Planning a trip to Spiti Valley and wondering how to fit everything into 10-12 days? This day-by-day Spiti Valley itinerary covers the complete circuit from Delhi via Shimla and Kinnaur Valley to Kaza, and back via Manali. Updated for 2026 with current road conditions, fuel stops, bus fares, and accommodation costs.
Spiti Valley is one of my favorite places to travel in the trans-Himalayas after Leh – Ladakh. In fact, when people question me about if Leh Ladakh is better than Spiti Valley or not, I do not have an answer 🙂 … I have covered both Spiti Valley and Ladakh so extensively that I feel I can forever go to Spiti Valley but may skip the journey to Ladakh.
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Let's quickly dive into the details:
Spiti Valley Itinerary 2026: Quick Info at a Glance
Before we get into the day-wise plan, here is a quick reference for the most asked questions about a Spiti Valley trip. You can bookmark this section for easy access later.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Total Duration | 10-12 days (Delhi to Delhi, full circuit) |
| Route | Delhi – Shimla – Kinnaur – Spiti – Manali – Delhi |
| Total Distance | ~1,600 km (circuit) |
| Best Time | Mid-June to early October (both routes open) |
| Highest Point | Kunzum Pass, 15,060 Ft |
| Kaza Altitude | 12,500 Ft (3,800 m) |
| Budget (per person) | Rs 12,000-15,000 by own vehicle, Rs 8,000-12,000 by bus |
| Permits | Indians: None. Foreigners: ILP required |
| Fuel Stops | Narkanda, Rampur, Tapri, Reckong Peo, Kaza (none between Reckong Peo and Kaza) |
| Mobile Network | BSNL postpaid has widest coverage. Jio/Airtel work in Kaza town only |
| Last Updated | March 2026 |
Should You Pick Spiti Valley or Ladakh for Your First Trip?
Spiti Valley and Ladakh are two of the most popular trans-Himalayan destinations in India, and travelers often get confused between the two. Here is my honest take after having traveled to both places multiple times over the years.
As of 2026, Leh Ladakh sees a massive rush of tourists, especially from May to September. Spiti Valley has also seen a rise in tourist footfall in recent years, but the situation is not as overwhelming as it has become in Ladakh. If you want a quieter, more raw Himalayan experience, Spiti delivers that in 2026.
People mostly confuse Spiti Valley with Lahaul Valley or they limit themselves to only a visit to Chandratal. However, the real beauty of Spiti Valley starts beyond Kunzum Pass, towards Losar, then to Kaza, and then towards Tabo and further towards Nako or Kinnaur Valley. Do not forget the Pin Valley in between. There is a lot of heavenly beauty to explore in Spiti Valley.
A trip to Leh Ladakh will always cost you more than a trip to Spiti Valley while the experience of adventure and thrill is almost equivalent. While you have more vastness in the Ladakh region, the valleys in Spiti are much narrower with closer mountains, as if you can touch them. Hence, Spiti Valley has a different but raw nature to offer, still amidst the budding commercialization. For a detailed comparison, you can read my article on Spiti or Ladakh, which one should you pick.
What Does the Most Common Spiti Valley Itinerary for 10-12 Days Look Like?
This Spiti Valley itinerary covers the complete circuit starting from Delhi, going via Shimla and Kinnaur Valley into Spiti, and returning via Manali. It is the same route structure that has helped thousands of DwD community members plan their trips successfully over the years.
There are two routes to enter Spiti Valley. Route 1: Delhi – Shimla – Narkanda – Kinnaur Valley – Tabo – Kaza and Route 2: Delhi – Manali – Atal Tunnel – Kunzum Pass – Losar – Kaza. So you can enter Spiti Valley from the Shimla side and exit Spiti Valley from Manali back to Delhi, making it the complete circuit.
I strongly recommend doing the circuit (enter from one side, exit from the other) if you have 10 or more days. It gives you the best of both routes and avoids repeating the same road twice. The itinerary below covers almost all major places in Spiti Valley including Tabo, Kaza, Losar, Chandratal, Kunzum Pass, Ki, Kibber, Pin Valley, Langza, Hikkim, Komic, Dhankar, and more.
Day 1 | Delhi to Shimla or Narkanda
Start early from Delhi. The drive to Shimla is about 350 km and takes around 7-8 hours via Chandigarh. If you reach Shimla by afternoon, you can explore the Ridge, Mall Road, Lakkar Bazaar, and Jakhu Temple. However, I recommend pushing to Narkanda (about 60 km beyond Shimla, 2 hours) to save time the next day. Narkanda has a few decent hotels and the drive is pleasant through apple orchards.
- Distance: Delhi to Shimla ~350 km (7-8 hrs), Shimla to Narkanda ~60 km (2 hrs)
- Stay: Shimla or Narkanda, whichever suits your timings
- Fuel: Top up at Narkanda. This is your last reliable station before entering the mountains
Day 2 | Shimla/Narkanda to Sangla (Kinnaur Valley)
Leave early. This is a long but scenic drive through the Hindustan Tibet Highway. You will pass through Rampur (good lunch stop) and then into the Kinnaur Valley. The road quality varies, especially near Jhakri and Karcham. Plan for lunch at Rampur and reach Sangla by evening.
- Distance: Narkanda to Sangla ~200 km (8-9 hrs)
- Stay: Sangla. Budget hotels Rs 800-1,500/night, mid-range Rs 2,000-3,500/night
- Fuel: Top up at Rampur (right side after crossing town) and Tapri. Do not miss Tapri
Day 3 | Sangla to Chitkul to Kalpa
Leave early and drive to Chitkul, the last inhabited village on this route. Spend a couple of hours there, soak in the views of the Baspa Valley, and then head back to Sangla. Visit the Kamru Fort at Sangla before driving to Kalpa. The sunset over Mount Kinner Kailash from Kalpa is something you should not miss.
- Distance: Sangla to Chitkul ~25 km, Sangla to Kalpa ~85 km (4-5 hrs total driving)
- Stay: Kalpa. Budget Rs 800-1,500/night, mid-range Rs 2,000-3,000/night
- Fuel: Reckong Peo (7 km from Kalpa) has a petrol pump
Day 4 | Kalpa to Nako to Giu Mummy to Tabo
Start early. This is one of the most dramatic driving days of the entire trip. You will cross the Hindustan Tibet Highway, see the confluence of Spiti and Satluj rivers at Khab, and spot the Leo Purygal Peak from Khab Bridge. Stop at Nako Lake for lunch. After Nako, you will cross the dreaded Malling Nalla (can be tricky in monsoon). Past Chango and Sumdo, you officially enter Spiti Valley.
After Sumdo police registration, take the detour towards Giu Village to visit the 500-year-old mummy of Sangha Tenzin. The entry fee is Rs 30 per person. Then continue to Tabo, home to the famous Tabo Monastery founded in 996 CE.
- Distance: Kalpa to Tabo ~190 km (8-9 hrs with stops)
- Stay: Tabo. Homestays Rs 500-800/night, guesthouses Rs 1,000-2,000/night
- Note: No petrol pump between Reckong Peo and Kaza. Ensure full tank before leaving Reckong Peo
Day 5 | Tabo to Dhankar to Pin Valley (Mud Village)
Visit Dhankar Monastery perched on a cliff overlooking the confluence of Spiti and Pin rivers. If you are up for a moderate trek, hike to Dhankar Lake (about 1.5-2.5 hours one way, ~5 km). Then head into the Pin Valley towards Mud Village. The Pin Valley is home to the Pin Valley National Park and the snow leopard habitat. Visit Kungri Monastery (built in 1330 AD, Nyingmapa sect) along the way.
- Distance: Tabo to Mud Village ~80 km (4-5 hrs)
- Stay: Mud Village. Homestays Rs 500-1,000/night
- Note: Daily HRTC bus from Kaza to Mud at 4 PM (returns next morning at 6:30 AM). Taxi Rs 3,000-4,000 for a day trip
Day 6 | Pin Valley to Kaza to Ki to Kibber to Tashigang
Head to Kaza, the headquarters of Spiti Valley. Check in, have lunch, and then drive out to explore Ki Monastery, Kibber Village, Gette, and Tashigang in the second half of the day. Ki is one of the most photographed monasteries in India, and the drive from Kibber to Tashigang is lovely even though the road ends there.
- Distance: Mud to Kaza ~50 km, Kaza to Tashigang ~30 km round trip (4-5 hrs total)
- Stay: Kaza. Budget Rs 800-1,500/night, mid-range Rs 1,500-3,000/night
- Fuel: Kaza has the world’s highest petrol pump at 12,500 Ft. Fill up here. Do not miss this
Travel Tip: You can always refer to my detailed travel guide of Kibber Village for more information on what to see and where to stay.
Day 7 | Kaza to Hikkim to Komik to Langza
Today you explore the offbeat villages near Kaza. Langza has a stunning view of the Chau Chau Kang Nelda peak and a large statue of the Buddha overlooking the valley. Hikkim has the world’s highest post office where you can send a postcard home. The Tanggyud Monastery at Komik is one of the most important monasteries in Spiti.
If you want a quieter night away from Kaza, you can move to Losar. The drive between Kaza and Losar (about 2-2.5 hours) is the most scenic stretch of the entire Spiti Valley circuit.
- Distance: Kaza to Langza/Hikkim/Komik loop ~50 km (2-3 hrs). Kaza to Losar ~60 km (2-2.5 hrs)
- Stay: Kaza or Losar
Travel Tip: You can always refer to my detailed travel guide of Langza Village and the Langza Komic Hikkim local sightseeing guide for more details.
Day 8 | Kaza/Losar to Kunzum Pass to Chandratal
Visit Chandratal Lake via Kunzum Pass (15,060 Ft) and spend time at this stunning high-altitude lake. Keep in mind that camping at the lake banks is banned (Koksar Panchayat order). Camps are located 3-5 km from the lake and cost Rs 1,200-2,500 per night. Entry fee is Rs 150 for Indians and Rs 500 for foreigners. You need a free e-permit via eaagman.hp.gov.in.
Alternatively, you can stay at Batal where there is a PWD rest house (without electricity) and a few dhabas charging about Rs 400-500 per person for food and a bed. I would recommend staying at Chandratal camps or Batal and saving energy for the next day.
- Distance: Kaza to Chandratal ~80 km (4-5 hrs). Losar to Chandratal ~50 km (3-4 hrs)
- Stay: Chandratal camps or Batal
- Note: No mobile network at Chandratal or Batal
Day 9 | Chandratal/Batal to Atal Tunnel to Manali
Head back towards Manali. The drive from Batal through Chattru and Gramphu is stunning. Since the Atal Tunnel opened in October 2020 (9.2 km long, sits at 10,171 Ft), you no longer need to cross Rohtang Pass to reach Manali. The tunnel has made this stretch much faster and safer. No permit is needed for the Atal Tunnel route. However, if you choose to go over Rohtang Pass instead, you will need a Rohtang Pass permit (Rs 800 for petrol vehicles, Rs 400 for diesel, as of 2026).
- Distance: Batal to Manali ~120 km via Atal Tunnel (6-7 hrs)
- Stay: Manali. Wide range of accommodation available
- Fuel: Tandi petrol pump (32-35 km before the tunnel from the Spiti side) is the first fuel stop after Kaza
Day 10 | Manali to Delhi
If going by overnight Volvo bus (starts around 5:30 PM), you have the day to explore Manali. Visit Hadimba Temple, Manu Temple, Mall Road, Old Manali, and Vashisht Hot Water Springs. If driving back to Delhi, it is about 530 km and takes 12-14 hours depending on your breaks and the Kiratpur-Manali highway traffic.
- Distance: Manali to Delhi ~530 km (12-14 hrs by car)
- Bus option: HRTC Volvo Manali to Delhi Rs 1,200-1,500, semi-deluxe Rs 700-900
Day 11-12 | Buffer Days
Keep 1-2 buffer days in case of road closures due to landslides or snowfall. These are common in the monsoon months (July-August) and can block you for a full day sometimes. If everything goes smoothly, use these buffer days to explore more, relax in Kaza, or spend an extra night at Chandratal. Trust me, you will not regret having buffer days on a Spiti trip 🙂
What Can You Add If You Have Extra Days for Your Spiti Tour?
If you have more days in hand, here are some excellent additions to the Spiti Valley itinerary that most travelers skip but are absolutely worth your time.
- Spend a day exploring more of Kinnaur Valley. Stay at Sarahan (Bhimakali Temple) after Shimla before reaching Sangla
- Spend a day in Rama Valley and Lingti Valley including Demul and Lallung villages. These are among the quietest corners of Spiti
- Spend a day exploring Mane Village in Spiti Valley
- Add a day for the Chandratal Lake trek from Batal (14-18 km one way, 5-6 hours) if you want to trek instead of drive
Why Should You Enter Spiti Valley from the Shimla Side?
In this itinerary, I started the trip from Shimla side and exit Spiti Valley from Manali side. There are three solid reasons for this approach.
Firstly, gradual acclimatization. Spiti Valley is a cold desert in the trans-Himalayan region at altitudes of 11,000+ Ft. Going via the Shimla side helps your body gradually adjust to the altitude over 3-4 days. If you start from Manali, you hit high altitude terrain very quickly via the Atal Tunnel and Kunzum Pass, which increases the risk of acute mountain sickness. Hence, the Shimla route is safer for first-timers.
