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Idhar ka hi hu na, udhar ka raha
Safar ka hi tha mein, Safar ka raha!

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

Yes, it was indeed a journey of a lifetime for us. Even when I am starting to write about this epic journey, I am clueless where to start. Should I start with the simplicity and ever smiling faces of the people of the region where getting hold of even the basic needs of life is as complex as one can think of! Or describe the immense beauty of Mother Nature that's the protector of life there. Wherever I start, I would be short of words to describe the contrasting beauty of Kinnaur and Spiti regions of Himachal Pradesh.

While the Kinnaur region amazed us with the mesmerizing views of lush green mountains and snow covered peaks in the background, the Lahaul & Spiti region showed us the jaw dropping sights of rugged landscape that we never witnessed before. The mountains of the Kinnaur region were covered in lush green cover with occasional landslide zones devoid of trees whereas in the Spiti region, the barren mountains dominated with occasional patches of green cover that looked like an oasis.
We witnessed the diversified culture of the region, from beautiful wooden architecture of thousand year old temples of the Kinnaur region to the exquisite monasteries carved in stone of the Spiti region, nestled on the top of the barren mountains looking like an anthill. From the freshly laid tarmac to inexistent roads to no-roads, we have seen it all. We saw the hustle and bustle of some popular tourist destinations and also villages with a population of 30 people and ten families.

While in the Kinnaur region it is the sweetness of the air and sunlight that enhanced the landscape, in the Spiti region Mother Nature displayed its power through wind and water erosion to comb the mountains that gives it an unique appearance.

Both the regions showed us how beautiful our Country is with contrasting beauties and diversified cultures. As the travelogue rolls, the contrast that I referring till now would become more prominent.

For now, a glimpse of the beauty Kinnaur and Spiti regions holds for us:

From the Beautiful landscapes amidst apple orchards


To the last village on the Indo-Tibet border


From the valleys surrounded by lush green mountains


To the rugged landscape with hints of oasis


From Apple trees loaded with the delicious fruits


To the road through nothingness


From hundreds of years old exquisite temples


To stone-carved monasteries tucked on the mountains


From some man made marvels that houses a surprise!


To the surprises that Nature has carved on its own


From a high altitude remotely located magnificent Lake


To the confluence of some lesser known rivers


Let us present to you our travelogue on Kinnaur and Spiti, a road trip from Kolkata

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At the start of this year itself we started planning for a trip to Ladakh. Initially we thought that we would do the trip during the month of August. But, in the job profile we belong, getting a 10-15 days leave from office would require a perfect a synchronization of luck and opportunity. We lacked a bit of both and had to drop the Ladakh plan due to work pressure. Instead, we went for a 3 day trip to Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Jayanti Range in the month of May (Travelogue)

Any trip to North Bengal or Sikkim is heavenly, but there was a slight pain of not being able to make the Ladakh plan happen. In July, we planned a weekend getaway to Santiniketan. While planning for this trip we thought of doing the Lahaul and Spiti loop during the Puja Holidays. Reasons were simple - Unmatched landscape with a feel of Ladakh, Puja Holidays could be clubbed to get some additional days of leave and the serenity and remoteness that the region provides.

But there were a lot of questions going through our minds, prime one being "Can a hatchback do the Spiti Loop?". Although the hatchback in question, "Sherdil", has seen it all and is raring to go but the bigger question would be on the driver. Am I capable enough to take the machine across? Can we cope with the stress of bad roads and high altitude. I dropped an email to HV Kumar with a rough itinerary asking for his inputs. Meanwhile, BHPian Blackpearl's travelogue was published on the Team-BHP website and we had a ready reference guide. Going through his travelogue, we had an idea about the jaw dropping beauty and treacherous roads this place offers.
We were also exploring the possibility to visit Chandrataal and return via Batal-Gramphoo-Rohtang route but chances were slim given the road conditions and frequent landslides in the area. Plan B was mandatory and that was to return via the Tabo-Nako-Kalpa, but we went ahead with Plan A as follows:

Day 1 - Kolkata to Allahabad
Day 2 - Allahabad to Chandigarh
Day 3 - Chandigarh to Sarahan
Day 4 - Sarahan to Chitkul
Day 5 - Chitkul to Nako
Day 6 - Nako-Gue-Tabo-Dhankar-Kaza
Day 7 - Kaza-Key-Kibber-Tashigang-Kaza
Day 8 - Kaza-Chicham-Losar-Kunzum Pass - Chandrataal
Day 9 - Chandrataal-Batal-Gramphoo-Rohtang Pass-Manali
Day 10 - Manali to Karnal
Day 11 - Karnal to Varanasi
Day 12 - Varanasi to Kolkata

Complete Route


Route Link

Best part of this itinerary was that only 5 days leave from office had to be taken and the rest of the days were Durga Puja holidays and weekends.
We finalized our itinerary with H V Kumar and was informed that although Chandrataal is doable but my car could face problems in the Batal-Gramphoo sector. Plan B was also kept handy, in case..

During our Kashmir road trip from Kolkata, we took HVK CHD services to book hotels on the fly and we really liked the concept. So, we went ahead and booked the Ladakh 951 package. We were advised by CHD to make advance payments for two locations in the Kinnaur regions namely Chitkul and Sarahan as it was the festive season and these places were very popular with tourists. We obliged and got our hotel confirmed at Sarahan and Chitkul.
With only two advance hotel bookings and rest to be done of fly, we were ready for the adventurous journey to Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti.

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A week before our trip, it was time to get Sherdil to the workshop for overall check up. Full servicing was done one and half months back with just 2K kms done post servicing. I informed my trusted Hyundai service advisor about the journey ahead and requested him to check the car thoroughly.

We have done a lot of long drives during the last few years, but the essence of this one is quite different from others. The beauty of the landscape on one side and treacherous roads on the other, instilled a cocktail of nervousness and excitement in our mind. Adding to that, driving a 62K+ run small car in that terrain would never be simple. That feeling percolated to our parents as well, more so after a leading Bengali travel magazine published an article on Spiti emphasizing on the bad roads and landslide prone nature of the place.

Excitement was in the air as we approached our travel date of 23rd September, 2017. As usual, we were ready with our luggage loaded in the car and started around 4:45 am from home. It was still dark and the air was loaded with the smell of the grand Autumn festival and our City of Joy was adorned with lights all over. We felt a bit sad to be away from our home during this time, but the excitement of the journey overpowered that.

We kept good speed and stopped for a tea break at Shaktigarh and another small break for breakfast before Topchanchi. The roads were smooth with no traffic snarls at state borders, thanks to GST implementation. We stopped for lunch around Chauparan at 1:15 pm. Progress was smooth till Mohania, after which endless number of diversions started and with slow moving trucks and huge speed breakers, progress rate took a dip. Inspite of that, we crossed Varanasi with relative ease and reached Allahabad at 10 pm. One incident that needs mention was the behavior of the NHAI toll tax employees in UP. Somewhere between Varanasi and Allahabad while paying the toll tax I handed some one rupee coins(smaller ones) to the toll operator.Suddenly, he was infuriated and started shouting as if I had committed a crime. He told that these smaller one rupee coins are not accepted. I was surprised and argued that this was against RBI mandate and NHAI is also a central government autonomous body but my words were falling to deaf ears. I asked for the Toll booth manager-in-charge, but they simply ignored my words and started talking among themselves. Without wasting any more energy and time on this, I simply took the change and moved on. This is the sad state of affairs in the state of UP.

At Panagarh bypass. A stress reliever indeed


Somewhere at Jharkhand


HVK CHD got us booked into Hotel U.R in Allahabad but we were not at all satisfied with the hotel. We were given so called 'Executive Room'; but the rooms were dirty with damp marks all over the walls and we were charged a hefty INR 2500+ incl GST. Food quality was bad as well. Overall, highly overpriced and badly maintained hotel and not recommended for stay.

We didn't expect that from CHD who booked us at hotel Polo Max last year at less than 2K. Nevertheless, we didn't have much energy to check out other hotels so had to check in to this one. We were so unhappy that we thought of booking hotels on our own the next day. But such surprises, good or bad, are part of the journey and one has to accept that.

Route Map:


Route Link

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Being aware that it would be a long journey, we checked out of our hotel early. Although we had to cover ~1000 km in the day, we knew from our earlier experience that it would be relatively stress free. Firstly, 180 kms of Yamuna Expressway takes a chunk of the pain away and on top of that we were planning to take newly built Agra-Lucknow expressway as well, which was supposed to ease the journey and reduce the travel time further.

The roads were good all throughout and we crossed Kanpur around 9 am. We stopped for breakfast at a road side dhaba just outside Kanpur.

Breakfast stop after crossing Kanpur


After about 45 mins break, we started again and in about 2.5 hours we crossed Etawah. It is from here, one has to take the left flank under the flyover and turn right for the state highway road to Karhal for 22 kms. From Karhal, there is an entry flank built to connect to Agra-Lucknow expressway. We were little tensed about the condition of this 22 kms of state highway, but it turned out to be one of the best. Only issue was the sudden appearances of cows, bikes, public etc on roadm so one has to drive carefully.

In no time we connected with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. We found the expressway to be at par with the Yamuna Expressway with a topping of "no toll tax". Yes, toll was still not this effective on this expressway!
The decision to use this expressway to bypass Sirsaganj, Firozabad and Shikohabad turned out to be very good and now we were game for 300 kms of expressway drive, first through Agra-Lucknow Expressway and then Yamuna Expressway.

On the Agra-Lucknow expressway


The Agra-Lucknow expressway merges with the Yamuna Expressway via a newly built flank. Soon, we were driving on the Yamuna Expressway and took a late lunch break at a food joint located on of the exit from the Expressway. While having lunch, I received whatsapp message from Arunashis (TBHP handle lovecars21) that two other WB registered 4X4s (one black Scorpio and a White Mahindra Thar) were on the same route. The thar belongs to Santanu da (TBHP handle SanC) and they were on their way to Chamba. I called up Santanu da and came to know that they were driving at a stretch from Kolkata and he was at Noida and scheduled to stay at Delhi. They deserved a break and I had to travel further. So, we started again after a relatively long lunch break and crossed Delhi around 5:15 pm.

Sherdil on the Yamuna Expressway


A selfie, together!


The stretch between Delhi and Sonipat had some rough patches due to construction work and speed limit was set at 80 kmph with threat of license being cancelled/blocked. We drove through that stretch at a sedate pace.

Stop for famous Aloo Paratha and chai after crossing Panipat


Our faces reflects the excitement


The drive through Haryana and Punjab is always charming. The beautiful highways lined with numerous Dhabas serving lip smacking delicacies coupled with the excitement of visiting the Himalayas the next day - an out of the world experience!

We decided to book OYO rooms for that day and requested CHD not to book any hotels for that day. We checked into a Chandigarh hotel at 10 pm. That was a good hotel at a cheap price of INR 1250/-. We had our dinner and retired for the day.

Route Link

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After driving for around 1750 kms for the past two days, this was the day we were looking forward to. This was the day when we say "Hi" to the ever charming Himalayas and let the fresh air of the mountains wash away all the fatigue. The fact that we had pre-booked the Sarahan hotel before the trip was a big relief and we could enjoy the journey on the lap of the Himalayas without worrying about the hotel booking.

We were not the type of travelers who wakes up late while on holidays, however tired we may be. As usual, we woke up before sunrise, got ready and checked out of the hotel. After topping up on the fuel from a nearby fuel pump, we were hurtling down the road to the Himalayas.

