Best season: mid June to November
The two twin Valleys Spiti and Kinnour in the north eastern corner of Himachal Pradesh are a region of nature at it wildest. Dry and very cold, it is surrounded by high mountains on all sides. There are many glaciers, the biggest is Bara Shigri. Spiti is a fascinating area for Buddist art and culture. The monasteries of Lahaul and Spiti are rich repositories of ancient murals, thankas, wood carvings and golden images of the Padmasambhava. The people are charming, friendly and hospitable with their own traditional dances, ballads, folk tales and legends.
The Valleys lie at a height of 2745 meters above sea level. Summers here are cool and pleasant with green grass, alpine flowers and an abundance of crops. There is no Monsoon, only sunshine and dry crisp air.
Day 1 Manali to Jhibi 100km
Day 2 Jhibi to Saharan 163 km
Day 3 Saharan to Chitkul 112 km
Day 4 Chitkul to RecongPeo to Kalpa 77 km
Day 5 Kalpa to Nako 123 km
Day 6 Nako to Tabo 68 km
Day 7 Tabo to Kaza 97 km via Dhankar and Kungri Monastery
Day 8 Kaza to Kibber/ Ki/ Comic back to Kaza 99km
Day 9 Kaza to Chandratal( the moon lake) 116 km
Day 10 Chandertaal to Manali 120 km
Day 1 Manali to Jhibi 100km
Today you will drive through beas rive till Bhunter and then after 10 km you will cross Aut tunnel and will take left to Banjar and Tirthan valley ( known for trout fishing )
Overnight stay in very small village call Jhibi located in the side of river.
Day 2 Jhibi to Saharan 163 km
Sarahan is a tiny, but beautiful Village in the Sutley Valley surrounded by apple orchards and dominated by the ShrikhandMahadev Peak (5227m). It was the ancient capital of Rampur Bushehr, one of the biggest princely states in the Shimla hills. Here you can visit the Bhimakali Temple with its six silver coated doors. It is a mixture of both, Hindu and Buddhist style and attracts tourist from all over the world.
Day 3 Saharan to Chitkul 112 km
Today we enter the Sangla Valley, the most romantic and beautiful Valley in Kinnaur District.It is 95 km long and has green pasture land on either side of the River and the meadows close to the river are full of flowers and fruit trees. There are barren ranges of snow all year. Chitkul is the last inhabited Village in that Valley. Surrounded by green fields and high mountain Peaks it is like a fairy tale. Here you can see old quaint little houses, temples and gompas.
Day 4 Chitkul to RecongPeo to Kalpa 77 km
On the way back to the Sangla Valley you can make a stopover in Sangla. It is situated at an elevation of 2680 m. The Bering Nag Temple and the monastery are worth a visit. There is the famous fair Phulaich, which is celebrated each year in August-September. The wooden houses are a unique example of wooden architecture. One kilometer away is a Saffron farm.
RecongPeo is the headquarter of Kinnaur district. It is one of the most scenic but less known districts. Here the river Sutley flows through and due to the high altitude the summer are short and the winter long. Due to the proximity to Tibet, the lifestyle and religion has been influenced by Buddhism, through the majority of the people practice Hinduism. Kinnour is a land of Legends and mythology.
Kalpa, 51 km away from Sangla, is surrounded by vineyards, which are protected from bears by large sheep dogs, especially trained for that purpose. Here you can buy Kinnauri Shawls and caps.
Day 5 Kalpa to Nako 123 km
Nako, at an altitude of 3662 m inHingrang Valley is the famous and largest village. Yaks, kine, horses and donkeys are reared here in abundance.
Day 6 Nako to Tabo 68 km
At the right side of Spiti River, is an ancient Village, flanked on either side by lofty hills, brown and sun burnt, it is the seat of one of the most famous monasteries: The 1000 year old Tabo Monastery.It has exquisite frescoes and stucco statues and is often called the Ajanta of the Himalayas.
Day 7 Tabo to Kaza 97 km via Dhankar and Kungri Monastery
Dhankar is the ancient capital of the Spiti king; the most incredibly Gompa is situated high on the barren rocky mountain slopes.
KungriGompa, built around 1330 A.D., provides unmistakable evidence.
Kazais situated on the feet of steep ridges. It has a population of 781 and a traditional fair is celebrated every year in August.
A short trail leads from Kaza to Hikim and to Langza Village situated in the Shila Valley.
Day 8 Kaza to Kibber/ Ki/ Comic back to Kaza 99km
Let’s visit the famous Kyegompa. The gompa is placed high on a mountain looking like a pyramid. It belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Kibber, one of the highest permanent inhabited villages is located in a semi bowl-shape. A small Gompa is worth to visit, later we go to Kaza, the headquarter of Spiti Valley.
Day 9 Kaza to Chandratal( the moon lake) 116 km
We drive through several villages of Spiti over the Kunzum pass, (4551 m). Our way leads us further to the beautiful Chandratal Lake at an altitude of 4270 meters. Chandratal, which means the Lake of Moon, is shaped like a half moon and is set on a large meadow of edelweiss within a lower ridge and the main KunzumRange.
Day 10 Chandertaal to Manali 120 km
Having a nice view of magnificent Himalayan Peaks, we drive through the Chandra valley, then uphill over the RohtangPass (3980mtrs), the gate way of Lahaul, Spiti and Kullu. In the afternoon we reach Manali.
