Come at Chandigarh & take a pleasant drive to Shimla, of around 5 hours. The evening is free to traverse The Mall Road at Shimla. Spend night at Shimla.
After taking a decent breakfast, we take a pleasant drive from Shimla to Sarahan through Theog, Fagu, Kufri, Rampur, and Narkanda. Take delicious lunch on the way in Rampur. Come at Sarahan & check-in to your hotel. Sarahan instructs a sight of the Srikhand Mahadev Peak & is popular for its 800 year old Bhimkali Temple which is one of the excellent examples of hill architecture. Relish the scenic sight of the Shrikhand peaks in the evening, and explore the Bhimkali Temple which is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths. Take part in the evening aarti. Enjoy mouth-watering dinner & spend night at hotel.
Attend morning pooja at Bhimkali Temple. After taking initial breakfast, checkout from the hotel & leave for Sangla through Karcham. Your tour from here will take you to other eye-catching destination in the middle Himalayas, that is also called the Baspa valley – the attractive valley in Himachal. Come at Sangla & check-in to your hotel. After lunch, relax in the hotel. Spend night at Sangla.
Today, you traverse the neighbourhood around Sangla, involving the old Kamru fort & temple devoted to the Goddess Kamakhya Devi, the sculpture of whom was brought from Assam. After lunch, leave for a short trip to Chitkul which is the last village on the old Indo – Tibetan trade route. A short 1.5km walk from Chitkul is Nagasti, that is the final civilian point on the Tibetan border. Chitkul is popular all over the globe for its potatoes. Stroll through amazing streams & green orchards. Come back to Sangla for flavoursome dinner & night stay.
Depart early after breakfast and trek to glacier point. After that, stroll to Batseri village, with its contemporary wooden houses and the eyecatching wood carvings of the Lord Badrinarayan temple. After visiting the temple, stroll along the Baspa River to the picturesque Rakchham village where you will eyewitness the ‘pahari’ lifestyle of the villages. Have a packed picnic lunch along the way by the river at a location where you can look the spectacular Kinner Kailash Mountain, that is said to be the winter home of Lord Shiva, the Hindu God. Come back to camp and rest of the evening is free for relaxation.
Post breakfast, check-out from the hotel & take a pleasant drive to Kalpa, through Recong Peo which is the district headquarters of Kinnaur. Kalpa was once a favourite spook of Lord Dalhousie. Come at Kalpa & check-in to your Hotel. Kalpa was called Chini back in the days when it was the zonal capital. Kalpa has altered very little in the previous 500 years. It is being said that as & when Lord Dalhousie desired to take a break from his frantic schedule in Shimla, he would arrive here on horseback. Each & every corner of Kalpa faces the Kinner Kailash Peak & Jorkanden, that is contemplated as one of the legendary homes of Lord Shiva; by its side is a 79 foot rock formation that mirrors a Shivlinga that alters colour as the day passes, & is seen to the unveiled eye on a clear day. After lunch, relax in the hotel & in the evening go to a Buddhist gompa. Relish mouth-watering dinner & spend night at Kalpa.
Wake up initial morning to eyewitness a spectacular sunrise on the Kinner Kailash peaks. After taking initial breakfast, check-out from Kalpa & take a pleasant drive to Nako. On the way we take a short interval at Khab village. Khab sangam is the meeting of the Sutlej river and the Spiti river. Welcome to Spiti Valley, having few signs of vegetation. Yet, this land makes visitors speechless with its savage raw beauty of the landscape. Come at Nako & check-in to your hotel.
Explore Nako Lake which is Kinnaur’s most scenic hamlets. It has a principal Buddhist gompa that is 1000 yrs old, & a mini temple. A footmarklike impression on a rock is assigned to the saint Guru Padmasambhava.
After taking initial breakfast, leave for Tabo – also called the ‘Ajanta of the Himalayas’. Explore the Tabo monastery. Built in 996 AD – not just in Spiti but in the whole of the Tibetan Buddhist world, it is called Chogs – Khor [‘Doctrinal Enclave’ or ‘Doctrinal Circle’]. It is a complex that holds 23 Chortens, 9 Temples, a Monk’s Chamber & an addition that houses the Nun’s Chamber. On the absolute rock-face above the archipelago are a sequence of caves, used as dwellings by the monks, & incorporates an assembly hall. The monastery holds huge number of scriptures & pieces of art, stucco & wall paintings. There is also a contemporary gompa & painting school discovered by the Dalai Lama. After taking delicous lunch, check-out from Tabo.
A short ride away is the Giu mummy lama temple. After that, continue to explore Dhankar Gompa, the conventional capital of Spiti, which sits attractive on a hilltop. The hill-top fort that overlooks the Spiti Valley also utilized to serve as a jail in previous days. Presently, more than 160 Lamas live here. A sculpture of Dhyan Buddha, where four entire figures of Buddha sit back to back, is the prime attraction of this senior than 7th century monastery.
Proceed your pleasant drive to Kaza which is the Capital of Spiti Valley. Come at Kaza & check-in to your hotel. Enjoy mouth watering dinner & spend night at Kaza.
After an initial breakfast by 7 a.m., leave for a short trip to Ki Monastery. Located at the foot of sharp ridges & on the left bank of the Spiti river is the Ki Monastery, that is the largest Gelupa sect monastery in Spiti. Its hilltop spot points to a post thirteenth century construction. The three-storied structure comprises substancially of storage rooms at the bottom level, while the middle floor houses the assembly hall i.e. Dukhang, & the uppermost floor has other temple & the Head Lama’s quarters on single side of an open terrace. The extraordinary wealth of Ki Gompa lies in its group of ‘Thangkas’ reclaimed with difficulty from the shattering raids of the Sikhs & the Dogars in the 19th century. Hundreds of Lamas get their godly training in this monastery. The monastery is also popular for its old books & murals. From here, a memorable drive takes you into the grazing country of Kibber. From Kibber, the grazing lands are outspread over hundreds of square kms. Come back to Kaza for delicious dinner & rejuvenating night stay.
After an initial breakfast by 6:30 a.m., vacate from the hotel & take a pleasant drive to Keylong by the means of Kunzumla Pass which, at 4590 metres., is the tallest pass on the Spiti Lahaul Road. Most of the offices of the Government are situated at Keylong. This is also the epicenter of all commercial affair, with a well organized bazaar. The landscape is sterile all around while the valley floor is green with fields of potato, barley, & hops, tasselled with trees of poplar & willow. After all the altitude is low, apricots, walnuts, apples, etc. are grown in this region. On the way, terminate at the small hamlet of Chattru for revival. Come at Keylong & check-in to your hotel. Enjoy flavoursome dinner & spend night at Keylong.
Post breakfast visit Gondla [3110 metres/18 kms], located on the right bank of the River Chandra, which is popular for its old Fort. After an early lunch, depart for Trilokinath [2660 metres/57 kms], which is famous for its Triloknath Temple, spiritual to both Buddhists & Hindus. On your return go to Udaipur [2523 metres/53 km], home to the Mrikula Devi Temple, that is popular for its wood carvings. Udaipur is situated in Upper Lahaul in the Pattan Valley. Previously, this village was called Margul, and was named again at the time of Raja Udai Singh of Chamba [1690 – 1728 AD]. Come back to Keylong, where you have spare time for shopping. Keylong is popular for natural olive & almond oil, shawls, local tweeds, caps, rugs, footwear, woolen jackets, metal craft, silver jewelry, pullovers, bamboo products & fresh fruits. Mouth watering dinner and spend night at Keylong.
After an initial breakfast by 6:30 a.m., check-out from the hotel. After crossing over the Kunzumla Pass, that is a short trek takes you to Lake Chandrataal. Experience a packed picnic lunch on the banks of the lake. Devote some time at Chandrataal. Here, you have an alternative to experience the night at a campsite at Chandrataal Lake, or come back to Losar and stay at the village.
Depart early morning for Manali. Relish the delightful drive through Chattru -- Batal – Gramphu towards Rohtang Pass. Check-in at Manali and rest after the tour.
Today, the comprehensive trip concludes with exceptional memories. After an initial breakfast, checkout from the hotel & leave for Chandigarh. Bid adieu to the spectacular Himachal as you fly back home. Alternately, spend night at Chandigarh and snatch the next day flight back home.
