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When Jamal Crawford said, “Sometimes it’s more about the journey than the destination”, we all agreed. Yes, we do plan holidays to a particular destination, but we all will be lying if we say that we don’t enjoy the journey to our destination.
Remember the overnight train journey that you took with your joint family? Do you recall all the puri- aloo- achaar that your dadi packed for the way? Or the card/ board games you packed to play with your cousins? Or when you forgot about the whole of the digital world and divided the family into two teams just to play dumb- charades or antakashari?
Or the first weekend road trip you took with your college friends? It was a different kind of freedom altogether. Singing along with songs on the radio or just laughing over each other’s silly jokes. Stopping in between just to soak in the beauty that the journey is showing you. We all do miss those times.
And oh! The first long bike ride with your significant other was the perfect date that we all must have dreamt of. Just breathing in the love that we felt that the air has brought with it and feeling like you are in some Yash Raj movie. Ohh! What a feeling!
And Oh! My! Gawd! The first solo flight you took! You got all the feelings at once. The sense of freedom that you had for going on a solo ride. The nervousness of losing your passport or ticket. And the feeling of being content that you had when you were in the middle of clouds and everything looked so beautiful that you forgot all your worries and just got lost in the moment.
Hence, we can all agree with Arijit Singh for saying, “Safar khoobsurat hai manzil se bhi”. One such beautiful journey is to the Spiti Valley. Amidst the beautiful Himalayas, this small place and its serene beauty is something that one should experience at least once in your lifetime. There’s always a road that is less traveled, and that makes all the difference. There’s always a story that the journey tells.
Now, there are a lot of routes that will take you to your destination, i.e., Spiti Valley, but there are some routes that make your travel a memorable one. So, let us help you discover a new road to your favorite holiday destination.
As Spiti Valley has no airport or railway station, the only way to reach here is via road. If you live in the northern parts of India, which are relatively closer to Himachal Pradesh, you can go for that long-awaited road- trip. But, if you are starting from some place which is considerably far, you can always use the modes mentioned above of transport and then take a bus or hire a taxi as per your convenience. You can also go for a longer route or start from the nearest airport from Spiti Valley.
A beautiful route starting from Shimla and ending at Manali is one of the routes that take you to almost all the villages of Spiti Valley and shows you some other beautiful parts of Himachal Pradesh along the way. The trip may last up to 8- 12 days, but it can be adjusted according to their preferences.
Shimla --- Narkanda --- Chitkul --- Sangla --- Kalpa Village --- Nako Village --- Tabo Village --- Dhankar Village --- Mud Village --- Pin Valley National Park --- Kaza --- Kibber Village --- Gette Village --- Tashigang --- Hikkim Village --- Komik Village --- Langza Village --- Kunzum Pass --- Chandratal Lake --- Batal --- Rohtang Pass --- Manali
Shimla is a beautiful and famous town in Himachal Pradesh and is a great starting place for your Spiti trip. Stay here for a few days and visit the more popular tourist destinations like Jakhu Hills and Temple and see the Mall Road. You can stay overnight at Shimla or start for the next stop, i.e., the town of Narkanda.
Situated at a height of 2708 meters, Narkanda is a small town in the Kumarsain subdivision of Shimla and is 61 km away from Shimla Mall Road. While Narkanda is a skiing resort during the winters, you won’t be disheartened in the summers as it has some beautiful stops to check out like the Hatu Peak, Stokes Farm, Tanni Jubbar Lake, etc. You can have an overnight stay or continue driving for another 182km to the next destination called Chitkul.
Chitkul is usually covered in snow during the winters and is generally closed at that time. Still, when visiting in the summers, you can surely enjoy the places like Kamru Fort, Batseri, Sangla Meadows, and eat at the Akhri Dhaba.
23 km away from Chitkul is Sangla. Camp at the beautiful Sangla Valley situated at the banks of Baspa River. Take a walk in the valley, look at the serene greenery of the orchards and the cedar trees, and just get lost in the beauty of the Valley for a moment.
Driving for 31km to our next stop is Kalpa Village. Situated in the Sutlej River Valley, Kalpa is located at 2960 meters and is the base of the Kinnaur Kailash snow-capped ranges. Kalpa has a lot of history of ancient temples, among which one is the pretty famous Kothi Temple dedicated to the Goddess Chandika Devi.
Taking the blessings from the Chandika Devi, take the 98 km long route to the Nako Village. Located in the Trans- Himalayan region on the Indo- China border, this village is situated at 3,662 meters. Nako Village houses the Nako Monastery and the Nako Lake.
