Places we visited:
Narkhanda – Sangla – Kalpa – Nako –
Tabo, Gue – Dhankar – Mudh Village – Kaza – Langcha, Komic, Hikkim – Key,
Kibber, Chicham – Mane Village – Kalpa – Sarahan – Koti – Chandighar
The roads are unpredictable because they are narrow and
there is adanger of falling stones and landslides as well. Don’t go by what google
maps tell you in terms of time. Local people are the best to know these details
from.
There are two way to enter into the valley –
1. through
Manali
2. through Shimla. Its quite straight forward to enter the state through Shimla anytime of the year. Entering the valley through Manali needs some planning.
2. through Shimla. Its quite straight forward to enter the state through Shimla anytime of the year. Entering the valley through Manali needs some planning.
Stepping into the Valley Through Manali:
Spiti valley is completely closed in winters. Its
open only for four months - June to September. In these months entering from Manali
through Kunzum pass is the easiest. After crossing the 3,990mts high Rohtang Pass to
reach Gramphoo, the road joins with Keylong and proceeds south along Chandra River till Batal. Then comes the 4,550 m high Kunzum pass which leads to Spiti
valley at kaza.
Kunzum Pass is a high mountain pass which
is around 122 km from Manali. It connects the Kullu Valley and Lahaul &Spiti Valley
of Himachal Pradesh.
Challenges - entering from Manali:
Entering the valley through Manali throws multiple challenges. 1. the roads, 2. The elevation. It’s a tough stretch from Manali till Batal. There are multiple waterfalls that flow on to the road. These water falls run on the rocky roads. Cars have to be equipped to cross these 5 to 6 waterfalls on the way.
Chandratal is a breath-taking location 15km from Batal. Its
at a height of 4300mts. A trek to the
Moon Lake of the Chandratal would be a great idea from the Kunzum Pass. From
Batal, kaza is just 55km.
These roads are all frozen in winters and the BRO and its
local employees work hard in these tough terrains to clear the roads up for the
public. Kunzum pass and Chandratal were the last leg of our travel. We panned to
camp at Chandratal lake but that didn’t work out because the roads were still
closed. Excessive snow fall even in the summers! The whole time we were at Spiti
valley, the weather was very unpredictable. According to the locals, it was the
coldest summers. Imagine the winters!
Stepping into the valley from Shimla:
Kalka to Shimla:
The toy train from kalka to shimla is the best way to travel to Shimla. There are multiple other trains but timings wise this train suits very well. The train wasn't super clean and had a lot of mosquitoes initially but settled down as the train moved. Kalka is about 30 min drive from chandighar. Road drive also would take the same time. Shimla is a heavy touristy region. Its also a week end hill station for people from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. We decided to stay in Shimla for two nights. Through the trip the distance we travelled was not more than 2-3 hours except a few exceptions. Stay is Shimla is very straightforward. There are a lot of hotels, airBnB’s available and one can choose according to ratings. We stayed at Hotel Dhroov. Jhaku trek in shimla, a 30 min walk up the hill is very refreshing.
Shimla to Narkhanda
The drive is about 2-3 hours. For all practical purposes, till we enter the valley, all the places that we stayed at are just our pit stops. Hatu valley home stay is the place to stay.. Mr and Mrs Dogra(9817196808) are a little quiet
but very friendly people. The home stay is very clean and the food prepared by
Mrs Dogra is very homely and tasty. This place is 850mts from the main road and
2km from narkhanda market. Do not forget to pick up the fresh organic cherries
from Mr Dogra’s farm. We now have a newfound taste for the cherries here and
they are completely organic. We got the opportunity to go into the farm and eat
freshly plucked cherries from the tree directly. Thethys ski resort is another
place we heard of Agyaay vaas – the Himalayan resort is another one. We went to
this place for lunch on the way back from the hatu hike. Good place with good
food.
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| Pakene - A local delicacy at narkhanda |
Tani Jubbar lake, hatu temple, hatu peak are the places to
visit here at narkhanda. Hatu peak and Hatu temple are next to each other. We trekked
from the home stay to hatu peak. This trek is a little hard but doable. The
ascent is 810mts. Vehicles also go till the hatu peak for someone who doesn’t
want to trek. Thanedaar and kothhgarh are the places to visit from narkhanda.
