Spiti Valley Adventure: 14-Day Road Trip from Shimla to Manali via Kinnaur, Kaza and Chandratal

Arrive in Shimla

Fly into Chandigarh, usually from Delhi, where your driver meets you. The road climbs out of the plains through the Shivalik foothills, past pine-covered slopes and terraced fields around Dharampur and Solan, to Shimla, set along a ridge at about 2,200 metres. A tea stop on the way breaks the climb, and you will feel the air cool as you go.

Shimla was the summer capital of British India from 1864, and the colonial town still lines its ridge. In the evening, walk the Mall and the Ridge, both closed to traffic, past Christ Church, consecrated in 1857, the Victorian Gaiety Theatre and Scandal Point, where local families gather as the lights come on across the hills. Just below the Ridge, the steep lanes of Lakkar Bazaar sell carved wooden walking sticks, toys and souvenirs.

Eat simply and get an early night. Tomorrow is the longest drive of the trip and starts soon after breakfast. This first night at a moderate height is also the start of your acclimatisation, so drink plenty of water and go easy on alcohol.

• ArrivalMeet at Chandigarh airport and drive to Shimla
• EveningThe Mall, the Ridge and Lakkar Bazaar

OvernightShimla, 1 night.

Up the Sutlej gorge into Kinnaur

Leave early and follow the old Hindustan–Tibet Road, built in the 19th century as a trade route to Tibet. The road crosses the apple country around Narkanda, then drops into the Sutlej gorge and follows it upstream past Rampur, once the capital of the Bushahr kings, whose Padam Palace you can glimpse from the road.

The landscape changes by the hour, from cedar forest around Narkanda, at about 2,700 metres, to the narrow, rocky gorge of the Sutlej, where in places the road is cut into the cliff. Lunch is usually at a roadside dhaba around Rampur or Jeori: simple dal, rice and vegetables, freshly made.

Beyond Karcham, the road turns into the Baspa Valley, often called the most beautiful valley in Kinnaur, with wooden villages, apple and apricot orchards and pine forest. The road up from Karcham is narrow and exposed, and your driver takes it slowly. Stop at Sangla to see the old wooden tower of Kamru Fort above the village.

Arrive in Chitkul on the Baspa River, at about 3,450 metres the last village on the road to the Tibet border. Walk slowly through its slate-roofed houses to the wooden Mathi Devi temple, and wrap up warmly: evenings here are cold, even in summer.

• MorningNarkanda and the Sutlej gorge
• AfternoonThe Baspa Valley and Sangla
• EveningChitkul village

OvernightChitkul, 1 night, at a guesthouse.

Kalpa and the Kinner Kailash range

Take an early walk along the Baspa River in Chitkul, when the light is soft on the peaks at the head of the valley and the village is waking up. Beyond Chitkul the valley runs on towards the Tibet border, which is out of bounds, so this is as far as the road goes for travellers.

Drive back down the Baspa Valley to Karcham and up the far side of the Sutlej to Reckong Peo, Kinnaur's district headquarters and main market town, a good place to pick up snacks and cash for the days ahead. A short climb above it is Kalpa, at about 2,950 metres, a village of apple orchards facing the Kinner Kailash range, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists. Look for the Shivling, a rock pillar on the ridge that is the goal of a demanding pilgrimage trek in summer.

In the afternoon, walk through Kalpa's old village, where a carved wooden temple and a small Buddhist monastery stand close together, then follow the road to the cliff-top village of Roghi, an easy walk of about an hour each way. Kinnaur's apples are harvested from about August to October. Stay out for sunset, when the snows of Kinner Kailash turn pink. This lower night helps you acclimatise before Spiti.

• MorningWalk in Chitkul; drive to Kalpa via Reckong Peo
• AfternoonKalpa village and Roghi
• SunsetKinner Kailash views

OvernightKalpa, 1 night.

Into Spiti via Khab and Nako

This is where the landscape changes. Past the Protected Area checkpoints, where your permit and passport are checked, the green of Kinnaur gives way to bare rock and scree. The road runs along cliffs above the Sutlej to Khab, where the Spiti River joins it at the bottom of a deep gorge.

From Khab the road climbs a series of tight hairpin bends to Nako, at about 3,600 metres, a village of stone and mud houses around a small lake fringed with willows and poplars. Walk slowly through its lanes to the old monastery, whose temples are said to date back to the time of the 11th-century translator Rinchen Zangpo. It is a good place to stop for lunch and stretch your legs.

Beyond Nako you pass Chango and Sumdo, where the road enters Spiti. If you wish, take a short detour to Gue to see a mummified monk, believed to be about 500 years old, sitting upright in a small shrine.

Arrive in Tabo in the evening, a quiet village on the Spiti River surrounded by bare mountains. It is a long, slow day on rough road, so take frequent short breaks and keep sipping water.

• MorningKhab confluence
• MiddayNako village and lake
• OptionalGue mummy
• EveningTabo

OvernightTabo, 2 nights, at a homestay or guesthouse.

