Spiti

Is an high altitude cold desert in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh at an average altitude of 12500 feet. It is also known as the middle land between Indian & Tibet and is one of the most sparsely populated regions of India.  It is a paradise for adventure seekers and remains one of India’s most remote  places that a tourist can visit freely.

Also known as the land of the Lamas the landscape is dotted with majestic monasteries with some being over a thousand years old along with is breath-taking scenery snow covered peaks and a barren landscape Spiti is a must visit for those looking for an Offbeat Holiday with a stint of adventure & culture.

 

Best Time To Visit

Spiti can be visited through out the year but for different prepose

Best Time for Leisure
–Summer months from May to October are the best time to visit Spiti for Families & leisure groups, at this time the roads are open and valley is easily accessible to the rest of the country.

For Motorcycle / Cycling & Trekking Tours
–Again for these tours summer months from May to October are the best time to visit Spiti.

Snow Drive & Winter Photography
–The winter months from December to March are the best time to experience Snow Drive in Spiti and for Snow Leopard Photography.

Temperature
– Summer – May to October – 10 to 25 degrees
– Winters – November to April Note – 0 to -30

Spiti experiences extreme winters in the months of December to March with temperature rarely going above 0 and night time can be as cold as -30 at some times.

 

What to Expect

Spiti is an offbeat destination, it is an remote mountainous area that is inaccessible at times during the winter months and limited hotels are available over here. The best hotels can be compared with an decent 3* boutique hotels at best and service levels are very average.

Cold

– It can get cold anytime of the year in Spiti, it rarely rains over her and the area only get snow fall.

High Altitude Sickness

– Spiti is as high as Ladakh, Kaza the main town in Spiti is at an altitude of 3800 Meters that is nearly 300 meters above Leh which is at 3500 meters.  So some people may experience mild symptoms of HAS. Drink plenty of water to avoid it.

Food

– You may not get your kind of food at remote locations and logistics play a big part in this. Getting fresh food hundred’s of kms up in the Himalayas is a herculean task and costs a lot, besides cooking at these altitudes mostly above 10000 Feet consumes a lot of fuel.

Driving Time

– In High mountains new roads are being constructed and at times there are small landslides that block the road for an few hours at time. In such cases listen to your drivers or local people advise. Roads are generally cleared in a few hours so make the most of such time and enjoy the views.

How To Reach

By Air

–By air Bhuntar Airport or Kullu Airport is the nearest airstrip from Spiti. Cover the remaining 231 Kms by Road which can be done by Cab
–Shimla Airport is 492 Kms and it will take minimum of two days to reach Kaza from Shimla by road.

Train
–Theil The nearest major railhead to Spiti is Shimla Railway Station. Again at 429 Kms it takes two days to reach Kaza from here.

Road
–Spiti is connected by road from Shimla & Manali side, the road from Manali to Spiti opens my Mid May when Kunzum Pass opens for traffic. The road from Shimla is open nearly through out the year, but it also get closed at times due to Avalanches in winters or when there is very heavy snow fall

 

How To Reach In Winters

In Winters the road from Shimla side is the only option to reach Spiti as Kunzum Pass on the Manali / Kaza Road gets closed in November.

The roads can have a good amount of snow and Ice so only 4×4 vehicles with Snow chains can make this journey from Pooh onwards to Kaza in Spiti. Its is advisable to travel in an convoy as more hands can be of utmost help encase you get stuck on the road.

Local traffic is minimum in winters and at time you may just come across one or two cars on road in the entire day.

 

Places to Visit

  • Nako Lake
  • Gue Monastery
  • Tabo Monastery
  • Dhankar Monastery & Fort
  • Dhankar Lake at 4140 meters ( 1 Hrs trek )
  • Pin Valley ( Mud Village )
  • Kaza Town at 3800 meters
  • Komic Highest Village at 469 Meters
  • Hikkim – Highest Post Office at 4440 meters
  • Kibber wildlife sanctuary
  • Chiham Bridge highest in Asia at 4120 meters
  • Key Monastery
  • Chandratal Lake at 4250 meters
  • Kunzum Pass at 4551 meters

 

 

Experience

Spiti is a place for nature and adventure lovers, if you are looking for an luxury holiday avoid Spiti there is no luxury in the materialistic sense over here.

This is a place for people who love
–Fresh mountain air
–Hiking
–Local Food
–Cultural experience
–Photography
–Cycling
–Walking in villages & fields
–Early morning sunrise
–Enjoy the weather
–Spending time by the river side doing nothing
–Drinking water from mountain stream
–Yoga lovers
–If you love the quiet life

 

 

Local Food

-Thupka
-Momos
-Noodles
-Thenktuk
-And Our Favorite Maggi is available every where
-Dal Chawal at most rode side Dhabas

Download Spiti Info Sheet