11 Days Spiti and Kinnaur Tour from Shimla

Distance: 120 km Driving Time: 4.5 hours You have to arrive at Chandigarh Airport/Railway Station. The best way to arrive in Chandigarh is to take a flight from Delhi or a train called Vande Bharat. It starts from New Delhi Railway Station at 05.50 am and arrives in Chandigarh at 0840 am. We welcome you to Chandigarh, the base of the Himalayas. Your tour escort cum tour guide is going to meet you here, outside the exit gate of the airport. And then, we together drive to Shimla – the former Summer Capital of British India. A thirty minutes drive brings us to Kalka, the entry gate to Himalaya from where we follow the continuous incline towards Shimla.

Distance: 250 km Driving Time: 8 hours After an early breakfast, we drive to Kalpa, the headquarters of Kinnaur - the tribal district of the state. This scenic drive is through the apple orchards and the cedar forests. From Rampur which is 130 km from Shimla, we drive along river Satluj, one of the mightiest rivers in the hills. On arrival check into the hotel. After some relaxation, we shall walk a bit to stretch our legs, to village Roghi.

After breakfast, we have to appear before the State Divisional Magistrate to obtain an inner line permit. Kindly keep your passports with you. After this, we will walk around the villages in and around Kalpa. These are the ancient and exquisite villages of Chini, Kothi, Pangi, and Telangi. Make good use of your camera as the landscape and the architecture attract you repeatedly.

Distance: 170 km Driving Time: 6 hrs Today we enter the Spiti Valley. Geographically and archeologically, Spiti is a living museum. The mountains are devoid of any vegetation due to erosion by wind, sun, and snow over thousands of years. Our vehicles climb up to the village of Tabo (3050 M/ 10,006 feet). Built in the year 996 AD, the Chos Khor Monastery at Tabo is the largest monastery in Spiti and one of the few remaining examples of the Golden Period of Buddhist Culture in the Himalayan Region. The wall frescos of the monastery are comparable in their antiquity and quality to those of the Ajanta caves; hence they are called the Ajanta of the Himalayas. It houses more than 100 Lamas, a large number of scriptures and pieces of art, wall paintings, thangkas, and stucco. We will reach Tabo for lunch. In the afternoon and evening, we will visit the monastery and village.

Distance: 47 km Driving Time: 4 hrs Rise early if you want to join the monks in Tabo Monastery for the morning worship. (5 min walk through the village). After breakfast, we drive to Kaza. On the way, we shall visit Dhankar, the ancient capital of Spiti. Dhankar Gompa (3800 M/ 12,467 feet) was built in the 12th century. This hilltop fort dominates the scene and once served as a jail. It contains more than 160 scriptures of Lamas and Buddhists in the Bhoti language. A statue of Dhyan Buddha consisting of four complete figures seated back to back is the main attraction of this four to five-century-old monastery.Unfortunately, the ancient Gompa, situated on the very edge of the peak, is deteriorating. Entering the interior may be restricted very shortly. They have shifted the main monastery to a new complex at the entrance of the village. His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated this temple in June 2004. Before we drive to Kaza, a detour to Peen Valley is strongly recommended for a photographer. Peen Valley was the sea bed of the ocean Tythes from where the Himalayas rose. Commonly known as Geologist’s paradise Peen Valley is known for its amazing rock folds and Moonlike landscape. We continue our drive to Kaza.

In the morning after breakfast, we visit Kye Monastery. Then drive to Village Kibber and Village Gete from where the view of Spiti Valley is just astounding. Afternoon drive to Langcha, Komic, and Hikkim Villages. In all these Hikkim is the highest village (4587 meters) in the world that is connected by road, electricity, water, and telephone. Please don’t ask about the beauty of the landscape here. We shall not be able to explain it in words.

Distance: 110 km Driving Time: 5 hrs Breakfast at the hotel and then drive to Nako via Tabo. The village of Nako lies at an altitude of 3625 meters (11,893 feet), high above the last stretch of the Spiti Valley. Once it was a very important center of Buddhism in the region. There are different small-sized temples belonging to different periods between the 11th and 12th centuries distributed all over the village, including a monastic complex on its western edge. Boasting four temples and several additional buildings, this complex preserves the earliest artistic heritage. The austere and unornamented exteriors of the buildings give little hint of the important artistic and religious legacy that lies within the walls.

Distance: 175 km Driving Time: 6 hours The drive is through the Apple orchards, lush landscape and over Narkanda – a small but busy town at th elevation of 9000 feet. Early morning breakfast, Sarahan, a beautiful village surrounded by apple orchards and dominated by Shrikhand Mahadev Peak (5155 M/ 16,912 feet) which resembles the “Shivling.” We visit the Bhimakali Temple, a wonderful mixture of Buddhist and Hindu architecture. It is very sacred to both communities. The idol of Goddess Bhimakali is approximately 200 years old.

Distance: 175 km Driving Time: 6 hours. Drive to Shimla is via Rampur and Narkanda. On arrival check into your hotel and relax.

Walks : 6 km Shimla is Walker’s paradise. Many people coming to Shimla regret if they miss it, so we keep here twonights for you so that you can walk through the Heritage Lanes of Shimla with your guide. There are beautiful Churches, A Viceregal Lodge now called the Institute of Advanced Study, the Army Heritage Museum, Annandale Ground, the Gaiety Theater, and of course The Mall road – a busy street but meantonly for pedestrians. After breakfast, we proceed for a Heritage Walk of Shimla with your local historian. This is the best way to learn about Shimla and know it better. You will be walking with Sumit, a local historian and a published author of eight books.

In the morning have your breakfast and drive to Shimla / Kalka/Chandigarh, railway station/airport.