[rohan.xj]

Morning fellow Bhpians,

I am keen to do a winter trip to Spiti (or till wherever the roads and mountain Gods permit)!

Only dates possible for me: 23rd Dec night/24th morning departure, back to Gurgaon by 2/3rd Jan.

I have a Thar (petrol Auto), which I am keen to take for the trip.

I have driven extensively in snow before, across India, Russia, Scandinavia and other locations. Have done these road trips in -30 degrees temperature / black ice conditions, with ample safety precautions.

I have tried to check with a few agencies that have organised group trips in the past but to no avail!

Looking for guidance on few things:

1. 1. Any recommended agencies that may be organising such a trip during my preferred dates?
2. 2. Any private tour groups, where I could join?
3. 3. Any route / stay reccos? I did go through Kartik Kharbanda's thread, quite helpful (and inspiring).

Thanks

Rohan

[shankar.balan]

Wow Amazing.
What vehicles did you drive in Scandinavia and Russia?

[ruzbehxyz]

There is a group led by Mr. Shibu Verghese (4x4 India) who is doing this from last many years. They have many batches starting from December end till February - March.



Message received on WhatsApp.

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Note: I am in no way related to this group and never travel on organised trips. I did winter Spiti last year in my 4WD Endeavour.

[GTO]

For those who have the budget & availability on these dates, nothing comes close to organized expeditions by Mahindra (you can drive their Thar or Scorpio 4x4). Link to more details & even more interesting is Khan_Sultan's thread on the Spiti Adventure (Report & Pics: The 2015 Himalayan Spiti Escape (Mahindra Adventure)). 2.8 lakhs might seem like a lot, but when you add up the vehicle rent for 9 days, accommodation, meals, enhanced security (Mahindra group), support infrastructure (including doctor + mechanic + backup driver), organization & planning by experts etc., I think it's totally worth it. All you have to do is drive & enjoy, without worrying about any logistics.

[Axe77]

XplorEarth at Shimla led by Vijay Parmar does some winter drives for four wheelers as well.

As the man behind Raid de Himalaya, you’re in pretty solid hands from a safety and terrain perspective.

You can reach out to them via their insta page perhaps if you want some further information. I’ve “ridden” with them in Himachal more than once and they’re really good.

The Mahindra link provided above should be a great option too for all the reasons mentioned by GTO. I’d rate both of these as top picks to inquire.

[rohan.xj]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Wow Amazing.
What vehicles did you drive in Scandinavia and Russia?

Scandinavia: Volvo XC 60 (10-12 days, Feb 2020, went way beyond Arctic Circle, lowest temp we experienced was -30, with wind chill)
Russia: Nissan Patriot 4x4 (8-10 days, went with Adventure Overland folks, awesome preparations, Jan 2018, Moscow to St Petersburg through an extended 1000km+ route, -25/30 degree lowest temp)
Iceland: Mitsubishi Montero AWD (apart from the glaciers, temp was manageable 7-15 degrees, 12 day road trip, self drive)

Sharing few pics

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

There is a group led by Mr. Shibu Verghese (4x4 India) who is doing this from last many years. They have many batches starting from December end till February - March.

Dates not syncing up, thanks Ruzbehxyz for sharing!

Originally Posted by GTO

For those who have the budget & availability on these dates, nothing comes close to organized expeditions by Mahindra (you can drive their Thar or Scorpio 4x4).

Thanks GTO, their Spiti tour is in Feb, dates won't sync up!

Originally Posted by Axe77

XplorEarth at Shimla led by Vijay Parmar does some winter drives for four wheelers as well.

As the man behind Raid de Himalaya, you’re in pretty solid hands from a safety and terrain perspective.

Thanks Axe, checking availability!


Meanwhile, I have spoken with the folks at Thrillophilia! while they have an expedition launching during my target dates, they are not doing self drive. I have the discussed the possibility of joining their vehicle convoy, they are happy to arrange stay etc as they would for their existing group. This would imply that it would remain somewhat of a solo trip ( I would drive my Thar throughout) but support would be available, if read! Thoughts?

Also, has anyone joined Tripver's expeditions? Feedback?

Thanks again for your suggestions! Team Bhp rocks