Hello, as you have hoped into this blog, I am sure that you have a wandering soul and an itinerant heart. Through this blog I will take you to the last Indian village on the Indo-Tibetan border Chhitkul. Chhitkul is located in the Kinnaur Valley, 235 km from Shimla. The village has the cleanest air to breath in India, as per the IIT Delhi. Chhitkul is very scenic village with mountainous landscapes, speedily flowing Baspa river, freezing weather, and what not for a mountain lover. The village is surrounded by a range of ice cladded mountains with pointed peaks busting the clouds. Watching this mountain range, many of the trekking enthusiast 🏃 plan to trek the freezed peaks. Rest I will cover in the further blog.
It's one of the mid weeks of July, while watching a vlog of the Spiti Valley, I suddenly planned to complete the Spiti circuit. Immediately booked ticket to Delhi for the next day, and I headed to the foot of Himalayas. After reaching Delhi, I boarded an evening bus to Shimla. There are numerous travel agencies plying buses to Shimla and other parts of Himachal. I took HPTDC bus from Mandi House, New Delhi and reached Shimla at 06:15 am.
When this very ride gave me the panoramic views of mountains covered with green blanket of trees inthe morning, it turned my soul out.
After landing between the mountains, fresh air, and cold breeze, taking a standstill moment on the edge of the road, fills the body with warmth and energy. Despite of being solo there, I felt companionship of fellow travellers with rucksack on their back. With this, I buckled my rucksack and trekked down to Shimla bus stand to catch another bus to the Kinnaur valley. After a while a bus running between Delhi to Sangla arrived and around 07:45 am bus departed to Sangla.
There are only few buses to Kinnaur valley from Shimla starting from early morning at 04:30 am. So while planning journey, bus timing need to be taken care of.
Using a public transport has its own advantages and one of the major benefits is that you become an informed traveller. While in bus, I found a gentleman who teaches commerce in a college in Sangla. On the journey of 10 hours, we discussed Spitian culture, apple farming, reason for bus being crowded particularly on that day 😜, engineering, unemployment, pollution, and some topics I cannot recall. As fellow passengers, we also had discussion with some girls about education over there in Shimla. I must say along with their beauty 😅 they are really very helping in nature.
Enroute Sangla the journey became so happening with music and mountains. Bus covers journey either tracing the inclined road to mountains or driving down the mountains. Thus, eyes and heart engaged continuously on the road.
Till 05:15 pm we reached Sangla and fortunately I got a connecting bus to Chhitkul.
I must say that after Sangla, villages on the way are some of the Almighty's best gifts to the human kind. Batseri, Raksham, Mastrang, and Chhitkul are decorated so very beautifully. The valley is free from disturbing noise, and contaminated air. Water available here is in the purest form as it's just melt of mountainous ice. In evenings, the valley become very melodious with the sound of birds, animals, and burbling of the Baspa river. Campsite nearby the river bank allows the travellers to enjoy the charm of the valley. Crossing such beauty, around 07:00 pm I reached Chhitkul. After reaching down the village, first thing I did was capturing the beautiful sunset in my camera 📸 and a gaze over the mountains.
Though the journey was beautiful but it was tiring too, as roads are not that smooth. And the best thing about the evening was tiredness fade away for sometime, as travel bug inside dominated. I could not keep myself in hotel room that evening and headed for a stroll in the village. wooden houses in Chhitkul has magnetic attraction. This attraction really intensifies when I saw the welcoming smiles from the locals.
Note: Travelling solo does not mean to trace the complete journey alone.
During dinner time, I met few other travelers and some were travelling solo like me. So you know the next, we planned together for the next day. We completed the early morning Flag trek in just 2 hours. The trek is not very tough but neither it is easy. A part of it need to be traverse with high angle. Seeing the steep trek, motivation for completing the trek shooted multifold. And the joy of reaching the Flag point is very positive and gives the feeling of accomplishment in the very start of the day. Seeing the Flag waving with air made me remember the video of the Indian Army after defeating Pakistan on the highest battlefield Siachin Glacier. Moreover, the waving Flag at such a height gives gossebumps, I don't know why but it does. The mountain peaks were appearing too near as it appeared from the ground. Sunrays amplified the shine of the peaks and clouds were the decoration around the peaks. The view was crystal clear and standing on a mountain peak at the height of other mountains brought level of happiness. The river seems never ending water streak from the Flag point and it gave idea that how mammoth is the diversity exist here in the mountains.
The Flag point is looking like the watch tower of the village. Chhitkul looks so small from the point.
We trekked down happily and being in the new company of people, we learn new things.
After having breakfast, a mandatory call from the river bank had to be attended. We along with other group sat down on the bank and took a place for gazing continuously for hours. In between the nature, we all were quite and smiling. The moment had taken us into a silent conversation with nature. Burbling of Baspa was so soothing, that made me sleepy. Sight of the Oak trees in the foots of mountains kept the horizon of eyes fixed. With the sight how time went by, I wonder. And I did not want to end the conversation but I had to depart for the next destination, so with heavy heart I broke the moment and yes, promised to visit again and resume the moment from where I have left.
I boarded the bus @ 02:30 pm from Chhitkul to Reckong Peo and reached there @ 05:30 pm