Secondly, the Hindustan Tibet Highway. You get to traverse one of the world’s most adventurous roads. Riding or driving on this road is a journey in itself, even if you do not visit any places in Spiti Valley 🙂 …
Thirdly, no Rohtang permit hassle. When entering from the Shimla side, you do not need a Rohtang Pass permit. The permit is only required if you travel over Rohtang Pass from the Manali side. Note that the Atal Tunnel route does not require a Rohtang permit either, but the Shimla entry avoids that corridor entirely.
So, with these three reasons in mind, I prefer to travel to Spiti from Shimla side and exit via Manali side. You can read my detailed top five reasons to travel to Spiti via Kinnaur Valley. However, if you prefer starting from Manali, you can read my reasons to start from the Manali side as well.
Where Are the Petrol Pumps on the Shimla to Spiti to Manali Route?
Fuel planning is critical on a Spiti Valley trip. There is no petrol pump between Reckong Peo and Kaza (about 200 km). Here are all the fuel stops on the circuit route, updated for 2026.
- Theog (50 km from Shimla)
- Narkanda (65 km from Shimla). Do top up here
- Rampur (130 km from Shimla). The last pump on the right side after crossing town is reliable
- Jeori (165 km from Shimla)
- Tapri (175 km from Shimla). Do not miss this one
- Reckong Peo (235 km from Shimla). Last pump before Kaza
- Kaza (world’s highest petrol pump at 12,500 Ft). Do not miss. Fill up for the Manali return
- Tandi (32-35 km before the Atal Tunnel from Spiti side). First pump after Kaza on the Manali route
If you are riding a motorcycle, I would recommend carrying extra fuel. You can read my guide on how to carry extra fuel safely on your motorcycle for tips.
Do You Need Permits for Spiti Valley in 2026?
If you are an Indian national, you do not need any permits for Spiti Valley. Just carry a valid photo ID proof of your nationality (Aadhaar, voter ID, or passport) to be safe. There have been reports of a forest department fee of Rs 150 per person being introduced for certain protected areas from June 2025, so carry some cash for that.
Foreign nationals visiting the protected areas of Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley are required to get the Spiti – Kinnaur Inner Line Permit (ILP). This can be obtained from the District Magistrate office in Shimla, Reckong Peo, or Kaza, or through a registered travel agency.
How Can You Reach Spiti Valley by Public Transport?
Spiti Valley is well connected by HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corporation) buses, and a trip by public transport is one of the cheapest ways to experience the valley. Here are the key bus routes as of 2026.
- Delhi to Shimla: HRTC ordinary Rs 500-700, Volvo Rs 900-1,200. Multiple departures from ISBT Kashmere Gate
- Shimla to Reckong Peo: HRTC ordinary Rs 430-500. 8-10 hours. Multiple buses daily
- Reckong Peo to Kaza: HRTC bus departs early morning, Rs 250-350. 8-10 hours via Tabo
- Kaza to Manali: HRTC bus Rs 400-570, departs early morning (seasonal, June to October only)
- Manali to Delhi: HRTC Volvo Rs 1,200-1,500, semi-deluxe Rs 700-900
For a detailed guide on traveling Spiti by bus, read my article on budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport. Schedules may vary seasonally, so verify with HRTC before travel.
When Is the Best Time to Visit Spiti Valley?
The best time for the full Spiti circuit (both routes open) is mid-June to early October. The Manali to Kaza route via Kunzum Pass opens only after the snow melts, usually by late May or early June. The Shimla to Kaza route via Kinnaur stays open year-round (except during extreme snowfall or landslides). For a month-by-month breakdown, check my detailed guide on the best time to visit Spiti Valley.
If you are visiting in winter (November to March), only the Shimla route is accessible and you will experience “White Spiti” with temperatures dropping to -20C. You can read my White Spiti in March itinerary for that experience.
How Much Does a Spiti Valley Trip Cost in 2026?
The cost depends largely on your mode of transport. Here is a rough budget estimate per person for an 8-10 day Spiti Valley trip, updated for 2026 prices.
| Expense | Budget (Bus) | Mid-Range (Own Vehicle) |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | Rs 2,500-3,500 | Rs 5,000-7,000 (fuel) |
| Accommodation (8-10 nights) | Rs 4,000-8,000 | Rs 6,000-15,000 |
| Food (8-10 days) | Rs 2,500-4,000 | Rs 3,000-5,000 |
| Permits/Entry | Rs 200-500 | Rs 200-500 |
| Miscellaneous | Rs 1,000-2,000 | Rs 1,000-2,000 |
| Total | Rs 10,000-18,000 | Rs 15,000-30,000 |
For a detailed budget breakdown, check my Spiti Valley trip cost guide. If you are renting a bike or car, the costs go up based on the model. A rental Royal Enfield from Manali costs around Rs 1,200-2,000 per day in 2026.
What About Mobile Network and ATMs in Spiti Valley?
BSNL postpaid has the widest coverage in Spiti Valley. Jio and Airtel work in Kaza town but are unreliable beyond that. There is no mobile network at Chandratal, Batal, or most of the stretch between Kunzum Pass and Gramphu. For more details, read my guide on mobile connectivity in Spiti Valley.
ATMs are available in Reckong Peo and Kaza, but they run out of cash frequently, especially in peak season. Carry enough cash for the entire trip. I would suggest Rs 10,000-15,000 in cash per person as a safe buffer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spiti Valley Itinerary
Here are answers to the most common questions travelers ask about planning a Spiti Valley trip. I hope you find them useful.
Can you suggest a Chandigarh to Spiti Valley itinerary?
The itinerary explained in this article works equally well from Chandigarh. Replace Delhi with Chandigarh, and since Chandigarh is closer to Shimla (about 115 km, 3-4 hrs), you can push further on Day 1. Try reaching Sarahan or even Sangla directly on Day 1 instead of stopping at Narkanda.
How much does a Spiti Valley tour cost per person?
An 8-10 day Spiti Valley trip by public transport may cost Rs 10,000-18,000 per person in 2026, including accommodation, food, and transport. A trip by own car or bike may cost Rs 15,000-30,000 per person including fuel. Rental bike or car trips cost more depending on the model. Hence, you may not need those costly Spiti Valley tour packages from Shimla or Manali.
Is it possible to do a Spiti Valley trip in 5 days?
A 5-day Spiti Valley itinerary means three days to reach Kaza from Shimla side and two days to return via Manali. You would be on the road for all 5 days with no time for sightseeing. You could save one day if you travel from Manali side both ways. However, I would advise you to plan a trip to Spiti Valley with at least 8 days in hand to make proper sense of it.
How many days are required for a Spiti Valley trip?
You need a minimum of 8 days. Five days are required just for traveling (3 days Delhi to Kaza via Shimla, 2 days Kaza to Delhi via Manali). The remaining 3 days let you explore Pin Valley, Langza, Hikkim, Komik, Ki, and Kibber. For a relaxed trip with buffer days, 10-12 days is ideal.
Can I take a sedan or hatchback to Spiti Valley?
The Shimla to Kaza route is mostly paved and a sedan can manage it with careful driving, except during heavy monsoon when landslides can create rough patches. The Manali to Kaza route (Gramphu to Batal section) has some very rough stretches. I would recommend an SUV or a vehicle with good ground clearance for the Manali side, but a sedan can work if you stick to the Shimla route only.
Is Spiti Valley safe for solo travelers?
Spiti Valley is generally safe for solo travelers, including women. The locals are warm and helpful, and the backpacker community is strong in places like Kaza, Langza, and Chitkul. However, keep in mind that there is limited mobile network, no hospitals between Reckong Peo and Kaza, and altitude sickness is a real concern. Carry basic medicines, travel with a fully charged power bank, and let someone know your itinerary.
What clothes should I pack for Spiti Valley?
Even in summer (June-September), nights in Kaza can drop to 5-8C. Carry warm layers, a windproof jacket, thermal innerwear, and good trekking shoes. Sunscreen and sunglasses are essential due to the high altitude UV exposure. For a complete packing list, check my what to pack for a Spiti Valley trip guide.
Can I visit Spiti Valley in winter?
Yes, but only via the Shimla route. The Manali to Kaza route via Kunzum Pass is closed from October to May. Winter Spiti (“White Spiti”) is a different experience with frozen rivers, snow-covered monasteries, and very few tourists. Temperatures can drop to -20C. You can read my planning a winter trip to Spiti Valley guide for details.
Ready to Plan Your Spiti Valley Trip?
I am sure this itinerary will give you a strong starting point for planning your Spiti Valley trip in 2026. The beauty of this circuit is that it covers both the Kinnaur and Spiti sides, giving you the most complete experience of the region.
Have a travel question? You can follow me on Instagram and ask your travel questions in a direct message. I also conduct a weekly Q&A session every Saturday evening on Instagram, so see you there.
If you know friends or family who are planning a trip to Spiti Valley, do share this article with them. And if you have already done the Spiti circuit, feel free to share your experience in the comments below so other travelers can learn from it. You can also join the DwD Community to connect with fellow travelers and find travel partners for your upcoming Spiti trip 🙂
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Hi, Can you please suggest the best itinerary for 11-19 August from Delhi Via Shimla route? We need to be back in Delhi by 19th evening.
Suggesting the plan for both the routes
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Nako Lake – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhankar – Dhankar Lake – Pin Valley (Mudh Village) – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Local Sightseeing
— Ki, Kibber, Gette, Tashigang in the second half of the day
Day 6 | Kaza Local Sightseeing (Hikkim, Komik)
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 7 | Kaza – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Day 8 | Chandratal – Manali
Day 9 | Manali – Delhi
Day 01 : Reach Manali and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
Day 02 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
Day 03 : Kaza – Pin Valley – Tabo
Day 04 : Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake trek – Kaza
Day 05 : Kaza – Ki – Kibber/Kaza
Day 06 : Kibber/Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Kaza
Day 07 : Kaza – Chandratal
Day 08 : Chandratal – Manali
Day 09 : Manali – Delhi
Thanks buddy! Appreciate the prompt reply!!
Just one more query!
Do we need beyond Rohtang Pass permit or any other permit if taking the route Delhi-Narkanda-Kaza-Manali-Delhi?
PS: No Foreigner is with us.
No Ashu, you do not need any permit for Rohtang Pass if you come towards Manali from Kaza. However, you will need it if you plan to go from Manali to Kaza.
Thanks a ton! You guys are doing great job!A
Best wishes for the trip, feel free to let me know in case you have any questions.
please tell me whether the following itinerary is doable in mid june?
all distances and timings are from Google map…
whether I ll get snow anywhere or not.. please tell me…
day 1 kol to chandigarh – night
day 2 chandi to sarahan 275 km 8-9 hrs /night
day 3 sarahan to nako 175 km 5.30 hrs
day 4 nako to tabo 64 km 1 hr
day 5 tabo to pin valley 65 hm 2.30 hrs
day 6 pin to kaza 50 km 1 hrs
day 7 kaza to losar 58 km 1 hr
day 8 losar to batal/chandratal 31 km / 1/2 hr
day 9 chandratal to manali 115 km/ 3 hrs (we have to cross Rohtang pass right? is it doable?)
day 10 Manali to Chandigarh
day 11 chandigarh to kolkata
Moumita, although the plan is doable but I will still suggest that you follow the itinerary mentioned in the article above.
Could you please tell me the reason why you are saying this?
actually I want to skip the kinnaur part as much as possible… that is why I made this plan based on your suggested itinerary…
I was suggesting because you were missing Kinnaur and rushing through it but you want to avoid Kinnaur. Then better do opt for one of the below:
Day 01 : Reach Manali and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
Day 02 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
Day 03 : Kaza – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake trek – Tabo
Day 04 : Tabo – Lingti Valley (Lallung) – Pin Valley
Day 05 : Pin Valley(Mud) – Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Kaza
Day 06 : Village trek/trip – Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Demul – Kaza (Stay at Langza at homestay)
Day 07: Village trek/trip – Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Demul – Kaza (Stay at Komic at homestay)
Day 08: Village trek/trip – Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Demul – Kaza (Stay at Demul at homestay)
Day 09 : Kaza – Chandratal
Day 10 : Chandratal – Manali
Day 11 : Manali – Delhi
OR
Day 1 | Chandigarh – Sarahan
Day 2 | Sarahan – Nako / Chango
Day 3 | Nako / Chango – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhankar – Dhankar Lake – Lallung
Day 5 | Lallung – Demul – Pin Valley
Day 6 | Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 7 | Kaza Local Sightseeing (Ki, Kibber, Tashigang, Gette)
Day 8 | Kaza Local (Hikkim, Komik, Langza)
Day 9 | Kaza – Chandratal
Day 10 | Chandratal – Manali
Hello Dheeraj,
What places can one visit in 4-5 days excluding the 2 days to and from Delhi?
Chandratal is mandatory.
Will there be acclimatisation issues if I opt to travel by bus, since they reach Kaza in 12hours? I am fairly fit and have completed Delhi-Leh (thanks to DOW) on my bike.
I have limited time , so I wanted to visit only the most scenic areas in the shortest amount of time.
Please let me know.
Thanks a lot
Pranay, you can plan like below:
Manali – Kaza
Kaza – Tabo covering Pin Valley
Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Kaza, do Langza, Hikkim, Komic in second half
Kaza – Ki Kibber – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Chandratal – Manali.
As you are traveling from Manali side, you may face AMS issues.
What about entering from Shimla side? There wont be any issues with permit, plus no risk of AMS. What would be the best plan from shimla?
Yes, that is true but with just 5 days in hand, I will not suggest that. You will need minium 7 days to make some sense of Spiti Valley trip while traveling from Shimla – Kinnaur side.