Just before Panchkula


Soon, we crossed Panchkula and were at Himalayan Expressway Toll plaza at Chandi Mandir.

The Himalayan Expressway Toll Plaza


Himalayan expressway is a four lane expressway cutting across the Himalayan range running from Zirakpur (Punjab) till Parwanoo(Himachal Pradesh). Its similar to the Jammu-Udhampur four lane stretch but I somehow felt that in terms of driving pleasure the Jammu-Udhampur stretch takes the cake.

A beautiful sunrise on the way


After Parwanoo, the four lane road gave way to the Himalayan roads we were familiar with – two lane, narrower, hairpins and sharp bends. Along with that we were sharing the road with one of the best hill drivers of the HRTC or Himachal Parivahan buses and they were rightly called the “best” (Why so? More on that as we progress). We took the Barog bypass, crossed Solan reached Kandaghat.

Somewhere on the Barog bypass


From Kandaghat, the National Highway 5 goes straight to Shimla and a narrow road with an "easy to miss" right turn (due to the Bus stand with parked buses) goes towards Chail. The Chail road is too narrow at places to allow two medium sized vehicles to cross each other, so passing places have to carefully judged. And to make it worse, one may find a HRTC bus coming out of nowhere and at speed from the innumerable blind corners. But one thing for sure is the beauty and serenity of the road. The pristine landscape with beautifully lined trees will surely win over one’s heart.

Beautiful landscape just after entering the Kandaghat-Chail road


A majestic valley straight out of a dream


Chail - Where the pine and deodars rule


We reached Chail around 10 am. We were still 180 kms away from Sarahan and we had to decide whether or not to visit Chail Palace. But heart won over head, and we headed to Chail Palace. We had to pay an entrance fee of INR 100 per head and car parking is non-chargeable. The Chail Palace is a prime attraction for tourists visiting Chail, made more popular by the 3 Idiots movie scene involving the 'real' Ranchoddas Chanchad. We parked our car and went inside the palace. There is a huge drawing room with an elegant chandelier and many antique items around the room. The drawing rooms leads to a corridor with bed rooms on each side. A staircase goes up and leads to bookable guest rooms. Yes, if someone has a dream to stay in a palace, look no further (booking done from HPTDC website). The corridor leads to a beautiful ground adjoining the palace with a green carpet of trimmed grass cover all through.

The drawing room of the Chail Palace


Another view of the decoration in the drawing room


Antique items on display along with the painting of the King


The beautiful ground adjoining the Chail palace


The Chail Palace


Duo - at the same place


After spending about an hour in the Chail Palace, we moved on. We crossed Kufri and Narkanda. We gave Hatu peak in Narkanda a miss and moved on towards our destination of the day – Sarahan. After about an hour or so from Narkanda, River Sutlej came into view and followed us all the way till Jeori via Duttnagar and Rampur. It was a beautiful drive along the river with the road zigzagging beside the river. Barring the traffic snarl at Rampur for which lost around 45 mins, the rest of the journey till now was smooth.

The mighty yet exquisite R. Sutlej


Sherdil on the way to Duttnagar


The Hanuman Temple at Rampur


At Jeori, we asked for the direction to Sarahan and came to know that the metalled road from Jeori-Sarahan was closed for repair as a bridge has broken down midway. Only route was a temporary road which goes right after about 700m from Jeori. We followed the direction and there was indeed a road to the right. We reconfirmed from a local about the road to Sarahan and its condition. We were informed that it is the only route to Sarahan and it is metalled for about a km and after that for abour 12 kms its “Kaccha road”. With our hotel already booked, we had no other option than to try that route. All was well till the metalled road ended and for about another kilometre on the Kaccha road. After that, we were shocked to see the condition of the road. It was narrow and steep with about 8 inches deep slush all through. The road is lined with thick bush on both sides and for crossing of two vehicles (one small and one SUV) alongside, one car has to squeeze itself into the bushes. Luckily, till then it was only one Maruti Omni which came down that way. We made slow, very slow progress. Tires skidded and power loss was evident in those thick slush. Even part of the front bumper went inside the mud at places and had to be scraped through. One thing was giving more problem was the deep ruts formed in the slush due to the passage of some large vehicle. It was not an SUV which created that, but I was contemplating how can a vehicle larger than an SUV pass through this place. May be those vehicles are allowed only at night. While I was thinking about all this, just before I approached a hairpin, I saw a medium sized truck coming down. I was clueless about how do I let it pass. But the truck driver squeezed his vehicle halfway into the bushes on the wider shoulder of the hairpin and let me pass. That was not all. After completing another hairpin, I saw a HRTC bus coming down the road. I cursed myself but in this case I was the one who had to oblige for the bus to pass. I reversed downhill and pushed my car into the bushes while the HRTC bus scraped through the mud wall to pass. It was a matter of few inches between my car and the bus.

After about an hour of painful and stressful driving, we reached Sarahan around 5:30 pm. We saw the name of the hotel we were booked into by HVK Central Hotel Desk and entered the car parking space directly. All of a sudden a man comes to us and introduces as the manager-in-charge of the hotel. We gave him the receipt which CHD has given us. But he said that they don’t have a booking for us. We were really stressed out and called up HV Kumar. He assured us that he is look into this with priority. Later, after a few phone calls to and fro, it was realized that a third party received the cash from CHD but didn’t hand it over to the hotel manager or didn’t inform him. The phone calls settled it and the manager let us into the best room of the hotel (valley facing room with balcony). The manager also let us know that in order to avoid the bad road, there is a diversion from Rampur which is longer but have much better roads. But that would not help us now as it is not feasible to take that route while proceeding towards Kinnaur valley due to the long detour of 70 kms.

The Jeori to Sarahan route


The room was clean, very well maintained and the view from the balcony at dusk was just amazing. The famous Bhimakali temple was seen clearly from the balcony. We ordered tea and pakodas and spent a nice evening together. While having tea at around 6:30 pm, we heard from the manager of the hotel that a group of tourists in three Tata Wingers were coming to Sarahan and they were just behind us. But one winger broke down and another was badly stuck in the slush. The tourists called the manager to send a car but none of the cars were available at that moment.

While we were having dinner at 9:30 pm, we saw the three Tata Wingers arrived in front of our hotel with the tourists shouting at the tour operators. The tourists were from West Bengal and they were upset of not being served even a cup of tea since lunch. The stress of the journey was visible in their faces, more so due to the unwanted waste of time that left them with no time to spend in Sarahan. Another problem of these tour operators are that they book only rooms and bring their own supplies, rations and cook with them, In situations like this, at this late hour they had to prepare food and serve the tourists. However, good thing is that it all settled within an hour or so and all of sudden it was good to hear words from one of the tourists asking the tour operator "When are we leaving tomorrow? We shouldn’t be late in starting from here tomorrow just because we reached late here" – That’s the spirit of a true traveller at heart.

We went to sleep and called it a day with a slight tension playing in my head regarding the same road downhill that we have to take tomorrow, probably made worse by these Tata Wingers. Finger’s crossed, but we were not going anywhere before we visit Bhimakali temple and explore a bit of Sarahan tomorrow.

Route followed that day

Route Link

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As the title suggests, the travelogue focuses on bringing up the essence of two diametrically opposite but equally impressive portion of the Himalayas. On this day, we explore the beauty of one of them - The Kinnaur valley.. The land of lush green valleys, filled with world famous Apple orchards and surrounded by tall snow capped mountains where the icy cold clear water of the rivers enhance the landscape - this is pretty much the extent up to which words can explain about Kinnaur valley. For the rest, one has to experience the place in person.

Dawn and dusk in the mountains are mystic. Like an exponential curve, the valleys are washed with bright sunlight or the dark night steps in without much hint. But the sweet spot lies somewhere in between. That sweet spot is the time before the sun peeks through the mountains. The valley remains sleepy, yet not asleep. The fog cover slowly rises up and the birds sing their hearts out. It was such a morning that day. We woke up early to the beautiful song of the birds and went straight to the attached balcony.

The morning view of the Sarahan valley from the balcony


Patches of cloud lit up by the morning sunlight, while the valley remains sleepy


We packed our bags and got ready. Keeping our luggage stacked in our room, we made our way to the famous Bhimakali Temple.

View of the Shrikhand peak on the way


The Bhimakali temple is located just a kilometer away from our hotel. The valley was washed with bright sunlight and the clear sky offered an amazing view of the snow-clad Shrikhand peak. We stopped multiple times in that single kilometer, sometimes even walking up the stairs of the houses to get an amazing view of the mountain ranges.

We reached the temple premises and parked our vehicle just outside the temple. It was around 7 am in the morning which ensured that getting a parking spot wasn't a challenge. The place was relatively crowd free and the sight of the temple was a sight to behold. The 800 year old temple is an example of architectural masterpiece on wood. The temple is surrounded 360 degrees by Himalayas which adds an amazing feel to the place - serene and beautiful.

Outside view of the Bhimakali temple


The beautiful work of art at the entrance gate of the temple


Apart from the main temple building where the deity or the "Shakti", as we call resides, the temple premises also houses other Gods. It felt wonderful to roam around the temple and exploring each corner.

The entrance to the main temple


Other temples within the same premise


The "Bhimakali Shaktipeeth" temple on the left


The temple is build with wood with extraordinary craftsmanship reflecting from every side of the temple. The temple is three-storeyed with carpet wrapped all around the floor. A narrow wooden staircase winds up from the first floor and lands a devotee right in front of the deity mother "Bhimakali".
Whether or not one believes in God, the tranquility of the place is sure to win over one's heart.

A selfie after visiting the temple


Sherdil at the temple parking


On the way to the temple, the road bifurcates. The left goes to the temple, while the right turn takes one to the HPTDC, Sarahan. I heard that the HPTDC properties are located at the best places but now I witnessed the same. The property has unobstructed view of the Bhimakali Temple on one side and the clear view snow clad Shrikhand peak on the other. Highly recommended, if staying at Sarahan.

After the darshan of goddess Bhimakali, we had our breakfast from a local shop just outside the temple. Hot Aloo Parathas were served with butter and followed up with piping hot cup of tea. With the cold weather and the ambiance of the place, nothing can beat the feeling.

After spending a nice one and half hour, it was time to return to our hotel, load our luggage in the car and check out. A lot more to explore and with a lot more adventure beckoning, it was time we say goodbye to Sarahan for the moment.

A picture of the snow clad Shrikhand peak


Sherdil, on the way back to the hotel


After reaching our hotel, we headed straight to our rooms to get the luggage. From the experience we had last day, we knew the worst stretch we had to cover and its always better to start early to avoid/counter any delay. We started from our hotel sharp at 8:45 am and within two kilometers we were at the junction from where a sharp right turn marks the start of the downhill trail that would last for about 11 kilometers. The stretch was slushier than last day with ruts so deep at places that the front bumper of my car went inside the slush. Although the downhill drive through the slush ensured that the skidding of the tires is reduced but that was to change. All went well till about 5 kms after which a large truck came uphill from nowhere and literally stopped in front of me. It was a hairpin bend which the truck took and that meant that it cannot reverse. On top of that it was the worst slushy area and I have reverse uphill in that slush and park on the side facing the deep gorge. Nothing could be worse and with traffic building on both sides, it was slowly turning into a bottleneck.
Sherdil performed flawlessly cutting through the mud and we were able to park our car sufficiently "right justified" to make the truck pass. Soon, the traffic dispersed and luckily there was no more drama till we reached Jeori. From Jeori, now we had to take the road to the right that goes to Kalpa-Kinnaur.

Jubilance!


