Splendid Spiti Valley

Your seven-day Spiti Valley tour package from Manali begins as you leave the urbanscape for the Himalayan town of Manali, where you get your first taste of the Himalayas. You’ll be free to explore Manali on foot this day. Overnight at a hotel in Manali

We begin our journey on the 200-kilometre (125 miles) road from Manali to Kaza in Spiti. As we pass through the popular adventure-haven Rohtang Pass at 13,054 feet, we experience a dramatic change in the landscape around us, from dense forested Hills to Rocky barren plains and peaks. This road is a scenic rollercoaster, into the desolate and stunning brown landscape approaching Chattru and Batal. At 14,931 feet, we are welcomed by the chilly air at Kunzum Pass, descending into Losar Village, the first in Spiti Valley. We reach Kaza by evening and enjoy our night at a comfortable hotel. Overnight at a hotel in Kaza.

On the third day of our Spiti Valley tour package from Manali, we drive towards the beautiful Pin Valley. From snow-clad mountains to lush green lands, Pin Valley promises an abundance of animals and birds, with some rare plant varieties, and trekking opportunities for the adventure-seekers. In addition, other animals indigenous to the region and park are the Siberian ibex, Bharal, weasel, red fox, and marten. Birds such as the Pika, griffon, golden eagle, bearded vulture, Chukor and Raven paint the skies a pretty picture. We make our way to the Kungri Monastery, and then to the beautiful hamlet of Mudh – the last motorable village of the Pin Valley. We end this day with a bonfire by the river. With serene landscapes, the warmth of the fire, complemented by the rhythmic flow of the gushing water, we enjoy our piping hot tea and head back to Kaza by night.

 *Day 4 – Drive from Kaza – Ki Monastery – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Kaza* 

On the fourth day of our Manali to Spiti Valley Tour, we drive to some of the highest inhabited regions of the world.

We begin our day by heading to Komik, which literally translates to “eye of a snow cock”, the highest village in Asia situated at the height of 14,806 feet. With the tiny population of 84 people, this isolated farm village is surrounded by soft brown pastures and snow-white mountain peaks. We further drive to the world’s highest post office in the world in Hikkim, where you may even meet the post-master and hear his stories. After sending a postcard out, we drive to the picturesque village of Langza. As you walk back to the prehistoric era when Spiti was submerged by the Tethys Sea, as you explore a land very rich with fossils of Marine animals and plants which were here millions of years ago. Today, we also visit the world-famous Ki Monastery, situated at a height of 13,668 feet. With over 1000 years’ worth stories to tell, Ki Monastery was founded by the discipline of the famous Atisha in the 11th century CE. Belonging to the Yellow Hat or Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, this monastery is famous as a prominent centre of learning. A monk guides us through the monastery as we overlook the endless plains, seeking peace and calm. We drive back to Kaza by evening and spend the night at our comfortable hotel.

Trek from Dhankar to Lhalung Today, we continue our Spiti Valley tour from Manali and drive towards the ancient, 1020-year-old – Tabo Monastery. The UNESCO world heritage site, famous for its intricate portraits of gods and demons, along with ancient paintings depicting the life of Buddha, is a fusion of western, Indian and Kashmiri style.

After walking around Tabo, we drive words the Tiny hamlet of Dhankar. Perched high above the confluence of the Spiti and Pin River, the former capital of the Royals of Spiti Valley also known as the Nono, who ruled the dust-coloured badlands of Spiti Valley is a historic delight. Walk back in time, as you explore the 1200-year-old Dhankar Gompa which perches precariously between eroded rocky pinnacles on the edge of a cliff. If time permits, do take an hour’s climb above the village to visit the stunning turquoise Dhankar Tso or Dhankar Lake. Later, we end the day by making our way to Lhalung – another beautiful high altitude Spiti valley village. The word Lhalung means ‘land of god’ and the village of Lhalung is located at the foot of the Tangmar Mountains which supposedly transforms in colour depending on the mood of the deities. Red denotes anger while yellow signifies happiness. We spend the night with a local family and indulge in a cooking session at their authentic homestay. We listen to their tales and enjoy the delicious homecooked meal before we rest overnight at Lhalung in our warm homestays.

This day, we commence our journey back home and trace our steps back on the Kaza – Manali road. However, we make a stop at the picturesque village of Kibber, before heading to another Spitian wonder – Chandratal Lake. From Kibber, we make our way to the mystical and beautiful Chandratal Lake, which translates to Moon Lake, located at a height of 14,100 feet. The Chandra Bhaga mountain range forms a striking backdrop for the lake, which changes appearance according to the pictures painted in the sky. After capturing the colours of the beautiful Chandratal Lake, we drive to our camping site where a hot supper under the gaze of a million stars and the Milky Way awaits us. The camps near the Lake are equipped with camping equipment including tents, sleeping bags/blankets and a comfortable mattress.

 *Day 7 – Drive from Chandratal Lake – Batal – Chattru – Rohtang Pass – Manali* 

With visuals of the stunning Chandratal Lake captured in minds and cameras, we continue driving on the Kaza – Manali road and after a few hours of driving and some more stunning landscape, we pass through the famous Rohtang Pass and reach Manali where we bid goodbye to our driver to end our breath-taking Manali to Spiti Valley tour.

• Climatic conditions in the high altitudes vary from the plains; take adequate time to get acclimatized to high altitudes.
• Pay heed to the tour leaders or instructors in order to enjoy a safe and sound experience.
• Do not consume alcohol or any other intoxicants during the tour.
• Carry basic medications and a first-aid kit during the tour.
• The tour takes place through eco-friendly zone; do not encourage littering the local sites or campsites.
• While visiting the religious sites, maintain proper dress-code and do not hurt the local sentiments of the places.
• Avoid roaming during the nights.
• There may be changes in the route and final programme due to any unforeseen circumstances.
• It gets very cold in winter i.e. December through February with temperatures hitting – 30C. You will need to be mentally and physically fit and must have done some high altitude travel in order to be able to handle travelling through this high altitude terrain.
• All hotels and guest houses will be shut at the time and you will only get homestays which have dry eco friendly squatting toilets. You will need to be okay with this as wet toilets are not available due to water lines freezing.
• Because of the water lines freezing, the locals need to carry the water all the way in the freezing cold from a nearby water source and hence having a bath while you are in Spiti will not be possible.
• In peak winter i.e. January and early February all the places might not be open due to adverse weather conditions. We will keep you updated of the same in case any last minute changes need to be made to your plan.
• Winter time is off season in Spiti, and you will not have many options in terms of activities, and because of the cold, you won’t be able to move around as much and will end up spending time in the homestay. We recommend travellers to make the most of the situation, and turn their time at the homestay as getting to know more about Spitian life, food and culture from the locals.
• Because of winter, there will not be many options in terms of food and in a homestay you will need to be understanding and eat the hearty but basic food that your hosts provide.
• Be prepared to be understanding and flexible, as we can make last minute plan changes due to bad weather for your safety and wellbeing.