Hi Dheeraj,
Need Your advice, if I can plan a trip to Spiti in July end-Early August. If yes; we are couple travelling from Mumbai and would love to seek your advice in planning out our itinerary including mode of transport and hotels/homestays and the route which is preferable!!Thanks a ton on all your articles!
You should surely read: 10 Tips for a Trip to Spiti Valley in Monsoons
How many days do you have in hand?
I have 9-11 days starting from mumbai
You can do something like
Day 1 : Reach Manali by overnight volvo of and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
Day 2 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
Day 3 : Kaza – Dhangkar – Tabo
Day 4 : Tabo – Pin Valley
Day 5 : Pin Valley – Kaza. Do Ki, Kibber in the evening.
Day 6 : Kaza – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Kaza / Losar
Day 7 : Kaza / Losar – Chandratal – Manali
Day 8 : Reach Delhi by overnight Volvo from Manali
I m planning a Spitti valley with 4 families on Tempoo Traveller. My innitiary is as follows.
17 June- Chandigarh to Narkanda
18 June- Narkanda to Chitkul
19 June- Chitkul to Nako via Recong Peo
20 June- Nako to Kaza
21 June- Local Kaza including Langza, Koumik, Hikkim n Chandratal Lake
22 June- Kaza to Manali
23 June- Manali to Chandigarh.
Is anything required to b improved in innitiary?
N wht abt weather conditions n good hotel stays at every nite hault as I m travelling with family
You should sleep at Sangla instead of Chitkul and skip Reckong Peo next day to reach Nako after covering Chitkul from Sangla. Do Chandratal Lake while going to Manali from Kaza. If you add one or two more days, it will make more sense with family else it is tiring. Rest, given the days at hand look OK to me but as said hectic for family.
Hello Dheeraj bhai,
Im currently in ladakh now. I just extended my vacation for a few days more to include Spiti valley. I’ll be finishing the Ladakh circuit by 9th and I have to reach Manali by 15th morning. I’ll be traveling solo. As it was a last minute detour didn’t get time to work out the specifics. Can you give me an itinerary covering must visit places?
Hey Rishi,
Depending on the days at hand and transport you get, you can do like:
10: Leh – Keylong
11: Keylong – Kaza
12: Kaza and around (Ki, kibber)
13: Kaza and around (Langza, Hikkim, Komic)
14: Kaza – Chandratal
15: Chandratal – Manali
Hi Dheeraj.
A very simple question. If traveling from Shimla side on day 1, which one would be a better option of stay among Sangla and Chitkul if natural surrounding beauty is concerned ?
Subol, it should be Sangla Valley not Chitkul as for sleeping at chitkul on Day 2, you need more acclimatization
Thank You
Hello Dheeraj,
We are bunch of friends (girls included) planning bike tour to SPITI during Sep 2018. I saw your itinerary “A Trip to Spiti Valley from Shimla – Kinnaur Side in 10 Days”. Few questions:
(1) Will the same itinerary hold good for a bike trip also, requiring same number of days?
(2) We plan to start and end at Chandigarh, and want to hire bikes. Any suggestions for reliable vendors?
(3) If its a solo rider, would any bike lesser than RE 350 CC work well considering given oxygen levels and altitude?
Looking forward to hearing from you! Thanks much!
Regards,
Shashi
Bangalore
Hi Shashi,
If you have been doing bike trips, then well that itinerary is fine. It will have about 6 Hrs of ride on average every day. Sorry on bike rental front. You should be fine with 150cc bikes too. Lot of people do it.
Hello Dheeraj,
Thankyou for helping me on leh tour in 2016. now i am planning for spiti tour and again i need your help.
My itinerary is as below
17 june| Chandigarh – Narkanda
18 june | Narkanda – Chitkul or (kalpa/Sangla)
19 june| Chitkul (kalpa/Sangla) – Nako
20 june | Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
21 june | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley(Mud viallage) – Kaza
22 june | Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Kaza
23 june | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Rangrik – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
24 june| Chandratal – manali
25 june | Buffer day
1. First tell me is this tavel plan ok or any change needed
2. Is this time of travel ok.(All passes may be opened i think)
2. We are only two friends so it is ok to travel with sedan or SUV is must (if yes which innova/xylo) & what are the approx day charges for innova right now.
3. On 18 june where should i stay in chitkul or sangla.
4. Tell me which place or route is most beautiful in entire circuit, so that i can spend extra time at that place.
Did I reply to you in some other thread?
No Dheeraj, this is my first Question on Spiti tour. I didn’t got any reply any where, pl. reply here or on my mail. hemant.saini.ntpc@gmail.com
Thankyou
Just replied to your comment.
You should sleep at Sangla instead of Chitkul, you will not be acclimatized for sleeping at Chitkul on second day. Then after it, Sangla, you should head to Kalpa covering Chitkul. From Kalpa go to Tabo and then follow the plan as you have written above post Tabo. You will use your buffer day in this case.
Roads are open between Shimla – Kaza and Kaza – Manali. Well, SUV is always better on these roads, hatchbacks suffer and unless you are used to such roads, better stay away from it. You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
For stay options in Kinnaur and Spiti, check the link: Some Good Options of Stays in Spiti Valley / Kinnaur Valley.
You must do Langza – Hikkim – Komic route after reaching Kaza.
Thank you very much Dheeraj…!!!
Hi Dheeraj
It is a great help to all travellers you r providing. We are planning to do Jalandhar -Simla-Kaza -chandertal-Kunzum pass -Killar-Sach pass – Chamba and back to Jalandhar from 31 May 2018. We have Pajero. Minimum how many days and best itenery. Pl. suggest.
Well, you have the itinerary till Chandratal in the above article and pretty much you can follow below afterwards for Pangi Valley:
Chandratal – Keylong/Sissu
Keylong – Udaipur – Killar
Killar – Sach Pass – Bairagarh/Chamba
Back home.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning a trip to Spiti Valley from Shimla side starting 25 May on couple of bikes and a backup car. I wanted to know that will the roads be open for entire circuit by that time or do we need to wait for some more time in order to enjoy the complete circuit.
Saurabh, the roads from Manali to Kaza via Rohtang Pass is open now for light vehicles and Shimla – Kinnaur – Kaza is already long open for the season. So, you can surely travel the whole circuit on your dates.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning to do a trip for spiti in last week of July, still nothing is planned but I want to clear some initial queries Which I have as mentioned below.
1. This season is suitable for bike trip as I don’t have any prior experience of mountain biking.
2. If it’s suitable then which route is better, Manali or Shimla.
Keyur, before the monsoon begins in North India in later July, it is fine to travel to Spiti Valley in early July period. You should follow the plan as mentioned in the article above.
Hi Dheeraj,
Great article, you are helping out a lot of people. A couple of questions for you, will be great if you can share your views.
How\’s the first week of June for travel to spiti, in your experience will the Kunzum pass would have opened by that time.
I plan to enter from the Shimla side and exit from Manali side, are there any specific stretches of roads which are more prone to landslides or falling stone that one needs to be extra cautios of and if there are any recent updates on the conditions at malling nalla.
Thanks once again for the great article.
Regards
Hey Dhiraj,
I believe in this year route from Manali to Kaza will open by first week of June. You can follow the plan as stated in the article above. The moment you enter Kinnaur Valley, you enter in the landslide-prone zone till Spiti Valley. So, you should be cautious at most places on that route.
Hi Dheeraj, great job heplping us all. I am planning to go in May 2nd or 3rd week. Do you expect Kunzum – Manali to open by then? Also do you know any place where we can get affordable bikes either in Chandigarh or in Shimla? What kind of bikes should we look at?
Thinking of planning a 8 day Chandigarh – Shimla – Manali – Chandigarh circuit. Is it enough to complete the circuit without missing anything?
Hardik, I do not expect Manali – Kunzum Pass – Kaza road to be open before end of May or early June. You should look at bikes which are comfortable riding and you can control/ride them with comfort. I will suggest to keep about 10 days for a comfortable trip of Spiti Valley circuit.
Hi Dheeraj,
There is a Spiti tour which is being conducted by the Spiti Ecospehere group. Is it a good trip considering the places which they cover and the places of stay. Need an independent view.
No idea about them, but the one we suggest is contact@thehimalayanmonk.com (Ranjeet) as most of the readers in the past few years have had very good feedback about both of them and especially their transparent policies along with being there with you all the time in need. So, we trust them the most. You can refer my name or DoW to them as both of them knows us very well and should be able to offer some special rates being a DoW Member. You can just refer them the DwD Community Member Username in such a case or screenshot/link of this reply here.
Kindly plan me a innitiary to Spitti Valley for 7-8 days. I m planning the tour in Mid June. Will it b the correct time for the tour or their r chances for rain n landslides?
I’ll having 2 small childrens with me, so I prefer proper hotel stays during nite!
Route………..Ambala-Shimla-Spitti-Manali-Ambala
I will suggest something like below:
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 6 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Rangrik – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Day 7 | Chandratal – Manali
Day 8 | Manali – Delhi
If you are looking for a competitive and customized tour and packages, you can connect with contact@thehimalayanmonk.com (Ranjeet) as most of the readers in the past few years have had very good feedback about both of them and especially their transparent policies along with being there with you all the time in need. So, we trust them the most. You can refer my name or DoW to them as both of them knows us very well and should be able to offer some special rates being a DoW Member. You can just refer them the DwD Community Member Username in such a case or screenshot/link of this reply here.
Hi Dheeraj,
Planning a trip to Spiti in the month of June from 8th to 21st 2018 .I will be travelling with 6-8 mates on bike … My travel plan is:
Day 1 | Bangalore – Chandigarh filght and collect bike
Day 2 | Chandigarh – Narkanda
Day 3 | Narkanda – Chitkul/Batseri or(kalpa/Sangla)
Day 4 | Chitkul/Batseri (kalpa/Sangla) – Nako (lake)
Day 5 | Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 6 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley(Mud viallage) – Kaza
Day 7 | Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Kaza
Day 8 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Chicham bridge – Losar – Chandratal
OR
Day 8 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Rangrik – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Day 9 | Chandratal – manali
Day 10-13 | manali – kheerganga trek – Chandigarh
Day 14| Chandigarh – Bangalore
Kindly let us know what other places we can miss & other must visit places to be included ,and also if there is anything else to be kept in mind. I have few more doubts to be cleared :
1. Bike rentals in chandigarh ,,Any Suggestions ?
2. Can we complete the circuit , will the Kunzum pass be open in June first week or what is the expected open date this year and current condition ??
3. How about spending night at Chitkul/Batseri instead kalpa/Sangla ?
4. For day6 is it better to stay in Mud or return back to kaza ?
5. For day7 heard that Hikkim is bad road and steep hike so is it better to take Langza road and return via downhill Hikkim ?
6. For day8 heard that there is a newly built road from Ki to Kibber via Chicham bridge, no need to come back to Kaza is it true and which route to select out of two ??
7. Is it okay to carry tents and camp around all the places or any specific permission required .
Will be replying on Q&A post to keep the conversation together: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/question/suggestion-for-spiti-bike-trip-june/
Hi Chirag,
I am interested in the trip but as of now don’t have a travelling partner. Please let me know if you can include me in your group
SIR I M PLANNING A TRIP TO SPITTI VALLEY BY JUNE END, 2018.
I HAVE 5-6 DAYS IN HAND. KINDLY PLAN ME A INNTIEARY.
I’LL B STARTING FROM AMBALA TO KINNAUR N EXITING FROM MANALI SIDE BACK TO AMBALA.
I’LL B WITH FAMILY WITH 2 KIDS
You should check: How to make a trip to Spiti Valley in 6 days?
I hi, we i am planning for spiti valley with my family. I.ee. my wief and son 10 years old by may first week for about 9 to 10 days total. Is it safe to go with family there and will it be good to go in that season of early may? We can plan to hire a vehicle may be sumo/ bolero etc …pls advice.
Hello Ravindra,
Early May is fine to travel Spiti Valley but keep in mind it will be a bit cold and hotels just start to open up. You will not be able to complete the full circuit and will have to travel from Kinnaur Valley and return back from Kinnaur Valley side only. Manali – Kaza opens up later.
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Rakcham/Sangla
Day 3 | Rest day in Sangla, visit Chitkul in day time.
Day 4 | Rakcham/Sangla- Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 5 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
— For stay check Sakya Abode or snow lion are two good options at Kaza apart from PWD Guest houses. Get in touch with Tsering, the guy who runs it. He is a very good friend of mine and you can refer my name or DoW to him. Read more about Sakya Abode at: Sakya Abode Kaza – An Enriching Experience in Spiti Valley
Day 6 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Ki, Kibber, Gette, Tashigang
Day 7 | Kaza – Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit – Kaza, may be in the second half go towards Kunzum Pass or till where the road is open towards it.
Day 8 | Kaza – Tabo – Nako – Kalpa
Day 9 | Kalpa – Narkanda
Day 10 | Narkanda – Delhi
You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
For stay options in Kinnaur and Spiti, check the link: Some Good Options of Stays in Spiti Valley / Kinnaur Valley.
You can keep an average of 900-1200 per person per day for food and stay on the tour to Spiti Valley.
I will request that you please refer the following articles for planning a trip to Spiti Valley: Spiti Valley via Manali | How to Plan Your Journey AND Spiti Valley via Kinnaur | How to Plan Your Journey
They have all the details. Feel free to let me know in case of any doubts
Thanks a lot for your quick and very important and informative reply. Very much grateful to you..!!
Hello Dheeraj,
I followed your itinerary for Ladakh and it was super successful this year. We also want to do the Spiti valley trip in 2018. Which is the best time to do so? Is August a good time?
