People following me on Instagram know that I finally ventured out on a road trip to a bucket-list place I have longed to visit in my life – finally getting to see some portion of the Himalayas.
It was an impulse decision; I saw this trip listed on a travel website and signed up without overthinking it. While talking about it to my friends, I began to have second thoughts. The trip was planned for nine nights/ten days, and everyone asked me what I planned to do for so long. Even I wasn’t too sure.
Did I want to spend ten days exploring this remote area? The travel agent (WOW travels) reinstated that it would not be a comfortable trip and that I should be prepared for some rough conditions – weather, stay, food, and toilets. It would be unpredictable, and amenities would be bare. And I am a person who appreciates the comforts of a good mattress and a clean, serviceable toilet.
Still, I had already paid up, and I didn’t want any cancelation charges, so off I went. And ended up having a pretty good time, even if I wasn’t exactly in my comfort zone.
So what and where is Spiti?
Spiti is a cold mountainous desert in the Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh. It’s famous for the number and variety of Buddhist monasteries, fascinating valleys, windswept landscapes, and quiet villages. It’s a remote location, and the harsh and uncompromising climate makes it one of India’s lesser-visited tourist places.
Rudyard Kipling, in his book Kim describes Spiti as a world within a world, a place where the Gods live. After visiting it, I think that’s a pretty apt description.
On the Indian map, Himachal looks like a small state, but it’s built high with huge mountains. It looks small on the map; when it is actually a pretty big state, especially in terms of getting from one place to another on its steep mountain roads.
On our 9-day road trip, we could cover only some places. Here’s an actual Google map of the places we visited and the spots I recommend (pretty much just the right side of the above map).
We visited so many places that it just cannot be summarized in a single blog post. Zoom in on the map above and click the pinned sites for more details on our visited places. And here’s a quick coverage of our itinerary. More posts to come.
Day 1
We started our road trip from Chandigarh airport (the closest airport) – landing early in the morning. From the airport, we took Innovas (the roads are bad, so make sure to get proper SUVs or Innovas that can tackle dirt roads). We then had breakfast and drove to Kufri (near Simla). A quick stop for lunch and then checked in to Sterling Kufri hotel.
We reached around 4-ish and explored the place a bit. There was a short hike to a temple nearby that looked interesting, but I didn’t have the energy to explore much after the long car ride.
Day 2
This was a beautiful misty morning when we drove up a winding, twisty road to reach the nearest high peak – Hatu peak.
This part of the countryside was so beautiful. The weather was pleasantly chilly; there was a ton of greenery and the most beautiful vistas. After Hatu peak, we continued driving towards Sangla, famous for its apple and apricot orchards – a long but beautiful drive.
At Sangla, we stayed at Kinner Camps, which is close to the Baspa river. The camps were reasonably comfortable, and the food was decent. We had a small bonfire, and I called it a night after a couple of drinks.
Day 3
This was probably the best day of the trip for me. We got up for an early morning hike near the Baspa river.
The weather was terrific, and the hike was pleasantly strenuous. I loved every bit of it.
After the hike, it was time to get ready and check out – exploring nearby places before we continued the drive to Kalpa.
This valley where I spent these three days is technically not a part of Spiti. It’s on the way to Spiti and is called Kinnaur valley. Because Spiti is so remote, you must drive a long way across different landscapes to get there.
And though Spiti was our end goal, I loved Kinnaur just as much (and maybe a bit more).
Watch out for my upcoming posts documenting the rest of our travels in and around Spiti.
That’s a nice hike you did, now I miss traveling more with my kids.
It’s great to know more about this part of one of the most famous mountain ranges in the world. I really want to do a trip like this.
This is amazing and I am happy for you. Thank you for sharing your sharing your wonderful experience and can’t wait to hear more about your trip.
This is a lovely trip and seem you can enjoy and create memories.
I can’t wait to hear more of your travel stories! I’ve never heard of Spiti before, but it looks gorgeous. I love traveling in the mountains.
Spiti looks like such a beautiful place. I love the mountains and the rest of the geography. I’d love to go there.
This is absolutely going to be our family’s next destination. It’s so beautiful there, and I think we’d love exploring the area.
That is such a beautiful place! I love the mist in the mountains like that. Gorgeous.
Beyond beautiful scenery! What an awesome adventure. Can’t wait to hear about the rest of the trip!
i absolutely look forward to this series. I am a mountain person, i am scared of heights, water, adventure sports, basically anything you can think of, i came back halfway through my scuba training in Andamans, but i really try to make an effort for mountains. I got married in Mussoorie, went on my first “big” trek recently. Hence, Spiti is definitely on my dream list, and I look forward to knowing it from the perspective of someone who is elder to me, is not your typical “young traveler” and I always anyway learn a thing or two from your posts, so really can’t wait for knowing about rest of the days!
I am more of a beach/sea person. I don’t know if I have become horribly unfit during lockdown or that I am just not used to high altitudes. But I was puffing and panting through every hike. It was so embarrassing!
you still did it and lived to tell the tale <3 you should be proud!! and cant wait to read more on this!