As we moved along the road from Jeori onwards towards Kinnaur valley, some breathtaking scenery unfolded. The mountains were lined in such a way with waterfalls running along the slope that gave a feeling of a painting on a canvas.

Amazing scenery all along the road..



..graced with beautifully lined trees


And settlements of really lucky people


Soon, we reached the Karchham i.e. the confluence of R. Sutlej(flowing from Spiti side) and R. Baspa (flowing via Chitkul). From here, the straight road goes to Kalpa or Spiti Valley and the right turn to cross a bridge proceeds towards the beautiful villages of Sangla, Rakhcham and Chitkul. For today, our destination was Chitkul, so we took the right turn and crossed the bridge over the confluence of R.Sutlej and R.Baspa

A picture taken just after crossing the bridge

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After turning right from Karchham, the narrow winding zig zag road opened the up the Kinnaur valley in front of us. The road ran alongside the beautiful R. Baspa, sometimes spiraling up the mountains leaving the river looking like a thread of water and sometimes coming downhill right next to the river. The brilliant view of the mountains and valleys added to the pleasure of the drive.

At Karchham


The famous dragon-mouth mountain on the way to Sangla


Beside the R. Baspa



A memorable drive along the Himalayas


The Baspa dam


After crossing the Baspa Dam, the road turns narrower and climbs uphill with consequent hair pin bends. It was the day of "Durga Sasthi" and we already had the luck to offer our prayers at the Bhimakali temple. Least we expected that we would be offered "Bhog" (or Prasad) at a Durga Mata mandir on the road to Sangla. We were driving through the narrow roads cautiously and were feeling a bit hungry as it was already past noon. Suddenly we saw a Durga mandir on the road. We were stopped and without even asking were handed over two plates of "Halwa" and fruits. We stopped for a while and ate the delicious "prasad" enjoying the calm and serene atmosphere of the place. Most of the time, we lose out on enjoying the place in the race to reach our destination. May be the goddess wanted us to stop and relax for a while in her lap.

We crossed the town of Sangla, the only town of the region. Sangla is the commercial hub of the region and also a popular tourist place.

The road with Natural roof


The thread on the left is the road


The beautiful landscape just after Sangla


The Tukpa valley marks the entrance to beautiful valleys and famous apple orchards. The apple orchards lies just beside the road. This being the season of apples, its too tempting to see apple trees loaded with brightly colored delicious fruits that too within the reach of our hands.

The entrance to Tukpa valley


The loaded apple trees


And some beautiful scenery on the background of the apple orchards



Sherdil wanted a shot here as well


The road through the apple orchards


About 17 kilometers from Chitkul, we were stopped again but this time it was for some road construction work. We were told that it would take around 15 mins, but the it extended for about 45 mins. Being so close, our mind was already in Chitkul and each passing minute made us more impatient. I spent some time talking to the locals about their daily lifestyle and they expressed interest in understanding the city life as well.
After the road work was done, we were allowed to pass and there were no more stoppages. Only we had to enter our name in a register and show our id cards at a ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police) check post at Rakhcham and were let go. This was done as Chitkul is the last Indian village on the Indo-Tibetan border.

The beautiful valley at Chitkul seen from a distance


We had our booking done at Samaa Resorts. The good thing about this resort is that it the last Indian hotel at Chitkul and thus had unobstructed view from each room.

Sherdil at the hotel parking


We completed the check in formalities in the hotel but decided to keep the luggage in the car only for the moment. It was already past 4 pm and unloading the luggage from the car would have led to further wastage of time. Moreover, the luggage unloading could be done at night, and who wants trade that for the beautiful sunset around the Baspa river!
It was late for lunch and we were too hungry. We ordered whatever would have been quicker. After lunch, with whatever woolens we could gather without opening the luggage, we went to the Baspa river bed which was a walking distance from the hotel. The approach road to the river bed from the hotel had a metaled road, but we decided to walk our way through.

On the road to the Baspa river bed


There is a secondary school right alongside the Baspa river bed. Also, there is an additional stay option on the Baspa river bed popularly called the Baspa River Camp. It had permanent tents set up for some adventurous souls.

It was already 5 pm and the beautiful sunset over the Baspa river won over our hearts. The mountains looked like a volcano with the light from the setting sun and its reflections lit up the Baspa river as well - a sight to behold.

Shot from the Baspa river bed


The brilliant sunset will be etched in our memories forever


Even after sunset, we spent some time lazing on the river bed. The icy cold water flowing over the rocks broke the otherwise calm and serene atmosphere of the place.

On the Baspa river bed


A selfie at the same place


After sunset, the temperature dipped and we could feel the cold in spite of two layer of warm clothing. We planned to roam around the beautiful Chitkul village at night, but the shops were closed by 7:30 pm and the village turned nearly empty. The cold was getting unbearable with each passing hour, so we decided to go back to our hotel. We had our dinner and went to sleep.

Route followed for the day


Route Link

[gearhead_mait]

This was the day when we travel from the beautiful mountains and lush green valleys of the Kinnaur to the barren and rugged mountains of the Spiti Valley. The excitement to see Spiti valley with our own eyes was prevalent but we didn't want to hurry. Besides, the beautiful and remote village of Chitkul still needed some more time to explore!

The morning at Chitkul was worth remembering for the rest of our lives. Our allotted room was in second floor with an attached balcony facing the beautiful valley with Baspa cutting across it. Standing at the balcony, we enjoyed every bit of the transition from pre-dawn to dawn till sunrise. The sunrise over the valley was beautiful with the morning sunlight slowly touching down upon the Baspa river. The Baspa river shone in an orange hue from the light of the sun while part of the valley was still in dark. It was a sight to behold and marked a wonderful start to our day.

Chitkul valley at pre-dawn. Clicked from the hotel balcony


A selfie at the balcony


As the morning sun washed the valley with bright sunlight, it was time to explore the exquisite but remote village of Chitkul. Our first destination was the Mathi Mata Mandir which is a local temple dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi. It was cold outside and the chilly breeze made its presence felt by piercing through the woolens. Our car, Sherdil, was covered in a layer of ice which indicated subzero temperatures during the night.
We walked though the Chitkul village which was slowly waking up to the daily chores of life. The people were very simple and down to earth. When we asked for directions to Mathi temple, one guy asked us to follow him and guided us there. Being a small village, every place was only a few minutes walk from our hotel.

The windscreen covered with thin sheet of ice


The beautiful morning at Chitkul


A herd of cows taken out for grazing. Simple life @Chitkul


On the way to the Mathi Mata temple


The Mathi temple is located at the center of the village at a surreal location surrounded by mountains. The people of the village had a strong belief in the power of the holy goddess. When we reached the temple, the priest was already done with the morning offering and locked the gate. We requested if the gate could be opened but we were denied entry by the priest while pointing to a board which said "Entry by written permission only". We respected the decision. A local woman informed us that the goddess looks after the well being of the people of the village and villagers in turn offer their prayers everyday. We offered our prayer from outside the temple while admiring the exemplary work of art on the wooden walls of the temple.

A big wooden door marks the entrance to the temple


A shot taken just outside the temple gate


The Mathi Mata temple with the beautiful backdrop


A close up showing the intricate masterpiece on wood


Other small temples within the same premise


Happiness - driven by the wonderful place and graced equally by awesome weather


It was already 8 am and we were still without breakfast. The next destination would serve a dual purpose of visiting the place (Yes, its famous!) as well as satiate our hunger. "Hindustan ka Akhri Dhaba" - as the place is called, is a dhaba located a few steps down the entry road to Chitkul towards the right. The unique selling point of the dhaba lies in its name, after all who would not love to eat at the last dhaba in India. But there is one more beautiful feature of the dhaba - the location. The place is wonderfully carved out on the mountain side with a beautiful view of the flowing R. Baspa right below the dhaba. Its definitely worth trying if one is at Chitkul, not only for the food but for the few minutes of absolute peace and serenity.

Only the signboard of the Dhaba is visible from the road


Then, one has to climb down by the staircase


The simple dhaba in an exquisite location


The dhaba with beautiful view all around..


..and a flowing, gorgeous R. Baspa right below


We ordered toast and egg for breakfast along with a nice and hot cup of tea. While having our breakfast, we had a chat with the Dhaba owner who shared some useful information regarding Chitkul and the areas around it. We also shared our plan for the day to reach Tabo which, according to the Dhaba owner, seemed too optimistic. Reason being the stoppages due to road work or landslides which Spiti is so famous for.
We valued his opinion but decided to stick to the original plan to reach Tabo that day and decide as we make progress. Moreover, we didn't have any hotel booking done at Tabo and had to depend on HVK CHD group for hotel booking on the fly. There were many uncertainties involved, primary one being the landslide prone treacherous roads that we would be treading on from that day onwards. The silver lining though was the thrill of seeing an unparalleled landscape of Spiti valley, which we had never seen before.

After breakfast, we went to our hotel. The luggage was already packed and we checked out of the hotel at 9 am. Sangla, Chitkul or for that matter the whole Kinnaur valley are world famous for their apple production in terms of quality. On inquiring, the hotel owner told us that the apples were still not picked at the orchards around Chitkul/Rakhcham and we should try our luck at the Sangla market.
We thanked them for their hospitality and started from Chitkul.

View from the road just outside Chitkul


A brief stop to allow a flock of sheep crossing the road


A view of the Rakhcham valley


As we were driving though Rakhcham, suddenly we saw a white colored Innova Crysta bearing WB number plate coming from the opposite direction. I stopped my car, so did the other car. It was a pleasure meeting a like minded traveler in the form of Soumitra Bhattacharjee who was traveling with his family. We knew about each other from the travel groups in FB, but we met for the first time here, that too, far away from home and while traveling. We exchanged our plan for the trip and it turned out that we were more or less in sync and there was definitely chances of crossing each other along the way. We bade farewell to each other for the moment and moved on.

As we approached Sangla, our mind was lingering around the famous Kinnaur apples. Passing through the apple orchards and looking at the trees loaded with apples enhanced the feeling.

The loaded Red Apple tree at Sangla


The Golden Apple tree


As we were crossing the marketplace at Sangla, our eyes were scanning through the shops for the apples. At last, we saw a crate of red apples on sale at one fruit shop. We parked our car and went straight to the shop. We decided to taste one apple first and after one crisp bite at the fruit we knew why these apples were world famous! We packed 4 kilograms of the fruit for our home and the price was nominal at INR 50 per kilogram.

We moved on and slowly started to descend again towards Karchham.

Another shot of the beautiful landscape on our way down


The Durga Mandir where we were served "Prasad" the day before


We reached Karchham around 11 am, crossed the bridge and turned right towards Spiti Valley.

[gearhead_mait]

It was close to noon and we still had around 160 km to cover if we were to reach Tabo. We were definitely behind schedule but not in the mood to rush and lose out on the scope to enjoy the beauty of the place. One important thing to mention for this round of the journey is regarding the availability of fuel station. The last petrol pump before entering Spiti valley would be at Powari and the next one would be at Kaza, around 200 kms away. Keeping in mind the treacherous roads ahead, its always better to have some additional stock of fuel apart from filling full tank of fuel in the car.

After turning right from Karchham, it was R. Sutlej that followed us running parallel to the road.

The beautiful scenery on the way to Powari


Apart from some rough patches of the road due to ongoing construction work in the tunnels, the road was good till Powari.

R. Sutlej in full glory and the road running parallel to it


We reached Powari around 12 pm and filled up the car with full tank of petrol from a HP petrol pump. Apart from that we had two Jerry cans of 10 liters capacity each and we took 15 liters of additional fuel in those.

