Traversing Himalayas in enticement- A Trip to Kaza

Tripoto

Awakening to the real thought of traveling takes a lot of courage. To perceive the true concept of ‘Traveling’ is something not every one of us can encounter.

Meanwhile, I will let you know about my trip to Kaza; let me introduce myself to you. Bringing myself as ‘Harnam Singh’, an ardent photographer who always tends to take a life as a challenge has a definite love for mountains and nature, and why not, it possess a heart-touching ethereal beauty.

‘Craving to see the different shades of nature,

I kept wandering the laps of Himalayas,

With an undying love for traveling,

I couldn’t stop myself from shoveling’

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Becoming wanderlust has always been on the top of my priority list and this was it- KAZA!

Kaza, a mesmerizing sits on the eroded flood plain of the Spiti River and is the biggest settlement you’ll encounter in this empty corner of the planet. It feels a bit like a small frontier town with an easygoing pace. Jagged mountains rise on either side while the river coils across the valley floor like twisted locks of Medusa’s hair.

Packing my bags I didn’t realize my destination because I just wanted to travel. I urged to travel - not to escape, but to learn and give myself time to connect with the most important gift of our lives. Initiating my trip from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh I left for Rampur.

Day1- Sarahan (Rampur)

Without any pre-planning, I reached there and tried to manage my accommodation in local Dharamshala. The roads to Sarahan compose pictures of pastoral perfection, and beautiful landscapes all the way.

Main Attractions: Bhimkali Temple, Shri Ragunath Temple, visibility of the peaks of Shrikhand Mahadev

Cost of Accommodation at Dharamshala: Rs.100 Per Day

Food Available: Availability of food Thali worth Rs.70/- in the local market.

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Shrikhand Mahadev, Rampur (Himachal Pradesh)

Day2-Sangla

Leaving the scenic beauty of Sarahan behind, I took the local bus of HRTC and headed towards this little town of Himachal Pradesh which is surrounded by towering mountains on all sides and is set on the banks of the Baspa River that surges through the valley.

Main Attractions: Kamru fort, Naag temple are the main attractions of the valley. Also temples and scenic beauty will allure you.

Cost of Accommodation: Very minimal

Name of guest house: Forest Department Guesthouse (It is better to stay here, as online booking is easily available). Also, the prices of Govt. guesthouses are very low; hence you can find one easily.

Food Available: Food eating outside is pretty costly, so it advisable to have your meals in the guesthouse itself.

The cost was very low due to the good healthy interaction with a known person who used to reside in my hometown, Mandi.

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Ogla field in chitkul, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)

Day3- Chitkul

With an urge to learn something more about Himachali Culture, I wanted to see the deep roots, and such environment can only be best depicted in villages. Hence, I headed towards Chitkul, a village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is the last inhabited village near the Indo-Tibetan border. The Indian road ends here.

Main Attractions: Mata devi temple, Indo-Tibetan check post

Cost of Accommodation: Rs 500 per day, Local Govt. Quarters (Only for people residing in Himachal)

Rs 650-700 per day, ( for people residing outside Himachal, excluding food meals)

Mode of Transport: You can hire a taxi, take a lift from somebody or else travel through local bus. (Distance 28kms from Sangla)

Food Available: Advisable to eat in hotels, apart from it you can easily find the restaurants.

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Baspa river, Chitkul, kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)
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Chitkul, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)
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Barley field in chitkul, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)
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The pahadi farmer is carrying the crops in order to serve his daily needs in chitkul.
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A lady is carrying a bunch of barley in chitkul, Himachal pradesh.
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A little girl is sitting under her house in chitkul, Himachal pradesh.
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The man who trekked thrice from chitkul to gangotri at an age of 81.
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The lady is spending her time staying at her home in chitkul, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh).

Day4- Reckong Peo

Paving the undefined paths for myself, I reached to Reckong Peo. ‘Not every place can touch you’, came into existence when I myself couldn’t connect to Reckong Peo. To my personal experience, I felt that Reckong Peo has been maintained like more of a city and the lifestyle which I was looking for was unavailable, hence I cancelled my pre-planned scheduled of staying at Reckong and went to Rogi.

Traveling through the last bus I reached Rogi Village, but then due to unavailability of any accommodation I headed towards Kalpa after taking this alluring shot of ‘Three Majestic Peaks’.