Narkhanda to Sangla
The drive is for about 7 hours. We needed to do this long drive to gain a day or two. There can also be stops at Rampur, sarahan, karcham etc which are closer to Narkhanda in terms of the time.
Sangla is a beautiful location with tree covered hills in
the backround. We stayed at kinner camps(kinnercamps@gmail.com,
+91-9967611178 , +91-9987126233) Our stay at Kinner camps was
exceptionally good with amazingly well cooked food.
Betseri village is the closest village near the place we
stayed. Baspa river is next door. Most camps are situated by the river Baspa. These
camps are a little away from the main Sangla town. Chicham and Raksham are the
two villages after Sangla. There are a couple of temples and Gompa’s to visit
around Sangla, Chitkul and Raksham.
Chitkul village is the last village of Tndo tibetian border.
A small village with a few temples is completely commercialized with zostels, camps,
homestays etc. The village has an open landscape to offer with an unbroken view
of the hills. Raksham village comes on the way back from Chitkul. We did a trek
from Raksham to Sangla. There are multiple treks here, from Sangla to Raksham
and Chitkul. Locals at the campsite can give more information about the treks. (Chitkul
is the start point for Lamkhaga pass trek and Borasu pass trek.
Nagasthi ITBP post is 4km and Ranikanda meadows is 10km trek from Chitkul.)
Sangla to Kalpa:
The Chaka peak trek and the kinnaur kailash trek are the two big treks
starting from kalpa. The Kinnaur Kailash peak is around 6050mts and the Chaka
peak is about 4600mts. Any plan to do these treks should be planned days in
advance. Kinnaur kailash trek is a very difficult trek is what the locals say,
but there are base camps. HPTDC – Kinner Kailash and Kinnaur views are the two very
famous places to stay here. RecongPeo is
the administrative head quarters of kinnaur district. Kalpa is about 7km from
RecongPeo.Deep in the himalays, RecongPeo has a traffic signal to control the
traffic taking a U-turn to go to kalpa. It’s a cute town with a lot of shopping
and a couple of cafes.
Kalpa to Nako:
5hours! A lot changed in these five hours. The mobile signal and the data are completely lost on the way from Kalpa as we cross the villages Phu and Kha. There is no signal from here till Manali. BSNL network works but catching a signal here is a miracle.Nako is a dream village for some people. Our idea of Nako was the other way. Somehow we absolutely didn’t like staying at Nako; It was dusty but rustic. The ascent towards Spiti has started and the there is a big shift in the landscape. Nako is at a height of 3625mts. Technically Nako is in Kinnaur district but the landscape and culture are closer to that of Spiti. As the Spiti valley approaches, mountains lose their green cover and stand threadbare. Naked is the first word that comes to mind when you look at those giant mounds of what looks like sand. These are fragile ranges; small stones keep falling on the roads. BRO (Border Roads Organization) does a great job of keeping the roads clear of these stones. But they have a tough task when they are fighting with such mighty mountain ranges.
As the altitude slowly increases, check for yourself what’s the best way
to handle the height – there are medicines. Some people also carry oxygen cans. We got acclimatization automatically because of the slow pace we were
travelling in. Real problem comes when you jump heights.
Nako youth club is something to know about. Members of this
club take tourists for village walks and treks for a fee. The funds hence
generated are used for village development. They have a small-tented office at
the entrance with a cardboard board announcing the office.
Nako Lake, Guru Padmasambhava foot prints, and an antient
monastery the important ones to see. Nako is the last point of the Kinnaur
district and is located right next to the Tibetan border. We haven’t gone
till that height but heard that there is a checkpost for the locals of Tibet to
cross over.
We stayed at the lake view Home stay. Heard from a lot of
people that Kinnaur camps at Nako village was also good.
