Not on Map!

Spiti is a desert valley with around 13500 sqkm area and a population of 13000 people. Its at a high altitude with less or rather no trees. A 28 day trip to this valley became another unforgettable trip! We are no tourists. We are now travelers.

The most difficult part of planning this trip was to manage our expectations, considering the fantastic experiences we had last year(https://namrathasastry.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-great-himalayan-tour.html). Incredible Spiti team has been big contributes in our planning. They are a great bunch of enthusiastic and passionate travelers, helping travelers find their way! (Date of our travel: 01.06.19 to 28.06.19)

Last trip we figured out a packing method which made it easy for us to be nomads in a literal sense. The whole of Spiti valley has so many places that we stayed not more than a day or two at each of the places. The slow pace allowed us acclimatize to the height. We realized almost to the end of the trip how unprepared we were in this sense. I must say the mountains were very kind to us in terms of the road travel, weather, health, calmness and altitude. We heard a lost of stories where people fell extremely sick because of less oxygen and some even collapsed because of low saturation levels. Through the 28 day travel, we never fell prey to land slides or the falling stones; (we read articles about land slides on the roads we traveled and people got stuck for two days; Two unfortunate bikers got killed because of the huge falling stones.) majority of the roads we traveled were under construction by the BRO.

Places we travelled:

Chandighar – Shimla – Narkhanda – Sangla – Kalpa – Nako – Tabo, Gue – Dhankar – Mudh Village – Kaza – Langcha, Komic, Hikkim – Key, Kibber, Chicham – Mane Village – Kalpa – Sarahan – Koti – Chandighar

Chandighar both ways was mainly for Stuti, so she could enjoy her cotton candy. This kept her happy through the trip. Every place was beautiful in its own way. Till Kalpa, it was green with a lot of trees etc. The landscape completely changed as we entered Spiti valley.

The Himalayas gave us a great heads up at Shimla for our treks and at Narkhanda with great food. In shimla, we discovered a small bill board by the road about the Jhaku trek. We took up the challenge and reached the Jhaku temple in just 30 min along with Stuti, and started the trek journey for this trip. More details about each of the places can be found in the link below. I have also listed down all the treks we did through trip in the end.

As we entered narkhanda, hungry, the organic cherry farm welcomed us. We spent about 3 hours plucking and eating all the fresh cherries from the farm.

 

Every place in the Himalayas has a different kind of beauty to offer. Deeper into the Himalayas, we stopped debating on which is the most beautiful place and started enjoying scenery. Best thing about Sangla was, the camps (kinner camps), the glaciers, the trees, the cold and most importantly friends we made. Stuti immediately bonded with Navya(8yrs) and Adith(4yrs) and we bonded well with Anand and Geetanjali. These three days at the kinner camps were like a real holiday for multiple reasons: the hospitality at the camp site, having friends to trek with and kids doing their thing from dawn to dusk with no problems. We saw the glacier for the first time so close, yet so far. 

Left to right: Anand Prakash, Navya, Adith, Geetanjali, Sristuti, Namratha, Raveen

Adith is a whistle specialist. We were kept entertained through the trek with his whistles and the girls secret hideouts.

The best part of the four hour Raksham trek -We carried lunch and ate in the wilderness, by the stream along with out guide Mr Kanel singh.

As we go deeper in to the Himalayas, the mountains casted its magic spell. Stress vanishes like magic at the advent of the magnificent mountains.  And it happened more so as we entered spiti valley. A lot of things are no-brainers for us in the city, one such thing is the network and mobile data. Cell phones are mere electronic devices with no function as we entered nako village. Youtube, games, Netflix, video calling, whats app were still our modes of entertainment till here and suddenly we were left completely to our selves with no signals. Now, this was a challenge and this is where the twist in the story began. We had nothing else to do but to talk to each other. We also started talking to the locals understanding the place and truly appreciating the surroundings. We also invented a lot of games, puzzles and riddles that the three of us played. For the harry potter fan that Stuti is, she thinks everyone at Himachal Pradesh loves Harry Potter because they write HP everywhere! The true fun began. Treks were anyway a part of the routine. At this attitude, it was difficult to do too many treks.

Nako Village is located near the Indo-China border in the Trans-Himalayan region. Nako is at an elevation of 3,625 metres (11,893 ft)  in the Hangrang Valley with the backdrop of Reo Purgyal which has an elevation of 6,816 metres (22,362 ft) and is the highest mountain in Himachal Pradesh.

These are the traditional houses in Nako village built with stone. The house stays warm in winters and right temperatures in summers.  Agriculture is the bread winner for this village. Green peas and potatoes are grown here.

Tabo Village. The village is situated at an altitude of 10,760 ft/ 3,280 metres. Climate in Tabo is very unpredictable as it ranges from cloudy to sunny and from snow to heavy snowfall. 

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 a number of 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. 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. 