Tabo Monastery, the Ajanta of the Himalaya

Tabo Monastery was founded in 996 by the great translator Rinchen Zangpo and is one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in continuous use in the Himalaya. Its plain mud walls hide temples covered with murals and stucco sculptures from the 10th and 11th centuries, so fine that the monastery is called the 'Ajanta of the Himalaya'. Photography inside the old temples is not allowed.

In the main assembly hall, life-size clay figures of deities are fixed to the walls around a four-faced figure of Vairocana, with painted scenes below. The light is dim, so give your eyes time to adjust and ask the caretaker monk to point out details. Beside the old complex is a newer monastery where the community lives and prays today; the Dalai Lama held a Kalachakra initiation here in 1996 to mark the monastery's thousandth year.

In the afternoon, walk up to the meditation caves cut into the cliff above the village; the climb is short but steep, so go slowly. Otherwise rest: a quiet day at this height helps your body adjust before Kaza. Tabo has a few simple cafés, and its evenings are quiet and starry.

• MorningTabo Monastery with your guide
• AfternoonThe meditation caves, then rest

OvernightTabo.

Dhankar Monastery and Dhankar Lake

Drive up a side road to Dhankar, the old capital of Spiti, where the monastery is built into a crumbling ridge of eroded rock about 300 metres above the confluence of the Spiti and Pin rivers. It is one of the most spectacular settings of any monastery in the world.

The old gompa is a warren of small rooms, faded murals and ladders, with views from the roof straight down to the rivers. It is fragile and has featured on international lists of endangered monuments, so tread carefully; a newer monastery stands just below the village. The lanes are steep and you are close to 3,900 metres, so walk slowly.

If you feel well, walk up to Dhankar Lake, about an hour's climb, for a view of the Manirang peaks. Take it slowly, and turn back if you feel short of breath.

Continue to Kaza, the main town of Spiti at about 3,650 metres, and check in for four nights. If you have time, you can detour into the Pin Valley, home of the Buchen lamas and snow leopard country, as far as the Kungri Monastery.

• MorningDhankar Monastery
• MiddayOptional walk to Dhankar Lake
• AfternoonDrive to Kaza

OvernightKaza, 4 nights, at a hotel or homestay.

A light day to acclimatise in Kaza

A deliberately light day so your body can adjust before the higher villages, some of which sit above 4,400 metres. Sleep in, have a slow breakfast in the sun, and drink plenty of water. Mild headaches and poor sleep are common in the first nights at this height; tell your guide if they persist.

Late morning, take a gentle walk through Kaza's old and new towns on either side of a small stream, to the Sakya Tangyud Monastery, with its red-and-ochre walls and prayer wheels, and through the small market. Kaza is also one of the few places in the valley with fuel, ATMs and pharmacies, so it is a good day to pick up anything you need.

The town has a handful of good cafés and a few shops selling yak-wool socks and caps, and sea-buckthorn juice and jam made from the orange berries that grow wild along the river. Your guide can arrange a visit to a local family for salty butter tea and a Spitian meal, perhaps thukpa noodle soup, momos or barley bread.

• MorningRest
• AfternoonGentle walk around Kaza and its monastery
• EveningOptional home visit

OvernightKaza.

Key Monastery, Kibber and the Chicham bridge

Visit Key (Kye) Monastery, the largest in Spiti, which rises like a fortress on a conical hill above the river at about 4,100 metres. Founded about a thousand years ago and rebuilt many times after raids, it is home to around 300 monks and novices. If you arrive in time, you may be invited for butter tea, and you can join the monks' prayers.

Continue to Kibber, one of the highest villages in the world with a road, school and post office, set among high pastures. In winter it is the base for snow leopard expeditions; in summer you may see blue sheep and ibex on the slopes.

Drive on across the Chicham bridge, which spans a gorge more than 300 metres deep and is said to be among the highest bridges in Asia.

• MorningKey Monastery
• AfternoonKibber village and the Chicham bridge

OvernightKaza.

Langza, Hikkim and Komic: villages above 4,000 metres

A day among some of the highest villages in the world. In Langza, a large golden Buddha statue overlooks the valley, and the hillsides are scattered with marine fossils, ammonites from the bed of the Tethys Sea that lay here before the Himalaya rose. Please look but do not take them, and do not buy any offered for sale.

At Hikkim, send a postcard home from one of the highest post offices in the world, at about 4,400 metres. Bring a few written cards with you; the post office keeps irregular hours, and mail may take weeks to arrive. Then continue to Komic, one of the highest villages in Asia with a road, and its small hilltop monastery.

Everything here is slow by design. Walk at half your usual pace, keep drinking water, and do not be surprised if a short slope leaves you breathless. The views across the Spiti Valley to the snow peaks are wide and empty, with yaks and horses grazing the high pastures in summer.

Return to Kaza in the afternoon to rest before tomorrow's crossing of the Kunzum Pass. Pack tonight for an early start, and keep your warmest layers handy for the camp at Chandratal.

• MorningLangza: the Buddha statue and fossils
• MiddayHikkim post office
• AfternoonKomic monastery, then back to Kaza

OvernightKaza.