For this trip, can we rent bikes at Delhi? Can you help us modify the above itinerary for 8-9 days, including 2 buffer days. We will fly in and out of Delhi.
Hello Ranga,
You can refer: Best Season to Travel on Road to Spiti Valley
I will recommend to make it in September. You can rent the bikes in Delhi and can travel to Spiti Valley without any issues. With just 8-9 days in hand, you can do below:
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 6 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Rangrik – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Day 7 | Chandratal – Manali
Day 8 | Manali – Delhi
Day 9 | Buffer day
Hi Dheeraj,
I planned a trip to spiti in the month of June from 8th to 24th.I will be travelling wit my wife and My travel plan is:
june 8th – flight from bangalore to delhi and overnight bus to shimla
june 9th – shimla to rampur/sarahan
june 10th – sarahan to sangla (overnight)
june 11th – sangla to chitkul (overnight)
june 12th – chitkul to kafnu(overnight)
june 13th to 18th – pin bhaba pass trek till mudh
june 19th – mudh -tabo – dhanskar – kaza
june 20th kaza to langza(overnight)
june 21th langza-koumik-hikkim-kaza
june 22nd kaza to battal and reach chandra taal(overnight)
june 23rd chandrataal to manali and overnight bus to delhi
june 24th night 8PM flight to banglore.
I am really stuck at below two points:
1)There are no buffer days here but i can decrease number of days to be spent in either kinnuar or spiti valley.
Can you suggest which is better : to spend more days in spiti or in kannuar?.As I am doing trek from kafnu to mudh can I altogether skip kinnuar valley?
2)please suggest if on any day journey is bit more hectic(I feel after overnight journey from delhi on first day,should we take rest(on june 9th) in shimla/close by place(if so which one will be good)? or continuing till rampur/sarahan is fine?) – need your help to plan this part.
/Manoj
Hello Manoj,
I will recommend following changes considering your doubts which will take care for both of them:
june 8th – flight from bangalore to delhi and overnight bus to shimla and go further to stay overnight at Narkanda, much cooler and better than Shimla
june 9th – Narkanda to Sangla and rest
june 10th – sangla to chitkul (overnight)
june 11th – chitkul to kafnu(overnight)
june 12th to 17th – pin bhaba pass trek till mudh
june 18th – Mud Village to Dhangkar to Tabo and rest
june 19th – Tabo – Kaza in morning and visit Ki, Kibber in the evening
june 20th – Day trip to Langza, Komic, Hikkim or if you want to stay then stay there using buffer day
june 21th – kaza to battal and reach chandra taal(overnight)
june 22nd – Chandratal to Manali
june 23rd – Rest in Manali or use it as buffer day and then take overnight Volvo back to Delhi from Manali
june 24th night 8PM flight to banglore.
Can we enjoy snow at April end ?
Can we go up to kaza and further up to losar in April end _may start.?
Yes Bhavesh, there will be snow further ahead of Kaza in Spiti Valley during April end. Plenty of snow. You can try to go towards Losar – Kunzum Pass road from Kaza up to the point it will be open.
Myself and two of my colleagues had a self drive road trip to Spiti Valley from 22nd Sep – 29th Sep 2017. We hired a Scorpio from Zoom Car Noida, here are few suggestions and route we followed.
22/9 (04:30 AM) : Delhi to Narkanda (12 hours with few breaks for Breakfast, lunch etc), overnight at Narkanda. Overall very good road with the exception Shimla by pass which is in pathetic condition
23/9 (07:00 AM) : Narkanda to Chitkul (suggest to avoid night stay in Sangla or Kalpa, instead spend night in more picturesque village Chitkul or Batseri. Sama resort is best option in Chitkul. We bought potatoes and Ogla (Kuttu) atta, Kinnauri Rajma. Also bought apples from one of the road side factory in Sangla village.
Very scenic and nice roads till Chitkul, with few minor exceptions.
24/9 (09:00 AM) : Chitkul to Nako Lake. There are some bad patches from Pooh onwards, but very nice drive with full tar road from Khab till Nako
25/9 (07:00 AM) : Nako to Tabo (Geyu Mummy) to Dhankar – PIN (Mud village) – Kaza
Dont forget to check out two of the working water mills (Pan Chakki, we ate some sattu here in Tabo).
We avoided Dhankar lake due to very tough 2 hours hike. Also avoided staying in Mud, instead returned to Kaza on same day.
Very good roads from Nako till Tabo. PIN valley roads are only dirt.
26/9 : Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Kaza gate – Ki – Kibber – Chicham bridge – Losar
Tips: From Kaza, mostly people go to Hikkim which is bad road and steep hike, instead go directly to Langza (instead of taking right towards Hikkim, go straight on left side towards Langza – Komic – Hikkim, This way you will save around 1 hour and instead of going steep hike on Kaza Hikkim road, will come back on this road which will be down hill and easy drive.
Moreover there is a newly built road from Ki to Kibber via Chicham bridge, no need to come back to Kaza.
Very good road except last 30 km stretch before Losar.
27/9 (10:30 AM) – Losar to Chandratal
Very narrow road (last 20 km before Chandratal)
28/9 – Chandratal – Battal – Manali (7 Hours)
29/9 – Manali – Delhi (12 Hours)
Thank you Asif, I just posted it under DwD Community: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/lahaul-spiti-kinnaur-valley-travel-tales/spiti-valley-tips-tales-from-travellers-like-you-t7694.html#p45131
Dear Dhiraj
I have also inquired earlier but due to some issues I could not able to visit the Spiti Valley but I am planning the Spiti valley self driving trip in Diwali with my family , will there be any big issues for travelling in this time. I just want to follow the itinerary which is mentioned here.
Munesh, I will not suggest traveling Manali – Kaza route late in the season, refer: 5 Reasons to Avoid Manali Kaza Road in October You can go to Kaza and come back the same route though. Or check the weather conditions and do the itinerary in a reverse manner skipping Chandratal.
Dear Dheeraj
Thanks for suggestion, in that case is it possible to visit leh-ladakh in Diwali time, is it advisable.
Munesh, you can visit Leh – Ladakh in mid October from Srinagar – Leh Highway and then roam in – around Leh within Ladakh for sightseeing. Then either fly back from Leh or come down to Srinagar again to fly back. Avoid taking Manali – Leh Highway that late in the season.
Thank you very much sir for your kind suggestion
Best wishes for the trip, do post your experience just like Asif did here https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/lahaul-spiti-kinnaur-valley-travel-tales/spiti-valley-tips-tales-from-travellers-like-you-t7694.html#p45131
Hi,
Im planning a solo trip to Kaza from Chandigarh-Simla route..
Dates 07/08 Oct-15 Oct
I have my own bike.
Looking for a travel partner or somebody where we both(myself & other one) can tag along for a safe ride.
Anybody interested, kindly ping me on geetsaluja@yahoo.com or 82 83 82 84 81
Hie dheeraj,
Well we are planning a trip to spiti but confused wether to go with mahindra kuv or arrange some bikes on rent. So, firstly please guide me is it good to go with a car… ND if not then which way is more fun and adventurous on bikes … Via manali or Shimla.
Best will be to go with High GC vehicle if you are not used to riding bikes in such a terrain. You can follow the above plan for itinerary.
Hello Mr. Dheeraj,
We are 4 of us, planning to do Spiti Valley in the first week if October. The itinerary is as follows, would like your suggestive / advice on the same & if the weather is going to be suitable.
Day 1 – 30th Sep – Arrive in Delhi. Overnight Bus to Manali.
Day 2 – 1st Oct – Hire Bikes in Manali. Depart to Kaza. Overnight at Kaza.
Day 3 – 2nd Oct – Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Komic – Kaza. Overnight at Kaza.
Day 4 – 3rd Oct – Kaza – Dhankar – Tabo. Overnight at Tabo.
Day 5 – 4th Oct – Tabo – Mud Village – PIN Valley. Overnight at Mud Village.
Day 6 – 5th Oct – Mud Village – Demul – Komic – Hikkim – Langza. Overnight at Langza.
Day 7 – 6th Oct – Langza – Chandratal Lake. Overnight at Chandratal lake.
Day 8 – 7th Oct – Chandratal lake – kunzum pass – Manali. Overnight bus to Delhi.
Day 9 – 8th Oct – Delhi. Departure.
Kindly let us know what else places amongst this we can give a miss & other must visit places to be included. And if anything else important is to be kept in mind.
Regards,
Akash
Hi Akash,
I will recommend that you do Ki – Kibber after returning from Tabo overnight. Also, you are trying to do it twice, do just Ki – Kibber and Komic with Langza route.
Rest it is balanced well.
Thank you Mr. Dheeraj for your advice. So look’s like i have another day in my hand to try / do something else. Any place or activity i could add.
Thanks a ton though 🙂
This is what I will suggest
Day 1 – 30th Sep – Arrive in Delhi. Overnight Bus to Manali.
Day 2 – 1st Oct – Hire Bikes in Manali. Depart to Kaza. Overnight at Kaza.
Day 3 – 2nd Oct – Kaza – Dhankar – Tabo. Overnight at Tabo.
Day 4 – 3rd Oct – Tabo – Mud Village – PIN Valley. Overnight at Mud Village.
Day 5 – 4th Oct – Mud Village – Lhalung – Demul – Komic – Hikkim – Langza. Overnight at Langza.
Day 6 – 5th Oct – Langza – Ki – Kibber – Kaza. Overnight at Kaza.
Day 7 – 6th Oct – Kaza – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal Lake. Overnight at Chandratal lake.
Day 8 – 7th Oct – Chandratal lake – Rohtang pass – Manali. Overnight bus to Delhi.
Day 9 – 8th Oct – Delhi. Departure.
Can i do this trip in a Grand I 10 Auto?
Possible = Yes, Difficult = Yes, at quite a few place. For hatchback/sedan taking on Manali – Leh Highway Or Spiti Valley via Manali Or Ladakh, please refer the link: FAQ | Can I do Leh – Ladakh / Spiti / Manali – Leh trip in Hatchback or Sedan? for more details.
shilma ,kullu , manali can i going to spiti valley with covering this palace ?? we have mostly 12 days in hand . please given a best tour plane for us . actually i m professional photographer please suggest me best for photography places .
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Spiti Valley followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 10-11 days: Most Common Itinerary for Spiti Valley.
HI DHEERAJ
11-12 DAYS ITINERARY IS GOOD .I AM TRAVELLING SOLO .PLZ SUUGEST ME THE CHEAPEAST TRANSPORT TO COVER ALL THE PLACES ..I AM STARTING FROM SHIMLA ON SEP 9TH
You can read: How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport
Hi Dheeraj,
I will be travelling to Spiti valley with a friend of mine next month.
Saw your beautiful and best replies on this site and want you to guide me too..
I am planning to leave from Delhi on 22nd September and i will be back to Delhi on 30th.
I don’t want to miss any important points as I am a professional Photographer but I have only this much time in my hand for the trip.
We can hire cab for max three days and prefer to go by bus or any other local cheap conveyance available.
Kindly suggest me the best route plan.
Kindly reply here or it will be best if you could mail it to me – madhuridgr8@gmail.com
Thanks,
Madhuri.
Hi Madhuri,
I will suggest you to go through Manali route and come back from Manali route so that you can spend more time in Spiti Valley. You can take the bus from Delhi to Manali Volvo and upon reaching Manali, you can take Manali – KAza bus. Within Kaza, you can hire private taxi to roam around places and then come back to Delhi by buses. Following is the plan I will suggest:
23 : Reach Manali and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
24 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
25 : Kaza – Lingti Valley (Lhalung) – Tabo
26 : Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
27 : Kaza – Langza – Hikkim – Komik – Kaza
28 : Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Chandratal
29 : Chandratal – Rohtang Pass – Manali
30 : Manali – Delhi
Thank you so much for the guidance 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
We plan a family holiday to visit Spiti Valley with a self driven car.
I am told Innova Cresta is a good car. Is it possible to get this car from Zoomcars?
Depending on the availabilty of car we can start our journey either from Chandigarh or Delhi. We would drop the car in Chandigarh.
Following is a tentative plan:
Day 1. Chandigarh – Pick up the car – Drive to Thanedar
day 2. – Thanedar to Kalpa
day 3- Kalpa Sangla sight seeing
day 4 – kalpa to Tabo
Day 5 – Tabo
Day 6 – Tabo to Kaza
Day 7 – Kaza to Manali
Day 8 – Manali
Day 9 – Manali to Chandigarh – return car.
Does this plan seem ok? You may suggest if anything needs to be added. We may add a day in Spiti and reduce the day in Manali.
Hello Dr Jayant,
You should consider spending a couple of days more in Spiti Valley. Rest seems fine to me. Regarding the car, better to take from Chandigarh and yes Innova is good and comfortable but Scorpio will be better.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi Dheeraj,
We had a plan of Spiti valley on bike in Sep 1st week.. Sep 2-10 .. starting and ending to-from Chandigarh
I read in your forum link, the road near Kalpa or somewhere in between Nako -> Tabo is closed due to landslide till 25th Aug.
Also, I checked accuweather.. which shows precipitation (60-80%) in Kinnaur valley towns in this week Sep 2-10
Based on your experience, do you think we should go ahead with our plan? or will it be too risky and prone to landslides ?
Anubhav, September, in general, is a very good time to travel to Spiti Valley. Since you have about 9 days, keep both of your options. That is traveling from Manali side both ways or traveling from Shimla side and coming back from Manali side.
yeah.. I came up with planning in Sep based on your Info here.. will keep both plans ready.. thanks 🙂
Planned for the same dates. If you feel like joining, please feel free to reach me out at 8800653222.
