we checked into our hotels and stayed overnight.
Day 2: Holika Dahan (Head to Sangla Valley)
After an early morning breakfast, we’ll head out for a sightseeing tour and head to Sangla Valley (For enjoying Holi dahan).Our first halt would be an ISBT camp from where we will enjoy the beautiful view of the Baspa Valley and sit by the Baspa riverside.Few Glimpse of the journey :
The lighting of the Holika bonfire traditionally marks the end of the festivities in Sangla. This bonfire represents the victory of good over evil and the destruction of the demon king Hiranya-Kashyap by Lord Vishnu. In Sangla, the bonfire plays a key role in the Holi celebrations and is frequently accompanied by singing and dancing to kinnauri traditional music.
Locals congregate at Nag Mandir in the morning to participate in Holi celebrations in accordance with regional customs. Men are selected to dress up as the protagonists of the epic Ramayana and to the sound of trumpets and drums; the parade starts to move from one village to the next. The streets of Sangla are filled with people of all ages who have been completely covered in hues of colors.
On Day 3 : Holi festival day ("Holi Hayy")
Everyone is dressed in their traditional attire on Holi day. They dance in palanquins with the local deities , followed by all-night performances of Kinnauri Nati. They simply paint traditions and customs throughout the entire valley.We enjoyed there the local wines of Sangla Valley and Green Apples and some Himachal Authentic dishes.
We resumed our return journey after breakfast and headed towards Shimla Upon reaching Shimla we reached by Delhi early in the morning and the moments will disperse with fond memories.