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The three majestic peaks of kinner kailash, Shot taken from rogi village, kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)

Main Attraction in Rogi village: Visibility of shrine of Mt. Kinner Kailash (due to the low visibility sometimes it gets difficult for people to view it), Suicide Point

With an absence of transport, I took lift from some unknown people of Hyderabad and reached kalpa.

Day5- Kalpa

A small town that resides near Satluj river bank and above Recong Peo in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.

Main Attractions: Buddhist Temple

Cost of Accommodation: Rs700/- per day in hotels or guesthouses

Food Available: Rs 200-300/-

After visiting Kalpa, I left for Pooh as my bus for Nakko Village was late. Taking the lift with an unknown person, I reached Pooh.

Day6- Pooh Village

A beautiful village, which is renowned for its natural beauty, green fields, apricot orchards, vineyards and almond trees. Pooh welcomed me with the ringing bells of marriage, and there it was! Yes, a marriage was happening around the place I stayed. Running with the local guy of Pooh, I went there and started focusing on the enthralling bride through my camera, representing the culture of Kinnaur.

Main Attractions: Village itself is an alluring attraction.

Cost of Accommodation: Rs 500 per night, Rest House

Food Available: Food is available in restaurants but covers extra charges.

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An overwhelming experience of capturing the Kinnauri bride in pooh, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh) .
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Pooh Village, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)

Day7- Nako Village

A place where the monks have created their ‘real’ lives. It lies in the sensitive restricted zone along the border with Tibet, which requires an Inner Line Permit to travel through. That, coupled with its remote location and limited tourist infrastructure, makes it a little-visited but rewarding destination.

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Nako Village, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)
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Nako Lake, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)
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Street of nako village, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)
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The enviornment of Nako has been best captured with the blend of prayers.
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Watching my actions, the little guy was unsure of me. Standing outside his house which was made of stones, the kid is in the state of dilemma.
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The old lady is practising the state of silence and prayers.
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The ladies are serving the purpose of prayers and sits there all day long.
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A lady is sitting in the spiritual state of prayers.
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Two ladies are sitting in the state of prayers.
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The lady in the picture is enchanting mantras and letting herself go into the phase of peace and harmony.
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An elderly lady is flicking her hands over the tibetan mantras.
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Nako village, Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)

After meeting good and sober people near the local bus stand of Nakko Village, I took a lift with those people and next day I left for Chango along with them.

Day 8- Chango

My solo trip was getting full of excitement as I was able to realize the true worth of traveling solo. Entering Chango, I attended a marriage with the same people with whom I traveled from Nakko. That was again an addition to an amazing experience!

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Portrait of young kinnaur girl. whenever a function occurs in kinnaur, the girls dress themselves in a traditional way

Chango is the last village of Kinnaur and is famous for apples and orchids.

Main Attractions: Chango’s entire village, Monastery

Cost of Accommodation: Rs 600/- per day, Guesthouse

Food Available: Local Dhaba near the guesthouse

Day9- Tabo

It is a small town of Lahaul and Spiti District on the banks of Spiti River, Himachal Pradesh. It is also the sub-divisional headquarters of Spiti. The town is surrounded by the expressions and vitality of Dalai Lama which came into existence after he expired.

Main Attractions: Tabo Caves, The Chamber of Picture Treasures, Tabo Monastery.

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Tabo monastery , spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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The kid of labour is sitting outside a house, and realising the real meaning of freedom. Tabo,spiti (Himachal Pradesh)

Accomodation: Availability of mid-ranges lodges, plenty of home-stays, and a memorable once in a lifetime opportunity to live in a Buddhist monastery guest house.

Day10-Day20 – Kaza

“Tough roads lead to beautiful destinations”, and this was it. It was KAZA!

My ‘always wanted to visit Kaza’ came true and there I was standing around the most scenic and ethereal beauty anybody can ever feel and watch.

As soon as I reached, I directly went to Nyingma Guest House.

Owner Name: Urgian Chhering Dongthoth (known as ‘UC’).

Contact:-094184 01551

It’s a land full of spirituality and peace. A place where monks will let you enroll in a state full of inspiration and self-realization.

Places I visited in and around Kaza:

1st Day at Kaza:

• Sakyatangyud Monastery located in side valley, 4 kms from the town.

