[hridayjyoti]

I have finalised everthing from route to preparing the gypsy. but the person supposed to go with me has to cancel his trip because of official liability. Now, I am in dilema, whether to go alone or cancel the trip as I can't find anybody to go with me for a week. Again taking leaves for a week is not an easy task. I am little bit frustrated as for third time, my driving plan to Himalayas is getting doubtful. Now, I am really thinking of going alone.
Is there anybody who wants to join me? I will be leaving gurgaon this Saturday/Sunday.

Cheers!

[fine69]

Hi all,

With some holidays coming up in Aug'11, I and wife have decided to head to the Spiti/Lahaul region of HP for 10 days.

Dates - 13 Aug to 22 Aug (10 days)
Mode of Transport - Swift diesel
Travellers - Me and wife
Driver - Just me
Objective - Visit places that offer the best views, do the Tabo-Kaza to Manali circuit if possible and spend maximum time in Spiti/Lahaul so can push myself on driving the max in the initial 2 days and can try Manali-Delhi on the last day.

Questions:
(1) Any permits required for any particular place in this region? I'd be making some photo copies of my and wife's ID proof and car papers.
(2) Should Pin Valley or Pin Valley National Park be included in this trip?
(3) Would I find snow anywhere in this region in August?
(4) We'd prefer to stay in PWD/Forest/Circuit Resthouses wherever possible so please suggest the place of stay along with the itinerary and where to get the bookings from? Basically looking for comfortable and budget accommodation at all the places.
(5) Mine being an HR registered car, can I cross Rohtang when coming from Spiti side considering the recent ban imposed on non-HP vehicles on crossing Rohtang?
(6) What would a 10 day itinerary look like?

[lordofgondor]

Aha, the mountain bug has indeed bitten you mate.

Here's some details of the contacts for arranging of accommodation in PWD guest houses:

R/H at Rakchham
B & R Division Karchham, BhawaNagar (Ponda)
01786-253303
2 Sets

New Circuit House at Kaza
B & R Division Kaza/A.D.C. office Kaza
01906-222252 / 222202
10 sets

Old Circuit House at Kaza
B & R Division Kaza/A.D.C. office Kaza
01906-222252
1.00Km
4 Sets

Class-III R/H at Kaza
B & R Division Kaza/A.D.C. office Kaza
01906-222252
3Sets

Old R/H at Lossar
B & R Division Kaza/A.D.C. office Kaza
01906-222252
2 Sets

New R/H at Lossar
B & R Division Kaza/A.D.C. office Kaza
01906-222252
3 Sets

R/H at Tabo
B & R Division Kaza/A.D.C. office Kaza
01906-222252
5 Sets


R/H at Sumdo
B & R Division Kaza/A.D.C. office Kaza
01906-222252
2 Sets

R/H at Pooh
B & R Division Kaza/A.D.C. office Kaza
01906-222252
3 Sets

R/H at Recong-Peo
Under D.C. & A.C. Kinnaur
01786-222227
15 Sets

If you could stretch on the first day; I would recommend driving at least to Kharcham/Recong Peo.

I guess you can dig more info from this thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ti-valley.html

Wish you a great trip.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Aha, the mountain bug has indeed bitten you mate.

Here's some details of the contacts for arranging of accommodation in PWD guest houses....

You are right on time!

Thanks a lot for the accommodation details, would be really helpful. I'm reading the travelogue suggested by you, hope to get some pointers.

[fine69]

Having done some research this is what I could come up with, makes sense?

Day 1 - Delhi to Sarahan
Day 2 - Sarahan to Tabo (brief halt at Nako)
Day 3 - Tabo to Kaza (via Dhankar)
Day 4 - around Kaza (visit Ki Gompa, Kibber, Langza, Komic...possible in 1 day?)
Day 5 - Kaza to Losar (Trek to Chandratal in case road not motorable and back)
Day 6 - Losar to Keylong
Day 7 - around Keylong (Jispa, any other place)
Day 8 - Need help here
Day 9 - Keylong to Manali (still not certain if non-HP vehicles would be allowed to cross Rohtang)
Day 10 - Manali to Delhi

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by fine69

Day 1 - Delhi to Sarahan
Day 2 - Sarahan to Tabo (brief halt at Nako)
Day 3 - Tabo to Kaza (via Dhankar)
Day 4 - around Kaza (visit Ki Gompa, Kibber, Langza, Komic...possible in 1 day?)
Day 5 - Kaza to Losar (Trek to Chandratal in case road not motorable and back)
Day 6 - Losar to Keylong
Day 7 - around Keylong (Jispa, any other place)
Day 8 - Need help here
Day 9 - Keylong to Manali (still not certain if non-HP vehicles would be allowed to cross Rohtang)
Day 10 - Manali to Delhi

Regarding day 8, I guess it's better to keep a day as buffer for longish trips.