Nako to Tabo:
By their names, Nako-Tabo, it feel is like they are next to each other. They are at a driving distance of 2 hours. We didn’t much like Nako. After a nights stay, we decided to drive to Tabo for one night. Tabo is at an altitude of 3280mts. Spiti valley starts from a place called Sumdo a little drive after nako. You will see an Army check post where we needed to enter our details. Any foreign passports need a permit to enter the valley. Within the valley in any place we stayed we needed to give our personal details for the records of the local police. There is a lot of army in the whole of Spiti valley as it’s the border.
We heard a lot about Namsey Home stay(drsuresh07@gmail.com
Tel: +91-9418600825) We stayed at Towdey hotel. Kunzum café at Tabo is a super
place which we loved the most. They also have a few rooms to stay. Don’t forget
to try the Spiti coffee here. Their barley soup is also a must try.
Tabo monastry is
constructed almost a 1000 yrs ago. Tabo is noted for being the oldest
continuously operating Buddhist enclave in both India and the Himalayas. Above
the monastery there are several caves carved into the cliff face and used by
monks for meditation. There is also an assembly hall in the caves and some
faded paintings on the rock face. These caves are a must visit. You can
see the whole village of Tabo with a magnificent background of the mountains
and their peaks. Do sit at these caves and meditate. Tabo is protected by the
ASI as a national historic treasure of India. ASI had also proposed this
monastery, the only monolithic structure of its kind in North India, for
recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its sanctity in
Trans Himalayan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama has expressed his
desire to retire to Tabo, since he maintains that the Tabo Monastery is
one of the holiest. Morning pooja time at the Gompa is 6:30. Being in the
monestry at that time can give a meditative mind and positive energies.
To Tabo Via Gue:
Before Tabo, Gue is an hour’s diversion. Gue is a tiny
hamlet in the Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh, almost on the Indo-China
border. There are no buses to Gue. This place is famous for the mummy. The
monk, or lama, known as Sangha Tenzin is probably the only mummy in
India to have undergone natural mummification.
A team of archaeologists collected the samples of the hair
and some fabric they found around mummy’s neck which was probably a remnant of
his gomthakor - the meditation belt. Carbon dating of the two revealed that the
mummy belonged to the last quarter of fifteenth century, when the area was
reeling under a terrible famine. Further investigation revealed that it was a
forty or forty-five-year-old healthy lama who had meditated to death. The monk,
the research concluded, was a practitioner of Zogchen, the highest form of
meditation who had used the gomthakor to tie his neck to his knee in order to
free the body and transport his mind and spirit to a higher plane. Although it
decreases the oxygen flow, this method is believed to heighten the experience
of meditation. Using this method of self-asphyxiation the lama must have hoped
to turn his body into a relic in order to help his land and his people.
Surprisingly no chemical or embalming technique has been employed to mummify
the body. That mystery was resolved too. The lama must have been fasting for
the last three to four months before his death. With nutritional intake being
zero, nitrogen levels inside his body would have risen and his intestines and
stomach reduced drastically in size.at the same time fasting would have
destroyed his body’s microbes and bacteria thereby facilitating natural
mummification. While this area was dug for building houses, the tool fell on
the lama’s head and blood started oozing out. Upon digging more, then found the
lama and then preserved it in a glass box next to the monastery.
References:
Book: Spiti through its Legend and Lore by Kishore Thukral
Tabo to Dhankar:
Above the village sits the local monastery - the Dhankar
Gompa. Dankhar Monastery once housed hundreds of monks, and still treasures a
collection of Thankas and manuscripts of Bhoti scriptures. Now thirty monks are
the custodians and would make you very welcome. If one can manage the height
and finish the trek in a day, Staying at Dhankar village may not be needed. Plan
to come back from the trek around 6pm to get some good clicks.
Dhankar to Pin Valley – Mudh Village
At a height of 3900mts the beauty this village has to offer
can only be experienced. The drive from Dhankar to Mudh is the best drives in
terms of scenic beauty. There is only one bus that comes to Mudh in the evening
and leaves in the morning. Glaciers are part of the neighborhood and they are
there everywhere. The population of the village around 250 people with a handful
of home stays. Tara home stay is the most popular one. We heard about Sonam
home stay from the travelers. Tara ji is very famous in Mudh village for his
home stay. During the season, this place is full all the time. If you are staying
at Tara home stay, ask for the room in the mud house -Where they live. There is
nothing to see as such here but to enjoy the hills, glaciers and importantly
the pin river with its gushing cold water.
