In the effort towards completing the comprehensive guide to Spiti Valley, in this article, let me enlist some of the preferred places to stay in Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley. All these places of stay in Spiti Valley and Kinnaur are in the range of Rs 500 per person and go well beyond Rs 1500 per person depending on comfort, food, and facilities on offer in them.

Stay Options in Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley
Stay Options in Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley

Of course, the season you are traveling also impacts the prices of your stay in Kinnaur and Spiti valley. However, with many of the hotels or guesthouses mentioned in this article, you can make a budget trip to Spiti Valley.

Where to stay in Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley?

There is no shortage of options to stay in both Spiti Valley as well as Kinnaur Valley, but it is always good to know which hotels or guest houses are popular among travelers and which of these hotels or stay options are better to avoid. It always saves us a lot of hassles, especially when we are traveling with families.

Most of the people start the road trip to Spiti Valley from Shimla side, enter Kinnaur Valley then visit Spiti Valley and finally exit Kaza from Manali side. I will be covering the good places of stay on the entire circuit from Shimla – Kinnaur to Spiti to Manali.

In time to come, I will keep on adding up on this list so that there could be a central place available to find good hotels or accommodation options in Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley.

Let's check some Good Hotels or Accommodation options in Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley
Let’s check some Good Hotels or Accommodation options in Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley

What about Homestays in Spiti Valley & Kinnaur?

Spiti Valley is a remote place and though accommodation options are good in number but fairly limited with facilities, especially when it comes to homestays. Most of the homestays in Spiti Valley do not have attached washrooms, and some even have dry pits especially in the remote villages of Lhalung, Mane, Komik, Demul, etc..

However, in this article, we will talk about more or less the hotels and guest houses of Spiti Valley rather than focusing on Homestays, which I feel I shall cover under a separate article (already linked in this paragraph).

Most of these stay options that I will outline in this article are ideal to stay and offer decent comfort and facilities which a family may require. Still, as I said earlier, you need to compromise on certain things if budget is a constraint in your travel.

You need to keep in mind that place like Spiti Valley is a remote place, and one cannot expect all the luxury in the world, even after paying Rs 2000 per person per night. At times, in remote villages of Spiti Valley, getting a place to stay with the attached toilet is a luxury in itself ;)…

You should always carry your own water bottle and refill it as many times as you need water. It will not only keep you hydrated always, but you will also help in saving the Himalayas from plastic garbage. Remember, every tiny step counts and you can help save the Himalayas too !! 🙂 🙂

PWD Guest Houses in Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley

On any given day, if you can get hold of a PWD Rest House in Himachal and can cook food yourself OR are OK with just eatable quality food, then HP PWD Rest House is the extreme value for money options of stay in Himachal Pradesh.

In these remote parts of Himachal Pradesh, right from Shimla to Kaza over Hindustan Tibet Highway or NH-05, you can also find many HP PWD Guest Houses which can be opted for stay especially in small villages including Chandratal to Manali / Gramphu road as well.

To know the details on how to book a PWD Guest House in Himachal, you can refer to my article on How to Book HP PWD Rest Houses or FRHs. Apart from these economical options of stay in Spiti or Kinnaur, let me enlist some good other good hotels or guest houses in Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley in this article.

Homestays in Lhalung
Homestays in Lhalung

Good accommodation options in Sarahan

As you move from Shimla, you travel towards Kinnaur Valley after covering Narkanda and Rampur. Further ahead of Rampur comes to a place called Jeori. A diversion of 12 km off Hindustan Tibet Road will lead you to Sarahan from Jeori.

Sarahan is a quaint little town and also called the entrance to Kinnaur Valley. It houses a temple that also offers options to stay at an economical price. The first floor rooms are pretty decent.

  • Hotel Srikhand, HPTDC: Location wise a pretty nice place to stay. Run by HPTDC, this is the only decent hotel in Sarahan.
  • Bhimkali Temple Lodge, first floor rooms.
  • PWD Rest House Sarahan
  • PWD Rest House Jeori. Nice place to stay, Pritam is the caretaker and was very helpful on my stay up there.
  • Few homestays and small guest houses have also mushroomed in Sarahan in recent years.

Good accommodation options in Kalpa / Sangla / Baspa Valley / Chitkul

As you travel further from Sarahan, you get a bit deeper into Kinnaur Valley, and most people stay at Kalpa, Sangla Valley, and Chitkul region. I have already covered all these places in my detailed guide of Kinnaur Valley, but here we can check where you can stay at Kalpa, Sangla or Chitkul.

