Spiti Valley: The Great Himalayan Road Trip!

Arrive at Chandigarh and report at the hotel. ovenight at Chandigarh. (L & D)  

Start the journey to the mountains from Chandigarh. The first day we will be taking it slow covering about 350km till Rampur Bushahr. It is a drive of about 9 hour as the road climbs the mountains of Solan and Shimla. Overnight at Rampur Bushahr.

On the second day we cover another 100km and arrive at Raksham.  At Raksham we spend two nights. Raksham is a small village in Kinnaur, it is popular for its beautiful scenery. The village itself is sparsely populated with only 800 people living there but the valley still offers somethin for every traveller.  The famous places to visit include the Chitkul falls and  small temples that dot the valley.

Previously situated on the other side of the Nako river, the village shifted to the opposite bank as the previous site  got affected as a result of tectonic upliftment. The village has to landmark locations that are must visit for every traveller:  1) The Nako Monastry constructed in the 11th century and 2) the Nako lake situated at 11,929 ft. We spend the night at Nako.  

The town surrounds a Buddhist monastery which, according to legend, is said to be over a thousand years old. With a picturesque back drop of the mountain ranges of Lahaul – Spiti the town is most beautiful in the summers. We will be spending the night here and wake up to the beautiful mountain views.

The town of Kaza is the subdivisional headquarters of the remote Spiti Valley. Some of the major tourist attractions in and around Kaza beside Tangyud Monastery are the Key Gompa, Kibber village, Langza village famous for presence of marine fossils, the Pin Valley National Park, a protected area for Himalayan high altitude wildlife.  We will be staying at the kibber village for 3 nights and exploring the nearby mountain trails going into the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, expecting to see the himalayan wildlife such as Blue sheep, Ibex and the elusive Snow Leopard.  

Chandra Taal lake is on the Samudra Tapu plateau, which overlooks Chandra river. The name of the lake originates from its crescent shape. Mountains of scree overlook the lake on one side, and a cirque encloses it on the other.  The lake is accessible on foot from Batal as well as from Kunzum Pass from late May to early October. There is also a motor road accessible as far as a parking lot 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the lake. One has to travel on foot for the final 1 kilometer approximately. We spend the night at a beautiful campsite on the banks of this lake.  

Today we begin our return journey as we leave the Spiti valley to reach Manali. We spend 2 nights in manali giving us a chance to relax and take in all the adventure of last 10 days. Spend the days sightseeing around Manali and enjoying some free time around the market.

Today we cover the last leg of our journey as we drive back to Chandigarh. Ovenight at Chandigarh.

Today we depart on our own ways, with memories and experiences of the most amazing journey.