All set with the fuel requirement, we started our journey again. After crossing the exit for Kalpa, the metaled road gave way to "Kaccha" mountain road with lose gravel and boulders. The road with broken mountains around gave a feeling of heavy landslide prone area. There were a convoy of military trucks ahead of us and the road was narrow at places which required careful maneuver for two trucks to pass side by side. As a result, the progress was slow. Later we came to know that there was an ongoing road widening project for which blasting was being done. In some places traffic from one side was being passed at a time which further delayed our progress. After traveling for about 5 kms through these bad section of the road, the traffic was stopped and we were informed that a road clearing work is in progress. It took about half an hour for the road clearing operation.

Sherdil at the start of the broken stretch after Powari


Negotiating through the risk-prone terrain


Movement, after the road clearing operation


As we made progress, the mountains started to take the barren form. The sky was clear and it's color was unimaginable.

Contrasting nature of the mountains separated by R. Sutlej


Another view of the contrast with impeccable color of the sky


The rough patch gave way to smooth roads till Moorang. We had to enter our name and show our identity proofs at a ITBP checkpost. After crossing Spello, the road was absolutely desolate and rough, with small rocks scattered all over the road. The road from Spello to Pooh was devoid of traffic and we saw cars coming from opposite direction once every 20 mins or so. The landscape had already changed to showcase the domination of barren and rugged mountains with Sutlej giving us company all along. At Moorang, we contacted HVK CHD team for hotel booking at Nako, as reaching Tabo was looking unfeasible. CHD team asked us to drive till Pooh and then decide on the place of stay.

Nice patch of mountain road near Moorang


The desolate stretch between Spello and Pooh


Another view of the broken and desolate stretch


In spite of the bad roads, we were able to maintain average to good speeds due to less traffic and no hold-ups, but that was going to change. About 12 kms before Pooh, we saw a long queue of vehicles, including trucks and military convoy. I parked my car to the left side (to allow oncoming traffic) and inquired on the situation. I was informed that the road was blasted for widening and now the road was being cleared. Problem was that the blast had resulted in a medium landslide and it would take around 1.5 hours to clear. Hold-ups like this has the potential to throw any planning out of the window. We didn't have anything for lunch till that time, and thus utilized the time to munch on some dry food items we were carrying with us. A military jeep which was parked behind us, suddenly reversed and moved towards the right flank of the road. I was also asked by the military personnel to move my car to the right, as the mountain beside us was brittle and has a possibility to collapse. The road being narrow and the mountain beside us being so high that we couldn't see it's tip, I wondered how a displacement of a few feets to the right would save us. But, considering their expertise and knowledge of the region, I took their suggestion and moved my car to the right.

A shot taken while waiting for the road to clear


The road was cleared after about 1:45 hours. After this stoppage, our plan for Tabo was surely dead and we decided on Nako for night stay. But the problem was there was no mobile signal for Airtel and Vodafone in the place and we couldn't send our plan to CHD group. Moorang was last where we were able to contact them.

After the road was made open for traffic movement, we made good progress and soon reached the town of Pooh.

The town of Pooh seen at a distance


Somewhere after crossing Pooh


After driving for 12 kms from Pooh, we reached a place called Khab. Khab is famous for the Sangam of the two rivers of the region - R. Sutlej and R. Spiti

The Sangam


Sherdil at the Khab Sangam


A menacing stance


Beautiful mountains seen from Khab Sangam


After crossing Khab, we started an uphill climb towards Nako. R. Sutlej was following us till Khab. Khab onwards it was the turn of R. Spiti. The "Kah-Loops" took us upwards through multiple hairpin bends and at the same time made the Spiti river look smaller and smaller and beautifully camouflaged among the rugged landscape.

Rugged landscape - A trademark of Spiti Valley


The Kah-loops - Seen from above


The road from Pooh onwards was in a very good state. The Kah loops was freshly laid as well which made the drive easier. With each hairpin bend we were climbing upwards and the last hairpin opened up a brilliant landscape in front of us. A nice valley surrounded by mountains which ends in a deep gorge that belong to River Spiti. The side of the mountains was so smooth that they looked like being combed by Nature.

The Nako village seen at a distance - Greenery amidst barren mountains!


Sherdil looking on towards Nako


The journey was tough but at the end of the day her smile says it all!


A picture after crossing Kah Loops


A selfie!


We reached the Nako village around 4:30 pm and our mobile networks (both Airtel and Vodafone) were still not available. After inquiring we got to know that only BSNL serves the entire Spiti Valley. This was the vital part we forgot to research while planning for this trip. Well, every aspect of a trip, specially a road trip, cannot be fully planned nor followed. Nevertheless, we had the ever helping people of Spiti with us. One of them gave their mobile and told us that we could use his mobile to make the call. I thanked him and called up HV Kumar. He and CHD team were also trying to reach us but couldn't. He told us that CHD had already inquired and found available rooms at Hotel "Reo Purguil" which is located at the center of the Nako village. They have not booked any room as we were unreachable all the way. Having noted down the name of the hotel, we rushed to the hotel. The hotel is located just beside the road about 2 mins walk from the Nako Monastery. Rooms were available and we first saw the room and booked it on the spot. The room rent was reasonable as well at INR 1000 per room.
After getting the luggage to our room, we went for a walk to the Nako Monastery and Nako Lake.

The entrance of the Nako Village


Nako is situated at an altitude of 3662 meters (12003 feet) and the weather was very cold and dry. We had to put gloves on our hand while walking through the village.

A picture taken from the Nako village


The Nako monastery is a brief 2-3 minutes walk from the center of the village. It was already close to dusk and we had to walk to Nako Lake as well. So, we spent some time around the Monastery and started walking towards the Nako lake.

The Nako Monastery


The walk from the Nako Monastery to the Nako Lake is special. The narrow path laid with stone, crisscrosses between the houses of the Nako village. While walking we found some villagers doing their work below their houses while some of them were busy putting their cattle back to the shed. We were witnessing a set of typical day end activities of the villagers, which were so normal yet so unique. The houses itself were somewhat different architecturally as if they belong to a bygone era. The verandah of a two storeyed stone house were supported by non-uniform wooden pillars placed at an angle and we were walking right under it. It felt like we had set our foot on a time machine and went around 500 years back.

There were multiple diversions along the way, like a puzzle, but we made it to the Nako lake at sunset. Nako lake is a high altitude lake at 12000+ feet and is considered sacred by the villagers here. The clear water of the lake surrounded by mountains including Mt Reo Purguil felt heavenly at dusk. We stood there for sometime just to feel the tranquility of the place.

A picture of the Nako lake at dusk (pardon the picture quality as the light was too low)


We went back to our hotel retracing the same path. There was a Tibetan restaurant right in front of our hotel where we ordered some Momos. Afterwards, we spent some time lazing around the hotel and doing some shopping. A souvenir shop run by a Tibetan lady right in front of Reo Purguil hotel is highly recommended. We had our dinner early from our hotel and went to sleep.


The route followed for the day


Route Link

[gearhead_mait]

The morning at Nako was our first in the Spiti valley and it was little different from the places in the Kinnaur valley. Being the festive season, the Kinnaur valley was little crowded with tourists but as soon as we entered the Spiti region, we could see very less number of tourist vehicles. The morning at the Nako village was calm and serene with no noise whatsoever. It was also a first for us in terms of viewing a sunrise over absolutely barren mountains.

The view from our balcony


Our hotel "Reo Purguil"


We got ready and packed our luggage as we had to make up for the additional 60 odd kilometers till Tabo which we couldn't cover last day. Apart from that, there were some detours involved as well to Gue, Dhankar and Mudh before reaching Kaza.

We inquired at the hotel and found that breakfast would take some time to prepare. So we decided to have breakfast somewhere on the way and ordered two cups of tea. Instead of sipping on the tea at the hotel dining, we decided to walk around the Nako village to soak in the fresh morning air with a hot cup of tea. As soon as we stepped out, we found two groups of bikers - one comprising of Indian nationals while the other some foreigners - checking their rented Royal Enfields and KTMs before doing the Spiti loop. Spiti valley loop is very famous among the riders across the globe and the motorcycles clearly outnumber the cars traveling in the region. We also saw a group riding on bicycles last day near Pooh.

A walk through Nako village in the morning


Myself, absolutely mesmerized by the ambiance!


A cup of tea, a cold morning and stunning vistas!


After a nice walk around the village, we returned to our rooms, loaded the luggage in the car and checked out of the hotel. First hurdle was to cross the dreaded "Malling Nallah!". The Malling Nallah is famous for landslides and treacherous roads. After about 2.5 kms from Nako and another kilometer of uphill climb covering a few hairpin bends, we were at Malling Nallah. Luckily, the weather God's have been kind to us and we had no problems climbing up to Malling.

A picture of Nako village seen from a distance


The morning vistas around as we make uphill climb to Malling


Welcome to Malling


The Malling Nallah


At the time of crossing the Malling Nallah, the nallah had little water. The time of our travel i.e. early morning played a part on having less water at Malling. But after crossing the nallah, the tarmac vanishes and the road narrows down significantly. Traffic in this section was being managed by Army, as there was no space for two vehicles (even small ones) to cross at the narrow portion of the stretch.

A video taken while crossing the Malling Nallah stretch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TutOmxnMKgg

After crossing the Malling Nallah, the road quality improved significantly. But still the progress was not good due to innumerable photo stops taken by us. But we can't blame ourselves, as the vistas around with barren mountains and green patches simply bowled us over. The river Spiti was slowly uncovering herself to gorgeous color and clearer water as we made progress towards Chango.

Sherdil just after crossing Malling


The downhill road from Malling with Nature artwork all around


Looking small but with a heart of a Lion - "Sherdil" | The road to Chango


A long travel by road just to be amidst such surreal landscapes. Happiness Guaranteed!


No camera could capture what we saw and no words can explain what the camera captured


The mountains were barren and the sky was clear. The river spiti winding along the road enhanced the surrounding. The village of Chango is hard to miss for the fact that it adds the color of green to the canvas, so rare in this rugged environment. The village is surrounded by apple orchards, probably the first one we saw in the Spiti valley. The Chango village looked very well planned in terms of architecture and is beautifully tucked in the lap of the Himalayas. The apple trees there, just like Sangla, were loaded with fruits.

We wanted to visit the village once, but that would have been a detour. From a junction, the road to the left went to Chango, while we continued straight towards Sumdo.

The beautiful village of Chango


Although we fell short of our destination "Tabo" the last day, but that came as boon in disguise. If we were to reach Tabo, we would have to take the risk of crossing Malling Nallah around dusk which was risky. More importantly, we would have missed the beautiful village of Gue, which is a detour of 9 km from Sumdo. There was one more thing that we would have missed and I will cover that in my next post.

After crossing Sumdo, there was a entrance gate to the right with a Kaccha road with more or less smooth surface running though it. It was the auspicious day of "Durga Ashtami" and we wanted to visit all the Monasteries along the way. We left the main road and entered through the gate. The road was absolutely desolate. It was morning time and with only a few tourist vehicles in this part of the Spiti valley, expecting another vehicle to make a detour along this road looked highly improbable. The landscape around the road was something out of the fictional story books!

Few pictures enroute Gue village






After traveling about 4 kms, the Gue village could be seen at a distance. Similar in appearance as the other villages of the region, this village had one thing that stands out - The Gue Monastery that and the 600 year old Mummy of Sangha Tenzin.

The beautiful Gue village seen at a distance


A lone milestone


The Gue village with the overlooking Gue Monastery


Gue Monastery - Zoomed in!


