Most Common Itineraries for Spiti Valley 

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Photo of Most Common Itineraries for Spiti Valley  1/1 by Prakriti Varshney

Spiti Valley is emerging as a popular destination amongst young generation and avid travelers. On request of some enthusiasts and travelers seeking guidance for their trip to Spiti Valley, I am writing down the most common Itineraries followed by all the middle land lovers including me. This post will include two itineraries; Shimla to Manali (12days) and Manali to Manali (8 days).

I have written a comprehensive Travel guide to Spiti Valley, read the article to get a better idea on what to do and what not to.

Before I begin sharing the itineraries with you, let me tell you, this article will cover all major places in Spiti Valley i.e. Tabo, Dhangkar, Kaza, Losar, Chandratal, Kunzum Pass, Ki, Kibber, Pin Valley, Langza, Komik & Hikkim. There are two routes to enter Spiti Valley; Shimla and Manali. One itinerary will cover the entire tribal circuit; entering from Shimla via Kinnaur Valley exiting from Manali crossing Kunzum Pass and Rohtang Pass and the other one will be Manali to Manali which takes less days in comparison to the former one.

Most common itinerary for 11-12 days Via Shimla to Manali

Day 1 | Shimla-Narkanda Take an overnight bus from Delhi to Shimla, takes about 8 Hrs From Shimla, board a bus for Narkanda Narkanda is about 60 KMs from Shimla & takes about 3 Hrs You can go for Skiing, Mahmaya Temple or Tannu Jubar Lake Overnight stay at Narkanda

Day 4 | Kalpa - Nako Lake- Geyu Mummy - Tabo (Spiti Valley) Watch the sunrise over Mount Kinner Kailash, Kalpa Leave early as it is going to be a long day Enjoy the scenery en route Hindustan Tibet Highway Kalpa to Nako is about 100 Kms, takes about 4-5 Hrs Stop at Khab, 25 Kms before Nako to see the confluence of Spiti and Satluj River You can take a halt at Nako for lunch and visit Nako Lake A little ahead of Nako, you will encounter the famous dreaded Malling Nallah You will enter Spiti Valley from Sumdo checkpoint, which is 35 Kms from Nako, takes about an hour After Sumdo, detour towards Geyu Village(about 12 Kms) to visit the 500-Year-old Geyu Mummy Sumdo to Tabo is about 30 Kms, takes about 1-2 Hrs Overnight at Tabo

Day 6 | Pin Valley - Kaza Pin Valley to Kaza is about 25 kms, takes about 1-2 Hrs Explore streets of the heart of Spiti Valley Visit Kaza Monastery and Rangrik Village (if that interests you) Take a walk near Spiti River and relax Overnight at Kaza

Day 8 | Langza - Key Monastery - Gette - Tashigang - Kibber Leave early from Langza towards Key Key is 25 Kms, takes about an hour Before going to Key Monastery, you can stop at Key Village and visit Old age home Visit over a 1000-year-old and the biggest in Spiti Valley, Key Monastery Have lunch at Key and leave for Gette which is about 13 Kms Watch the magnificent aerial view of Key Monastery Move to Tashigang which is about 5 Kms Tashigang village is where the road ends and has 4 houses only Kibber is 16 Kms, takes just about an hour You can trek to Chicham Village (5 Kms) and walk at the 900 m high bridge over a gorge Overnight at Kibber

Day 11 | Manali Explore Manali ; visit Hadimba Temple, Mall Road, Monasteries, Old Manali, Hot Water Spring Or head back home.

Day 12-13 | Take atleast 1-2 buffer days in hand, incase of road closure due to landslide or BRO working or bad weather!

Suggestions if you have more days, Lalung Village Demul Village Mane Village and Mane Lake

Most common itinerary for 7-8 DaysVia Manali to Manali

Day 1 | Manali Take an overnight bus from Delhi to Manali, takes about 12 Hrs Explore Manali ; visit Hadimba Temple, Mall Road, Monasteries, Old Manali, Hot Water Spring Stay in Manali is required to acclimatize body for higher altitude Overnight at Manali

Day 2 | Manali - Rohtang Pass - Batal - Kunzum Pass - Losar - Kaza It is going to be a long and bumpy ride Leave early (around 5 AM) to avoid traffic at Gulaba and Rohtang Pass Manali to Kaza is about 200 kms takes about 12 hours You will need permit to cross Rohtang Pass Pass through Rohtang Pass, the pile of corpse Marhi-Chattru-Batal offers exquisite vistas You can have lunch at famous Chacha-Chachi Dhaba, Batal Cross one of the highest motorable mountain pass - Kunzum La Visit Kunzum Devi Temple where all vehicles must stop to pay respects to the goddess Take a stopover at Losar and stroll around this beautiful village before you finally reach Kaza Overnight at Kaza Watch : Spiti Valley in June 2016

Day 5 | Kibber - Key - Komik - Hikkim - Langza Kibber to Key is about 7 Kms takes about half an hour Visit over a 1000 year old and the biggest in Spiti Valley, Key Monastery Key to Komik is about 30 Kms, takes about 2 Hrs Visit Tangyud Monastery situated at the highest motor-able village in the world Drive 3 Kms towards Hikkim - World's Highest Post Office Send letters to your loved ones from here! Hikkim to Langza is about 8 Kms takes less than an hour Langza-The fossil land offers magnificient view of Chau Chau Kha Nilda peak Visit Buddha Statue, walk around the village and try local cuisine Overnight at Langza

Day 6 | Langza - Chandertaal Lake Langza to Chandertaal Lake is about 112 Kms, takes atleast 6 Hrs. Be ready for a bumpy ride! You can have lunch at Losar Cross Kunzum La and visit Kunzum Devi Temple Reach the campsite of Chandertaal which is about 2 Kms from the lake Trek for a km to Chandertaal Lake Overnight at Chandertaal Camps You can visit the lake early morning to get a glimpse of reflection

Day 7 | Chandertaal Lake - Manali Head back to Manali via Rohtang Pass Chandertaal to Batal is just about 14 Kms Batal to Manali via Rohtang Pass is about 115 Kms takes about 6 Hrs Overnight at Manali Or you can board an overnight bus to Delhi

Day 8-9 | Take atleast 1-2 buffer days in hand, incase of road closure due to landslide or BRO working or bad weather or may be you want to explore a little more.

Suggestions if you have more days, A night halt at Pin Valley Visit over 500 year old Geyu Mummy Lalung Village Demul Village Mane Village and Mane Lake

I would always recommend Shimla to Manali (12days) Itinerary because of two reasons. Firstly, you can't afford to miss the drive of Hindustan - Tibet Highway which is one of the most adventurous and deadliest roads of the world. Secondly, if you start from Manali then the chances of suffering from AMS - Acute Mountain Sickness are high (which can even spoil the trip) as you will reach High Altitude terrain very quickly as compared to route via Shimla which gradually increases the altitude and your body gets acclimatized properly.

I hope this article can help you frame your next trip to Spiti Valley.

This post was originally published on It Is In The Name.