Hi Dheeraj,
We, a group of 7-8 friends including girls, are planning for a winter spiti ride in coming December or January next year.
We will be riding 3 KTM bikes ( 1 Duke200, 1Duke390 & 1 RC200) and one SUV. We have done this circuit (Delhi-Shimla-Sarahan-Chitkul-kalpa-Kaza-Manali-Delhi) in July 2015, so little familiar with the roads But in December/January, it will be altogether a different story. As kunzum pass will be closed so we will be coming back by same route i.e. Delhi-Shimla-Sarahan-kalpa-kaza-sarahan-shimla-Delhi.
So apart from basics, my questions are-
1.) At which places we can have night stay (Home Stay/guest houses).
2.) How many days it will take to reach back to delhi, keeping in mind the unexpected land slide or avalanche?
3.) What extra measures we can use for better traction on snow covered roads?
4.) Can we get a basic mechanic shop accessible during that time?
5.) I read, temperature dips down to -30 degree C° during winter nights, So how it can affects engines/Fuel/coolants?
Thanks in Advance
Please start with How to plan a trip to Spiti Valley in Winters
Thanks Dheeraj 🙂
It was really helpful. (y)
Hi DHeeraj,
We have travelled upto rohtang couple of times and now want to explore Spiti valley at best 2 places from 27th august sunday reaching chandigarh at noon and have to be back to chandigrah on Friday or latest saturday ….
We are 3 of us and all can drive ….please advice if it is possible to visit 2 of the below places atleast or atleast 1in this short trip.
1) Dhankar village
2) Chandratal Lake
3) Nubra Valley
thank you
moin
Nubra Valley is in Ladakh not in Spiti Valley. Rest with 6 days in hand follow below
Day 1 | Chandigarh – Narkanda by evening.
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 6 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Chandratal
Day 7 | Chandratal – Manali
thank you dheeraj. is it possible to do the reverse and go to Manali 1st and then come outnfrom shimla to chnadigarh ?
Yes Moin, you can do that too.
Dear Dheeraj & all on this forum…
if anyone can put some light and advice that the current issue in Punjab, haryana n chandigarh if this will causr any issue with our travel from chandigarh airport out towards manali pls ?
we will reach chandigarh on sunday 27th august….
thank you
Sorry Moin, I saw your comment late.
Hi dheeraj
we are planning a trip in the month of september from 23rd. i want to ask you about the weather conditions in september.
Another question is that route from kunzum pass to manali via rohtang will be available in sep or not ?
And how about this ? If it needs changes please do.
Day 1 – Chandigarh to shimla 113 kms
Day 2 – shimla to sangla
Day 3 – Sangla to chitkul( last inhabited village before Tibet ) via kufri
Day 4 – chitkul to nako 150kms – tabo 63kms ( nako lake , tabo monastery )
Day 5 – tabo to dhankar 24 kms – kaza 48 kms – losar 58 kms
Day 6 – losar to kunzum pass 15kms – chandratal lake – manali
Yes the route from Manali to Kaza will be open by that time of the year. It seems you are not doing much in Spiti Valley and just exiting it through Chandratal. If that is the intention the itinerary is doable. Nights will be cold and so as mornings in September. Carry woollen clothing.
Hi Dheeraj,
I’m planning a solo trip by my classic 350, to lahul & spiti valley (from shimla to manali) starting from kolkata on 27th of August 2017. But, regarding the rain I’m really worried….as many of my friends are stopping me to go at this time. Another thing is there…All are saying that the nallah are in full force at this time, so it would b impossible to cross those nallah by bike & that is also solo… I’m really confused! Please help!
Siddhartha, in general, the monsoon reside away by end of the August. So, it should be OK to travel. Just keep an eye on weather updates.
Thanks a lot Dheeraj, for this quick reply. I will surely keep an eye on the weather forecast…..Thanks again.☺
Best wishes for the trip buddy, if possible keep sharing the updates as it may help others too.
Hi, Siddhartha,
Please Do carry Good quality Rain Coat, and Do not miss the Thrill of Biking in Himalayas. Avoid Half clutch driving, Bullet is comfortable & capable machine in all terrain.
Plus, Ahead of you and behind lots of tourist will travel, and follow the one suits your speed & Frequency. People in Himalayas are very friendly with helping nature.
You can do it. All the best.
Very true to each word 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
Planning a solo trip, itinerary as below. Want to travel in local transport (bus/ shared taxis etc). Does it look achievable? Please also provide details of availability of local transport for these routs if its available.
1. Shimla – Sarahan
2. Sarahan – Chitkul
3. Chitkul – Kalpa
4. Kalpa – Nako – Mane
5. Mane – Tabo
6. Tabo – Dhankar – Mudh
7. Mudh – Kibber – Chicham – Ki
8. Ki – Langza – Hikkim – Komic – Kaza
9. Kaza – Losar – Kunzum La – Chandratal Lake
10. Chandratal Lake – Rohtang Pass – Manali
11. Manali – Chandigarh – Delhi
Thanks,
Regards,
Shruti
Hi Shruti,
Your plan looks kind of feasible but with public transport I won’t advise you to go for it rather have a route in mind and try to follow based on that day’s availability. Within Spiti, you will more or less be relying upon hitch hiking only. You should read the article that explain in detail with the help of itinerary: How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport?
Thanks Dheeraj
Hi
Need help in getting an innova booked from chandigar for a 9 day spiti tour . Do you guys arrange this. Also help with details if I hire bike.. how would that cost work … plz guide (purohit.sonu84@gmail.com)
You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
Hi Dheeraj,
Planning for Spitivalley trip for this year with group of 4 Adults and 2 Kids of 12 &14 years Respectively.
Kindly advice the Below Itinerary (derived from DOW Site), current Road Condition and Probable climate/Whether during Sep 23rd week till Oct 2nd (I mean will it be too cold or rainy… )
Planning to Hire a SUV from Chandigarh, Please advice (if possible) with few contacts for economical Rates at preferably Chandigarh (If flight tickets cost too high, being loooong week end, might drop at Delhi, yet to decide on this)
Day 1 Chandigarh — Shimla — Rampur – Narkand
Day 2 Rampur — Sangla — Chitkul– Kalpa
Day 3 Kalpa –Nako –Gue Village — Tabo
Day 4 Tabo-Dhankar-Kaza -Hikkim- Komic-Langza – Loasr/Kaza
Day 5 Kaza-Losar-Kunzum Pass-Chandertal (pl advice the Road Condition here and accommodation)
Day 6 Chandertal-Rohtang Pass- Manali
Day 7 Manali — Chandigarh
Is the Tandi-Udaipur-Killar-Sach-Chamba-Phatankot Route is good this Year? kindly advice.
Hey Shiva,
Good to see you back here !! Following are the tweaks:
Day 1 Chandigarh — Shimla – Narkanda/Rampur
Day 2 Narkanda/Rampur — Sangla — Chitkul– Kalpa
Day 3 Kalpa –Nako –Gue Village — Tabo
Day 4 Tabo-Dhankar-Kaza -Hikkim- Komic-Langza – Kaza
Day 5 Kaza – Losar-Kunzum Pass-Chandertal (roads in general are always bad but much better towards end of season)
Day 6 Chandertal-Rohtang Pass- Manali
Day 7 Manali — Chandigarh
You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
Hi, Dheeraj,
Thanks for your Input,
– We are planning to Hire One SUV and Sedan (Myles) from Chandigarh. Will Sedan cross over the Places.
– Kindly advice on Is the “Tandi-Udaipur-Killar-Sach-Chamba-Phatankot Route is good this Year? ” Elsewhere i read you did this route in Scorpio, Will Seadon Cross over here too..
– Looking for Budget accommodation in en-route, appreciate if you could share the link of Hotels (En-route as mentioned).
– What will be whether condition (will it be too Cold as it is end of Season).
– Like in Leh, will there be AMS. you advice on this please.
Kindly advice.
G.SS
1. Sedans can do it in late month but again, difficult especially on Manali – Kaza
2. I will not recommend to do Sach Pass on sedan though I have known people who have done it. However, being known to these routes and having done mostly majority of these routes on my dZires, I will not take it personally ever to Sach Pass.
3. For stay options in Kinnaur and Spiti, check the link: Some Good Options of Stays in Spiti Valley / Kinnaur Valley.
4. Nights will be cold with winds, days pleasant.
5. Yes, AMS will be there. So, follow the same rules as that of Leh.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning Spiti Valley in August Last Week, below is the planned itinerary please advise if any changes to be made or we can proceed with the below plan :
Day 1 Chandigarh — Shimla — Rampur
Day 2 Rampur — Sangla — Chitkul– Kalpa
Day 3 Kalpa –Nako –Gue Village — Tabo
Day 4 Tabo-Dhankar-Kibber-Tashigang-Kaza
Day 5 Kaza-Hikkim-Komic-Langza-Kaza
Day 6 Kaza-Losar-Kunzum Pass-Chandertal
Day 7 Chandertal-Rohtang Pass- Manali
Day 8 Manali — Chandigarh
Thanks in Advance
Dileep, your plan looks fine to me.
Thanks dheeraj 🙂
Could you please help if we can adjust pinvalley visit in the above itinerary or we need to add one more day ?
I will recommend adding one more day in case you want to visit Pin Valley
Dear Dheeraj,
I am searching for some sedan cars which ply from shimla- kalpa-kaza-manali route, or spiti valley from 4sep to 13sep. I have called some drivers from your blog — “discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/himalayan-travel-guides/taxi-drivers-spiti-valley-kinnaur-valley-t849.html”, but they have said that in this route, no sedan cars can ply from kaza to manali.
I am very confused as I have seen in your blog it is possible for sedans, and the drivers are saying it’s not possible. Can you please help me out?
Thanks,
Sampat Ghosh
Hi sampat,
Are you planning to hire a taxi which is sedan or asking drivers if you can travel in your sedan car?
Regards
Dheeraj
Dear Dheeraj,
I am planning to hire a sedan taxi for Spiti Valley from Shimla To Manali. So, I have called some of them from your blog and they said that it is not possible for sedans, book 4*4 cars.
We are 3 people in our group, so it would be very costly for us to book 4*4 cars.
Thanks,
Sampat
Hey Sampat, there is a reference of one driver who runs Etios and charges around 2200 per day. Please get in touch with him.
Dear Dheeraj,
I have contacted with Mr. Khem Raj Verma who owns the Etios, he have told me that from kaza to manali is off route and a sedan car can not go on that road, he also advised me to book for Innova.
Do you have any other contacts who ply sedans in the route?
Thanks,
Sampat
Sorry Sampat, I do not have other contacts. May be due the present conditions no taxi guy is ready to take the Manali – KAza route, check the videos posted on DoW Facebook Wall or Page to know what they might be fearing.
Dear Dheeraj,
Thanks for your help to complete my trip to Spiti valley on September, 2017.
I had booked one Tavera, as no sedan drivers were ready to do the Shimla-Kaza-Manali circle. I had come across a very good driver and I request you to add his number in your website.
Name: Kailash Thakur
Phone No: 9459864215 / 9816542715
He has one Tavera.
Thanks,
Sampat Ghosh
Hi Dheeraj,
Are there any stay options in Losar apart from Nomadic Cottage? That is sold out for the day we are looking for.
Thanks
Rajni
Samson Guest House and PWD Guest House.
Thanks Dheeraj. Do you have their contact details? How do we book them?
Sorry I do not have the contact details.
Hi Dheeraj ,
Are there any tourist operator to take for sight seeing in spiti ? .I’m planning for first week of september .
You can get in touch with Tsering at +91 94-18-208987
hi Dheeraj,
We are planning a Month long trip in the month of May end or June 2018,
We want to cover Kashmir,Ladakh,Spiti Valley and nearby Hill stations we do have a basic itinerary of spiti. and we had done ladakh a year ago from delhi- manali-leh-srinagar-Amritsar-Delhi we want your suggestions for some new routes and places to explore.
we dont have any issues with the vehicle’s capability vehicles used will be – Mitsubishi Montero & Audi Q7 along with it a Bike – BMW R1200 GS.
Eagerly waiting for your suggestions and itinerary.
Thank You.
Hey Hardik, I just replied you at: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/question/a-month-long-trip/
Hi there, am planning a trip to spiti in first week of September … how will the roads be at that time?
> kuv100 car
1 yr old kid n wife
N i plan to go through kinnaur n return also through the same route….
Any suggestions ??
Hi Abhishek,
Your time of travel should be fine but regarding traveling with such a small kid, I personally will not go over to Spiti Valley with such a small kid.
Hi,
We group of 4 planning to go around Spiti valley tour entering from Shimla and existing from Manali starting on 15th July 2017 for 8 nights and 9 days.Is it the right time to go with self drive car.please suggest.
Regards
Hey Amit,
Just check for the rains, in case it says heavy rains avoid traveling else it should be OK
Will travel to spiti via kinnaur 2nd week of July… How is weather and road condition at that time? Now a days there is heavy rain in HP, can it affect our travel plan?
Hi Milan,
Keep an eye on weather updates. Usually the rains will go away in a week and there could be a dry spell for 2-3 weeks before they come again in end of July or August. But yes it is for sure that in case it says heavy rains 2-3 days in advance of the trip in Kinnaur, I will not go with the trip and plan in September.
Hi, we are planning to go through this itinerary in the 1st week of August. Please let me know if it is safe to travel then from a rainy season perspective. Thanks.
