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-   -   Lahaul - Spiti; Suggestions and help needed (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/82104-lahaul-spiti-suggestions-help-needed-13.html)

Hello !!

After having gone through most of the travelogues, me and my friends have finally planned a quick trip to Kinnaur. This should give us the much needed break from our routine lives and gimme an opportunity to write my first travelogue.

However, no teambhp follower steps out without checking the forum and consulting the gurus and I have thoughts that aren't any different ! I'd like to share my tentative itinerary and any help, heads up, advice, suggestions, guidance, precautions from the forum will only help me make the most out of my trip !

From: Delhi
To: Kinnaur Kailash
Trip Duration: 01:00 AM,13th April - 04:00 AM, 18th April
Vehicle: Honda Amaze (Petrol)/ Swift Dzire (Petrol)
Passengers: 4
Planning to cover: Narkand, Kalpa and Fagu. Open to any other places we may cover.
A few questions:

1. How are the roads after Shimla ?
2. Is it safe to drive at night ?
3. Where should we be spending the most of our time ? All of us have been to Shimla, Manali and Chandigarh.
4. What all should we carry with us keeping in mind that the hills may not be the best place for gas stations or roadside dhabas. Also, do we need to carry any special documents or permits ?

These are just a few questions we are not able to answer. Anything else that the forum might want to help us with will only help us be more confident.

Looking to hear from you all

- a buddying adventurer.

Hi
I did this circuit right upto Kaza and beyond on a motorcycle last September.
Surface quality is decent through Narkanda, Fagu and right upto Rampur. Its a mess as you approach Reckong Peo due to the Hydel power plant at Baspa which has blown the road into bone jarring smithereens. Kalpa is 7 kms uphill from Peo (and in good shape) and I guess, your final destination judging from your itinerary.

Depends on your experience behind the wheel but avoidable if possible. The bends are sharp and the local cabbies drive like a bat out of hell. Having said that, I rode until 9 in the evening the day I was approaching Shimla. Did not perceive any safety risks, do not think there are any actually but you also miss the sights if you are driving at night.

Kalpa is nice in winters, not sure about April. Try Chitkul which is the last indian village before the Tibetan border and very picturesque. This will involve a detour several kms before you reach Peo.

Fuel stations are plenty right upto Rampur. You may choose to tank up at Shimla and then again at Rampur. There is a pump at Reckong Peo as well. Keep your original DL, RC, insurance and pollution, no permits needed anywhere before Spiti (and there too just your details are noted at the checkpost) The route till Shimla is quite busy and there are many refreshment options. Road widening was happening on the stretch near Parwanoo back in Sept, not sure where it has reached now. Traffic thins after you leave Shimla behind and considerably so after Narkanda. Rampur is the last big town after Narkanda (and before Peo) where fuel, refreshments and vehicle assistance can be had.

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Thanks!

Thank you so much for all the information ! It definitely helps me take a better estimation of things.

What do you think would be a good route starting from Delhi ? I ask since you've been to the place ! I'm planning to leave on April 12th from delhi and be back in time for my office at 9AM on the 18th !! Any suggestions ?

I'm also planning to balance the driving and relaxing schedule, if possible.

I suppose it will have to be the default route to Shimla and beyond, which is GT road through Sonepat, Panipat and Ambala and then the Hindustan Tibet highway skirting Chandigarh. There should be threads on this forum on route options to Shimla.

I have never been to Spiti or Kinnaur though I have been to Shimla and Manali before.
This summer I was planning to do a Ladakh trip with family but my wife is not too keen because of concerns with high altitude issues and since we will have our 8 year old daughter travelling with us. Spiti-Kinnaur looks like a great alternative. I must say that I have not done enough research about this circuit. Also, it looks like there is a whole lot of travelling involved and many small towns/villages to cover.

Can someone suggest me a simple itinerary which is not too hectic covering 8-10 days from Chandigarh? I plan to avoid Shimla altogether if possible.

PS - forgot to mention that planning to travel in June. Not sure which places will be the best for this time of the year

I did Kinnaur - Spiti trip in May'15, driving from Mumbai & back. In Jan'16 had been to Chandigarh for some work, and extended my stay to cover few places around Solan. I could make a below base plan, do change as required.

D1==200 KM> Chandigarh - Sadhupul - Chail (Chail Palace) - Narkhanda
D2==100 KM> Narkhanda - RampurBushahr - Sarahan (Bhimkali Temple)
D3==130 KM> Sarahan - Sangla - Chitkul (Baspa river)
D4==80 KM> Chitkul - Reckong Peo - Kalpa (view of Kinnaur Kailash peak)
D5==200 KM> Kalpa - (*Akpa to Spellow: Most Treacherous Road signs) - Nako (Naka Monastery) - Gipu/Gue village (ancient Mummy) - Tabo (Tabo Monastery)
D6==80 KM> Tabo - Dhankar Monastery - Kaza (Kaza Monastery)
D7-a==50 KM> (morning) Kaza - Key - Kibber - Kaza
D7-b==50 KM> (afternoon) Kaza - Langza - Hikkim - Komik (high altitude villages)
D8==210 KM> Kaza - Kalpa (*long day driving)
D9==230 KM> Kalpa - Fagu
D10==230 KM> Fagu - Solan - Chandigarh (see https://goo.gl/maps/xS9mKLWbD6B2)


regards,

Guys, planning to do Spiti in the middle of next month. Plan is to pick up a self drive in Chandigarh and head towards Dharmashala on towards Dalhousie - Chamba and via Sach Pass proceed to Spiti. Head back towards Chandigarh from Shimla, so basically the entire Himachal in a way.

