[gearhead_mait]

Manali Lodge is a good property located little away from the hustle bustle of the Manali town, but the road towards the lodge is a little steep and narrow. We got up early and spent some time in the garden of Manali Lodge.

Some shots at the Manali Lodge






We got ready to visit the Hidimba Mandir which was about 1 km from the hotel. From our last night's experience, we wanted to start early to avoid the rush.

Sherdil towards Hidimba Maata mandir


We reached the temple premises around 7 A.M and parked our car. Hidimba Maata mandir is located amidst Deodar trees and had beautiful carving of various deities over the walls. It is the place where the famous song from the Bollywood film Roja "Yeh haseen wadian" was shot (Yes, it wasn't Kashmir!). The morning puja was being offered and we stood there for a while. The place was relatively free of crowd and from there we went to the Ghatotkach mandir.

Hidimba Maata Mandir








Ghatotkach Mandir


Zoomed in on the tree trunk


After spending some good time there, we quickly had our breakfast and drove back to our hotel. We packed our bags, filled in the last reserve petrol and started our journey back. We wanted to spend some time at the bank of R. Beas which wasn't possible last day. We stopped our car and stood by the bank watching R. Beas flow. There were options of river rafting and we saw that people were highly enjoying the ride but we didn't have much time for that.

At the bank of R. Beas




From Manali we followed route via Kullu and had a brief stop at Kullu to buy woolens for our family. We had plan to reach till Karnal that day and booked an OYO room at run time. We reached Karnal at about 10:30 pm and called it a day.

Day 11

Next day also went in driving without much to update. We reached Varanasi at the end of the next day and checked in to Hotel Kaushik located just beside the highway (that was the only plus point otherwise not at all a good place to stay).

Day 12

Last day of the trip was relatively easy when we had only about 600km to travel. We started at 6 am and reached Shaktigarh at 5:30 pm. We chanced to meet TBHPian Sandipan (* I am very bad at remembering names, apologies for any mistake) at Shaktigarh who was returning from his family trip to Ayodhya hills. We had a good chat, had some snacks and then started our last lap towards home.

Route followed for the return journey


Route Link

Total distance covered


Odometer reading after the trip


Sherdil after the trip

[gearhead_mait]

Few information that may be useful

• Post GST implementation, the congestion at the state borders have reduced considerably.
  
• The Agra-Lucknow Expressway is fully functional and one should use this to avoid unwanted congestion around Sirsaganj-Shikohabad-Firozabad. To connect to ALE from AH1 take the road to Karhal from Etawah. Proper exit from ALE to Yamuna Expressway is also in place. When I traveled on ALE I didn't have to pay toll as it was not operational that time. But now, toll collection has started on ALE.
  
• Maintain speed limit of 80 kmph around Sonipat. Speed traps in place.
  
• In case one is planning for stay in Sarahan (HP), please check on the progress of the bridge repair. If the repair is still in progress and one is taking his own car, specially low GC car, then its better to avoid Sarahan. The alternate route is worse than one can imagine.
  
• The road condition in Spiti is mixed bag from good to average to something close to hell. Average to bad roads lie between Powari to Pooh and worst one's were after Losar i.e. Kunzum Pass - Chandratal - Batal - Gramphoo. Rest of the roads were good with the exception of Maling nallah between Nako and Tabo.
  
• The landscape of Spiti would mesmerize but the high altitude could also bring about unwanted AMS and pose serious health issues. Its always better to do the circuit from the Kalpa side rather than from the Manali side.

Hotel Information in Kinnaur - Spiti

• Sarahan
  
  Hotel Snowflake Sarahan
  
  Contact Details : Mr. Naresh Jishtu: +91 9816686789, Mr. Pankaj:
  +91 9857530034

• Chitkul
  
  Samaa Resorts
  
  Contact Details : Mr. Manmeet Ahluwalia: +91 9892098962, +91 9459408533, +91 9819186633

• Nako
  
  Hotel Reo Purguil (INR 1000 per room/day)
  

• Kaza
  
  Hotel Sodhnam Place (INR 1000 per room/day)
  
  Contact Details : Aman : +91 8988420155
  
  Hotel Spiti Valley (~INR 1500 per room/day)
  
  Contact Details : Mr Tenzin : +91 9418927312 , Mr Jamaica : +91 9418200183

• Chandratal
  
  Jamaica Tent (Family tent with attached toilet INR 3000 including all foods and snacks)
  
  Contact Details : Mr Jamaica : +91 9418200183

• Manali
  
  Manali Lodge(INR 1800 per room/day)
  
  Contact Details : Mr Ravi Thakur : +91 9816316348, +91 9816079653
  

Total Fuel cost for the trip:

Petrol - INR 17000/-

[gearhead_mait]

It was a memorable trip which had a fair share of adventure and thrill. The landscapes left us mesmerized and the serenity pulled us closer to ourselves.

The environment was challenging both for us and our car. But by God's grace we faced no health issues all throughout the trip. "Sherdil" showed its prowess in the Himalayas again and won over our heart. In fact, there was a noise coming from the front right side bearing while we were at Kaza. With that battle scar, it made its way through the treacherous roads to Kunzum-Chandratal-Batal-Gramphoo and the return journey to Kolkata (~2200 kms) but never gave up.

