[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Ani0404

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.

Don't have a personal experience, but I feel rentals from Chandigarh are the most abused lot. Given the proximity to the hills, almost everyone prefers to land there and get the car. So finding a "good" vehicle to your liking might be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.

Reg. camping gear, no idea about rentals but there is a h-u-g-e Decathlon store at Zirakpur, 13kms from Chandigarh (towards Delhi) in case you want to buy stuff. If not that, you also have a Decathlon at Kaza now.

Chitkul to Kaza is nothing short of a canonball run, missing everything en-route. But then, I guess you would have already researched about the places you want to see, so its fine. It can be a tiring and long day, especially since there are frequent closures due to road works.

GMaps is a joke up there
You will realise it after the trip. It's not just the jams. The terrain from Chandertal to Gramphoo (where the Kaza trail meets Leh-Manali highway) will not allow you to go past 10-20kmph. Start early with the shared cabs that do the circuit regularly.

Prashar lake is fine, but after Chandertal, if might be a bit disappointing.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by Ani0404

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

Hi Ani, we did Spiti circuit last year and Chitkul the previous year. Here are the travelogues that you can look at to get an idea and itinerary. I would suggest to skip Kalpa and visit Chitkul if you have time constraints.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ndra-thar.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...hite-thar.html

[Ani0404]

Originally Posted by abhikb

Hi,

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.

Thankyou Abhi for all the information. I would rework on the itinerary for the first 3 days. But how is Chitkul? I wanted to know if its worth a day. Will look for a stay in Nako/ Tabo to break the journey.

Originally Posted by abhikb

For chandratal you will have to extend a day.

Chandratal is a must for us so we are planning to cover it. Initially had plans to stay for 2 nights but had to let one day go due to time constraints.

Originally Posted by abhikb

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.

Thank you for sharing your number. Would be in touch with you shortly.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Don't have a personal experience, but I feel rentals from Chandigarh are the most abused lot. Given the proximity to the hills, almost everyone prefers to land there and get the car. So finding a "good" vehicle to your liking might be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.

Agreed.! This is one of the major reason I was looking for a known person who is trustworthy. The car plays a major role and any untoward mechanical issues would seriously jeopardize the entire trip.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Reg. camping gear, no idea about rentals but there is a h-u-g-e Decathlon store at Zirakpur, 13kms from Chandigarh (towards Delhi) in case you want to buy stuff. If not that, you also have a Decathlon at Kaza now.

Well we have to even fly back in the return leg from Chandigarh to Hyd. This is the reason we were not opting for purchasing the tents. But thank you for the information about the stores.!

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Chitkul to Kaza is nothing short of a canonball run, missing everything en-route. But then, I guess you would have already researched about the places you want to see, so its fine. It can be a tiring and long day, especially since there are frequent closures due to road works.

I would rework on the Itinerary.! I also felt I am being too optimistic of everything. Would break the journey.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

GMaps is a joke up there
You will realise it after the trip. It's not just the jams. The terrain from Chandertal to Gramphoo (where the Kaza trail meets Leh-Manali highway) will not allow you to go past 10-20kmph. Start early with the shared cabs that do the circuit regularly.

Prashar lake is fine, but after Chandertal, if might be a bit disappointing.

I had the experience of the Leh-Manali Highway way back in 2016 when i did the Leh trip in my car. The roads approaching Rohtang Pass were crazy. Thats the reason was a little skeptical about the duration. Looks like we should give the Prashar Lake a miss as its consuming an entire day. May be we can use the time in the first three days.

Anyways, thank you for all the information

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Hi Ani, we did Spiti circuit last year and Chitkul the previous year. Here are the travelogues that you can look at to get an idea and itinerary. I would suggest to skip Kalpa and visit Chitkul if you have time constraints.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ndra-thar.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...hite-thar.html

Yours was the first thread I went through completely when I started looking for Spiti. The search bar in Tbhp pops up your thread first when we search Spiti and also the word 'THAR' surely grabs some eyeballs.! Lovely pictures i must say.

Yes, i was planning to skip Kalpa and directly drive to Nako/Kaza. I would go through your thread to have a better idea now as i know the names of the places and can relate better.!

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by abhikb

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.

Thanks, Abhi. September might not be possible for me, due to certain constraints. Worst case, I can retrace my route via Peo in case Kunzum La closes down. Other than that, do you see any concerns - would the temperatures be too low?

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Thanks, Abhi. September might not be possible for me, due to certain constraints. Worst case, I can retrace my route via Peo in case Kunzum La closes down. Other than that, do you see any concerns - would the temperatures be too low?

If that is the case then best you can do is try to reach Kaza by 15th October or so. You might get a chance to go further. Last year the snowfall was late and roads were open for some additional time.
It will be chilly and windy at higher altitudes. In October hotel options will also be limited but it won't be a problem with proper planning.
Are you doing to drive in your own vehicle or you will be hiring taxi?

Originally Posted by Ani0404

Thankyou Abhi for all the information. I would rework on the itinerary for the first 3 days. But how is Chitkul?

Chitkul is beautiful and is indeed worth extending a day.

[ssambyal1980]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

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...

Good to know about your plans for a trip to Spiti. In fact the best time to visit Spiti Valley is after the monsoons i.e in the month of September. Preferably the best period is after middle of September when the weather thoroughly clears up and the road conditions also largely improve after being battered by the rains. Would suggest you to not delay your travel plans beyond middle of October because after that with winters around the corner the weather in the high altitude areas becomes quite tricky and an early winter snowfall cannot be ruled out and getting stuck on isolated stretches of high altitude areas is the last thing on one's mind. Therefore in my honest opinion you should plan your visit between middle of September-October. I visited Spiti at the fag end of the season in late October but luckily got a clear weather window.