Is it a good idea to do Sach Pass in July ? Or will it be extremely tricky ? I wish to avoid Manali - Rohtang route.

At present, Sach Pass got closed due to recent snowfall. In mid of July expect rainfall and hence it would be tricky. But you can give it a try, weather has been very unpredictable so far this year.

What are the conditions for this drive now?
I plan to do Delhi-Shimla-Spiti-Manali-Delhi circuit next week. Just two guys in a tucson.

C'mon Guys.....

No inputs?
Anyway, I finalized and booked the following stops, July and august:

27 Narkand
28 Kalpa
29 Spiti
30 Spiti
31 Chandratal
1 Manali
2 Stop if necessary
3 Delhi

Heavy rains but the roads are still holding out. Rest in hills the weather changes every hour and you may face landslides and delays especially beyond Rampur and upto Nako.

Hey Tbhpians, I am planning for a Spiti road trip from Chandigarh in the month of Sept 2018 (12 Sept 18 to be specific) with my wife. Have few queries regarding the same and would be grateful if i would get some solutions for them. please:

We hail from Hyderabad and would be flying down to Chandigarh and then rent a Self Drive SUV/Compact SUV for the trip. Post reading few blogs, we have made a draft Itinerary. Suggestions welcome and cannot extend the trip any further but can include places provided we skip the others. Further I have mentioned the KMS and time as per Google Maps for a reference and would consider atleast few hours as buffer.

Sep 12 : Land at Chandigarh at 1215hrs and then take the vehicle. Do the necessary checks, buy basic stuff required for the trip and then reach Theog (via Shimla) by night. Night halt. (152 KM ; 05 hrs)

Sep 13 : Theog to Chitkul (218 KM; 07 hrs). Night halt at Chitkul

Sep 14 : Chitkul to Kaza (250 KM; 07 hrs). Night halt at Kaza

Sep 15 : Kaza to Chandratal (100 KM; 04 hrs). Night halt at Chandratal

Sep 16 : Chandratal to Manali (310 KM; 04 hrs). Night halt at Manali

Sep 17 : Manali to Parashar Lake (110 Km; 04 Hrs ). Night Halt at Prashar Lake

Sep 18 : Parashar Lake to Chandigarh (260Km; 08 Hrs). Night halt at Chandigarh

Sep 19 : Return flight to Hyd.

Following are some of the questions:-

1. Is this entire itinerary doable especially the first 3 days of the trip? Chitkul to Kaza is 250 KM and planning to visit the places which are on the way and avoid major deviations like the Khibber – Tashigong – Langza – Kaumik etc from Kaza.

2. Trying to contact some private travels for the self drive vehicle as i have never rented a car from online rental companies like Zoom/Myles etc . This is one of the major thing for the trip and its not comfortable as we are gambling with the same. Does anyone know a trusted private travel person who rents a self drive or who has already taken a particular vehicle so that we can request for the same? Also does anyone know executives from the rental companies who can assure good vehicle? :confused:

3. We are planning to skip Kalpa view time constraints. Chitkul is the last village and read that its really beautiful. But in case Kalpa is a must then we can swap these two places.

4. Chandratal to Manali is 310 KM & Gmaps shows 04 hrs. However, we have read that it would take a minimum of 10 hrs or even more as there would be traffic jams near Rohtang Pass. Any comments?

5. Did anyone visit Prashar Lake before? How is it? Prashar Lake deviation is costing us a day or else would drive directly from Manali to Chandigarh.

6. We are flying down from Hyd so we might not be able to carry a lot of stuff like camping gear. Would like to know if there are any stores who give basic camping gear on rent in Chandigarh?

Mods please redirect the post if there are any other relevant threads as I couldn't find one.

Hi,
I recently did the spiti valley road trip from Ahmedabad last month. Would like to suggest below:
1) Chandigarh to Theog is doable in a day. It would take around 7-8 hours but depends how much time it takes to cross Shimla.
2) Theog to Chitkul in one day is difficult. We could reach Sangla in 7 hours. Chitkul is another 2 hours from Sangla. Better you stay at Kalpa or extend 1 more day for Sangla-Chitkul.
4) Chitkul to Kaza is not possible in a day. Take a halt at Nako or Tabo and then drive to Kaza next day.
5) In Kaza if you wish to visit the nearby places then you need a day extra.
6) Chandratal to Manali takes 13 hours . Kaza to chandratal will take 5-6 hours.
7) Zoomcar is most reliable as I saw many people using Zoomcar on that route but you need a suv for sure.
I would suggest you the following itenary:
Day-1: Chandigarh to Narkanda (7-8 hours)
Day-2: Narkanda to Sangla or kalpa (7 hours)
Day-3: Sangla to Chitkul and then head towards Nako. (9 hours)
Day-4: Nako to Kaza via Tabo, Dhankar, Pin valley(8-9 hours)
Day-5: Kaza to Hikkim/Komic/Langza/Ki Kibber and back to Kaza. (Full day)
Day-6: Kaza to Manali (13 hours)
Day-7: Manali to Chandigarh (11 hours)
For chandratal you will have to extend a day.
These terrains need patience as well as adequate rest for the person driving. Hence please don't rush the trip and plan it in such a way it gives adequate time to rest and travel.
You can contact me on 9824196305 if you need further assistance.
P.S. I am not a travel agent. Just a regular road trip doer who likes to help people with their trip.

Guys,

How good (or bad) an idea is it to do the Chandigarh-Spiti-Manali-Chandigarh circuit in October? Would the elements be too unkind at that time of the year? Solicit inputs from experts.

Cheers...

Spiti in October is doable but you have to heavily rely on luck as the road from Kaza to Manali closes after mid October. Better to prepone the trip in September.