The Gue, being a remote village, has a small population of people of Tibetan origin. The road climbs up to the Monastery from the back side after crossing the village. We could hardly spot anyone in the village at first. After traveling a bit, we inquired from a woman for the road to the Monastery. I still don't know whether she understood what we were saying but she gave us a nice smile and pointed us to the correct direction.

Along the way, we saw a group of people who appeared to be amazed by looking at us. May be we were like alien to them

The beautiful Gue village road


Taken from a hairpin bend - The Gue Monastery with the stunning backdrop


The Gue village as seen from road to the Monastery


Sherdil demanded a snap with the background


We reached the Monastery and found a large parking place in front of the Monastery. But our's was the only car to be parked there. There was no one around the monastery and main gate was closed with wooden stick around the door handles. We tried to search for someone but not a single soul was around. I removed the wooden stick and opened up the monastery main gate and found that it was a new building and the interior is still incomplete. At the altar of the newly built monastery, there was a construction appearing like a grave. I tried to look inside that as well but we were unable to locate the famous mummy. We locked the main entrance again with the wooden stick. We were feeling distressed when suddenly an ITBP personnel appeared out of nowhere from the parking spot. We asked him about the mummy when he handed over a set of keys and told us that it is inside the small building at the left side corner of the monastery premise. We thanked him and moved straight towards the building. On opening the gate, we were awestruck by looking at the 600 year old mummy of Sangha Tenzin in a glass enclosure. Never before we saw anything or rather anyone like this.

My wife in front of the Gue Monastery. The white building to the left is where the mummy is kept


The 600 year old mummy of Sangha Tenzin


We were lucky to be able to visit Gue village, probably one of the sweetest villages in India and most importantly see a mummy sitting in front of us.

Truly, the Himalayas never ever fail to surprise us!

[gearhead_mait]

After a wonderful visit to the Gue monastery, it was time to move on. It was already past 10 am and we didn't have our breakfast till now. After coming down from the Monastery, we asked the locals about any hotel serving food in the Gue village but found that there was no such provision in the village. We bade farewell to the beautiful village of Gue and made our way back to the highway.

The entrance gate at the start of the detour for Gue village (taken on the way back)


Hardly about a kilometer after connecting to the highway and moving towards Tabo, there was a surprise waiting for us! There was a Durga Mandir just on the side of the road overlooking the River Spiti. As it was Durga Ashtami, we stopped our car briefly, lowered the car windows and offered our "pranam" to Goddess Durga. Suddenly, an ITBP officer posted there told us that the Ashtami Puja is in progress and we should visit the Mandir once.
We obliged and decided to halt for a few minutes. The puja was being organized by ITBP and the location of the mandir was something worth mentioning. Surrounded by mountains and with R. Spiti flowing just below, the ambiance of the place was amazing. On top of that, being able to witness a Durga Ashtami puja about 2300 kms away from home was amazing. We stood before the Mandir for a few minutes and offered our prayers, while listening to the the sacred chants ("mantras"). We thanked the ITBP personnel for letting us witness the Durga Puja.

As we were leaving the place, the ITBP officer told us that they have arranged for a sit-and-eat event on the mandir premises and asked us to have some prasad before we leave. We told them that we had a long way to go and were running short of time, but he was relentlessly asking us for 10-15 minutes of our time. We ultimately had to oblige to their request. The sitting arrangement was done just beside the mandir. Red colored rugs were spread on the rocky landmass overlooking Spiti river where the locals sat awaiting the prasad distribution. As we approached the place, the local people welcomed us to sit beside them. We were simply bowled over by the hospitality being offered. We were offered Puris , three different kinds of Sabjis and Halwa, all being prepared by the ITBP jawans posted there. There were happy faces all around and we had a fair share of laughter together while gorging on the delicious food items.

We were hungry and see what Goddess Durga had planned for us! Sitting among the landscape we love so much and being offered food by ITBP sitting among the local people, it felt heavenly. It was a surprise we would cherish for the rest of our lives and this was another beautiful thing we would have missed if we had stuck to our original plan of reaching Tabo last day. In a road trip, planning is necessary but when the plan goes haywire, surprises like these pops up and adds to the magic of travel.

The Durga Mandir


Myself with hand raised at the sit-and-eat spot


The Arrangement and Ambiance


Landscape on the other side of the Durga Mandir


After a heavenly experience, we thanked all and bade farewell. The clock was showing a time of 11:15 am and we started our journey towards Tabo.

The landscape kept getting better and better en route Tabo


With less tourists around in the region, the serenity of the place gripped our senses


And the green patches over barren landscape soothed our eyes


From the mandir, the distance to Tabo was about 25 kms and the road quality was good. We were able to make good progress and within 45 mins we were on the outskirt of Tabo.

The Tabo town seen at a distance


We reached Tabo around 12:15 pm. In order to reach the town of Tabo, one has to exit the highway and take a left turn towards the Tabo town. Unlike Nako village, where one can enter the village and connect to the highway again without taking a U-Turn, the road to Tabo town is a dead end. In order to connect to the highway again the same route of entering the Tabo town had to be taken.

The town of Tabo was very organized and planned. The main attractions of the town are the Tabo Monastery which is considered the oldest in the region and the beautiful location of the town wrapped on all sides by tall and barren mountains. It is highly recommended to stay for a night at Tabo.

A red colored newly built monastery would attract the eyes of the visitor as soon as one enters Tabo. We parked our car and went inside the monastery premise. The architecture of the monastery resembled the traditional buildings of the Spiti region, a rectangular flat-top like structure, but there were subtle touches that presented it in a modern way. There was an apple orchard just in front of the monastery and the trees were filled with the seasonal fruits.

We spent some time and walked around the place but all the while, a question popped up in our minds. The monastery that we heard of was more than 1000 years old and but the one we saw seemed like built an year or so ago. Our question was answered by a local who told us that the red colored building is the new building of the monastery. The old building lies a few meters walk behind the new building and bears the color of its surroundings i.e. the barren mountains.

The apple trees in front of the new building of Tabo Monastery


The new building of Tabo Monastery


A Buddhist stupa just behind the new building


The old building of the Tabo Monastery resembles its surroundings


After a quality time spent at Tabo, we decided to move on. Our next destination was Dhankar Monastery which is around 31 kms from Tabo, but we had to take a detour of 8 kms to the right from a Y-junction after traveling about 23 kms on the highway.

Exiting Tabo though the Tabo bridge


Kurith - a village en-route with population of 30 people


Landscapes straight out of dreamland!


Thinking about taking a plunge? Bad idea! The water is icy cold


Arrow straight roads and not another soul in sight. Just enjoy the drive!


River Spiti runs parallel to the road and adds magic to the drive


The Y-junction | The road to the right climbs up to Dhankar Monastery, the left side road goes to Kaza


We took the road to the right and started the uphill climb of 8 kms negotiating multiple hairpin bends. The climb was moderately steep but the road quality was good throughout.

After a few hairpin bends, a wonderful surprise unveiled itself. On one side, the Dhankar monastery revealed itself from a distance. It was an architectural marvel, being perched on top of the mountain which looked like an anthill from a distance. On the other side, the confluence of River Pin and River Spiti could be seen from above. It was a visual treat which would remain in our memory for long.

The prayer flags flattering in the breeze! En route Dhankar Monastery


The confluence of River Pin (left) and River Spiti (right) as seen from above


The Dhankar Monastery (right) and the Confluence of the rivers (left) in a single frame


The Dhankar Moanstery - up close


We parked our car about 100 meters away from the Monastery. The monastery is an exquisite engineering masterpiece. From a distance it appears that the monastery is built on top of the mountain but when one reaches the monastery, it is the mountains only that been cut and acts as the foundation of the building. The outer periphery of the building is built with stones whereas the existing mountain is cut accordingly to design the interior of the monastery. The staircase is also made by the cutting the existing mountain.

A view from the Dhankar Monastery


"Sherdil" parked outside the monastery along with other Tourist cars


A little boy peeked from above in 3-Idiots style


We went inside the monastery and climbed up the stairs to reach the first floor and then the second floor. There we found the sweet little boy, who introduced himself as Angroop Rinchen, He was given the responsibility to collect a voluntary donation of INR 25/- per head from visitors which would go to the fund of the Monastery. We spent some time talking to Angroop and the simplicity showered through his words.

"Angroop Rinchen" at the Dhankar Monastery


The next post would cover the rest of our journey for the day (Day 6) till Kaza.

[gearhead_mait]

Dhankar Monastery was a nice experience for us. Never before we saw a monastery perched atop a mountain. While we were thrilled with the experiences Spiti valley had presented us with, our urge to see more kept on growing. Next on our list was the beautiful Mud (pronounced "Mudh") village.

It was already past 2 pm and we were running short of time. Due to the heavy breakfast we had at the Durga Mandir, we were full and immediate break for lunch was not required. That was a plus for us in terms of saving time for travel.

We started from Dhankar Monastery around 2:15 pm climbed down the same road.

A wild donkey overlooking us after a hairpin bend


Within 20 minutes we were at the Y-junction again and this time we turned right for the road that goes towards Kaza. We were now driving beside the valley of confluence of River Pin and River Spiti that we saw from Dhankar Monastery.

The Confluence of rivers and the beautiful valley was right beside us


The Confluence, as seen from the highway


How can we forget getting ourselves in the same frame with the beautiful natural phenomenon!



We started again and after driving for a kilometer or so, we saw a rocky path from the highway leading to the bank of the River Spiti from a distance. Immediately the thought of taking our car down to the bank of the river came to our mind. As we approached the junction, we saw a tourist Innova returning from the bank of the river, which suggested that it was possible and safe as well. We saw another vehicle, a private number plate bearing Tata Hexa, parked on the bank of the river. We decided to take our chances and if we are stuck, we would have this vehicle for support.

From the highway, a trail to the left comprising of river bed boulders with random tire marks leads to the bank of the river. The terrain, at first glance, looked easily manageable but as we started driving, we could find out that under the boulders the ground was wet. As a result the tires were slipping on the boulders and getting a grip was a challenge. On top of that, sticking to the existing tire marks was a necessity otherwise the large boulders could do serious damage to the under body of the car.

Nevertheless, all's well that ends well. We were finally at the bank of the river Spiti and the experience was heavenly. The blue clear water of the Spiti river was icy cold and had a therapeutic effect when splashed on our tired face.

A picture taken from the bank of R. Spiti


The WB registered EON and MH registered Hexa in the same frame


The attraction to touch and feel R. Spiti could not be controlled


A shot of Sherdil on the bank of R. Spiti


The charm of the place awakens the little child within us


After spending about half an hour on the bank of the river, we decided to move on. Around 5 km from the place, there was the Attargo bridge over R. Spiti. While the straight road goes to Kaza (17 kms), the road to the left crosses the Attargo bridge and leads to the remote village of Mud.
It was already around 3 pm and the village of Mud was still about 33 kms from Attargo bridge. Our stay for the night was planned at Kaza, so we had to keep in mind the return journey from Mud as well.

As we were staying at Kaza for two days, we decided to move towards Mud and see if we could manage to visit the beautiful village.