The Tabo Gufas

Inside the Gufa

 

This drink is called Spiti coffee. It is served with fermented barley along with coffee. Fermented barley is a locally made drink in Spiti valley. Fermented apricot is also used in some parts.  sea blackthorn is another specialty drink here at spiti. It contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, and other active ingredients and is considered a super food in the icy desert valley. The Spiti coffee is the specialty of a cafe here in Tabo vallage called the Kunzum cafe.

Dhankar Village is a large high village which used to be the capital of the Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is at an altitude of 3,894 metres (12,774 feet) above sea level, between the towns of Tabo and Kaza, Himachal Pradesh. Above the village sits the local monastery - the Dhankar Gompa.Total number of houses are 68. This village looks like a fairy tale princesses palace.

Dhankar Lake is situated above the village Dhankar at an elevation of approximately 4140 meters, (13583ft) in the middle of the hill. 

It is believed that Gods visit Dhankar lake and is considered very holy.

Our trek partner at Dhankar lake, Navneet Chahal
A traveler, lawyer, an amateur photographer and a music loving art enthusiast.

The mountains of Spiti valley loom large, brown and beige hues dominate the barren landscape, and quite frequently, centuries-old monasteries are markers for villages.  

At an altitude of about 3900mts, (12795ft) the Mudh village is the last village of Pin valley. The population of this village is just around 250 people. With mud house that keep you nice and warm, Mudh is a place thats a must visit.

Mud House construction

Glaciers are found every where in Mudh village. They form the neighborhood of the village with a beautiful scenery of Pin valley river.

By the Pin valley river

Yaks are a mode of transport in Spiti. The yaks in the picture have been walking for two days to reach their masters destination.

There are a few unspoken codes for the drivers of the valley. Most drivers who drive skillfully on these narrow roads know each other. Irrespective of if you know the opposite driver or not, you need to let the vehicle coming from the opposite direction pass. This happens mostly in spiti valley since the roads are very narrow and can fit only one vehicle at a time. If the opposite vehicle horns while passing, that means they are saying ‘Jhuley(hello, how are you?)’. If they horn after crossing, then its ‘Thank you for letting us pass’.

Spiti Valley roads

Kinnur road

The road less travelled

Kaza is the administrative head quarters of spiti valley and a little bigger town with Cafes and lots of  activities happening. Zomsa café was the one that attracted us with its harry potter books and live music. Taste of spiti is the other café where we spent a lot of time eating and playing board games. Out of all the 28 days, this is what we did the most: washing clothes. We just carried 5 pairs for each of us and it was an absolute need for us to wash our clothes: While this doesn’t seem to be a necessity for the locals! Its so cold that they don’t even feel the need to have a bath. We made more friends here at Sakya Abode(where we stayed) and had a very interesting musical night with them.

As we reached Kaza, there was wifi. We really had to find spots to catch the wifi signal and download some cartoons for stuti. It takes atleast 10 mins for a whats app message to be sent. It took us all night to download one video of 25min

Very important activity that happened through the whole trip.

Our favorite Zomsa Cafe @ Kaza

Kye Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on top of a hill at an altitude of 4,166 metres (13,668 ft) above sea level, close to the Spiti River. In 14th century when the Sakya sect rose to power with Mongol assistance, this monestry was destroyed. Kye was attacked again by the Mongols during the 17th century, during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama

Chicham Bridge is the highest bridge in Asia. The bridge is at a staggering height of 13596 ft and connects the two villages named Chicham and Kibber. Look down this bridge and you will find yourself gaping below, at a 1000 ft deep gorge! The gorge below is known by the name of Samba Lamba Nallah; the making of this bridge cuts down the journey from Kibber to Losar by 40 km. 

Our home stay hosts at komic

Helping at Komic home stay

Famed as the highest motorable village in Asia, Komic in Spiti Valley is placed at an altitude of 4587m, 15049ft above the sea level. The village has around a dozen houses, one monastery and a population of around 150, including the monks. The place has been blessed by unspoilt scenery, lush surroundings, snow-covered peaks, and barren landscapes.

Hikkim village has a post office situated at an elevation of 4,400 m (14,400 ft) and this post office is the highest post office in the world. The post office connects small villages in this isolated region to the rest of the world. It receives and sends postal letters. It also acts as a savings bank where villagers can deposit money in their savings accounts or withdraw money. Intrepid travelers make it this far to Hikkim village to take pride in mailing their letters from the highest post office on Earth. the pin code of this post office is 172114.

 Langza village is one of the most beautiful valleys in Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. Placed at an altitude of 4325 m above the sea level, this village is known for its charming scenery, pre-historic buildings, and old monasteries. The village is enveloped by snow-capped peaks, green meadows, and barren plains, offering some wonderful views. Langza village is located about 14 KMs away from Kaza. Apart from the breathtaking landscape, the presence of a big, 1000 year odd old Lord Buddha is an attraction to this village.

