Travelling in Kinnaur and Spiti
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Roads are horrendous and the public transport is not reliable. We saw at least one bus broken down on the way with the passengers trying to flag down other vehicles to continue their journey. Driving on your own is possible, but needs lot of experience. Overall, Ladakh seemed easier than Himachal. So if you want to drive on your own, first wet your feet with a trip to Nubra and Pangong. Of all roads, Chandra Tal road is the worst and hence, the most challenging. Don't attempt that unless you have lots of experience.
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We arranged the Spiti driving tour through Spiti Holiday Adventure. The tour part was from Shimla to Kullu. It was very easy to contact them over e-mail and they were quite responsive replying within hours of mailing them. The driver, they sent, was quite experienced, courteous and knowledgeable. The accommodation they arranged were all mid to high range and stay everywhere was overall quite comfortable. We faced absolutely no issues during the entire duration of the trip. The trip cost was very reasonable. They have an office in Kaza and that's convenient as Kaza is generally the mid-point of any Spiti itinerary. Our original plan had an extra day visiting the villages of Komik and Lanza. We wanted to trade that for a day in Manali. They were able to make that switch for us within a very short notice at no extra cost. Based on my solitary experience, I would highly recommend this company for arranging your travels in Spiti.
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Kapil Hotel, Shimla Pros: We stayed here for a quick overnight stop before heading on the long drive to Kinnaur and Spiti. This was the best hotel of the trip and we wished we spent at least an extra day. We did not try the dinner/breakfast at this place. The rooms and bathrooms are spotlessly clean. Bathroom has modern amenities and also a separated bath area (which is a rarity in India). The view from the room is quite good. The staff is very courteous and helpful. It is a 15 min walk (all uphill) to the Ridge from here. Hotel has a complimentary shuttle service that can cut the distance by half. Tariff is quite reasonable. Cons: On the flip side, rooms are small, barely enough to fit two people. Parking is a bit of a hassle.
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Igloo Nature Camp, Sangla ValleyPros: Sangla isn't completely in the boonies. There are a handful of hotels and homestays here. So you don't have to stay in a camp unless you want the experience. The camp has everything you can expect in a tented accommodation - attached flush toilets, power outlets, carpeted floors, bottled water etc. The bed is quite comfortable so are the warm blankets that they supply. Food was delicious and was available per our timings. Just make sure you pre-order the meals in advance. The staff was very courteous and helpful. The view from the camp was quite good. Tariff was quite reasonable. Tents and the toilets were reasonably clean. Cons: Given that it is a campsite, it does get quite cold at nights. It is away from town and you need a vehicle to get here and around.
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Rakpa Regency, Kalpa Any hotels above budget range is not found in Kalpa proper but on a ridge a couple of kilometers above town. This Rakpa Regency is one such hotel. So expect a short walk to get to town. Pros: The location is fantastic. you get a birds eye view of the town and an excellent view of the Kinner Kailash range. In fact, it is the best place in the region to catch the sunset. Note that all rooms don't have a view. The tariff is reasonable. Rooms are reasonably clean. Bathrooms have an acceptable level of cleanliness. Staff was quite courteous and reasonably helpful. We eat early dinners and they were quite happy to cater to our demands. Cons: The food was below average. They messed up our breakfast. We wanted an early morning start and so requested breakfast at 7 am. That request was not properly communicated and they could only arrange bread-jam for us. They allowed guests to smoke in the lounge and in the rooms. So the whole building had stifling cigarette smell. Hotel gets often crowded with large Bengali tourist groups.
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Hotel Siddharth, Tabo The hotel is located very close to the Tabo Monastery and it is just a few minutes walk to get there. The rooms and bath rooms are clean and spacious. The hotel is one of the better ones in the town. The view from the terrace is very good. Tariff is reasonable. The food was excellent was served on time. The staff was quite courteous. Cons: Tabo is quite bad when it comes to power cuts. There is generally no power supply till 6 pm and even after that it is quite unstable. The hotel should have had a backup of some sort.
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Tara Guest House, Mud Village Mudh village is probably the most remote place in Spiti that you can drive to. The village was not connected by road till 2003. Given this remoteness, modern amenities of this hotel was quite surprising. Pros: You find all the modern amenities offered by this hotel: western flush toilets, geysers, solar power back-up etc. The hotel has the best view in town. The sunset/sunrise view of the Pin Valley here is to die for. The owners are very helpful and courteous. The food is excellent. Tariff is very reasonable. Rooms and bathrooms are very clean. Bed is very comfortable and so are the warm blankets that they supply. This is the best accommodation in the entire Pin Valley. Cons: Rooms and bathrooms are pretty small. But that is the best they could have done given the space constraints. Since this place is the only one providing good food, the place gets very crowded. So the food takes a long time to arrive. There are just a couple of rooms with attached bath. So book early to get those. Those are the only rooms with a view as well.