We crossed the Attargo bridge and now we were on the road on the other side of the confluence. Now instead of R. Spiti, it was R. Pin which was running along the road. The roads were smooth for about 8 kms and we were looking good on reaching Mud in time. The highway connecting Nako, Tabo and Kaza had little tourist influx due to various reasons - remoteness, lack of knowledge about the place etc. Still we could spot some local vehicles and a few tourist vehicles as well in the highway. But as soon as we crossed Attargo bridge, the road was completely desolate and we spotted no cars in the 8 kms of our travel. After 8 kms, the tarred road vanished and gave way to a nearly smooth rocky road with small rocks scattered here and there. The road could be easily managed with any car, but the situation we were in demanded a careful approach. Firstly, the less time we had in hand would require a night drive back through that rocky road which had already turned desolate. With my wife as my companion, taking unnecessary risk which could easily spoil an already beautiful journey, seemed unjustified.

So, after discussing with my wife, we decided to give Mud a miss this time. But surely we would come back to visit the remote village next time.

We were still to have our lunch and thus decided to take out some dry foods complimented with fruit juice. We spent a good time together in an unknown place with no soul in sight while gorging on the food items.

The road to Mudh | Just after crossing Attargo bridge


A milestone on the way


The Pin river bed and unique pattern on the mountains caused by erosion


Some pictures on the desolate road to Mud




Then we moved on to our final destination of the day - Kaza.

Back at the highway again


A picture just before entering Kaza


No mobile tower and complete disconnection from outside world - We had little problem with that. We had called our home from Nako in the morning and informed them that we are checking out and would call them again once we check in to a hotel.
But again the problem was regarding the hotel booking. We didn't have any prior booking at Kaza and CHD couldn't contact us. We followed a signboard that indicated the Kaza town to the left of a fork and followed the road all the way to the Kaza town. We kept our car at a car parking area in the congested Kaza bazaar area and I began searching for a PCO to call HV Kumar. Unfortunately the only PCO I could spot in the bazaar was out of order. But the help came in the form a gentleman who handed over his phone to me. I called up HV Kumar and got to know that they (CHD team) had tried multiple times to contact us. He guided us to proceed towards "Hotel Spiti Valley" which is close to the Kaza Monastery. On asking the locals, they told me get on the highway again and follow it till I spot the Kaza Monastery. We followed the mentioned route and reached "Hotel Spiti Valley". Unfortunately, all rooms were booked in the hotel and I called up HV Kumar again. With dusk slowly setting in, we were panicking a little but HV Kumar calmed us down and promised us to help with his full extent. We were waiting outside the hotel, when we saw a slim gentleman of Tibetan origin with his head covered in round hat coming up to us. He introduced himself as Tenzing and said that he got a call from HV Kumar and would help us get a hotel. He informed that he had a booking done for us at a hotel for today but the day after we would be required to shift to another hotel as that room is booked the day after. We didn't like the idea and asked him if we could a hotel where we would get a booking for two days. He was open to our request and took us to a hotel located just beside the Indian Oil petrol pump at Kaza.

The hotel "Sodhnam Place" was recently opened this year and the manager readily agreed to give us a room for a reasonable rate of INR 1000 per day. The location of the hotel was perfect with the Kaza monastery just 2 minutes walk from the hotel. The rooms were clean and cozy and it was away from the hustle and bustle of the Kaza town. We got a good deal indeed, thanks to Mr. Tenzing!

We freshened up a bit in our room. As nothing much was available in the hotel for an extremely late lunch, we ordered two plates of maggi with veggies. One of the guys at the hotel named Aman was very helpful and served every request of ours with an ever smiling face.

The hot bowl of maggi followed by a cup of tea satiated our hunger. Then we went outside for a walk around the place. We went to Kaza Monastery and found the entrance gate to be locked. But as we approached the gate, a lama quickly opened the gate for us. The interior of the monastery was gorgeous with intricate designs of Tibetan architecture. The silence of the place coupled with beautiful lighting won over our heart and we ended spending a lot of time sitting inside the monastery. On inquiring we came to know that the morning prayer happens everyday at 8 am and the lama invited us for the same the next day. We made up our mind to witness the prayer session.

We went back to our hotel, ordered our dinner and called up our respective parents to brief them of the happenings of the day. We had our dinner early and went to sleep.

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Spiti valley itself is located in one of the remote corners of our country. And the places we have on our list for that day was further remotely located in the Spiti valley. Places so remote that as they say "Only the best of friends and worst of enemies come to visit"!

The beautiful morning at Kaza, the urge to visit the places and the invitation to witness the Buddhist morning prayer at the Kaza monastery made sure that we get ready early.

At the attached balcony of our room


View from our hotel


We had our breakfast in our hotel and before 8 am we were inside the Kaza Monatery. Inside the monastery, the lamas had gathered for the morning prayer. They were seated on both sides of the main passage leading to the altar having the Buddha statue. There were similar seats lined up behind the lamas for the visitors/listeners and we gently made ourselves comfortable in those. The inside of the monastery was glowing with the sunlight reflecting upon its walls and the intricate work on the pillars were dazzling in the bright light. There was absolute silence within the monastery which was broken by the sharp voice of the lama leading the prayer chants.

The lamas lined up inside the Kaza monastery for the morning prayer


The prayer lasted for half an hour and it was a splendid experience. The chants of the lamas reverberated through the inside of the monastery and created an experience to remember for life. There was a brief break after 15 minutes of the prayer when the lamas were offered hot cup of tea. Two little lamas jumped out with a kettle of hot tea and served their seated seniors with the hot cup of tea. It seemed like a perfect harmony where every lama is aware of their responsibilities.
After serving the senior lamas, the young lads came to us to offer a cup of tea. It was a very good experience and highly recommended for anyone visiting Kaza. It marked a brilliant start to the day.

Outside the Kaza Monastery after the prayer


We returned to our hotel to get our car. From Kaza, there are mainly two circuits that can be done as a day trip.

Circuit #1
Kaza - Langza - Hikkim - Komic


Here:

• Langza (4419 meters/ 14500 feet) is a beautiful village famous for the Buddha statue overlooking the barren mountains.
  
• Hikkim (4400 meters/)has the world's highest post office. One can post a letter from Hikkim to their home and the letter would bear the stamp mentioning "the world's highest post office"
  
• Komic (4513 meters/14806 feet) is (arguably) the highest inhabited village in the world with a road.

Circuit #2
Kaza - Key - Kibber - Tashigong


Here:

• Key (4166 meters/ 13668 feet) is a beautiful village famous for the Key Monastery tucked on top of a mountains overlooking the river Spiti.
  
• Kibber (4400 meters / 14500 feet) is a remote high altitude village famous for Himalayan Red Fox and the elusive Snow Leopard.
  
• Tashigong (4650 meters/15255 feet) is the highest of all the places around Kaza with a Kaccha road exiting on the right side before the Kibber village. This village is remote and only 10 "Tantrik" families stay here. Details of the place would be covered in the later part of this post.

We decided to start our day with circuit #2 (Key - Kibber - Tashigong). We started from our hotel around 9 am in the morning and started towards our first destination of the day - The Key Monastery. It was a perfect day for travel with clear blue skies and abundant sunshine coupled with chilly wind piercing through our skin. About 1.5 kms from our hotel, a road goes right towards circuit #1 (Langza-Hikkim-Komic). But we moved on straight following the highway till we were at the junction where the NH crosses a Bailey bridge and goes towards Losar. The straight road goes to places in circuit #2. A newly constructed section of this road also goes to Losar via a different route through Chicham village.

We left the bridge to the left and went straight. The road was desolate with only one or two vehicles spotted till Key Monastery. River Spiti was continuously giving us company offering us with breathtaking views all around.

Key - Only 5 kms away!


The brilliant color of R. Spiti


A Himalayan village on the other side of R. Spiti


Not a soul in sight! It was only three of us for the majority of this route


After a blissful driving of 13.5 kms through the winding and desolate road we were at a junction. The road to the right climbs up to Key Monastery while the road going straight goes to Chicham via Kibber village.

As we started our climb to Key Monastery, my wife said that she was not feeling better and a feeling of nausea took over. I knew how serious AMS could be, specially in places like these with average altitude > 13K feet.
We always keep Coca 200 with us and before starting our journey for the day we used to have little dose of it.

The Key Monastery as seen on the way up


On reaching the Key village, I asked my wife whether she was feeling comfortable to continue the journey or should we go back to Kaza. She was not feeling okay but the AMS effect was mild. She asked me to climb up to the Key Monastery and take some pictures while she would sit in the car and get some rest. Although I suggested that both of us stay together in the car for a while and then decide but my wife wanted me to get some photos of the Key monastery for her. I reluctantly agreed to her request.

We, at the Key village


After a relatively easy climb from the Key village, I reached the Key monastery.

The Key Monastery photo taken from the monastery complex


And the view from a door on the backside of the Monastery


Quickly getting some pictures of the monastery, I climbed down to check on the health condition of my wife. By God's grace, she was feeling better after a lot of fluid intake. After spending some time together in the Key village while my wife got over the nausea thing, we were on our way again.

From the junction where we turned right to go to Key Monastery, we continued straight on the way back from Key village towards Kibber. We followed the Chicham road for about 3 kms and found another fork whereby a road climbed on the right side towards Kibber. The straight road from the fork goes to Chicham.

We turned right on the road towards Kibber village. Kibber village was the highest village in Spiti with a metaled road connectivity before Komic village became motor-able.

After two switchbacks, there was an easy to miss rocky road trail to the right of the main road that goes towards the remote village of Tashigong (more on that later). We followed the main road that runs straight towards Kibber.

This stupa marks the entry to the Kibber village


With similar architecture followed for each house at Kibber, the village looked amazingly symmetrical. The houses were flat roofed with rectangular windows. Even the color patterns were similar, body being colored in white with typical Tibetan color combinations and designs in the borders.

My wife before the Kibber village


It was a cold and sunny morning at Kibber with cool breeze piercing through our skin. After a serene walk around the village, we went inside a hotel. We ordered two cups of tea sitting in the dining.

The hotel at Kibber village


We had a chat with the owner of the hotel. We came to know from him that this was the off-season with respect to Kibber. Kibber is famous for Red Fox and Snow Leopard treks. The owner of the hotel himself organizes these treks during the winter season. In this season, the snow leopards stay high up in the mountains and during winter they come down making for comparatively easier sighting. We had a belief that sighting a snow leopard was tough but the owner of the hotel confirmed otherwise. He said during snow leopard trek one of their local guys first climb the altitude while the tourists coming from the plains acclimatize themselves at Kibber village to avoid AMS. After confirmation of a spotting by the local guy, only then the tourists are taken to the spot. He said there is around 90% chance of successful spotting every time during winter.
According to him, the more challenging trek is from Kibber to Tso Moriri and takes around 7 days. With a group of 10 people the cost would come to around 15K per head.

After a nice time spent in the hotel hearing about the adventures of the owner and gathering some useful information, it was time for us to bid adieu to Kibber for the day.

Now it was time for us to visit the remote village of Tashigong. We were informed by the owner of the hotel that only 10-12 Tantrik families stay there. Within a kilometer of exiting the Kibber village, we took a rocky trail to the left that goes towards Tashigong.

This milestone before Kibber can be a pointer for the start of the rocky trail towards Tashigong


A Gypsy in one of the most desolate stretches we came across in Spiti


Kibber village seen at a distance, enroute Tashigong village


The road from Kibber to Tashigong is an experience on its own. Not for the challenge it poses to test the mettle of the driver but for the absolute desolation it offers. The road climbs up through a few switchbacks and passes through valleys with amazing views all around. Moreover, its the silence that will either be an attraction or provide a sense of insecurity for a visitor. In either case, it would be a unique experience. In our case, it was a mix of both. During the entire course of our journey to Tashigong, a distance of around 16 kms, we saw 2-3 tourist vehicles - that too during the first 4 kms.