Fossil hunting is langza village: The fossils found in the village of Langza in the cold desert of Spiti Valley, bear testimony to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates that led to the formation of the Himalayas in the Cenozoic period, nearly 50 million years ago. As the two plates edged closer to each other, they closed the Tethys Sea that lay between them. The fossils of mollusks that inhabited the Tethys Sea lay scattered abundantly in the Spiti region as witnesses to one of the most powerful geological formations in the history of the earth.

We had to start planning our return as a few places that we planned to visit haven’t opened. We needed to reroute from kaza. Not sure what we missed but where we have been to is unforgettable! We tightened our seat belts as our decent began. Mane village was a good pit stop and a beautiful green village. One notable thing of these tribes is hospitality. They only take an moment to make you feel home and comfortable. We will never forget the farm visit at mane village. We revisited kalpa after Mane and reached Sarahan to be blessed by Bhimkali Mata and then the final stop, Koti which was the last memorable stop. It was a great feeling to stand in the way of the wind, (flowing at abt 12km/hr) feet on the ground, holding on to your self in the fear of flying away! It is unforgettable.

Bhimkali Temple @ Sarahan

Manerang Home stay @Mane village

Watering the fields at mane village

Raveen and our driving partner, Mr Mingmaar Ji

Co-travelers and Trek partners @Koti, Left to right: Kanchan, Mr Anil(owner, The Peak, Koti), Ishaan, Stuti, Namratha, Raveen, Vkalp, Little Radha. Radha's excitement to play with the two big kids was to be witnessed. She is a darling!

Ishaan, Namratha, Stuti and Mr Anil

The Peak - Home stay at Koti

Coco- The Dog. The 1.5yr old coco was left by his mother at 'the peak' home stay just before she was eaten up by a bear. Coco was very small and she was fed with cow milk as she had no mother to feed him. Since then coco thinks the cows at this home stay are his family. He is left with the cows in the night and wouldn't get up in the morning until the cow licks him to wake up.

@ Chail, Himachal Pradesh

We have acclimatized through the trip and its time to  acclimatize to the city. Thanks to Stuti's cotton candy, we got a couple of days for this. Everyone was busy in their world not bothering about the surroundings. Vibrant and noisy cultures didn't suit us too well and we were ready to come back home. 

flavors of cotton candy

Guess the city acclimatization helped. We celebrated the success of our trip and had a pre birthday celebration for me on a holiday :)

The nomads that we have become took us often into pensive moods. On the quiet roads of the valley, we were singing away in celebration of life, there was an unseen anxiety of leaving the mountains. At this moment our Mingmaar ji delivered a profound statement which will stay with us forever "शांति में फ़ायदा है"!!

After experiencing the hustle and bustle of the city, we were ready to be back to our quiet home which will welcome us anytime. Every time we think of this statement it gives us immense satisfaction and calm.

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Apart from multiple un-tracked walks that we did, there are the tracked(tracking device: Raveen's Tom-Tom watch) treks three of us went for:

1.      Name: Shimla - Jhaku temple trek, two-way, Shimla’s highest peak

Distance: 2.6km

Time: 60min

Ascent: 250mts

Start Height: 2500mts

Date: 02.06.19

2.       Name: Narkhanda - Hatu Peak Trek

Distance: 7km

Time: 2hrs 54min

Ascent: 810mts

Start Height: 2700mts;

Date: 04.06.19

3.       Name: Sangla – Trek to the glacier, two way

Distance: 5km

Time: 3Hrs

Ascent: 133mts

Start Height: 2900mts

Date: 06.06.19

4.       Name: Raksham to Sangla trek, one way

Distance: 8.66km

Time: 4hrs 30 min (including Lunch break)

Descent: 300mts

Start Height: 3200mts

Date: 07.06.19

5.       Name: Kalpa to Pangi village trek, one way

Distance: 9.39km

Time: 2hrs 55min

Ascent: 542mts

Height: 2960mts

Date: 09.06.19

6.       Name: Nako - hike to the stupa

Distance: 3km

Time:  1hr

Ascent: 200mts

Start Height: 3625mts

Date: 11.06.19

7.       Name: Dhankar – lake trek, two way

Distance: 5km

Time: 2hrs 30min

Ascent: 283mts

Start Height: 3900mts

Date: 12.06.19

8.       Name: Pinvalley – Dhongri village trek via spiti river, two way

Distance: 8km

Time: 3hrs

Ascent: 135mts

Start Height: 3900mts

Date: 14.06.19

9.       Name: Langza to Komic trek, 0ne way

Distance: 8km

Time: 2hrs 40min

Ascent: 288mts

Start Height: 4300mts

Date: 18.06.19

10.     Name: Komic to Kaza trek, half way

Distance: 7km

Time: 1hrs 30min

Descent: 600mts

Start Height: 4587mts

Date: 19.06.19

11.       Name: Mane hill trek, two way

Distance: 3km

Time: 1hr 44min

Ascent: 203mts

Height: 3200mts

Date: 21.06.19

12.       Name: Koti trek, one way

Distance: 5km

Time: 1hr 24min

Ascent: 342mts

Height: 2400mts

Date: 25.06.19