• Local Market

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The ritual of 'Parikrama' is carried over by the monk during the prayer time. Kaza, spiti (Himachal Pradesh)

2nd Day at Kaza:

• Key Monastery

• Kibber

• Tashi Gang

• Gette

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The dotage lady is experiencing the practice of 'Silence', tashigang, spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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The little kid gave a chance to connect with his inner-self through the idea of meditation. Key monastery , spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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Key Monastery, spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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Tashigang Village, Spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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Gette village, Spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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Blue sheep (Females), shot has been taken while i was hiking through kibber hills, Spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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Himalayan Griffon vulture
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Blue sheep

3rd Day at Kaza:

Hiring a bike, I went to:

• Dhankar Monastery - Reaching Dhankar was equivalent to entering into the phase of vibrancy. I hired a bike on rent from Kaka to reach Dhankar Monastery.

Main Attractions: Monastery and Dhankar Lake

Rent of Bike: Rs 1600/- (exclusive of petrol)

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Dhankar Village, Spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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Buddhism and its teaching has been best depicted by the monk in the picture.
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The monk is sitting in the state of peace and serenity, Dhankar monastery , spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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One of the oldest kitchen that puts up in Dhankar Monastery
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The monk is allured and captivated to see such scenic beauty of Dhankar, spiti (Himachal Pradesh).
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Dhankar Village, Spiti (Himachal Pradesh)

4th Day at Kaza:

• Komik Village

A village famous for Tangyud Monastery. It is believed that the monastery has 'Matrey Buddha,' or 'the future Buddha,' which looks after the wellbeing of the people of Komik Village. It is also famous for being the highest motor able Buddhist monastery in the world, visited by bikers and travel enthusiast from all over the world. It is also Asia’s Highest Village.

Main Attractions: Delightful Vistas of the valley, Monastery, entire village

Mode of Transportation: Along with Urgian Chhering Dongthoth (UC) , he dropped me to Hikkim. Only single mode available, is a taxi.

5th Day at Kaza:

• Hikkim Village

Moving ahead with the journey, I reached at Hikkim Village which is situated at towering altitude of around 14,400 feet above sea level. Hikkim is also credited to have the World's highest post office. At the first glance, you might mistake Hikkim for being an extension of Langza or Komic as this village too is bowl-shaped and equally tranquil.

Mode of Transportation: Hire a taxi from Kaza or a bike.

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Hikkim Village, Spiti (Himachal Pradesh)

• Langza Village – 2 Days Stay

Visiting Himachal is not easy my friends. Not everyone can do that efficiently. Coming to Langza was not easy either. This village is famous for fossils and huge statue of Lord Buddha at the cliff.

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Langza ,Spiti (Himachal Pradesh)
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Langza village, spiti (Himachal Pradesh).
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The farmer is separating the crop through conventional method.

Main Attractions: Entire Village, Wildlife- Snow Leopard, Red Foxes, Blue Sheep availability (You need to visit to the interior to search for them) Statue of Lord Buddha.

Place for Homestay: Anjan Homestay ( Here, I stayed for two days). Absence of any transport made me walk on the roads from Langza to Kaza, ( a long walk through the belt of 15kms).

7th Day at Kaza:

• Lanlung Village- The Lalung Monastery – also known as Sarkhang and Golden Temple – is situated at a height if 3658m and is accessible via Kaza and Komic. The word Lalung means ‘land of God’ and the village of Lalung is located at the foot of the Tangmar Mountains which supposedly transforms in colour depending on the mood of the deities.

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Sandstorm in the barren lands of kaza.
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Barley is being separated from grass through conventional method which has been adopted since years.
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Separating barley 

Accomodation: Local homestays with local people of lanlung (also you can find the hotels, but with limited access)

Mode of Transportation: You can hire a taxi, or a bike.

Day8-Day10

• Took some rest in Kaza, and went to Mandi through bus via Manali.

Total expenditure: Rs 15,000/-

Personal Recommendation while you travel Kaza:

• Hire a shared taxi, or bike for traveling around Kaza. Else walking on foot is the best option you can afford.

• Try looking for the government guesthouses as they are reasonable and well-maintained.

• Also indulge yourself with the local people of the surroundings, because nobody better than them can let you explore the Kaza within.

You see, to every place you visit, not every place connects you. But the one that connects you will take your heart away and so does Kaza did it. A penny plain town of Himachal Pradesh which will definitely drag you to the state of homespun and purity.

If you are also searching for that one place, that could connect you and take your vibes away, definitely go for KAZA!

All copyrights of photographs are reserved by ©Harnam Singh