Sherdil climbing the road to Tashigong


A moment in the Himalayas when the entire place belongs to you. Hard to find a tourist place in India offering this seclusion


Wild horses and Yaks grazing the field


The Tashigong village


The village of Tashigong looked straight out of medieval period. With a few ancient mud houses the village seemed out of sync with the modern civilization, as if it refuses to upgrade itself. On top of that, we didn't see a single villager there. The place had a unique feel attached to it but we were a bit skeptical specially without a soul in sight.

After a brief time spent in Tashigong, we decided to return.

A lone wild horse captured while returning from Tashigong


Between the initial few hairpin bends after Kibber and some switchbacks before Tashigong, there lies a relatively flat terrain with amazing 360 degree views. While proceeding towards Tashigong, we marked this place to spend some time here.

Though we had enough time to visit the circuit #1 mentioned above i.e. Langza-Hikkim-Komik, but we were here not to put tick to check boxes but to soak in the atmosphere of the place.

So, we left the circuit #1 along with other uncovered places like Mud village for the next time and decided to spend some time in the serene and flat valley. Out came our chairs from the boot that we carried from our home and the food items we had.
We parked our car on the side of the road and spent a nice time relaxing in the beautiful place.

Peace!


Togetherness!


Jubilance


All praise for the stalwart called "Sherdil"


After spending a couple of hours in the place, we started our return journey towards Kaza. With a heavy heart we bade adieu to the beautiful and remote places in this circuit.

Another view of Key monastery on the return journey


We reached Kaza around 4 pm. At the time of entering Kaza, we bumped into Soumitra Bhattacharjee and his family again whom we met near Chitkul. They reached Kaza that day and checked into a hotel near to our's. Their plan was to stay at Kaza for that day, at Losar covering Key and Kibber the next day and then proceeding towards Ladakh covering Chandratal.

With lunch time over for most of the hotels at Kaza, we had to settle for a quick snack of vegetable chowmein.

Somewhere on a road in Kaza


After that we spent some time preparing our car for the next day. The next couple of days would be the most challenging roads specially for a hatchback. "Sherdil" performed brilliantly both with respect to reliability and mileage. We topped up the fuel tank with petrol from one of the jerry can we were carrying. We kept one jerry can of petrol pump in hand considering the treacherous terrain of Kumzum Pass - Chandratal - Batal - Gramphoo that we would tread on for the next couple of days.
I topped the fuel tank at the Indian Oil petrol pump, the only one in Kaza town, right next to our hotel. The pump had a dispenser with analog meter which cannot be reset i.e. the operator notes down the initial reading before dispensing petrol and manually subtracts from the final reading and calculates the amount one has to pay using the calculator app in his mobile


We spent the evening walking around the village and visiting the Kaza Monastery one last time before we leave.
We had our dinner early and retired for the day.

Route followed for the day


Route Link

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The day when the most challenging roads of the country welcome us, the day that sees a hatchback tread on terrains with sends chill down the spine of even SUV drivers, that day was finally here. On a day like this excitement and fear goes hand in hand.

We inquired from Aman, the helpful guy at our hotel and he suggested us to check out as early as 7:30 am - 8 am before any tourist vehicles start from Kaza. In that way if something goes wrong, I would get a back up option and help if required. He also suggested us to take the Chicham route to Losar instead of the main Highway citing the reason that the Kaza-Chicham-Losar road is newly built and has far better surface than the highway.

We checked out of the hotel as early as 7 am. Aman asked us for 15 minutes to prepare breakfast for us, but we asked him not to hurry and we decided to have our breakfast somewhere on the way. We thanked Aman for all his support during our stay at Kaza and started for our destination of the day - Chandratal.

We followed the same route that we took the day before i.e. Key-Kibber route, only difference is that we didn't take any detour either towards Key or in the direction of Kibber. We followed the trunk road that goes via the scenic village of Chicham. This route was not mapped to our MMI navigator. As a result the GPS was working but it was not showing us the directions correctly. There were some diversions that goes to adjacent villages which confused us further. Adding to our woes was the fact that being early morning, very less number of cars seen en route to ask for directions.

Luckily we found a family going to Chicham village in an Alto and they asked us to follow them.

The Chicham bridge, which we had to cross to continue towards Losar was nonexistent till this year. Before 2017, there was a manually operated trolley ferrying people from Kibber area to Chicham. Refer here

The Chicham bridge


After crossing the Chicham bridge, there was Y-junction from where the left exit goes to Chicham village and the trunk road continues towards Losar. We thanked the local family in the Alto who asked us to be careful on the road to Chandratal and Batal-Gramphoo.

As we moved on towards Losar, the landscape showcased remarkable artistry of Nature. The effect of erosion transformed the terrain and made it appear like an extraterrestrial piece of land.

Landscape showing the amazing artistry of Nature


Some masterpieces worked upon by Mother Nature


The stretch was absolutely desolate but attractive at the same time



The Losar village from a distance


At Losar, we had our breakfast with Aloo Parathas from a small road side hotel. This was our 5th day without any mobile network coverage but we were not complaining. At Losar, we called up our parents from a borrowed BSNL mobile and let them know that we were okay. Making the call from Losar was essential as in Chandratal, our stay for the day, there was no mobile network coverage even from BSNL. We got to know about this last evening when I called up Mr Tenzing to book us a tent at Chandratal. We were informed by CHD earlier that there is a guy called Jamaica who runs tent and camping facilities in Chandratal. After talking to Mr Tenzing last evening at Kaza, we came to know that Mr. Jamaica had already left for Chandratal and it is not possible to contact him anymore. But he assured that we should get some tent or Mr. Jamaica would surely arrange something for us.

So, as we were standing at Losar with planned stay at Chandratal, we didn't have any booking at Chandratal and we have not even talked to Mr. Jamaica
once. These uncertainties made the journey unforgettable.

Nevertheless, we continued from Losar after having our breakfast. We had to cross the mighty Kunzum Pass (altitude 4590 meters, 15060 feet) before thinking about the road to Chandratal.

The start of the climb to Kunzum Pass


"Sherdil" on the road to Kunzum Pass


As with all the passes of the Himalayas, the road to Kunzum Pass was a mere rocky trail with hairpins. But in no place my car lost its power and it was a gradual and smooth climb upto Kunzum Pass. But we saw one PB registered Xylo having problems negotiating the climb.

Sherdil at Kunzum Pass


My wife before the Kunzum Mata temple


Being a high altitude pass, it is not recommended to stay at Kunzum Pass for more than half an hour. With Chandratal in our itinerary and all the uncertainties involved we didn't have even half an hour to spend at Kunzum.

After about 15 mins at Kunzum Pass, we started to climb down. After negotiating 7-8 hairpin bends and about 8 kms from Kunzum Pass we were at the junction from where one trail leads to Chandratal and the main road goes to Batal.

We turned right towards Chandratal and the game began.

Start of the trail to Chandratal


The road to Chandratal is referred to as one of the dangerous roads in Spiti and rightly so. The correct definition of the road could be a trail full of rocks and boulders with just about the space to squeeze an SUV through. The road is so narrow that in order to give pass to a vehicle coming from opposite direction one had to reverse for about 200 meters. The entire stretch had rocks stacked up at the middle of the road due to vehicle movement which shouldn't be a big problem for high GC car. But to negotiate a hatchback through it, myself and my wife had to get down and remove some rocks manually.
Adding to that experience, there are around 2-3 nallahs where one has to get down to analyse the section and make the decision as from where to take one's car to minimize damage. Overall, this is a makeshift road
that remains open for 5 months a year and truly one of the toughest roads to tackle.

After crossing a nallah on the way to Chandratal


"Sherdil" on a comparatively better stretch


A selfie on the way to Chandratal tents


Couldn't stop myself from getting a picture with the amazing background


Sherdil had the Chandratal camp site in view now..


..and snow capped peaks in the ORVM


But a few more challenges before reaching the destination


We reached the Chandratal camp site at 12:30 pm and went straight to Jamaica tents. On inquiring we found that Mr Jamaica had gone to Batal for some work and only the cook was present at that time. The cook asked us if we have a booking then he can check and assign tents accordingly. But we didn't have any bookings and wanted to talk to Mr. Jamaica. He suggested us to visit the Chandratal lake and by the time we return the food also would be ready and Mr. Jamaica would be there as well. We took his suggestion and asked him for the route. We found out that the Chandratal car parking space is about 2.5 kms from the campsite and from there the Chandratal lake is one km walk. So, a total of 3.5 kms to Chandratal lake from camp site.

We wanted to walk around the place and so decided to give a shot at trekking to the lake. So, Sherdil was parked at the camp site and we moved on towards the lake. We were able to bypass the usual route taken by the cars and take shortcuts while ascending.

A picture of the campsite taken after climbing some distance


As we walked further, a beautiful valley opened up and we left the road and walked through the valley. It was an amazing walk and we were the only one to walk our way to the lake. We could see some cars at a distance following the road but the walk through the valley was special. Will recommend everyone about this trek to Chandratal from the camp site, provided that one's health supports.

After walking for 2 kms, we realized that we were running short of time and we had to visit the lake and come back for booking and lunch. Increasing the speed of walking was not a good option either for the high altitude of the place (>4000 meters) could bring unwanted health issues.

We would have loved to walk all through to the lake, but the time was against us. May be someday!
We started walking towards the road again. While at a distance from the road, we waved at a tourist Scorpio car and the driver responded to our signal and stopped for us. We climbed to the road to find one couple who were traveling from Bihar seated in the car. We requested if we could be accommodated till the car park 500 meters away and they obliged.

In no time we made good friends and shared our experiences for the trip.
From the car parking space, there are mainly two trekking options available:

• To the left side, that climbs up to give a panoramic view of the Chandratal lake from above. This side don't have any road that goes down to the lake.
  
• To the right side that takes one straight to the lake side.

We followed the later while the couple from Bihar went for the panoramic view.

The car park near Chandratal lake


Welcome banner with some information for the tourists


We were a little tired while we were walking towards the lake. The high altitude with less oxygen was not making things easier. After walking for about a kilometer from the car parking space, we had the visual that could have easily taken our breath away. A blue colored lake amidst barren mountains at an altitude of 4290 meters was just out of this world.

The majestic Chandratal amidst rugged mountains!


Some snow capped mountains on the opposite side


Zoomed in view shows tourists on the lakeside


We didn't have much energy left to climb down to the lake side and coming up again. So we decided to spent some time just gazing at the beautiful lake.

A final picture of Chandratal before we started our walk back to the car park


A beautiful view of mountains on the way back from Chandratal lake


My wife on the walking trail from Chandratal


The moon makes its entry at the "Lake of the moon" - Chandratal


At the car park, the Scorpio driver informed us that the couple haven't returned yet. Instead of waiting for them, we decided to walk among the amazing landscape. Barely 500 meters from the car park, we saw the Scorpio behind us with the couple asking us to get on the car. We got to know from them that they too don't have any booking and only had the reference of Mr. Jamaica like us.

On reaching Jamaica's tent, we found Mr. Jamaica. He is a jovial guy with smile on his face all the time. We gave him the reference of HVK and asked if tents are available both for us and the other couple. He first asked if we had our lunch already. Getting to know that we haven't yet done with our lunch, he immediately ordered the cook to bring food for us. We were pleasantly surprised with the hospitality he provided us with.