Let us first look at Kalpa, which is one of the most visited places in Kinnaur Valley because many people traveling to Spiti valley consider Kalpa as a transit point to Kaza or while coming from Kaza. However, Kalpa offers one of the best sunrises and sunsets in the entire Himalayan range.

Good Places to Stay in Kalpa

  • Hotel Apple Pie, Kalpa a beautiful property with a moderate budget but worth the money spent. Run by the humble and hospitable Aman Bhai: +919857985700, +919999934003. You can refer my name (Dheeraj) or Discover With Dheeraj to Aman for some discounts.
  • Hotel Rakpa Regency, Kalpa – Ph: +91-9805213356 (Whatsapp), +91-7018831844, 01786-226587. A very decent place to stay, we stayed there at DoW Mega Meet 2014. Raj Sharma, who runs it, took very good care of the entire group. We were more than 60 people and he really took care of each and every one. You can refer my name (Dheeraj) or Discover With Dheeraj to Raj for some discounts.
  • Grand Shambhala, a bit costly but very nice to stay in case it suits your budget.

Good Places to Stay in Sangla & Chitkul

After Kalpa, most tourists prefer to stay at Sangla Valley or travel to Chitkul. We all know about Chitkul by the name of the last Indian village before Tibet. However, when traveling to Spiti Valley from Delhi along Hindustan Tibet road, you will find many such border villages if you want to explore without following Instagram trends.

Many of these stay options provide SPECIAL DISCOUNTED RATES to all the readers/followers of the DoW website through our Destination Specialists. In order to avail the discounts, you can use the online booking form at the link: Book Stay Options In Spiti Valley

Now, let us look at some of the good hotels of guest houses in Sangla Valley and Chitkul.

  • Hotel Apple Pie, Rakcham – Sangla another beautiful property with a moderate budget but worth the money spent and run by the same humble and hospitable Aman Bhai as for Apple Pie Kalpa: +919857985700,+919999934003. You can refer my name (Dheeraj) or Discover With Dheeraj to Aman for some discounts.
  • Kailash View Camps, just beside the Baspa River at Rakcham in Sangla Valley. Mr. Naresh Negi: 09805380746.
  • Rupin River View Guest House at Rakcham
  • Prakash Guest House at Sangla: 9816283268, or 01786-242611, 01786-242218, 94182 75062. Mohan Prakash is the contact person
  • Kinner Camps, Sangla – Ph: 094183 39866. Nice place to stay but a bit of a costly side.
  • Chitkul has some homestays and guesthouses. Preferable to book on the spot for all including the Panchali Guest House in Chitkul.
Hotel Apple Pie Kalpa
Hotel Apple Pie Kalpa

Good accommodation options in Tabo

The first major place that comes in Spiti Valley after entering from Kinnaur side is Tabo village. There are many options to stay in Tabo, and you will find so many small guest houses and homestays in Tabo village.

  • Kunzum Guest House, Tabo. Very nice place to stay in Tabo just behind Monastery. We stayed there at DoW Mega Meet 2014 and it was a very nice experience. 01906-223365,094185-55210
  • Siddharth Guest House, a decent option of stay in Tabo.
  • Tow Dhey Guest House run by Anil Bodh: 09418271129, 09418537574
  • PWD Rest House in Tabo is also a good budget option of stay in Tabo
  • Tabo Monastery also offers rooms at economical rates. However, stay at Tabo Monastery will be very basic.

Good accommodation options in Pin Valley (Mud Village)

As you move forward towards Kaza from Tabo, you can go over to Pin Valley and stay in Sagnam village and Mudh Village. Pin Valley is one of the most underrated places in Spiti Valley. However, it is one of the most beautiful places in my honest opinion.

  • Tara Guest House can be contacted at 089880-62293, 08991723015, 9418365251 / 9418441453 / 9418571167 or an email to Sonamspiti@gmail.com
  • Sonam Tara Homestay in Mudh Village is another option of stay, an extension of Tara Guest House only. You can contact them at 089880-62293, 08991723015, 9418365251 / 9418441453 or an email to Sonamspiti@gmail.com
  • There is Kunzum Cafe / Homestay too which you can check there
  • Pin Parvati Guest House can be contacted at 9418571167/8991723015
  • Snow Valley Guest House can be contacted at 9418985242/8991723015
  • There is a PWD Rest House at Sagnam village too.