Monsoon will create issues certainly in Kinnaur Valley. Please read: 10 Tips for a Trip to Spiti Valley in Monsoons
we are planning to do your itinerary ..
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Nako Lake – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhankar – Dhankar Lake – Pin Valley (Mudh Village) – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Local Sightseeing
— Ki, Kibber, Gette, Tashigang in the second half of the day
Day 6 | Kaza Local Sightseeing (Hikkim, Komik)
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 7 | Kaza – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Day 8 | Chandratal – Manali
Day 9 | Manali – Delhi
Can we do this trip in Dzire or Etios … we are 4 travellers with a driver from delhi
Suman, well I have done the Spiti trip many times in my dZire but I love adventure more than my car. It does take a beating and I am used to such road conditions. I will say, if you fall in the same boat, it is OK else will suggest to take a high GC vehicle. The road from Kunzum PAss to Batal to Gramphu ahead of Kaza towards Manali will be challenging with river bed like road and gushing water streams.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning for a road trip with my wife to Spiti..Would you advise me to start from Shimla? I plan to do one trip on bike/car and return via public transport. Is it possible? I have 8 days in hand. Also, I have never taken a bike ride on mountains..This will be my first experience ever…
Hi Nitesh,
Going from Shimla – Kinnaur side is always recommended because of increase in altitude gradually and body gets adjusted to the high altitude. With 8 days in hand, it becomes hectic a bit though. Do you have 8 days from Shimla to Manali? or Delhi to Delhi?
Hey Dheeraj
Could you provide me a list of bike repair shops along with contact number from Shimla-Spiti
Hi Deep,
Last major shop you will find will be at Reckong Peo, post that there is a mechanic at Puh because Spellow one sometime is open and sometimes closed but Puh one is always open. After Puh, you may find someone at Chango and Tabo if lucky else mechanic will be in Kaza only.
Thank you team, I just completed by spiti valley trip with the help of this blog, it was great help since I was travelling with a 6 year kid 🙂
Awesome Manish, how about sharing the road conditions and updates which can help others too.
Hi Dheeraj!
Superb article from you about the spiti valley bike ride road map.
We are planning our ride from 2nd August to 13th August’17.
Please advise me will it be a good season to visit. I have heard that batal to Gramphu road patch is bit challenging and maybtake longer time to cross.
Please advise.
Yogendra
Yogendra, you will be visiting Spiti in monsoon time. I will suggest that you read: 10 Tips for a Trip to Spiti Valley in Monsoons
Hi Dheeraj,
I came to this post here after you suggested to my comment on your other post about being safe rather than unwell on full moon night 🙂
So your advice is well taken by the group and we have changed the route to start from Shimla now and exit from Manali. Now just two quick queries about the itinerary above:
1. we have 9 days total instead of 10 mentioned above starting from delhi. please suggest where can we cut short one day from the schedule
2. shall we stay at Shimla or Narkanda on the first night?
Thanks so much in advance for the help.
That is wonderful to know Apoorv, you guys will enjoy it alot in this direction. in 9 days, you can follow a plan as below:
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Nako Lake – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhankar – Dhankar Lake – Pin Valley (Mudh Village) – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Local Sightseeing
— Ki, Kibber, Gette, Tashigang in the second half of the day
Day 6 | Kaza Local Sightseeing (Hikkim, Komik)
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 7 | Kaza – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Day 8 | Chandratal – Manali
Day 9 | Manali – Delhi
And good to know that you are Ankit’s friend 😉
Thanks buddy.
So we will have to let go Sangla and Chitkul from the plan? Also as per the above itinerary, it would be 3 nights stays in Kaza? Day 4, Day 5, Day 6?
I was thinking if we can stay Day 4 in Mudh Village.
Regards
Yea, let go Sangla and Chitkul for this time. Make another trip to Chitkul sometime later, maybe in autumn when apples are all around 🙂
And stay at Mud Village is fine too on Day 4.
hi dheeraj sharma
this is siri I wanted to know the itinerary of the trek in the rout of manali to spiti and also from shimla.
which is a little easier one and how may km is the trek? could you also pitch in the distance break down of the trek. asap
thank you
Krishna, you mean you want to trek from Manali to Spiti? Have you done other treks? Or you need to travel by road?
Hey, I am planning to travel to Spiti Valley following this exact itenery from around 30th july.
Now I understand that it is monsoon season however we dont have a choice. I tried looking up the recent whether conditions but cant find any. Can you help me out with that? would it be too risky to go during that time or it can be Manageable.
Secondly, should i book all the hotels online or i can find them there directly.
Thirdly, do i just pay the driver per day rate and thats it? What about his stay and food?
Thanks a lot
Hi Ram,
I will suggest you read : 10 Tips for a Trip to Spiti Valley in Monsoons
How much would it cost starting from Shimla till manali by a private taxi for the same itinerary? Like an approx amount.
Ram, You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
For stay options in Kinnaur and Spiti, check the link: Some Good Options of Stays in Spiti Valley / Kinnaur Valley.
You can keep an average of 900-1200 per person per day for food and stay on the tour to Spiti Valley.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning a solo backpack to trip to Spiti valley in first week of August. I have 10 to 13 days in hand and also I am thinking of starting from Manali and ending it at Shimla. First of all is this route advisable and secondly could you please provide a good itinerary for 12 days trip. I do not mind even if a day gets added because I want to cover all the best locations.
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Ankur,
Best is to travel from Shimla side and come back from Manali side. You can read: How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport
Hi Dheeraj,
Below is our itinerary for Spiti trip this month:
15 June – Chandigarh – Shimla
16 – Shimla – Sangla
17 – Sangla – Chitkul – Kalpa
18 – Kalpa – Nako
19 – Nako – Gue – Tabo – Pin Valley – Mud
20 – Mud – Dhankaar – Dhankaar Lake – Kaza
21 – Kaza – Mane – Kaza
22 – Kaza – Komik – Hikkim – Langza – Ki Monastery – Gette – Kibber
23 – Kibber – Kunzum La – Chandratal Lake
24 – Chandratal Lake – Rohtang Pass – Manali
25 – Manali – Kullu
26 – Kullu – Chandigarh
Is this fine ? Or do you suggest any change ? Also can you tell me if we can find any snow anywhere during above dates ?
Hi Sahil,
Below are my inputs:
1. Go directly to Tabo and avoid stay at high altitude of Nako, this will save one day as well.
2. Do Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar lake – Pin Valley, Pin Valley – Lhalung – Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Kaza, next day Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Kaza. Skip Mane villages for some other time.
Hi,
Is it possible to do spiti valley, dharamshala,Dalhousie in 10 to 12 days starting from ahemdabad? Can you give iternery for this? Want to travel mostly in Sept
As you see in the above article, I will keep the plan strictly to Spiti Valley, Kinnaur Valley and Manali in just 10-12 days.
Can Spiti be done in July end (20th – 31st) on bike? Entering through Shimla and exiting from Manali. Worried about the rains and road conditions. Kindly suggest.
Well, Himanshu as far as Spiti Valley is concerned it is fine because Spiti is a rain shadow region. However, in case it rains, Kinnaur Valley and other parts of the lower hills will cause hassles and road blocks get common. I will suggest if you have flexibility, keep a tab on weather updates and make a trip based on weather conditions.
Hi Dheeraj, your article is inspiring and we are planning a trip from 1st July for 8 nights starting Delhi and going via Narkanda (First stop at Narkanda or Thanedar).
Can you please advise on hotel reservation, do we have to make an advance booking or we can just go random without booking?
Asif, if you are not too choosy or particular about places to stay, best is that you do it on the spot.
Thanks Dheeraj, will follow your advise.
One more question, will the first week of July will be right time or is it late start? We are concern about Manson as well as not sure if we will still find some so now walls while exiting via Manali and kunzum pass.
Asif, snow will be difficult to find on the route to Kunzum Pass from Manali. Also, first half of July is still a good time to travel to Spiti Valley
Hi,
We are planning from 12 June to 25 June from Manali to Kaza and then towards Nubra ..Can u confirm with the route from Manali to Kaza as u said in previous comments that the road is block..
All roads are now open. For the itinerary including Spiti Valley and Ladakh, you can read: Spiti Valley to Ladakh from Manali – Most Common Itinerary
Thanks Dheeraj for the useful info.
It will be great if you will share the best possible itinerary for manali to spiti (even covering nako) in around 6-7 days. I am planning to take the trip in June End.
I don’t want to cover spiti via Shimla. I want to start from manali and back to manali via same route.
Can you please share the best possible stops for minimalistic AMS chances.
Thanks in advance 🙂
Akshay, best is to skip Nako for now.
Day 1 : Reach Manali and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
Day 2 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
Day 3 : Kaza – Dhangkar – Tabo
Day 4 : Tabo – Pin Valley – Kaza. Do Ki, Kibber in the evening.
Day 5 : Kaza – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Chandratal
Day 6 : Chandratal – Manali
Day 7 : Reach Delhi by overnight Volvo from Manali
what will be the cost for the above itenary by public transport?
You can refer: How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport
what would be the cost for above iternery on rented bike RE 350/500?
Please read: How to calculate cost or budget for Spiti Valley trip?
Hello Dheeraj ji
Firstly, Many thanks to you for all this detailed information.
We are reaching Shimla on 18th June. Our return flight is on 1 july from Chandigarh. We are not very keen on spending time in Shimla. Please suggest us a good itinerary from 19th june to 28th june ( 10 nights) for kinnaur and spiti. 29th and 30th will be our buffer days in manali or kullu.
We have already contacted Mr Tsering Bodh for innova and sakya abode.
Thanks and regards
Vishal, you have about 10 days which you can easily follow the plan mentioned in the article above. You will thoroughly enjoy it.
Hi,
Thanks for the wonderful itinerary. I plan to visit Spiti this year but am flexible with the dates. What according to you would be the best time to visit? Also any idea if I can find jain food during my journey?
Thanks
Vikram finding Veg food will not be a problem but pure Jain food will be a problem. Best time will be to visit in the month of September.
Is it possible to do this itinerary in first week of Oct. We are planning to enter from Manali and exit from Shimla….will Kunzam Pass be open..
Yes Sohinee, it is possible to do this itinerary in first week of October.
Do you know of any bike rental places from delhi who wont rip us off and provide good working bikes? Or Chandigarh?
Sorry bro on that front.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thankyou for the detailed and insightful itinerary. My husband and I are planning to travel to Spiti Valley using this exact same itinerary from 15th August to 25th August. I understand that August is not a good time to travel here. Is it a complete no-no? Would the roads be in a bad condition? Would it be better if we move the plan to last week of August? Please advise. Thanks and Regards.
It is a matter of taking a chance with a risk because landslides are common in Kinnaur and lower hills in peak monsoon time. Rivers are in spate, road conditions are bad and slushy. So, if you are OK with this and in case of major blockade trip might get canceled, then you can take on the challenge with calculated risk. I always avoid personally traveling to mountains in August.
Hello Dheeraj sir,
1. Can I follow your plan (shimla-spiti-manali) n start riding my bike from tomorrow?
I’m already in Chandigarh.
2. Will the kunzum la pass be open?
3. Also any permits needed for Indian national?
As I want to start from shimla and exit from manali.
Need your suggestion. Thank you!
Aniket, the road from Kaza to Manali is closed for now but may be by 10th June, it might get open else you have to come back from Kinnaur – Shimla route only. No permit is required for Spiti Valley for Indians in case you travel from Shimla side and then come back from Manali side.
hi,
i am planning to visit spiti via manali…..starting on 4th july…planning take my ritz diesel…please suggest…
nd also about the permit to cross rohtang pass or any inner line permit required or not and also the timings of issueing permit office.
Please suggest….
thanks
regards Nishant Tanwar
Hi Nishant,
You need to get the Beyond Rohtang Pass permit in case you traveling to Spiti Valley from Manali side which is available online: http://admis.hp.nic.in/ngtkullu/BeyondRohtang/InformatoryScreen
For hatchback/sedan taking on Manali – Leh Highway Or Spiti Valley via Manali Or Ladakh, please refer the link: FAQ | Can I do Leh – Ladakh / Spiti / Manali – Leh trip in Hatchback or Sedan? for more details.
hi dheeraj
I am planning to do spiti valley thru Shimla route and back from manali …starting 2nd june 17. I am planning to take Honda brv..pls suggest if this car be able to do kaza to manali route..also suggest for where to stay in tabo and pin valley and losar
The road from Manali – Kaza is not yet open and is expected to open by mid of June. Please postpone the trip rest follow the plan mentioned in the article above.
If manali kaza route is not open..can chandratal lake still be done…pls suggest Honda brv would be ok to make it to chandratal lake
No Sidharth, you cannot do Chandratal lake from Manali side unless Manali – Kaza is not open.
Hello Dheeraj Sir ,
I am planning a 10 night/11Days trip along with my wife and 4 year old kid. tentative itinerary as follows –
Day 1– Chandigarh to Shimla .
Day 2 – Shimla to Sarahan
Day 3 – Sarahan to sangla.
Day 4 – Chitkul day visit. Overnight stay in Sangla
Day 5 – Sangla to Tabo.
Day 6 – Nako/Tabo to Kaza.
Day 7 – Kaza sightseeing.
Day 8 – Chandratal lake visit. ( ?? stay ?? )
Day 9 – Chandratal to Manali.
Day 10 – Manali to Chandigarh.
Day 11 – 4pm flight from Chandigarh. ( buffer day)
Please help me
1. 2 kaza + 2 sangla( one day chitkul day trip) or 2 kaza + 1 sangla + 1 mud village or 1 kaza + 1 mud village
+ 2 sangla. Please suggest what you think is better.