While we had our lunch we noticed that he was talking to various people in the place about any availability of tents. After lunch, he informed us that there were no tent available in that camp but he assured that he will do something and we need not worry. We requested him to do something otherwise we have to sleep in the car.
On hearing this, Mr. Jamaica replied:

"Aap kyun rahenge gari mein? Aap hamare mehmaan ho. Agar kuch bandobast nahi hua to aap kitchen tent mein so jana. Hum log gari mein reh jayenge!" followed with a nice smile.

"You people are our guest. If nothing can be arranged, we will make arrangement for you in the kitchen tent. We will sleep in the car."

Such hospitality just washes off all the worries and makes one forget about the tough conditions.
Mr. Jamaica returned after about 15 minutes while we had a nice cup of tea. He told us that he has got us booked in a family tent a little away from there. He told us that family tents would be perfect for us as it has an attached toilet. While I took my car, the rest of the group members including my wife walked to the tent we were booked along with Mr. Jamaica.

The family tents were very good. It had double insulation layer and a insect mesh. On the inside there was a nice double bed with bed side table, an attached toilet with running water and a solar powered LED bulb as well.

I parked my car next to my tent. We got the luggage out of the boot of the car and went inside. The temperature was decreasing fast with the setting sun and the dip in oxygen level at 4200+ meters was getting us exhausted. We took some rest inside the tent only to be called for dinner at 8 pm.

"Sherdil" parked next to our tents


For dinner we were asked to go to the kitchen tent. The kitchen tent was
about 5 mins walk from our tent and when we went out of our tent it was shivering cold outside. Even three layers of warm clothing along with thermals seemed inadequate. Inside the kitchen tent, the warmth of the chimney kept us warm. Mr Jamaica told us that during the night the temperatures fall below (-) minus 10 degrees and we should fill one bucket of water in the toilet before going to sleep. The running water in the metal pipes would freeze overnight.

The dinner served was very basic - like rice, dal and one sabzi, but it was tasty and hot. Mr Jamaica continuously asked us if we need more rice and sabzi, but we knew how tough it is to bring food here. In this conditions, its not about "I", but "We" makes much more sense.

After a nice dinner, we went straight to our tent and called it a day.

Route followed for the day


Route Link

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Throughout the night, the icy cold breeze shook our tent and there was a growling noise of the wind coming out of the small openings in the tent. The less I mention about the coldness and temperature the better it is. We went to bed with 3 layers of warm clothing including thermals and there was a 4 inch width blanket in the tent but still nothing could keep us sufficiently warm. We were tired to the core of our body and that helped us fall asleep.

We woke up at around 7 am and I went straight outside to check on my steed "Sherdil". Its windshield had a layer of ice on it, so was the body. The windows were covered with ice flakes. A bottle of water left inside the car had turned into ice too! Seeing this we could perceive the subzero temperature prevalent in the camping site of Chandratal at night.

We quickly got ready and went to the kitchen tent to have breakfast. Many other travelers had also gathered inside the tent and were sharing the experiences of the journey. We thoroughly enjoyed the chat sessions in the tent but a slight tension was building up in my mind. First I had to cross the dismal 14KM stretch from Chandratal to Batal and then the road after Batal to Gramphoo regarding which I had no idea till then.

We had bread and butter for breakfast along with a hot cup of tea and left the tent bidding Mr. Jamaica goodbye. We quickly packed our luggage in the boot and started the heater to melt the ice. We were ready to leave by 8:30 am.

Windshield covered with ice


Heater melting down the ice


Ice flakes!




Walking towards the kitchen tent to have breakfast


We inquired from the local drivers and came to know that about 50 km of the road from Chandratal was a very bad stretch but we should be able to manage that with cautious driving. Hence it was our motto of the day to drive slow and reach safely. Everyone we talked to, including Mr. Jamaica advised us to start as early as possible as the nallahs would have less water in the morning and in case we are stuck we would have a group of cars behind us for support.

On our way back we chanced to meet again with Soumitra da and his family who were going towards Chandratal. Both of us had to adjust our steeds in the narrow road to pass each other. We had a brief chat and started driving again. Slowly we covered the 14KM stretch and arrived at the junction.

Sherdil at the junction heading to Baatal. Road at the back side goes to Chandrataal


The road from here started to be rocky and dusty but somehow manageable. As we approached Batal, I was slowly gaining confidence that this road would be manageable. Soon we came to a road or better to say a river bed with no road! There were rocks and boulders everywhere and one has to find a way within that. The road gradually started to be more dusty and we started encountering nallahs frequently. We had much heard about the much dreaded Chhatru nallah and with every passing stream we thought if we have crossed that. The vehicles plying on the road were mostly SUVs and Travelers and whenever we crossed a hatchback we inquired about road condition till Manali. One of the local hatchback drivers coming from Manali side smiled and said "Rasta waise thik hi hai!", but his smile clearly scripted the challenges that lies ahead.

After driving for about 15 kms we arrived at a place similar to a river bed but to my surprise I found it only had large boulders scattered along the way without leaving any proper place for my car to pass. It was the first significant nallah named the "Chota Dara". I got down from my car and tried to analyse which way should I steer my car to avoid scraping Sherdil on its sides and avoid hitting the under body. There was a local Maruti Alto driving behind us which eventually had 2 drivers in it. They came out seeing me perplexed and guided me to cross the boulders. They smiled and said "Niche bachana hai sirf, side mein to lagega hi" ("You need to save the under body from getting hit, forget about the side skirting"). They also assured that they would be driving behind us and if we needed any help they would be present. The drama started from there. Every passing km seemed to be a challenge as roads appeared and vanished and after some time we lost count of how many nallahs we have crossed. To add it this there were large pipe-like structures(similar to sewerage pipes) running across the road (or no road!) having large boulders on both sides. It was impossible to make a hatchback cross those pipes as the car would see-saw with the pipe being the pivot. The local Alto travelers came to our rescue and manually removed some boulders and arranged rocks so that the small cars would somehow cross balancing on the smaller rocks. Many thanks to them! It was immediately followed by a 30 degree steep climb in a narrow "no-road" with large boulders dispersed here and there. So, while making the climb one has to steer effectively to stay clear of the boulders and avoid the hitting the underbelly of the car. So much drama already to cross Chota Dara.

Rare scenes! Better stretches of the Batal-Gramphoo road



Sherdil somewhere after crossing Chota Dara


After Chota Dara, we drove till the small village of Chhatru and decided to have our early lunch at a dhaba before crossing the bridge at Chhatru. The family in the Alto behind us also stopped there for lunch. We couldn't thank them more as being a regular on this route they were a great support for us.
They said that there are a lot of nallahs still to be crossed and they would help us in case we require. They were a family of four along with one of their family friend. The elder son of the family named "Sonam" was driving their car and their family friend was an additional driver. They were going to Manali to visit a relative and spend the weekend there. They offered us their home made food and we had a good time together chatting about various aspects of the life in Spiti, their hardships and challenges.

After a hearty lunch break we started again on the treacherous road. We crossed the bridge and started to climb through a series of hair pins and we were there at the famous "Chhatru Nallah". The nallah had stream of water gushing down with large boulders all over. One noticeable thing to mention about the nallahs in this route is that the nallahs had large boulders hiding below the stream of water and that is something that makes them deadly.

The condition was the same for Chhatru nallah. One has to examine where to take one's car to make a clear exit. There was another problem I faced while crossing this nallah. At a time, only one car can cross the nallah as it has huge rocks piled up on the sides and after crossing the nallah the road is too narrow for two cars to cross in parallel for about 300 meters. On top of that there was a blind turn just after crossing the nallah making it impossible to spot a car coming from opposite direction in advance.

When I was about to cross the nallah, a group of cars came rushing from the other side. With the road being narrow on the other side, it was impossible for them to give me pass if I crossed the nallah. There was only one option left for me as I was already on the water stream and that was to push the left tires of my car on a boulder and make the car park inclined at an angle and make the cars coming from opposite side pass. The cars following me waited on the other side before the nallah. It was a scary experience to park my car right in the middle of the nallah at an angle with the stream gushing down underneath the car.

After crossing Chhatru nallah, I asked the guys in Alto about the number of such nallahs we need to cross en route Gramphoo. They said there is another dangerous one yet to be crossed. We progressed slowly and at a place I saw a queue of 2 or 3 cars ahead of us and one Innova was trying to cross a nallah which had more water compared to the others we had crossed till now. As soon as the Innova entered the nallah, the front end of the Innova literally plunged into the stream and people got out of the car and started pushing it from behind. The driver revved hard and the car came out of the stream struggling over boulders. Following it was a Tata Sumo which followed the similar way. I stood there completely clueless and walked till the stream to gauge its depth and alignment of the boulders in it. I could not think of a way to cross this. Sonam (the guy driving the Alto) also looked a little tensed as he spoke with the driver of another hatchback driving just behind us. They manually rearranged some boulders so that both the tires would pass through them avoiding an under body hit. Sonam then took the keys from me and said he would drive my car and cross this stretch and the Alto would be driven by his friend. I stood at the side of the stream and saw Sonam drive while the driver of the other hatchback guided him where to steer. With a slight scraping at the side skirting Sherdil was out of the stream! I took a sigh of relief. Standing there I realized, I am yet to be a driver who can drive in all terrains but the car that I drive is a true champion! It was Dori nallah, the most challenging one that I have faced till now.

After crossing the Dori nallah there were few more nallahs but not as challenging as we had faced before and slowly we reached to Gramphoo. From a junction, the road to right goes to Gramphoo and Leh via Sissu and the road to left climbs to Rohtang pass. We took the road to left. The Alto bade us goodbye and said road from here would be manageable. We thanked them dearly. Now while writing this travelogue, I realized that we were so tensed that we even forgot to take a picture with the group who helped us so much. Nevertheless, their memories and smiling faces will remain etched in our minds for long!

The road quality improved gradually and we reached Rohtang. On reaching Rohtang we kind of regained our senses and came out of our car to take few photographs. Till then, our only thought was to cross the treacherous road safely.

Sherdil at Rohtang Pass


As we started descending from Rohtang pass to Manali, we could see the tourist rush increasing. Being the festive time of the year as it was Dussehra, we assumed Manali would be crowded. But little did we think about the magnitude. As we continued towards Marhi, the place seemed buzzing with tourist. Large queue of cars in parking areas accompanied by loud honking made us feel irritated, specially after spending a good number of days in a place so calm and serene.

The silence of the pine forests, chirping of birds, sound of the cool mountain breeze - all got subdued in loud honking. My wife had visited Shimla and Manali with her parents back in 2002 and she really liked the place then. But she too could not enjoy this time. It was a chaos near Solang Valley and we lost about one and half hour being stuck in traffic.

Reaching Manali


Pine forests


CHD had booked Manali Lodge for us for that night which was close to Hidimba Mata mandir but it took us a long time to reach there. The banks of R. Beas was crowded with people, people had parked buses and cars everywhere and it was a completely messy situation.

We reached our hotel at about 6:30 pm and checked into our room. We kept our luggage in room and inquired the person at reception about Trout fish. I had much heard about it being a delicacy in Himachal but never had a chance to taste any of its preparation. The guy at the reception told us that they don't have trout fish but we should get it in the Mall area. We drove to the Mall road and managed to get a parking place for my car. We roamed about the mall road and bought some gifts for family. Then we went inside a restaurant and ordered Tandoori Trout. It tasted really awesome!

Tandoori Trout


After having dinner, we loitered around the Mall road for some more time and drove back to the hotel and called it a day. From the next day we had to start our journey back to Kolkata after visiting Hidimba Mata mandir in the morning. We kept on recollecting the roads we crossed that day and thanked God for keeping us safe.

Route followed for the day


Route Link