The day started at Shimla. We took the overnight bus from Delhi. The price shown is exclusive of flight fares from Chennai. We booked the Pin Bhaba Trek through Bikat Adventures. From Shimla I took a public transport to Wangtu (unfortunately the direct bus to Kafnu was cancelled that day). Buses to Wangtu are frequent but I suggest get an early one because the journey is long. Late in the evening we were lucky to get a bus from Wangtu to Kafnu. No doubt the views were awesome but the journey is tiring. We checked into a homestay at Kafnu later. It is a beautiful village from where the trek begins.
The day starts in high spirits in spite of the slight drizzle. We start our trek towards Mulling which is a vast plain. Our route starts along the flowing stream but slowly we enter the woods and are climbing the mountains. We reach Muling in the afternoon and chill for the rest of the evening. Our tents are camped and dinner is served. Later we sign off for the night.
We start off the next day towards Kara lake. Not really a big lake, a water body at high altitude. We keep walking through the sparse treeline of Muling and it starts getting clearer. As we further higher up the trees are replaced by short grass and shrubs everywhere. We cross the stream atop a huge rock and go for a steep climb. After turning the corner on a mountain we come across the beautiful plains of Kara lake. It is out campsite for the night.
We begin the day by crossing the icy cold waters of a stream. Not one but three. Later we go for gradual climb up the mountain side and cross another stream. Climbing further higher we are able to reach Pushtirang. It is our campsite for the night. Early before dawn the next day we must start climbing for the Bhaba Pass.
Early before dawn we start climbing for the Bhaba pass. We have to gain 3000ft in 3 hours. The climb is steep, tiring and also thirsty. We climb for almost 4 hours to finally reach the top of Pin Bhaba Pass. The group hangs out for a short while before we make down quickly. The wind is cold and everyone wants to get to the next campsite before dark. We slide down the snow for a short bit and then walk down for the rest. We have now entered the Pin Valley. The lush grennery of Bhaba Valley has now turned to the cold desert of Spiti. We reach the campsite at Bada Buldar very late as today was our longest journey. Finding a campsite with water source can be difficult in Spiti.
The next day is our last day. All our tiredness has gone and we start fresh towards our last stop, Mudh. It is a beautiful village and is often called the last village of Spiti Valley. We move mainly along dry trails. It is cold,dusty yet beautiful. We reach reach Mudh in the late afternoon among jolly vollages. Mudh is a small village with spectacular views of Spiti Valley.
Next morning the group breaks as the trek has ended. My friend and I decided to take the bus to Kaza. There is only one bus from Mudh and it is at 6:30am. So we got on it early and reached Kaza in about 3 hours. We checked in Zostel and rented a bike. We explored the tourist places like Hikkim, Lhang Zha and Komik. These are well connected and can be easily covered in a day. Later we went for the Kee Monastery and Kibber. We decided to leave for Manali the next day as the route can be unpredictable. We booked our seat with the conducter at the bus stop and were done for the day.
We started on our long bus journey. The road (not really road, just rocks, stones and water) was really harsh and the journey is not for the faint hearted. After a long journey through the day we finally reached Manali in the evening. We just got fresh and explored the local market.
The next day we went on a bike ride through Manali and close by places. We saw some temples and explored few restaurants. Manali was crowded and we just stuck to open spaces for the day. That evening I took my bus to Delhi.
Today I reached Delhi. I checked into Zostel to keep my luggage. I later went on to explore some street food and malls. In the afternoon I left for Chennai