Lahaul spiti tours

 Tucked away from civilisation in a lesser known world is the Spiti Valley. Almost surreal, it is a desert mountain valley surrounded by the rugged Himalayas in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Spiti means 'middle land' as it is located between India and Tibet and is one of the least populated regions of the country. So if you are a travel junkie and a mountain lover, then a visit to this part of the world is a must.

The Jeep Safari is our most popular tour and one of the best ways to see Spiti.  If you would like to make changes to the itinerary below - we also offer customizable jeep safari tours. 

Best Time to Visit Lahaul & Spiti 

The best time to visit Lahaul & Spiti is during summer i.e. from mid May to mid October, since the district is snowbound area and Lahaul valley remain isolated from rest of the world from October-May due to closure of the Rohtang Pass. Although Spiti is an almost all-weather place.

Museums/Art Galleries, Forts :

KEYLONG MUSUEM

 : A museum of Tribal Art along with an auditorium is being established at Keylong. The museum apart from archaeological finds displays Thanka Paintings, objects of everyday use as they existed before the achievement of modern mechanised equipments in the District. The museum is also having manuscripts in Bhoti Scripts and Tankri documents. The musuem is also having a good auditorium for hosting cultural events. Open for general public on all working days including Sunday between 10:00 AM to 05:00PM except Tuesday. The museum is under the control of Department of Language Art & Culture.
At Kyuling (Spiti) the sect of the nono of Spiti ( the ruling Wazir of Spiti area under the nominal British control before Independence) have also established a small museum of artefacts. 

Pin Valley National Park, Spiti :
It is located in the Pin valley of Spiti at height of 12,000 m above sea level. It is home to endangered species like Snow leopard, the endemic Himalayan Ibex, the mighty Bharal or Blue Sheep and Lynx.

 

Tour Itinerary -

Day 1: Manali - Maddi - Batal - Kunzum Pass - Chandertal Lake - Loser - Kaza

 

Early morning drive to Kaza, located 220 km away from Manali the total time of this trip will take approximately 8 To 10 Hours. Breakfast In Maddi followed 4 Hours later with a lunch stop In Batal. Afterwords we drive across the imposing heights of Kunzum Pass located at an altitude of 4551mts. The first village in Spiti valley is Loser, where we will stop for tea following a visit and short hike around the spectacular Chandertal Lake. From Loser proceed directly to Kaza 50km or 2 Hours drive farther into the valley!

 

Day 2: Kaza – Ki Monastry - Kibber - Kaza

First visit of the day will be the famous Ki Monastry. Located at 4120m, 14km from Kaza on the Kaza to Kibber Road, the car will stop at the base of the monastery hill for the ultimate photo opportunity of this remarkable structure. Visitors will be able to trek around the monastry and admire the excellent collections of ancient paintings and scriptures contained in the large monastic complex. Occupying nearly all sides of the hill, Ki Monastry belongs Gelugpa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Then we will move farther down the valley to the picturesque village of Kibber. Kibber is one of the biggest villages in Spiti, located at an altitude of 4250mts. and is one of the only other villages to offer restaurants and formal guesthouse accommodation besides Tabo and Kaza. From Kibber you can trek to Chicham Village, located across a sharp and precipitous canyon, once traversed by wire crossways but now visitable keeping both feet on the ground! After lunch in Kibber we return to Kaza in time for supper.

 

Day 3: Kaza - Langcha

The village of Langcha hangs over Kaza far below on the valley floor from an altitude of 4250 mts. Traveling to Langcha From Kaza involves a journey along one of the world’s highest motorable roads. Winding along the mountain side above Kaza the traveler gets a speectacular view of the meandering silver waters of the Spiti River on the valley floor. The route gradually snakes in to the Shilla Valley, a high altitude valley on the upper plateau where yakmen graze their herds.

Langcha Village is divided into two parts, Lower And Upper Village and is home to a 900 Year old Buddhist Temple. Lunch In Lancha in local house, enjoying genuine Spitian cuisine. After lunch take in the short journey to Komic, passing through the Langthis Natural Fossil Centre on the way. Visit the ancient heritage monastry destroyed by an earthquake in 1975 near Hikkim Village as well as the Komic monastery, by some claims the highest in Asia.

 

Day 4: Kaza - Demul - Balangre - Dokasa - Kaza

A 3 Hours from Kaza, we have to cross 2 or 3 smaller hamlets to reach Demul. From Demul we go to Balangre Top, from this viewpoint we can see 18 Villages - the maximum number visible from anywhere in the valley. Lunch in a local house in Demul followed by a short drive to Dokasa. On the way you will pass a large number of yak and wild animals and birdlife. Before returning to Kaza for the evening, we have the option of arranging a cultural performance in Demul featuring traditional song and dance organized by the local village heritage conservation council.

 

Day 5: Kaza - Dhanker-Lalung

Located a 3 hour drive from Kaza, Dhankar is the ancient capital of Spiti and seat of the Spitian Kings and is home to their ruined castle as well as a splendid 16th Century Monastery. Situated mid way between Kaza and Tabo it’s slightly of the route on top of a steep sided mountain ridge jutting out over the valley.

To properly visit the fort and monastery at Dhanker requires several hours and from Dhanker it is only a short trek to Dhanker Lake, allow for one and a half hours roundtrip hike. We will have lunch in the neighboring village of Lalung. Lalung is home to Lalung Monastry, famous for its beauty and statue of the Three Cornered Buddha. The statue was made with three sides to symbolize the Buddha looking in all directions at once.

Day 6: Kaza - Tabo -

The famous Tabo Monastry is more than 1010 years old and home to many precious Thanka paintings, including the Pillar of a Thousand Buddhas. The entry to the monastery complex, covering in total 6300square meters, is made of earthenwalls with marvelous colourful frescoes inside. The ancient paintings depict the life cycle of The Buddha, and legends from the Jataka Tales and were made in the Tibetan style by artists from Kashmir. Tabo monastery is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is Also called the Ajanta of the Himalayas.

 

Day 7-8: Kaza - Kungri - Pin Valley National Park - The Land Of Ibex And Snow Leopard - Mudh - Kaza

After breakefast we drive to Pin Valley stopping en route to visit the Kungri Monastery, the chief monastery of the Pin Valley founded by Guru Padmasambhava, it is one of the oldest monasteries in the entire Spiti Area. The monastery is situated on the side of the Pin Valley about 20km from the Kaza road and 4km from Sagnam the principal village of the Pin area and belongs to the Nyingmapa Sect. Lunch In Mudh Village, the last village of Pin Valley and an important point on the trekking routs to Parvati and Kullu valleys in the south.