Also Day 2 is gonna be a long drive. I think Sarahan - Tabo would be around 230 Km, with some bad patches en route. Stretch Day 1 if possible to say, Bhabhanagar (~35 Km ahead of Jeori).

The visits planned for Day 4 should be possible.

Day 6, would recommend Jispa over Keylong. Keylong's more like a town, while Jispa is more like a village on a river bank. If you feel you have time, maybe a visit to Baralach La.

[tsk1979]

Rohtang pass is blocked from Manali side, not from Keylong side.
Instead of day 8 around keylong, why not
Day 3
Tabo to Kaza
4 - Kaza - pin valley - kaza
5. Kaza - monastory sight seeing, koumic kibber
6. Kaza - chandertaal - losar(or khoksar)
7. Khoksar - Manali
8. Manali - Tirthan (spend the afternoon and night there)
9 - Drive back to Delhi

[fine69]

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Regarding day 8, I guess it's better to keep a day as buffer for longish trips.

Agreed

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Also Day 2 is gonna be a long drive. I think Sarahan - Tabo would be around 230 Km, with some bad patches en route. Stretch Day 1 if possible to say, Bhabhanagar (~35 Km ahead of Jeori).

Any decent place to stay you can recommend for the night?

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Day 6, would recommend Jispa over Keylong. Keylong's more like a town, while Jispa is more like a village on a river bank. If you feel you have time, maybe a visit to Baralach La.

I think I'd rather be at Jispa then, btw what does Baralach la has to offer?

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Rohtang pass is blocked from Manali side, not from Keylong side.

That's a relief, thanks.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Instead of day 8 around keylong, why not
Day 3
Tabo to Kaza
4 - Kaza - pin valley - kaza
5. Kaza - monastory sight seeing, koumic kibber
6. Kaza - chandertaal - losar(or khoksar)
7. Khoksar - Manali
8. Manali - Tirthan (spend the afternoon and night there)
9 - Drive back to Delhi

Initially I did want to go to Pin valley but after having read some t-logs I figured that it would be highly unlikely that I'd be able to spot any of those fascinating animals and its like any other part of Spiti region, is that true? (unless Pin Valley offers some great views and landscapes)

If I take out Keylong from the itinerary and include Jispa and Baralach la instead, would it be worth it?

By Tirthan do you mean stay at the Riverside resort, it'd be a little expensive for me considering 1500 a night when I wouldn't be having either breakfast or lunch there. In case there's a cheaper option then I think I could do it, unless Jispa/Baralach la is better.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by fine69

Initially I did want to go to Pin valley but after having read some t-logs I figured that it would be highly unlikely that I'd be able to spot any of those fascinating animals and its like any other part of Spiti region, is that true? (unless Pin Valley offers some great views and landscapes)

If I take out Keylong from the itinerary and include Jispa and Baralach la instead, would it be worth it?

By Tirthan do you mean stay at the Riverside resort, it'd be a little expensive for me considering 1500 a night when I wouldn't be having either breakfast or lunch there. In case there's a cheaper option then I think I could do it, unless Jispa/Baralach la is better.

In that case, skip keylong and do a trip to Baralach la,
Infact,
you can do
Kaza - Chandertaal - Khoksar (Start at 6am from kaza).
From Khoksar, you can do Khoksar- Barlacha la - Sarchu
And then next day do Sarchu manali.
Alternatively, you can come back to keylong after seeing barlacha la.

[lordofgondor]

My comments are inline below:

Originally Posted by fine69

Any decent place to stay you can recommend for the night?

Never stayed at Bhabha Nagar myself, but did see a couple of decent looking hotels while passing the town. Trying to dig info, will let you know when something's found.

I think I'd rather be at Jispa then, btw what does Baralach la has to offer?...

Well, it's a high mountain pass and not far away from Jispa. Also you've a couple of small lakes, Suraj/Deepak taals, along the way.

... By Tirthan do you mean stay at the Riverside resort, it'd be a little expensive for me considering 1500 a night when I wouldn't be having either breakfast or lunch there. In case there's a cheaper option then I think I could do it, unless Jispa/Baralach la is better...