- Hotel Spiti Sarai, Rangrik/Kaza Pros: The location is both good and bad. The good part is that it is away from the hustle and bustle of both Kaza and Rangrik and you have have a quite walk out to the Spiti Valley with some excellent views of Ki monastery. The staff was courteous and the food was ready in time we had requested. The rooms and bathrooms are quite spacious and reasonably clean. Tariff is reasonable. Cons: The food was pretty average. The rooms had heave tinted glasses and you cannot see anything outside. The bad part of location is that it is hard to get to from both Kaza and Rangrik and you are stuck with eating the hotel food. Room fixtures are pretty poor and most of the power/light outlets don't work.
- Moon Lake Campsite, Chandra Tal: There are just 4 camp sites in Chandra Tal. They all seemed equivalent from the outside. Moon Lake one is the first one as you approach the lake from Kunzum Pass. The tents are comfortable and so are the bedding they provide. There is flush toilet, but not attached. The food is quite good. But you cannot expect to land up in low season and find them completely stocked. The staff is courteous. But do realise that this is the boonies. So keep your expectations accordingly.
- Hotel Mountain Trail, ManaliPros: The location is both good and bad. It is good to visit the Hadimba temple, It is only a 5 min walk to the temple. The place is very quiet at night and the view is good from some of the rooms. Staff and front desk was very courteous and helpful. Rooms are very spacious and was very clean. Cons: The bad part of location is that it is far away from Old Manali and Mall road and it is not easy to find transportation around the hotel. The bathroom was not to an acceptable level of cleanliness. There was a permanent stench of urine and many questionable stains.
- Hotel Sarvari, HPTDC, KulluThis hotel is typical government run hotel that you find across India - meets and never exceeds expectations. Pros: The staff is quite courteous and helpful. The rooms and bathrooms are reasonably clean. The Tariff is very reasonable. The food is very good and is served on time (but we did go in the low season). It is Manali that is exploding with hotels. Kullu has limited options and this one probably is the best in town. You can book rooms on-line. Cons: It is difficult to get to. If you don't have a transport, it is a 10-15 min walk down to the taxi stand.
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Shimla to Sangla: This took us 8 hrs including stops for breakfast and lunch. The scenery dramatically improves once you cross into Kinnaur. The most-photographed "road cutting through solid granite" is part of this section. Padam Palace is bang on the main road and you will find it right next to the main bustand of Rampur. You can only photograph it from outside. Chitkul is only an hour away. So if you have the time, it is best to continue onto Chitkul and spend the night there. Chitkul is far more scenic than Sangla.
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Sangla to Kalpa: Takes about 3 to 4 hrs at an easy pace. Kalpa is very pretty and is best enjoyed at sunset. Do spend a night here. If you are foreigner, you have no choice as the necessary permits need to be obtained here and it will take you a day to do that.
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Kalpa to Tabo: Took us easy 8 to 9 hrs. Nako lake and monastery (on the way) is a must-see. Tabo closes at 5 pm. So either make it by 4 pm or spend the night here so that you can see the murals in the morning. The murals are stunning. So don't miss out! There are some caves about 15 mins walk uphill from Tabo. There is one temple with murals there. They are open from 10 am to 5 pm.
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Tabo to Dhankar: This takes about an hour. Dhankar monastery location is quite dramatic, but there is very little to see on the inside.
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Dhankar to Lhalung: About 30 mins. Lhalung monastery is a gem. The murals and statues inside date from about the Tabo period and are no less fascinating. The road from Dhankar to Lhalung is pretty decent and you can continue onto Kaza or the Pin Valley. So if you have an hour to spare, don't miss this one!
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Lhalung/Dhankar to Mud Village: Easy 3 hours. The road to Mudh is spectacular even by the high Spiti standards. Taxi drivers always discourage tourists from going here. But the roads are no worse than rest of Spiti and it is possible to self-drive this as well. Mudh village is a great place to overnight as the both the sunset and sunrise view from the village is spectacular.
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Ki/Kibber: Ki is just a hop skip and a jump away from Kaza and Kibber is only a bit further away. Ki monastery is quite ordinary from the inside. To get the classic postcard view, walk up the opposite hill. It is about a 30 min walk up. There is a mud route that goes above Kibber. You can take that to get a birds eye view of the valley. Seriously vertigo inducing view. The route is quite confusing. Don't attempt without someone you knows his/her way around. 10 mins past Kibber (on the main road) is Chicham. You can go there for checking out the "pulley system" to cross the gorge. The bridge is being constructed now. So the pulley-system will be obsolete quite soon.
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Chandratal: It is about 6 to 7 hour drive from Kaza. The last one hour is very treacherous. Not recommended for a novice. The camps are about a couple of kms before the lake. This last stretch from the camp to the lake is quite taxing. You also need to walk 30 mins from the parking lot to the lake. So make sure you have sufficient food and water so that you don't have to rush back to the car/camp site. It is an easy one hour walk around the lake. Staying overnight at Chandratal is recommended as you will get to spend either the sunset/sunrise at the lake.
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Chandratal to Manali: 7 hours on the worst roads in Spiti. This region lies between two passes - Kunzum and Rohtang and gets cut off from rest of the planet for four months a year. Road conditions mirrors this constraint.
TRIP ITINERARY