2. Also any suggestion where to stay near Chandratal lake. Couldn’t find any hotel in batal except HPPWD rest house. Is there any other option or we have to come back to LOSAR for night stay.
3. Do we have to hike to reach Chandratal lake ? how much time it will take to reach there and come back
from losar.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Prakash,
1. You plan looks OK but if you had one more day of stay in Spiti valley, it would be much better. I will keep the way it is in case you cannot add that extra day.
2. Chandratal lake has camps in the season, so you can stay in the camps. Battal only has a dhabha and PWD rest house without electricity in case you want to stay there. I will suggest to stay at Battal or Chandratal as going back that 33 KM on bad roads and then next morning doint it again, feels a pain.
3. Vehicles do not reach to Chandratal lake, you need to walk about 800 Mtrs.
Dheeraj ji can we do this with self owned pulser 200 in mid june? Any suggestions about trip by you will be great help. Thanx in advance
Yes, Atul, you can do this trip on a pulsar. I hope you have some experience of driving in hills because of the roads, especially between Kaza and Manali, are quite treacherous with water crossings and river bed like conditions.
Very Helpful write-up Dheeraj. Many Thanks. I want to do this trip with wife and 8yr old son starting 25th Aug to 3rd sept. What do you think about the chances of rain in that period. Also will my kid be fine sleeping in tent at Chandra taal. Last year we had a Ladakh trip sleeping at Pangong lake and Tso Moriri without any issue but didn’t sleep in tents so want your advice.
Rains cannot be predicted but in general it rains during those days. Would be better if you shift the plan in September. Although each trip has lot of factor to count in and is different from the last one in many aspects but in general kids do much better than adults. Also, in case you feel there is an issue, you can descend down to Battal. Also, going from Shimla – Kinnaur side will really help as well.
Thank you धीरज जी,
One more question. “My younger daughter is 5.7 years old.”
Can I plan for Delhi – Shimla – Narkanda – Kinnaur Valley – Tabo – Kaza-Manali-Delhi during 10th June to 18th June 2017?
And please provide me number of a competent driver who can drive my XUV 500 from kaza to manali as you had suggested for extra care for that route.
Regards
In general, it is fine to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any fitness level. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness I shall say :D.. The issue with children is that they tend to exert the body considering it the same kind of place they belong to and this elevates the chances of getting struck with AMS. Secondly, they are not much expressive about their uneasy feelings, so it is parents who need to watch out and take care that the child is not suffering from uneasy feelings, headache or nausea and is behaving properly. With 5+ year child, I think he/she would be able to convey the uneasiness with little efforts. If you notice any such feeling or he/she tells you about such a feeling then please do not ascend anywhere, either descend to lower altitude or stay at the same place to watch things overnight and if symptom increase then start descending immediately. Same is applicable for any adult as well. And yes, do keep the body adequately hydrated!!
You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
hi dheeraj,
we plan a bike riding to spiti via shimla 17th june to 27th june how we make it easy
The roads are treacherous, Manali – Kaza Road would have just opened. So, road conditions will be bad and not in good conditions. Up to Kaza through Kinnaur it will be manageable.
Hi धीरज,
I am planning for spiti Valley ( Delhi – Shimla – Narkanda – Kinnaur Valley – Tabo – Kaza-Spiti-Manali – Delhi ). I will start it from 10th June and will finish by 18th June 2017.
My question is that XUV 500 is fit for this route or not??
Regards
Rajeev, XUV is capable enough vehicle to do the Spiti Valley trip. Please take extra care and caution on Manali – Kaza route though, rest should be fine with it.
Dear Dhiraj
As you mention that extra care is to be taken to drive on Manali Kaza road, I want to know that presently I have already drive the vehicle(SUV) for Tawang trip so whether the road from Kaza to Manali is like the same or more dangerous, do I need to hire driver because I will be travelling with my wife and kids.
Munesh
Munesh, Manali – Kaza has numerous water crossings and stones, it feels like driving on the river bed almost dodging the stones as well as water in the nallas. That’s the most challenging part as one mistake can take your engine sump.
Dear Sir
As you mentioned the road condition, whether in that case SUV will be ok I have pajero sport.
Pajero, will be perfect for the trip Munesh.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are following the same common Itinerary. And we have 2 extra days, so planning to explore Rama Valley, Lingti Valley and Mane Village. Can these be done in a single day or 2 days? And during which day of the trip can we add this to our itinerary? We are a group of photographers, so we are not in rush.
Thanks,
Ravikanth
Yes, Ravi these can be done in single day drive easily. You can fit them as below:
Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar lake trek – Mane Village (stay overnight if you OK with home stays)
Mane Village – Pin Valley
Pin Valley – Lingti (Rama Village – Lhalung) – Kaza
Hello Dheeraj,
We are planning for Lahul and Spiti, and will stick to the conman itinerary u have suggested above, My only question is we are leaving from Delhi on 16 June, so Kunzum pass will be open by then or not, just an idea? i understand road conditions will not be so good as these are just opened. we are going in Mahindra Quanto, with hired driver from Shimla to Manali.
Most likely Madhur, Kunzum Pass will be open by mid of June.
Hi,
First of all thank you for the wonderful itinerary.
We are looking forward to follow the same itinerary as above. Just have few queries. Would be very kind if you could solve them:
1. We will be starting with this trip on 21st June, so will we face any problems wrt to any road closures like Manali Kaza road, and also will be able to go to Chandratal Lake during that time?(Around 27-28th June)
2. Also we would be hiring a vehicle. So is it advisable to directly contact a tour agency for everything ranging from travel to stay, or can we book everything individually.
3. We would have a spare day. We were thinking of doing paragliding in Spiti (Solang or any other) or Manali. Can you recommend where can we use this extra buffer day and is paragliding possible at that time? If not, how can I spend the extra buffer day(possibly near Manali)
Thanks in advance.
Below are the responses:
1. No by 21st June, Manali – Kaza road and road to Chandratal should be open
2. Not really, best is to book it yourself. Or just book the taxi by contacting driver directly. He will help you with economic stays. You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
3. No paragliding is there in Spiti. Best is to enjoy the day either resting in Manali or have it in Spiti only resting and enjoying beautiful locations at more ease.
Thank you for the reply sir. We will try contacting the taxi drivers directly in that case!
Yupes, best wishes and feel free to post any further questions.
Hi Dheeraj,
Me and my friend are planning lahaul spiti bike trip in the last week of june. My main concern is the condition of roads there . Could you give a rough idea as to what the conditions of road is and in which particular areas the road condition is worse. Which bike to prefer while doing the trip and any other suggestions from your end are most welcome.
Kavya, the road between Rohtang Pass and Kaza will be most worse and it feels like riding on a river bed with numerous water crossings to dodge. In case of puncture you are on your own, so make sure you do not ride fast on sharp stones or gravel. Prepare for long rides before if you are not used to be on bike for 8-9 hrs in a day. The roads for sure will be one of the worst you may have seen in life in case you have not been to these kind of places before. So, I have no intention to scare you but setting the mental expectations.
Extremely Sorry Dheeraj Ji,
I have sent below itinerary for 15 Days. Unfortunately, I have just seen that We have only 14 days. apart from below queries can you please suggest which place I should drop from itinerary to match 14 days plan
My dates are starting from 18th June from Chandigarh ending on 30th June in Chandigarh.
Please Help
Just replied to your other comment.
Hi Dheeraj,
Hats off to you man. Really. amazing work being done by you for the travel community.
I plan to do Chandigarh-kalpa-kaza-manali-chandigarh (Jun 17 till jun 26th)as per your itinerary of Spiti valley. My questions are
1. Can we do this route on Nissan Micra? (till kaza i think there will be no problem? we are three travellers: me, my wife and my 6 yr old kid.
2. Can we do kaza to manali in one day with chandrataal? hows the road conditions on this stretch now? as we have done manali-chandertaal-manali in one day last year in a hired cab and it was a 14 hours ordeal.
Thank you
Thank you Mohit !!
1. For hatchback/sedan taking on Manali – Leh Highway Or Spiti Valley via Manali Or Ladakh, please refer the link: FAQ | Can I do Leh – Ladakh / Spiti / Manali – Leh trip in Hatchback or Sedan? for more details.
2. It will be challenging to club both Chandratal and reaching Manali from Kaza in Nissar micra because due to small car, the speed will be slow.
Dheeraj Ji
Salute to You !!
I want to combine Leh and spiti together and taken up this plan from other group of riders.
We are 5 friends , we have back-up vehicle with mechanic (Tavera or Xylo)
Can you please look into the following itinerary and suggest to go a head with this plan. or any advice
D1 Chandigarh – Manali
D2 Manali- Keylong
D3 Keylong – Leh
D5 Leh
D6 Leh-Nubra
D7 Numbra – Pangong
D8 Pangong – Leh
D9 Leh-Keylong
D10 Keylong – Kaza
D11 Kaza- Nako
D12 Nako – Sangla
D13 Sangla Local
D14 Sangla – Shimla
D15 Shimla- Chandigarh
My Worries
1 Where to stay in these area, how do i get Hotels ? or any point of contact to book our stay
2 How to know the route maps in these remote areas ? (MAPS are Not Available)
3 Is it safe to go, as per above itinerary, with 5 friends on such isolated terrain ?
Humble Request to please advice quickly so that we can conclude or change/drop our plan for beautiful SPITI and simply pick Leh Ladakh
Thanks In-Advance.
You are great and doing noble cause. Keep it up !!
Regards
Puneet Bajpai
Hi Puneet,
First of all, I will suggest that you follow: Spiti Valley to Ladakh from Manali – Most Common Itinerary. Regarding your questions:
1. You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
For stay options in Kinnaur and Spiti, check the link: Some Good Options of Stays in Spiti Valley / Kinnaur Valley.
2. Refer: DoW – Maps of Ladakh | Nubra Valley & Changthang
3. 1000s of people make trip to Ladakh and Spiti every year. Key is to know your limits and do not go beyond the line of adventure to craziness. Refer: 9 Mistakes People Commit on a Ladakh Trip
Hi Dheeraj,
How is the weather like in September end? Is it a favourable time to visit Spiti?
September is one of the best time to visit Spiti Valley with colors of nature as vivid as possibly they can become.
Hello Sir,
We are planning to do this Common Spiti Valley Itinerary starting from Shimla side and exit via manali in 10days. From June 2nd to June 13th. So will the kunkum pass be open during this period around June 11th or 12th? If is it not open, can we still visit Chandratal Lake?
Thanks,
Ravikanth
Ravi, I will recommend that you postpone the trip by at least a week or two so that Manali – Kaza road gets open by that time.
Thanks for your reply sir. One last query.. can we still visit Chandra Taal Lake if the Kunzum pass is not open?
You may have to trek. The road to Kunzum Pass will be open but it will be blocked between Batal and Gramphu. You may have to trek about as much as 14 KMs one side to go to Chandratal lake if the road is not open. Then same length you need to trek back to reach pickup point.
Hello Dheeraj
I am planning for full circuit with my wife and 8 year old son from 12 june and have 12-13 days from delhi.
Will that be possible and i want to hire a taxi, in your opinion how much should it cost per day..
If you could provide some good taxi rentals or driver will be much grateful.
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Spiti Valley followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 10-11 days: Most Common Itinerary for Spiti Valley.
You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
Thank you Dheeraj for your prompt reply.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for posting a detailed itinerary for Spiti. Its very helpful.
We are planning a trip to Spiti from 11th Aug to 16th Aug. Unfortunately, we dont have 10-12 days for this trip. So can you please advise whether we can cover the main attractions of Spiti in 6 days. Our main focus is on Spiti Valley only.
We are planning to start the journey from Mumbai and reaching the Chandigarh Airport at 11:00 AM on 11th Aug and want to reach to Sangala on the same night. Is the same possible?
While returning we are planning to take the Manali route and want to reach Chandigarh Airport on 16th at 04:00 PM.
Can you please also advise us on which are the main places (and their order) we can cover in our such short trip.
Regards,
Sameer
Sameer, you should refer: How to make a trip to Spiti Valley in 6 days?
Hi that’s a great Itinerary for kinnaur-Spiti. I wanted to check that I have 7-8days. Would be nice if you could suggest if it is doable in these no. of days. Also, we are a group of 6-7 people & we don’t Intend to on toad for 7-8 hrs everyday. We will be driving from Delhi-Kinnaur- Spiti-Delhi. We would want to enjoy the places we see. Your revert would be appreciated. Thanks.
I am not sure when you are planning to cover Spiti valley but if it is before Manali – Kaza road gets open, go with Option A else Options B
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 6 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Kaza and then reach Tabo/Nako by evening
Day 7 | Tabo/Nako – Sarahan/Rampur
Day 8 | Sarahan/Rampur – Delhi
OR
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 6 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Rangrik – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Day 7 | Chandratal – Manali
Day 8 | Manali – Delhi
I am planning to travel to spiti valley through Shimla to Manali. Can you please tell me whether is it possible to make the trip on November ?
Also, another question is can we get any shared taxis for the entire journey or any point to pint communication like Ladakh as we are only a group of three people?
It will be very helpful if you reply back to my question
After mid October, it is not ideal to make a trip to Spiti Valley as it gets pretty cold and not at all recommended to follow the route from Manali to Kaza. There are no shared tourist taxis in Spiti but you can get shared local taxis or jeeps.
Okay thanks for your advice. Can you please tell me from which locations can i get the shared local taxis? It will be helpful to make my itinerary.