Where did you get the quote for 1500/night? Shouldn't be more than 700/night (EP plan) IMO. Will be sending you a PM on the person to contact to get exact tariff. Other than that, there are few home stays in Tirthan that might suit your budget. Tirthan is indeed a beautiful place to be in, even more so if you like eating freshly prepared trout fish!

EDIT: Just had a word with the contact and yes, they're only offering all meals plan for 1700/couple/night.

Also Tanveer's advice is pretty sound and you can re-plan/re-route your travels as per them.

[dinesha]

Originally Posted by fine69

.

Initially I did want to go to Pin valley but after having read some t-logs I figured that it would be highly unlikely that I'd be able to spot any of those fascinating animals and its like any other part of Spiti region, is that true? (unless Pin Valley offers some great views and landscapes)

fine69

I came back from Kaza a fortnight back. Had to return all the way because Batal-Khoksar was not open by then despite hoping against hopes.

My suggestion. Please don’t skip Pin Valley. Landscape and scenic beauty is mesmerizing, one of the best views in Spiti. I found the best stretch to be between Sagnam and Mud. I was advised in Kaza not to go beyond Sagnam as the stretch between Sagnam and Mud has bad roads and lot of melting glaciers. However as soon as we reached Sagnam we could not stop and decided to do atleast 1-2 kms towards Mud. These 1-2Kms kept on adding up until we reached Mud. Next day while returning from Tabo towards Sangla I wanted to go back to Mud but for my 4 year old son’s etch for the worldly comfort aka Television and Cartoons I had to sadly return.

As far as Spitian wild life is concerned you never know when you can be lucky.
We were lucky to see a big herd of Ibex between Kibber and Tashigang and about 50 Chamurti between Kibber and Kye.

Tsk1979

Tanveer Sir,
I have been avid reader of your travelogues. After reading your travel tales and witnessing your photography skills I wonder whether mine would be worthy to be posted.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by dinesha

Tanveer Sir,
I have been avid reader of your travelogues. After reading your travel tales and witnessing your photography skills I wonder whether mine would be worthy to be posted.

Please don't call me Sir. Tanveer is just fine. And I believer very travelogue is worth writing, because every individual brings something new to the table!

[fine69]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

In that case, skip keylong and do a trip to Baralach la,
Infact,
you can do
Kaza - Chandertaal - Khoksar (Start at 6am from kaza).
From Khoksar, you can do Khoksar- Barlacha la - Sarchu
And then next day do Sarchu manali.
Alternatively, you can come back to keylong after seeing barlacha la.

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

My comments are inline below:

Also Tanveer's advice is pretty sound and you can re-plan/re-route your travels as per them.

Alright, so there's two itinerary I could now come up with:

1st
Day 1 - Delhi to Sarahan / Bhabhanagar - 528 km / 563 km
Day 2 - Sarahan / Bhabhanagar to Tabo (via Nako) - 260 km / 225 km
Day 3 - Tabo to Kaza (via Dhankar/Pin Valley) - 47 km
Day 4 - Visit Ki/Kye Gompa, Kibber, Langza, Komic
Day 5 - Kaza to Khoksar (Trek to Chandratal) - 141 km
Day 6 - Khoksar to Sarchu (via Baralacha la) - 150 km
Day 7 - Sarchu to Jispa - 83 km
Day 8 - Jispa to Manali - 139 km
Day 9 - Manali to Banjar (Tirthan Valley) - 93 km
Day 10 - Banjar to Delhi - 570 km

Questions:
1. In case I wouldn't be able to take the car to Chandratal and trek instead would it be possible to come back and then drive to Khoksar all in one day (assuming I start by 6 AM sharp)
2. What does Sarchu has to offer, coz I've read a lot about the stay options not being that comfortable and expensive too so would it be wise to come back to Jispa instead?
3. In case I do come back to Jispa then should a day/night at Keylong (or any other place) be incorporated?