About 64 km away from Nako Village is the beautiful Tabo Village. A small village located on the banks of the Spiti River, one must visit the Tabo Monastery when visiting the Tabo Village. The monastery is often called the Ajanta of the Himalayas and is the oldest earthen Buddhist monastery in the Himalayan Region.
Once the capital of the Spiti Valley, Dhankar Village is a large village located 31 km away from Tabo Village. It is situated at the height of 3,894metres. One can visit Dhankar Lake and Kungri Monastery when in Dhankar Village.
50km away from Dhankar Village is the Mud Village. While there is not much to see at Mud Village, you can trek on the nearby trails and enjoy the lush green surroundings of the Village. You can also go to the Pin Valley National Park.
Pin Valley National Park was established in 1987 and is located in Spiti Valley's desert habitat within the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in the Himalayan region. About 22 species of endangered plants can be found here. For example, Aconitum rotundifolium, Ephedra gerardiana, etc. Some plants even hold medicinal properties.
Birds like chukar partridge, Himalayan snowcock, etc., visit the region during the summer. Pin Valley is a great place for adventure and nature lovers. Trek through the Pin Valley National Park to spot some Snow Leopards and other endangered animals and birds. Enjoy the breathtaking view that the Pin Valley National Park has to offer.
About 50km away from Mud Village is Kaza. Kaza is situated at the height of 3,650 meters and houses many cafés to try out the different flavors of Spiti.
Driving 14km away from Kaza is the Kye Monastery. Also known as Kye Gompa, it is the largest monastery in Spiti Valley and houses about 250 monks who reside in the monastery throughout the year. It is situated 12km north of Kaza. The monastery has a collection of ancient books and murals that include Lord Buddha's images. The monastery walls are covered with paintings, which is a result of Chinese influence.
About 6.7 km away from Kye Monastery is Kibber Village. It is located at a height of 4270 meters. While in Kibber, you can visit the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, which has numerous medicinal and endangered plants, and 30 snow leopards can be found here.
10km away from Kibber Village is Gette Village. A beautiful stopover to click pictures and take in the breathtaking scenery of the place.
Tashigang or Tashigong is a village about 5.2km away from Gette Village, and it is another beautiful village on the banks of the Sutlej River near the India- Tibet border.
If short on time, one can easily skip the Gette Village and the Tashigong Village and go to Hikkim Village, 31km away from Kaza. Hikkim Village has the world’s highest post office, situated at the height of 4440metres, and it was built in 1983.
About 3.2 km away from Hikkim Village is the Komik Village, the highest motorable village in the world and is situated at the height of 4587 meters. While in Komic, visit the Tangyud Monastery, one of the highest and oldest monasteries in India.
Traveling 10km away from Komic Village is Langza Village, situated at the height of 4400 meters and only has a population of 137 people. Langza Village has a giant statue of Lord Buddha overlooking the valley. Langza Village is also famous for the fossils present in the village in abundance.
Kunzum Pass is located 88km away from Langza Village and is situated at 4,551 meters. It offers a breath-taking view of the Kunzum Range of the Himalayas. The most exciting feature of the pass is the fifteen hairpin turns that test the driving skills of the most expert drivers.
21 km away from Kunzum Pass is Chandratal Lake. The lake is situated at 4270 meters and is surrounded by snow-covered mountains on all sides. The crescent shape of the lake does justice to the lake's name. At night, the Chandratal looks pitch black and reflects the moon, appearing breathtakingly beautiful. The lake is situated on the Samudra Tapu plateau. The lake's color changes from reddish to orange to blue and to emerald green as the day goes on. The lake is surrounded by greenery all around. The spring season brings in an array of different wildflowers.
Batal is 16km away from Chandratal Lake and is situated on the banks of the Chenab River. Batal also acts as the base camp for Chandratal Lake. Dwell in the beauty of Batal and enjoy a cup of tea here before proceeding to the second last stop of your trip.
62km away from Batal is Rohtang Pass, a high mountain pass situated at 3,980 meters on the eastern end of the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas. It also houses the nowfamous Atal Tunnel, located on the Leh- Manali Highway and has become a favorite stop for people visiting Himachal Pradesh.
About 37km from Rohtang Pass is Manali. One of the very famous tourist destinations of Himachal has a lot of places to see like Hadimba Temple, Jogini Waterfalls, Manali Sanctuary and shop for souvenirs at the Mall Road.
While many routes will take you to Spiti, the route mentioned above will surely make your trip a memorable experience that you will cherish forever.