Over the Kunzum Pass to Chandratal Lake

Drive up the Spiti Valley past green fields of peas and barley to Losar, the last village, where there is a police checkpoint. Then the road climbs in bends to the Kunzum Pass at about 4,590 metres, the watershed between Spiti and Lahaul, decorated with prayer flags, chortens and a small temple to the goddess Kunzum Devi, where drivers stop to pay their respects. There are wide views of the peaks of the Chandra Bhaga range.

The pass is usually open only from about June to early October, and the road on both sides is rough, dusty and slow, with streams to cross. Stay only a short while at the top, as you are higher here than anywhere else on the trip.

Descend and turn off to Chandratal, the Moon Lake, at about 4,300 metres. Camps are set back from the lake to protect it; walk the last stretch, about a kilometre, to the shore and watch the water change from blue to green to turquoise as the light shifts. There are no shops or toilets at the lake, so carry water and use the facilities at camp.

Nights here are very cold, even in summer. Your camp provides warm bedding and hot water bottles, and simple hot meals such as dal, rice and soup.

• MorningLosar and the Kunzum Pass
• AfternoonArrive at Chandratal
• SunsetWalk to the lake

OvernightChandratal, 2 nights, at a camp near the lake.

Sunrise and a walk around Chandratal

Rise for sunrise at the lake, when the water is still and the peaks are reflected in it. It is bitterly cold before the sun clears the ridge, so wear your down jacket, hat and gloves, and take a flask of tea from camp.

After breakfast, walk the trail around the lake, a circuit of about 2.5 to 3 km, past the meadows where Gaddi shepherds from the Kangra side bring their flocks of sheep and goats in summer. The path is mostly level but uneven, and at this height even a gentle walk is tiring, so stop often. The lake is sacred to local people: do not swim, wash or leave anything behind.

The afternoon is free. Rest in camp, read, take photographs, or simply sit by the water as the colours shift with the light and the clouds. Late afternoon is often windy, so photographers may prefer the calm of early morning and evening.

On a clear night, with no towns for many kilometres, the stars and the Milky Way here are extraordinary. Your guide can point out the main constellations.

• SunriseChandratal Lake
• MorningWalk around the lake
• NightStargazing

OvernightChandratal.

Through Lahaul and the Atal Tunnel to Manali

Leave after breakfast and drive down to Batal, a cluster of dhabas by the bridge over the Chandra River, long a welcome stop for travellers on this road. From here the road follows the Chandra River through Chhatru to Gramphu. This is the roughest stretch of the whole trip: unpaved, bumpy and crossed by glacial streams, which run highest in the afternoon, which is why we start early.

At Gramphu you meet the old road down from the Rohtang Pass, and from here the surface improves. Pass Khoksar, then take the Atal Tunnel, about 9 km long under the Pir Panjal range. Opened in 2020, it has replaced the old route over the Rohtang Pass for most traffic and cut hours off the journey.

Emerge near Solang into the green, forested Kullu Valley and drop down to Manali, at about 2,050 metres. After almost two weeks at altitude, the thick air, cedar trees and a long hot shower will feel like luxury. Spend the evening resting, or stroll along the Mall Road for an easy dinner; trout from the local rivers is a Manali speciality.

• MorningBatal and the Chandra River
• MiddayGramphu and Khoksar
• AfternoonAtal Tunnel and descent to Manali

OvernightManali, 2 nights.

A free day in Manali

A relaxed day after the journey, with your car and driver on hand if you want them. Sleep in, then walk through the cedar forest to the Hadimba Temple, built in 1553 and dedicated to the goddess Hadimba, with a tiered wooden roof and a carved doorway decorated with animals and deities. Go early, before the crowds arrive.

Explore Old Manali, a village of stone-and-timber houses, apple orchards and easy-going cafés, and visit the small Manu Temple at the top of the lanes. Then cross to Vashisht to bathe in the hot sulphur springs beside its stone temple; the public baths are separated for men and women.

If you have energy, drive down the valley to Naggar, the old capital of Kullu, for its 15th-century castle of stone and wood and the Roerich Art Gallery, the home of the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich, filled with his Himalayan landscapes.

Otherwise, rest, sort out your bags and enjoy a long lunch. The Mall Road is the place for last-minute Kullu shawls and caps.

• MorningHadimba Temple and Old Manali
• AfternoonVashisht hot springs, or Naggar Castle and the Roerich Art Gallery

OvernightManali.

Drive to Chandigarh or fly from Kullu

Drive down through the Kullu Valley and Mandi to Chandigarh airport for your flight to Delhi, or fly from Kullu–Manali airport at Bhuntar if flights are running; they are limited and often affected by weather. If you have an evening international flight from Delhi, we recommend an extra night in Chandigarh or Delhi.

The road follows the Beas through the Kullu Valley, past apple orchards and the Pandoh dam, then descends from Mandi through the lower hills to the plains. Stops for tea and lunch break the journey. Leave plenty of time: landslides or traffic can slow the hill section.

• DepartureDrive to Chandigarh, or transfer to Kullu airport