Here's the link to our Spiti trip: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ure-sedan.html

[SanScorpio]

Guy,
Planning for a Bangalore- Spiti trip in mid May as per the below plan, please let me know if it is doable and any suggestions.

Vehicle : Ecosport Petrol AT
Passengers : Myself, Wife and Daughter (8 years)

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by SanScorpio

Guy,
Planning for a Bangalore- Spiti trip in mid May as per the below plan, please let me know if it is doable and any suggestions.

It's doable but incredibly hectic considering you are travelling with your wife and a young daughter. It's 16 days of driving with a single rest day. I would personally never do this. You need time in the mountains to soak it all in.

It's all the driving to-and-from Bangalore that is the killer. If you are flexible, do consider flying to Chandigarh and getting a self drive. Or you can get local drivers from Spiti to pick you up from Chandigarh and do the trip. They are usually very safe drivers. This will give you the time to really experience Spiti instead of just driving through it.

Kunzum-la is unpredictable in late May so you need to take that into account as well.

If you must drive from Bangalore, you should extend the plan.

[SanScorpio]

Thanks ranjitnair77
Any Suggestions on adding a rest stop in between that would make it more bearable.
Not comfortable when someone else is driving so Taxi is not much of any option and wont know the condition of the self drives to trust they wont breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

Have done Bangalore- Nagpur trip with kid and wife so think they can take it for a day, but have to see how they would take it for 3 days in a row!

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by SanScorpio

Not comfortable when someone else is driving so Taxi is not much of any option and wont know the condition of the self drives to trust they wont breakdown in the middle of nowhere.
Have done Bangalore- Nagpur trip with kid and wife so think they can take it for a day, but have to see how they would take it for 3 days in a row!

I've done one group motorcycle trip through Spiti which was ex-Delhi. I shipped my bike on that occasion. My second time was through a travel company called Spiti Ecosphere as I was traveling with my wife. This company are based out of Spiti and they hire local drivers who are extremely well behaved, drive very carefully and know the terrain like the back of their hand. They also provided a local guide to show us around once we entered Spiti. We did this in the first week of June and my itinerary was:

Day 1: Chandigarh - Narkanda
Day 2: Narkanda - Sangla. We stayed at Sangla and explored Chitkul.
Day 3: Sangla - Kalpa.
Day 4: Kalpa - Tabo. Exlplore the Tabo monastery.
Day 5: Tabo - Dhankar - Pin Valley.
Day 6: Pin Valley -Komic - Langza circuit. Homestay in Demul.
Day 7: Demul - Kalpa.
Day 8: Kalpa - Chandratal.
Day 9: Chandratal - Manali.
Day 10: Manali - Chandigarh.

The highlights of the trip were Sangla-Chitkul, Kalpa, Pin Valley and the homestay at Demul. Let me take that back. Everything on this trip was incredible except for the dogs that incessantly bark at night in Tabo and Kaza . The driver and the guide were exemplary. We skipped the overnight stay at Chandratal due to bad weather and very cold conditions. Kunzum was unpredictable but opened up a couple of days before we were supposed to exit.

I intend to keep going back to Spiti and this will be my template for all future travel.

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by SanScorpio

Guy,

Planning for a Bangalore- Spiti trip in mid May as per the below plan, please let me know if it is doable and any suggestions.



Vehicle : Ecosport Petrol AT

Passengers : Myself, Wife and Daughter (8 years)

Would suggest you to keep 2 days in hand. We did Spiti circuit last year in May. It had snowed less last year hence kunzum pass opened by 25th May. This year it is snowing heavily and seems difficult if kunzum pass would open in May.

See if you can postpone by few days. You can refer to my travelogue of my Spiti trip below for any assistance.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ahmedabad.html (A Road Trip to Spiti Valley from Ahmedabad)

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by SanScorpio

Have done Bangalore- Nagpur trip with kid and wife so think they can take it for a day, but have to see how they would take it for 3 days in a row!

Another option - albeit heavier on the pocket - is to have them fly to Chandigarh 3 days after you leave by road, pick them up at Chandigarh, and proceed with your journey. This way, it won't be too taxing for them. The plan can be repeated - at extra cost of course - on the way back too!

[SanScorpio]

Have dropped it this year due to the elections, would increase travel times with all the extra checks at the borders

[saurabh89]

I am planning for a 5 day bike trip to Chitkul from Delhi with following Itinerary. Need suggestions/updates on road conditions in the area.

Day 1, 5th June: Delhi to Narkanda/Kotgarh
Day 2, 6th June: Narkanda to Chitkul | Stay at Zostel
Day 3, 7th June: Chitkul to Kalpa | Stay in Kalpa/Rampur
Day 4, 8th June: Rampur to Shimla/Nearby village
Day 5, 9th June: Back to Delhi

Have booked accommodation in Chitkul for a night. Is it worth extending it for one more night, given the plan is to reach back to Delhi by Sunday evening on 9th.

Also, have read about Echor stays in Narkanda. Is it a nice place (looking for budget accommodation)? / Suggestions welcome for stay

Also, not really keen on visiting Shimla town, what are nice places to click photos around Shimla with accommodation options, preferably on the way to Delhi.

Will be traveling on my bullet with another friend.

Anyone else planning for a trip on this timeline?

[SJM1214]

We are planning a trip to Sach Pass and Spiti by a WRV Petrol or Brezza. Here is the tentative plan. As far as daily distance is a concern, it looks hectic, but normally we start very early in the morning to reach the destination at Lunchtime.

Please let me know any suggestions.