Many of these stay options provide SPECIAL DISCOUNTED RATES to all the readers/followers of the DoW website through our Destination Specialists. In order to avail the discounts, you can use the online booking form at the link: Book Stay Options In Spiti Valley

Good accommodation options in Kaza

Finally, you will reach Kaza, where again, there are plenty of options to stay suiting the needs of every budget. However, I only stay with a fixed place in Kaza as it is run by a dear friend Tsering who offers amazing hospitality.

  • None other than Tsering Bhai at Sakya Abode or Sakya Homestays or Kumphen who received the Devil’s Den Award and to be frank I always stay with him only :)… Detailed Review with contact details of Sakya Above can be found in my article Sakya Abode Kaza – An Enriching Experience in Spiti Valley

Some other good options to stay at Kaza:

  • There is an HPTDC hotel as well which is also a good option to stay apart from the average quality food.
  • Hotel Spiti Sarai, Contact Tenzin at +91-9418925003 or Ramesh Lotey 09418439247. If you are not interested in Snow Lion or Sakya Abode or Kumphen or Sakya Homestays even, then you can check with Ramesh Ji of Spiti Sarai too. Very nice place to stay, about 7 KMs from Kaza.
  • More economic can go with Circuit House or PWD Rest House. Call 01906-222202 and send fax 01906-222215 or 01906222416.

Good accommodation options at Komik, Hikkim, Langza

ltonlee suggests in the comments section below “Just got back from Spiti. I had this amazing homestay experience at Komic/Komik and thought I must definitely share with people visiting Spiti. Clean, attentive, basic but absolutely delicious food, friendly, very good English. Komic/Komik village homestay, Kunga, 9459981295, 01906200050, kungajordan14@gmail.com

Pro Tip: If you are doing a self drive to Spiti Valley, then make sure to read my article on 40 Must-HaveThings to Carry on a Self-Drive Trip to the Himalayas

Good accommodation options at Chandratal

There isn’t anything else here apart from temporary camps set up by local Bishan Thakur – Parasol Camps & Retreats at Chandratal and few other folks at Chandratal camping site. You can contact Bishan of Parasol Camps at 09418845817, 09459910098, Nawang: 09459073908, 01906-200204. You can write to them at parasolcamps@gmail.com, info@parasolcamps.com.

These camps at Chandratal are more spacious, have mattresses & quilts and are very comfortable. He does have a dining area & covered washrooms if required. You can refer Discover With Dheeraj or my name (Dheeraj) to Bishan, and he will surely offer whatever best in his capacity. We did stay with him at DoW Mega Meet, and everything was managed very well by Bishan.

Batal Chandra Dhabha

Well, there is all the famous Batal Chandra Dhabha of Dorje Uncle which has room for 7-8 people on one side and the other side may allow you to stay if there is space available. Workers and the Dhaba family itself occupy most of the space where they serve food, so if you are lucky, you may get space to sleep there as well.

They charge Rs 100 per person for a night stay and provide quilts as well. You can take as many quilts as available with them and if not in use by anyone. There is a PWD Rest House as well now at Batal, and you can take rooms there and eat at Chandra Dhabha with Dorje Uncle and Auntyji. 08991722020 is the contact number of satellite phone at Batal, and you can inquire from him if Dorje uncle can book a PWD Rest House room for you or a couple of igloo type huts just in front of Batal dhabha that can save you from cold winds in the evening or night.

Can I camp at Chandratal Lake?

As far as accommodation or camping at the banks of Chandratal Lake is concerned, it has been banned by the GOVT. So, you need to pitch tents alongside the parking site, which is about 2 KMs from the lake from where you need to hike this remaining distance. Please respect the rules and nature else one day it will punish in its own way.

Many of these stay options provide SPECIAL DISCOUNTED RATES to all the readers/followers of the DoW website through our Destination Specialists. In order to avail the discounts, you can use the online booking form at the link: Book Stay Options In Spiti Valley

Good accommodation options in Manali

  • There are loads of options here but my all-time favorite is Johnsons Lodge.
  • You can also go over and stay at Naggar Castle which is about 30 KMs from Manali
  • HPTDC, Kunzum or Beas or Hadimba Cottages are also a decent option.
  • Cheaper or economic ones can be found on Manali – Naggar Road
  • Khushbu Resorts

LAST UPDATED: January 2020
This article has been updated with the latest information about stays in Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley. I try my best to keep this list up to date every season. Feel free to suggest any further updates or additions you deem fit.

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Conclusion

I hope you find the above list of hotels or accommodation options useful for your upcoming Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley trip. If you happen to know any updated contact numbers or missing contact numbers of these hotels or any other nice and good option of stay in Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley, kindly leave a comment as it will be helpful for other fellow travelers as well looking for similar info.