Bhaba pass trek starts/ends here at Mudh village. It’s a 3-4
day trek into Kinnaur. If interested, Tara ji can help with a guide and a mule
to carry the luggage.
Mudh Village to Kaza:
The administrative headquarters of the valley with a lot of
things happening. Wifi may be available in some home stays/hotels but they don’t
work well. BSNL is still the only network available and may be better than the
other places. The name of the place is actually Kaze and its at an altitude of
3800mts. The Tangyud (Tang-rGyud) Gompa at Kaza is from
the 14th century. This is a must visit. Otherwise Kaza doesn’t have much to
see. There are a lot of Café’s to go to and spend time. Each of the café’s have
their specialty.
Dezor café has a good ambience and great food. Garlic
soup here helps with the altitude sickness. Be careful not to touch the Saint Bernard
as it’s a an abused dog before Karan(Dezor café owner) bought the dog to save
it from abuse. Taste of Spiti is a café run by a NGO Spiti Ecospere.
They organize carbon positive trips and help create additional livelihoods and
revenues for the local communities. The Great Himalayan Café is another
one which also serves beer. Zomsa Café has also joined hands with a
small NGO called ‘join hands’ to promote awareness and sustainable tourism.
Their open mike for music in the evenings is a big hit. There are a lot of
places to stay as well. The most we heard about are Sakya abode, Sakya Home stay,
snow line, dezor café(karanbir@hotmail.com,
+91 95-30-570649), Spiti eco spere(+91.9418860099, +91.7673903530), The
travellers shed, zostel. We stayed at Sakya Abode(Incredible Spiti: 9650675505)
and had a great time. Staff at Sakya abode make you all feel at home. Mr Tshering Dorje, owner of Sakya abode, is a person you must meet. A very down to earth person with a lot of stories about the place and people. The
United Nations Award Winning Community Centre is built by Spiti Projects Charity
and is run by Spiti Projects Society the local branch of charity. The building
is run in an environmental eco-friendly way using solar energy, the food
offered is organic and grown locally. (contact: jeetsinghmane@gmail.com Tel: +91-941
865 2743)
From Kaza to Kee, Kibber, Chicham, Langza, Komic, Hikkim, Demul:
All these places can be visited in a day. A leisure
traveler can stay in komic for a day to enjoy the surroundings and at the kee
monastery for a day to meditate at the Gompa.
There are share taxis from kaza to go to all these places
around for fixed prices
.
Kee Monastery is on top of a hill and the hill looks
too beautiful. Don’t forget to drink tea at the kee monastery. If time permits
sit in the monastery meditation room for a bit.. The silence at this place is
to be felt. Kee monastery is at an elevation of 4166mts and around 14km from
kaza. We wanted to stay at the kee monastery but due construction, our stay got
cancelled. If time permits, Kee Monastery stay is a must do.
The most prominent of all these villages is Kibber also
spelled as Kyibar, this village is located at a distance of about 16 kilometers
from Kaza and 6km from Kee monastery.
Kibber is at an elevation of 4,270mts. There is a daily bus from Kaza to Kibber
at evening 4 PM. It’s a nice village to walk around.
Komic, also known as Kaumik is another very small village
will probably be the highlight of your journey towards this part of Spiti
valley. The name Komik literally means “Eye of the Snow Cock”. Located about 18
kilometers from Kaza and at an altitude of 4587mts, it is the highest motorable
village in the world, a claim which is of course disputed. There are only two
home stays here. We stayed at the Tampa home stay. There is a bus from Kaza to
Komik at 2 PM on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
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| The making of Timmo @ Tampa home stay |
Hikkim is at an elevation of 4400mts and the post office
here is the highest post office in the world. Hikkim and komic are not very far.