2nd (in case it is difficult to do the Chandratal trek and then reach Khoksar by late evening)
Day 1 - Delhi to Sarahan / Bhabhanagar - 528 km / 563 km
Day 2 - Sarahan / Bhabhanagar to Tabo (via Nako) - 260 km / 225 km
Day 3 - Tabo to Kaza (via Dhankar/Pin Valley) - 47 km
Day 4 - Visit Ki/Kye Gompa, Kibber, Langza, Komic
Day 5 - Kaza to Losar (Trek to Chandratal) - 58 km
Day 6 - Losar to Jispa - 150 km
Day 7 - Jispa to Sarchu / Keylong (via Baralacha la) - 83 km / 126 km
Day 8 - Keylong / Sarchu to Manali - 117 km / 222 km
Day 9 - Manali to Banjar (Tirthan Valley) - 93 km
Day 10 - Banjar to Delhi - 570 km

Questions in case this itinerary is better:
1. One common question, is it worth going to Sarchu or should I come back from Baralacha la to Jispa/Keylong instead?
2. If at all I go all the way to Sarchu is it possible to do Sarchu-Manali in daylight?

Now something important, last time when we came back from Chitkul the plan was to halt at Narkanda however having been to such a wonderful place Narkanda just didn't fit in in the itinerary any more and we chose to drive down to Delhi directly. I'm pretty sure that having been to Spiti/Lahaul, Tirthan might not look that appealing on Day 9 so in case I plan on doing Manali-Delhi on Day 10 then can that extra day be utilized in a better manner in Lahaul? Or spend that extra day at Kaza itself, go to some remote places, depending on how remote Swift would be able to take us.

EDIT: Or spend that extra day in Pin Valley. I haven't seen too many pictures of this valley, is it worth staying a night at?

Originally Posted by dinesha

My suggestion. Please don’t skip Pin Valley. Landscape and scenic beauty is mesmerizing, one of the best views in Spiti. I found the best stretch to be between Sagnam and Mud.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try to go to Pin valley when going from Tabo to Kaza, time permitting.

[dinesha]

My suggestions:

Day 2 - Sarahan to Tabo (via Nako)
I did Tabo to Chitkul in 9 hours with 1 ½ hour halt at Chango Monestry so the travel time should be comparable. At least in Sarahan you will have better staying options and view to admire.

Day 3 - Tabo to Kaza (via Dhankar/Pin Valley) - 47 km
Tabo to Kaza takes 2 hours. Dankar will additional 2 hours max. So you will have ample of time to do Pin Valley.

You should have flexible plan, don’t pre-book hotels and stay additional nights/days if you like pin valley or any other place. Personally I will happily stay additional night in Mud.

Instead of Kaza consider staying at Rangrik about 5 Kms from Kaza the place is lot more scenic. There is a good hotel-Spiti Sarai there. Owner runs an adventure company from Kaza in partnership with a eurpoean guy. He himself is an avid trekker & Mountaineer. He can arrange all your trek needs for Chandrataal.

Day 4 – Visit Kye –Kibber-Tashigang, Langza-Hikkim-Komic-Stay at Loser
You can easily do the sight scene by early evening. Proceed to Loser it is only about 2 hours drive from Kaza.

You cannot trek to Chandrataal from loser.

Day 5 – Losar-Batal (Trek to Chandratal) - 58 km
Chandrataal trek begins from either from Kunzum Top and Batal. From Kunzum chandratal is descent of about 300 meters, whereas from Batal it is ascent of about 300-400 meters. Howeever trek from Batal side is lot easier.

In most probability you will not be able to take Maruti Swift to Chandrataal even if road is open. If you want to use a vehcle you should arrange from Kaza.

Regards
Dinesh A

[lordofgondor]

My comments are inline:

Originally Posted by fine69

...3. In case I do come back to Jispa then should a day/night at Keylong (or any other place) be incorporated?...

Won't recommend Keylong. Jispa presents some nice trekking opportunities.

Questions in case this itinerary is better:
1. One common question, is it worth going to Sarchu or should I come back from Baralacha la to Jispa/Keylong instead?

No point heading to Sarchu. It's more like a halt for those traveling to Ladakh.

2. If at all I go all the way to Sarchu is it possible to do Sarchu-Manali in daylight?

There's a remote possibility, depending on road conditions and non-stop driving. Not advisable though as you might have to cross Rohtang in fading light/dark.

Now something important, last time when we came back from Chitkul the plan was to halt at Narkanda however having been to such a wonderful place Narkanda just didn't fit in in the itinerary any more and we chose to drive down to Delhi directly. I'm pretty sure that having been to Spiti/Lahaul, Tirthan might not look that appealing on Day 9 so in case I plan on doing Manali-Delhi on Day 10 then can that extra day be utilized in a better manner in Lahaul? Or spend that extra day at Kaza itself, go to some remote places, depending on how remote Swift would be able to take us.

This is tricky. To be on the safe side maybe dropping Tirthan, and adding another day in Spiti/Lahaul valley, could be better.