Many thanks for going through the travelogue from the three of us @Team White.

Team White bids Au Revoir and till then keep traveling!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

[BlackPearl]

Mind boggling will be an understatement! I can't imagine going to those places with a hatchback and you are doing it time and again. I am feeling a bit nostalgic as well seeing the pictures and longing to go back again. Rated a well deserved 5 stars. In fact GTO should let people add a special star for bravehearts like you and your wife!

[PointZero]

Simply Speechless and as BlackPearl said you really deserve a special * for these kind of trips.

Thanks for sharing ..

[Samba]

I was driving when i got the link of your travelogue, i stopped at a road side Dhaba, ordered my food, opened the link and saw the photographs at the first glance. Logged in and rated 5*! Came back home and read it in one go. An hour well spent or rather awesomely spent!

Though awesome will be an understatement for both, this trip & travelogue. Hats off to you and your wife's courage. You guys rock.

Hyundai can use this travelogue to promote Hyundai Eon! But again all Eon's cant be Sherdil unless people like you seat behind the wheels!

Will eagerly wait for your next trip so we can get another brilliant travelogue like this.

[saishivaj]

Kudos to you sir, for successfully completing this treacherous journey in a hatchback. And hats off to Sherdil for dealing with everything that the Himalayas threw at it with aplomb. Some of the bits had me at the edge of my chair!
Wonderfully narrated I must say, it had me hooked to the thread from the past hour or so.
Rating it 5 stars.

[parambyte]

Amazing! We too had driven to Spiti via Kinnaur exactly one year ago from Mumbai! What a beautiful place! I hope it doesn't get over commercialised.

[//M]

Woah I can't even imagine Spiti on a hatchback, that too driving all the way to Tashigong and then upto Chandratal. But you guys have been inspirational.

And a big cheers to the Hyundai Eon !

I have been on my Enfield to all these places and have always wondered if I can take our young-hearted Honda City to Spiti or should I leave it for the little-older Honda CRV. But I guess after seeing this travelogue, I can definitely vote for the City.

Beautiful photographs of scintillating vistas, Spiti is really a classic destination. Thanks for taking me back to the memories of my trip to Spiti !

[Lone Ranger]

Originally Posted by gearhead_mait

[
"Neither I belong to my home, nor to the destination
I truly and only belong to the Journey called Life"

Your signature says it all man. I am in awe of what you've accomplished. All too often I think we get caught up in "if I need to do this, then I need to buy that". You've done such a fantastic trip in a regular no frills hatch. Next time I catch myself thinking "I need to get myself a good 4 wheel drive vehicle to do road trips" I am going to remind myself of this thread!

[SajiNSalin]

Congratulations on a spectacular achievement and equally impressive narration and photography. Your experience is truly wonderful.

Two years ago, I and wife drove a Dzire from Ahmedabad through these regions. We were not so fortunate, all the engine bolts sheared off after the last water crossing near gramphoo. The car limped up to Rohtang pass and the engine just died. Fortunately, we were rescued by Team BhPians who had just driven in from Leh.

Let no one be under the impression that this is easily doable in a hatchback. Unless you are very careful, you underbody will be severely damaged and even with the best of care damage to the vehicle is very much possible. Sedans are worse, because of the insufficient ground clearance and approach and departure angles. It would not be wise to take a Honda City over there. Hatchbacks are better in this regard.

Kinnaur and Spiti are very much alive in our memories and we are waiting to go back there. A parikrama around Chandratal lake is soul filling and the stillness of the place the ethereal beauty is simply unforgettable and I rate this as one of the high points of my life. In you next visit, do spend some time in Chandratal and go for a prikrama if possible. It should take you about 2.5 hours.

The apples we bought in Kalpa were the best we have tasted, and incredibly cheap at Rs 500 for a packet of 10kg. Never knew apples can taste so good, and look at what happens when we buy them in cities.

[Safedriver76]

I was eagerly waiting for this post from gearhead_mait ever since i met him at Shaktigarh on the last leg of his epic trip.It was indeed an honour to meet this special TBHPIAN from Kolkata and his equally enthusiastic better half.We had clicked a picture of our chanced meet.I was waiting to upload that picture once the travelogue got posted.So here it goes.Cheers Supratim.

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by gearhead_mait

It was a memorable trip which had a fair share of adventure and thrill. ...

I don't have enough words to describe this travelogue of yours! Simply splendid . I know, this is an understatement but at this odd hour I am speechless after reading your travelogue.

Keep travelling, keep writing and keep smiling!

Cheers,

[sayakc]

What more can be said Soumyajit!
Several adjectives have been used to describe your trip and I don't think I can add anything special. Both of you have nerves of steel to take a hatchback - time and again - to routes where very few dare to take! Keep going and keep sharing such experiences with us.


Hi Safedriver,
Unless I am gravely mistaken, I think I know you. Do you stay in Lake Gardens?

Every day when I return back from my morning walk, riding my Enfield, I see you riding your steed to your office (?). BTW, we met/interacted near Dilip Mukherjee's tea stall (Southern Avenue) sometime back when you came with a friend of yours. Rings any bells?

Originally Posted by Safedriver76

We had clicked a picture of our chanced meet.I was waiting to upload that picture once the travelogue got posted.So here it goes.Cheers Supratim.

Cheers!
Sayak