A simple 30min down hill trek leads to hikkim. Do post some cards to your loved
ones from the highest post office.
Demul is 18km from Komic and at an altitude of
4320mts. It’s a village tucked safely between high mountains. Mr Angruup Funchok
and his friends run a system called the controlled hospitality. He is the village
coordinator. He makes sure every homestay in the village gets its turn to serve
the tourist. It works like a taxi union. You cannot choose a home stay. The
village coordinator allots them turn by turn. He explains the village rules
which typically are around sustainable tourism are. The strangest rule is that you
cannot stay in one house for more than a night. You must keep shifting every
day during the period of your stay. If you stay for three days, then you will
have to stay with three families. This idea was conceptualised by an NGO who
did an amazing job of giving the village solar electricity for two hours daily.
Demul still has dry toilets which is basically a hole in the ground and cow
dung to cover to avoid any foul odours. Demul has a 360 degree view of the Himalayas.
Langza has 160 odd people with about 30-40 houses.
Like other villages in this region, even this small village is famous for
ancient fossils; for which they also have a Fossil center here. You can find
more information about the fossils and some sample at this Fossil center. (Ref
about the Fossil center - travellers)
Langza and many other
villages of Spiti were submerged under the ancient geological
Tethys Ocean, more than 200 million years ago. It inhabited many varieties of
Mesozoic marine animals. It is difficult to imagine that this land could have
been a huge ocean! Around 50 million years ago, the Himalayan range and
the Tibetan Plateau emerged from the collision between the tectonic plates of
two super-continents, which made the Tethys ocean disappear. Fossils of marine
animals living under Tethys sea are found today in Langza and neighboring
villages. Today if you take a spade and start digging anywhere around Langza,
you would definitely find a fossil or two to your amazement. Unfortunately, the
local children sell these fossils to the tourists for 20-30/-. The request is
not to buy the fossils or take any home. It is important to realize the
archaeological importance of these fossils and preserve this unique
geographical feature of the Himalayas.
Langza also has a grand Buddha statue overlooking the
village. The sight of Lord Buddha sitting in the lap of mighty Himalayas all
around is a sight to behold. There are a couple of unknown/unnamed ponds/lakes
around Langza as well, which can be reached by trekking about
as 3-4 Hrs a day with some local guide or villager.
Langza is also famous for its Zama Pottery. The easy availability
of plastic and steel utensils has made Zama pottery a dying craft.
Chicham Village located at an altitude of 4124m. Chicham
is relatively known (or unknown) for its location – it lies across a very
narrow and dangerous gorge from Kibber. Initially there was no road to Chicham
from Kibber – only a ‘span’ or ‘jhula’ bridge. Vehicles could never pass. To
reach Chicham village, there was a walk to about 45min from the kibber road. In
November 2017, the bridge connecting the
two villages is arguably Asia’s highest bridge.
Kaza to Mane Village:
Mane village is the most fertile village of Spiti valley.
The fields here are green with beautiful Himalayan backdrop. Sopona Lake is
about 5 KMs from Mane Gongma village having steep gradient This lake is located at an altitude of
4122mts. Sopona lake is glacial melt lake and water in it becomes less as the
snow melt decrease in later days of the season. The trek route passes through
the grazing fields Doksa offering some panoramic aerial views of Dhangkar side
valley from the vantage points on the route. Right now there is only one
homestay in this village- Manerang Home Stay, run by Jeet Singh and his wife jeetsinghmane@gmail.com.
Tel: +91 941 865 2743.
Home Stay trek for Trek lovers:
Drive from Kaza to Langza visiting Kee, Kibber
Komic to Demul
Demul to Lalung
Lalung to Dhankar
Drive back to kaza from dhankar.
What does Spiti Valley except from you:
Go-local
Sea-buckthorn is a deciduous shrub which grown.
The leaves, flowers, and fruits are used to make medicine. The willow-leaved
sea-buckthorn which is found in Spiti is restricted to the Himalayas, growing
at high altitudes in dry valleys. Sea buckthorn contains vitamins A, B1, B2,
B6, C, and other active ingredients. Do try the sea-buckthon tea. In recent
years the agricultural department of Himachal Pradesh has been promoting the
farming of seabuckthorn.
Kala matar (black pea)Peas is the grown subsistence crop in
Spiti. However, over the years with the transition of the Spitian economy from
subsistence based to more market friendly crops like the green pea driven by economic
value attached, the black pea has now been replaced. As a result of this the
black pea now faces the threat of extinction. A legume with a high nutritive
content, the black pea can also be consumed as a pulse (similar to Kidney
Beans/ Rajmah). The Black Pea also makes delicious sprouts and are a very good
source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only can these peas help lower
cholesterol, they are also of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders
since their high fibre content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly
after a meal.
Barley is a traditional crop in spiti valley. It is known
for centuries for its health-enhancing properties and has been recognised for
its role in lowering cholesterol and glucose levels. It has been used since the
Greek times for it exceptional action on the metabolism. People here are used
to eating Sattu-roasted and powdered barley.
Spiti receives very less average rainfall. In 2013, the area
received only 170 mm of rainfall. The locals can not depend on rain for
irrigation. The solution for this was found centuries ago and is still in
practice. The melted snow water from the glaciers flows down in the valley and
is directed through kulhs (water channels) to the fields. This
process takes hours of hard work. The villagers, mostly women, start curing the
fields in the month of June when the small stems of green pea plants can be
seen in the fields.
Always except for the unexpected in Spiti valley. Ever-ones experiences are different, stories they listen to are different, weather conditions are different. All this depending on the kind of people they meet.
Like the whole world, Spiti valley is also in a grave danger. It’s an Ice desert and Spitians are struggling for water. Spiti hasn’t seen snow fall in 2018, or rather there was less than usual. Plastic carried by the tourists is becoming a great menace for the valley. All the water bottles, cold drinks, chips and everything that comes in plastic is threat. They are not equipped to handle plastic. Kaza is the administrative capital of the valley. A few truckloads of plastic is sent to Chandigarh every week (Not sure what happens to this plastic here) The plastic generated in smaller villages doesn’t even may its way to Kaza for save disposal. The local NGO’s are trying to create an awareness amongst the travelers to avoid plastic. Carrying an own water bottle may be a good idea. Don't accept anything sold in plastic instead ask the hotel/home stays to pack a snack. We carried our own water bottle, steel straws, spoons, forks etc. We refused to use the complimentary water in plastic bottles given and asked for jugs instead. We ate Bhel puri with hand in a small eatery where they give the bhel in a paper plate with a plastic spoon.
Like the whole world, Spiti valley is also in a grave danger. It’s an Ice desert and Spitians are struggling for water. Spiti hasn’t seen snow fall in 2018, or rather there was less than usual. Plastic carried by the tourists is becoming a great menace for the valley. All the water bottles, cold drinks, chips and everything that comes in plastic is threat. They are not equipped to handle plastic. Kaza is the administrative capital of the valley. A few truckloads of plastic is sent to Chandigarh every week (Not sure what happens to this plastic here) The plastic generated in smaller villages doesn’t even may its way to Kaza for save disposal. The local NGO’s are trying to create an awareness amongst the travelers to avoid plastic. Carrying an own water bottle may be a good idea. Don't accept anything sold in plastic instead ask the hotel/home stays to pack a snack. We carried our own water bottle, steel straws, spoons, forks etc. We refused to use the complimentary water in plastic bottles given and asked for jugs instead. We ate Bhel puri with hand in a small eatery where they give the bhel in a paper plate with a plastic spoon.
In a the smallest villages of Spiti, in home stays, we have seen people waiting for someone to come and pick up their luggage. These households are already struggling and running home stays only to earn an extra buck. Traveling light and carrying our own luggage into the home stays may help everyone. Its very cold in the valley and clothes don’t get too dirty. Majority of the places have an option to dry clothes. Just dipping the clothes in water and putting them to dry is the best idea we could come up with.
There is a lot more to experience of the valley. See the valley white in winters may give a completely different perspective of the place. Waiting for more connections with the place.