Please read: How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport
Dear Dheeraj,
I am planning to Kalpa-Spiti valley in from 4-14 th September. Can you please tell me from where can I get the cars and how much will it cost for me to book the whole trip from shimla to manali?
And one additional question, is it possible to travel in normal cars not like 4*4, which is required in Ladakh?
Thanks,
Sampat
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Spiti Valley followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 10-11 days: Most Common Itinerary for Spiti Valley.
You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
Dear Dheeraj,
Thanks for your help. We are three persons in the group. So I shall book sedan taxi cars for sure. I have one doubt, should I need to take any permit to cross Rohtang La? I know that, for any cars that come from kaza or leh side, it is not required, but checking with you to just confirm.
Thanks,
Sampat
If you are taking taxi, then taxi guy will arrange permit for you. Yes, if you come from Kaza or Leh side, permit is not required. Regarding sedan, if taxi guy is comfortable then you can take it.
Dheeraj Sir, I cannot thank you enough for all the effort you take for all this. Your ladakh most common itinerary was very helpful. All the detailed information that you provide is priceless. Thanks once again for this Spiti itinerary. Will get back to you for my queries. Once again a “BIG THANK YOU”
Cool Vishal !! Thank you for such warm words, much appreciated 🙂
Hi Everyone.. I am planning a trip from Delhi to Leh & Spitii valley. Please suggest the route i should take & the time it will take to complete the trip. Is it possible to cover the entire trip back to delhi in 13 days???
Kapil you can refer the article: Spiti Valley to Ladakh from Manali – Most Common Itinerary
sir
I am hiren , planing to explore Lahol- Spiti – & leh start from 1st June to
July 1st week – with leh
On my royal Enfielf Himalayan bike
We are two person on two bike
Suggest me full itenery program
As I will follow you & your suggetation -program —
In leh I wish to Treking –
STOCK KANGRI pengog – nubra etc
Please give me your best advice
I am 58 yr old
Regards
Hiren
Hiren sir, you have 1 month to travel? Means 30 days full?
Hi Dheeraj,
We are schedule for trip to lahul spiti kinnaur from 17 May to 2 june we will be at losar on 24 may and would like to know if we ca reach kumzum pass from this side we will be going on bike. Can we expect rains during this period &will there be too much snow near kumzum / losar. Information available from this site has helped us a lot in planning our trip really appreciate your efforts.
Thanks in Advance
Manish, if you want to travel to Manali from Kunzum Pass you will not be able to do it by that time of the month. However, in case you are planning just to go beyond Kunzum Pass till the point where road is open, you may give it a try.
HI Dheeraj,
We plan to go up till kumzum & returm back, we are not going to manali. Any chances of rains during this period & will there be too much snow arround kumzum / losar.
Regards
I will suggest going beyond Kunzum Pass to the point of blockade, you will really enjoy the white snow and big snow walls. Rains can be intermittent if there is any. Usually it does not rain during this time.
Can smaller cars like Etios Liva be used for a road trip to Spiti?
Well, 100s of people take it every year. For hatchback/sedan taking on Manali – Leh Highway Or Spiti Valley via Manali Or Ladakh, please refer the link: FAQ | Can I do Leh – Ladakh / Spiti / Manali – Leh trip in Hatchback or Sedan? for more details.
Hi Dheeraj
Thank you for your perspective suggestions , what will ( bullet ) cost around if we hire bike from Chandigarh, do they deposit some amount of security money, because we are on shortage of budget ( 30000 to 40000 ) including both the persons. Please suggest some bike rental agencies in Chandigarh. thanks 🙂
And how about this ? If it needs changes please do.
Day 1 – Chandigarh to shimla 113 kms
Day 2 – shimla to chitkul( last inhabited village before Tibet ) 261 kms via kufri
Day 3 – chitkul to nako 150kms – tabo 63kms ( nako lake , tabo monastery )
Day 4 – tabo to dhankar 24 kms – kaza 48 kms – losar 58 kms
Day 5 – losar to kunzum pass 15kms – chandratal lake – manali – Chandigarh
Most of them take deposits. I do not have any contacts of bike rentals from Chandigarh. On Day 2, you must plan to stay at Sangla as Chitkul is quite high for Day 2. Then Day 3 looks OK and so as Day 4. However, Day 5 is not possible. You can reach Manali on that day not Chandigarh.
Hi Dheeraj,
We ( 2 person ) are planning a trip to spiti valley ( bike trip ) in first week of June . Planning to hire one bike from Chandigarh. Budget is around ( 30000 ) including both. Can we! Any suggestions please 🙂
That should be fine, there is no restrictions in Spiti Valley for outside rented bikes.
Hi Dheeraj, i am planning to visit spiti in last week of June and planning to rent self drive vehicle. I also want to visit Tso-Moriri lake in Ladakh during this period. Now I know Self drive cars are not allowed in laddakh so can I get any taxi or can i hire bike from spiti to visit Tso-Moriri lake?
Hi Alok,
The problem is that now you need inner line permit/environment fee as well in order to visit inner line areas of Ladakh. So, you will have to manage it as well. It is better that you take a risk in your self drive car to Tso Moriri and in case confronted, come back to stay at Tso Kar for the night after seeing Tso Moriri. Manage the fees and permits in advance through a travel agent in Leh.
Thanks for the reply. Can I pay the fees enroute Tso- Moriri from Spit? or It has to be paid in Leh only?
It has to be paid in Leh DC office or any travel agent can charge you and get that done in advance for you.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thank you for providing the detailed tour plan.
I am planning to start my travel by 1st of June, and as per your responses to the previous queries, you suugest that one should take the Shimla route. Is that right? Or is there an alternate route available around that time?
I am planning to keep the tour length to 8 days, so where should I end my advance and start returning?
I was also wondering if you could help me with a budget estimation for 2 riders on a 350cc bike. Starting from Delhi.
How much fuel and food and stay would cost?
Thanks in advance.
Yes, you should take route from Shimla and come back the same route in case Manali – Kaza route is not open. For travel plan you can also refer any of the below plan:
Day 1: Delhi – Sarahan
Day 2: Sarahan – Kalpa
Day 3: Kalpa – Nako – Nako Lake – Tabo
Day 4: Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5: Kaza – Ki, Kibber, Komik, Langza – Kaza
Day 6: Kaza – Tabo – Nako – Sangla / Chitkul
Day 7: Sangla / Chitkul – Narkanda / Shimla
Day 8: Narkanda / Shimla – Delhi
OR
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 6 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Kaza and then reach Tabo/Nako by evening
Day 7 | Tabo/Nako – Sarahan/Rampur
Day 8 | Sarahan/Rampur – Delhi
OR
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda- Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dangkar – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza and around (Ki, kibber, gette, hikkim, komik, langza – Choose whatever you possibly can)
Day 6 | Kaza towards Kunzum Pass, if possible Chandratal and back to Kaza OR come back to Tabo for night stay
Day 7 | Kaza/Tabo – Geyu Mummy – Kalpa/Sangla
Day 8 | Kalpa/Sangla – Chitkul – Sarahan
Day 9 | Sarahan – Delhi (long drive but as last day you can rest at home)
For stay options in Kinnaur and Spiti, check the link: Some Good Options of Stays in Spiti Valley / Kinnaur Valley.
You can keep an average of 900-1200 per person per day for food and stay on the tour to Spiti Valley.
Hi,
we are planning a bike trip to spiti from chadigarh starting july 8th and planning to cover, sachpass and kishwar road back to chadigarh.
my question is will it be rainy at that time of the year? can we cover kishtwar road also at that time.
we have total of 16 days in hand
Well, you have good number of days in hand and should be OK to travel during that time. In case it rains, it may be difficult but well, keep a check on weather and then head out.
Hi – i am planning to go to Spiti Valley on 5 May – is this a good time to execute this trip???
Gautam, the road from Manali to Kaza will not be open during that time in May. It is expected that Manali – Kunzum Pass – Kaza road will open by the first week of June.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning my trip from 13th May,2017 to 19th May to Spiti valley. I heard Manali to Kaza is not cleared now , So i have to go via Shimla. Could you please suggest how should i plan my trip. which place to visit. should I take rented bike/ taxi in shimla for the trip. This is my first trip to Himachal so can i ride bike? I can extend 1 or 2 days for my trip.
Amit, I see you have about 7-9 days in hand. I will suggest you follow the plan below:
Day 1: Delhi – Sarahan
Day 2: Sarahan – Kalpa
Day 3: Kalpa – Nako – Nako Lake – Tabo
Day 4: Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5: Kaza – Ki, Kibber, Komik, Langza – Kaza
Day 6: Kaza – Tabo – Nako – Sangla / Chitkul
Day 7: Sangla / Chitkul – Narkanda / Shimla
Day 8: Narkanda / Shimla – Delhi
OR
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 6 | Kaza – Ki, Kibber – Kaza and then reach Tabo/Nako by evening
Day 7 | Tabo/Nako – Sarahan/Rampur
Day 8 | Sarahan/Rampur – Delhi
OR
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda- Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dangkar – Pin Valley – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza and around (Ki, kibber, gette, hikkim, komik, langza – Choose whatever you possibly can)
Day 6 | Kaza towards Kunzum Pass, if possible Chandratal and back to Kaza OR come back to Tabo for night stay
Day 7 | Kaza/Tabo – Geyu Mummy – Kalpa/Sangla
Day 8 | Kalpa/Sangla – Chitkul – Sarahan
Day 9 | Sarahan – Delhi (long drive but as last day you can rest at home)
Hi, I am planning a tour to spiti valley by May End. Does the road open by then??
Please suggest.
Vinay, if you go from Shimla side the road will be open from Shimla to Kaza. However, Manali – Kaza road opens around second week of June.
Vinay, if you go from Shimla side the road will be open from Shimla to Kaza. However, Manali – Kaza road opens around the second week of June.
CAN WE SEE SNOW COVERED ROADS BY THIS ROUTE DURING 28-5-17 TO 2-6-17
No Vinay, the roads may not have any snow cover on roads by that time on the majority of the part of the Spiti route. However, chances are the road from Manali – Kaza may not be open during that time and work may be in progress to open. it. Also, are you planning the above route in just 5 days?
Hi Dheeraj, Myself and my friend, we did the tour of Kaza from Delhi on our Celerio in September. We followed your instructions, they were very helpful. We took the route from Delhi – Shimla -Sangla valley – Kaza -Manali -Delhi. Everything went fine except for the risk we took to do the journey from Kaza to Manali.
Now, what we miss was Snow. So, we are planning to do it again to have full views of Snow covered peaks. If we go in first week of May, will that be possible, or are we late for that?
This time we go in a Baleno,and also come back via Shimla.
Ravi, the road from Manali to Kaza opens around mid of June, so that should the plan and don’t shy away to keep it flexible may be around the first week of June start from Shimla and by the time you reach Kaza, road might have just opened and you attempt it with snow walls around 🙂
Thanks Dheeraj.
But Dheeraj this time we are not taking the risk to do Kaza -Manali stretch on a hatchback car. We have understood that you should do it on a SUV only.
Please tell if we will find snow on the route taken as Delhi – Shimla – Sangla Valley ( Chitkul ) – Nako – Sumdo – Kaza – ( KI, Kibber, Gette etc. ) – Sumdo – Kalpa – Shimla -Delhi. We have the option to go from 1st to 10th MAY only.
Also, if you can give some idea as how is the condition of roads at present ?
Hi Ravi,
The roads mostly were good but there was a major landslide between Nako and Tabo for last two weeks the road was closed. Not sure if opened yet or not. Snow will not be in much on this route. If you go beyond Kaza towards Kunzum Pass you will find plenty of snow.
Hi Dheeraj
Amazing site! I am using this site as a guide to build my trip
We are planning a 7 day trip to Spiti-7June to 14 june, from Chandigarh. Shimla- spiti-manali route. Will the manali route open by then?
We are 4 people (family). What are the options? Our main focus is spiti and chandratal. We don’t wish to squeeze in a lot of places, whatever fits in smoothly will be best, since a hectic schedule won’t work for my mom.
Ree, Manali – Kaza road opens by mid of June, so better postpone your trip. Also, in just 7 days it will be a bit hectic.
Hi Dheeraj,
Postponing is not an option 🙁 Finally it is 6th June to 14 June, Chandigarh-Chandigarh for us. So, i guess we’ll have to return from Shimla route only.
Here’s a rough itinerary we have arrived at, from your above itinerary:
1: (starting at noon) Chandigarh-Narkanda
2: Narkanda-Kalpa
(Skipping Sangla- Chitkul)
3: Kalpa- Nako -Tabo
4: Tabo – Dhankar -Pin
5: Pin – Kaza
6: Kaza
7: Spare Day
8-9: Return to Chandigarh
We are skipping Kinnaur valley, as we plan to do it seperately, later.
Is this a good trip? Please suggest.
Ree, this looks OK to me. You can leave Kaza early morning and reach around Tapri/Jeori by evening on 8th and then 9th easily return to Chandigarh.
Hello
It’s nice to see detailed information.
I want to visit full circuit and also don’t want to miss snow.
Plz guide perfect timing to visit.
We will be driving from Surat.
Thank you.
Hi Bhaavin, snow and full circuit may not come hand in hand in Spiti Valley. You will have to be very flexible in such a case. Stay tuned to the road updates and as soon as the road opens anytime between 8th June to 20th June, start your trip from Manali side and end in Shimla.
Hi Dheeraj , can you tell me is there a way to do Spiti valley exploration solo and without personal vehicle ? How difficult it will be and where will the real challenges be ?
Hi Swati,
You can read these details in the article: How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport