Experiences

A trip to Spiti gives you a chance to get awestruck by nature at its purest, starkest and primal best. It is one of those places where the journey is as mesmerizing as the destination itself. Smooth roads winding up sloppy terrains form the backbone of the well-connected routes to the valley.

Fringed by towering mountains and brimmed by snow during the winters, a drive on the roads of this valley is a unique experience in itself. There are two major routes starting from the hill stations of Manali and Shimla that lead up to the Himalayan valley. Based upon your budget, travel itinerary, timing and daredevil spirits, you can choose from either of them to access Spiti valley.

So whichever road you decide to take, your eyes will be blessed by fascinating sights.

How To Reach Spiti Valley By Road

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Route 1: Shimla – Spiti

Route Map:

Spiti Valley is situated at a distance of roughly 235 km from the hill station of Shimla. Given below is a route map you can follow to reach the valley via Kinnaur valley starting from Shimla:

Delhi – Narkanda – Reckong Peo or Kalpa or Sangla – Nako – Tabo (Spiti)

No. of Days:

A minimum of three days will be needed to reach Spiti from Shimla. You have to take a three-day-long trip over NH05 that will start with Shimla –Kinnaur Valley. The route from Shimla is quite better. Even small cars can transit on this route, provided that the driver is skilled and experienced to drive on hilly terrains.

It is also recommended to travel to Spiti valley over Hindustan-Tibet Highway as it is one of the most scenic routes to reach Spiti.

Best Time:

- During Summer

Summer at Spiti starts from the month of April and continues until mid-July. You can visit Spiti all around the year from Shimla, but if you’re looking for the best time to visit Spiti, then Mid May to Mid July would be the ideal time. During this time most of the road links get opened, and you can have an enthralling sightseeing experience in Spiti.

The average temperature of night and day during summer ranges from 6-15 degree Celsius.

- During Monsoon

Spiti experiences no downpour during the monsoon season. But the areas around the Himalayas are the origin point of all routes to Spiti which receives heavy downpour. This makes it prone to dangerous landslides that might make your trip to Spiti a bit challenging. The temperature during monsoon ranges between 13-27 degrees Celsius in Spiti.

- During Winters

During the months from October to December, temperatures in the valley dip as low as -15 degrees Celsius. The cold weather results in fog affecting the vision and making it riskier to travel by car. Moreover, despite being open throughout the year, the route from Shimla to Spiti gets covered with heavy snowfall.

This results in frequent blocking of the road during the winters. The same affects the route from Manali via Rohtang Pass, which also experiences blockage and landslides due to heavy snow.

Road Conditions:

Shimla to Narkanda – Excellently smooth road
Narkanda to Jeori – Good road with a few patches.
Jeori to Sarahan – Extremely tough to travel
Jeori to Karcham – Full of few good and bad roads
Karcham to Chitkul – You’ll witness the road from Karcham to Sangla to be good, but the road from Sangla to Chitkul is extremely cracked.
Karcham to Kalpa – Good
Kalpa to Nako – Few good and bad roads
Nako to Dhankar – Full of both good and bad roads
Dhankar to Pin Valley – Tough roads
Dhankar to Kaza – Average
Kaza to Chicham/Kibber/Komik / – Super smooth roads
Kaza to Losar – Terribly broken roads
Losar to Kunzum Pass – Difficult to travel roads
Chandratal Road – Very badly broken and narrow roads.
Batal to Gramphoo – Difficult to travel roads.
Gramphoo to Manali – Smooth but full of traffic

By Bus:

You can take a bus from Chandigarh to Shimla or Reckong Peo and then you can travel to Kaza by taking a bus between Reckong Peo to Kaza. From Shimla, the bus to Reckong Peo operates daily at 5:00 AM. Two HRTC buses run regularly between Shimla and Kaza every day, one early in the morning, while the other in the evening.

The bus for Reckong Peo starts at around 7 AM and reaches Kaza around 4 PM. The bus ticket will cost around Rs 400, and it will take around 24 hours to reach Kaza from Shimla.

Permits:

You don’t need any permit to reach Spiti from Shimla if you’re an Indian resident. The foreigners, however, will require a pass named Inner Line Permit to travel beyond Reckong Peo.

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