Have a travel question?? You can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram or comment on my YouTube videos.

If you have ever stayed at any of these hotels, please share your experience with us too either as comments below or on Instagram and tag us with @devilonwheels.

Finally, if you know your friends or family are planning a trip to Spiti Valley or Kinnaur, do share this article with them to help them make a memorable trip.

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I am Dheeraj Sharma - a traveler, techie, and Himalayan lover. Since 2009, I have been helping thousands of travelers every year plan memorable & budget-friendly trips to the Himalayas - Smartly, Safely, and responsibly.

74 Comments

  1. Ashish Borkar on

    hi dheeraj, we are a group of 6 friends planning to visit spiti valley from shimla in the last week of february and would like to know good and cheap homestays available on the route from shimla to spiti and also can we visit chandrataal lake at that time?

  2. Shivasankar G on

    HI, Dheeraj,

    Need your Help.

    Looking for Budget accommodation in Shimla for a day stay on 23rd Sep.

    Could you please provide some contacts. I have tried calling PWD guest houses from the Link above, Most numbers are unattended and a Gentleman said the PWD houses are booked for this month.

    Need your help, kindly do needful.

    G.Shivasankar
    Bangalore

  3. Hello Dheeraj,

    Very helpful info on your site. We are planning for Simla- Sarahan-Kalpa-Tabo-Kaza-Chandratal-Manali in the week of Sep 23rd. We do not want to stay at Chandratal/Batal as we have parents (60 yrs age) travelling with us. Have 2 questions:

    – Is it safe to cover Kaza-Chandratal-Manali on same day? We can start around 6AM from Kaza. 1 ht stopover at Chandratal. How much time will it actually take till Manali?

    – Till how much distance of the lake will vehicles go for CHandratal? How many kms of walking required to reach the lake?

    Thanks
    Debashis

    • Hello Debashis,

      1. Yes it is completely possible to cover Kaza – Chandratal – Manali in a day. Just leave Kaza by 6 AM so that you reach Chandratal lake at the time of reflections. It will take about 9-11 hrs to reach Manali from Kaza covering Chandratal in later September as water crossings will be dried.

      2. Vehicles can go up to about a certain point from where you need to walk around 800 Mtrs to reach lake.

  4. Rahul Bhan on

    Hi Dheeraj,

    Me and some friends are planning a trip next month into Spiti and were looking at some hotel accommodations if you could suggest –

    Basically for Narkanda, Reckong Peo, Kaza and Chandratal

    Also, can you suggest if the below itinerary is fine?

    Thursday, Jun 22 – Delhi – Chandigarh overnight journey
    Friday, Jun 23 – Chandigarh- Narkanda
    Saturday, Jun 24 – Narkanda – Reckong Peo
    Sunday, Jun 25 – Reckong Peo – Kaza
    Monday, Jun 26 – Explore Kaza
    Tuesday Jun 27 – Explore Kaza
    Wednesday, Jun 28 – Explore Kaza
    Thursday, Jun 29 – Kaza – Chandratal
    Friday, June 30 – Chandratal – Manali
    Saturday, July 1 – Explore Manali, catch evening bus to Delhi
    Sunday, July 2 – Delhi

    Thanks,
    Rahul

      • Rahul Bhan on

        Yes, we have changed the itinerary to the following now – Would you recommend anything else worth checking out if time permits based on what I have outlined below –

        Thursday, Jun 22 – Delhi – Chandigarh overnight journey
        Friday, Jun 23 – Chandigarh- Narkanda – stay over in Narkanda
        Saturday, Jun 24 – Narkanda – Reckong Peo
        Sunday, Jun 25 – Reckong Peo – Nako Lake, Gue Mummy, Stay at Tabo
        Monday, Jun 26 – Tabo Monastery, Danker Monastery, Pin Valley Reach Kaza
        Tuesday Jun 27 – Key Monastery, Kibber Village, back to Kaza
        Wednesday, Jun 28 – Langja village, Komik Monastery, Hikim Village back to Kaza
        Thursday, Jun 29 – Kaza – Chandratal
        Friday, June 30 – Chandratal – Manali
        Saturday, July 1 – Explore Manali, catch evening bus to Delhi

        Thanks for all your help Dheeraj!

  5. Hi Dheeraj,

    I’ve been following your thread since 2012 and I receive updates in my mail ID from DoW. Infact, I planned by Ladakh trip from your inputs only, This time, I have plans to visit Spiti from Kinnaur side and will conclude my trip by Manali after visiting Chandrataal in the 1st week of Oct’17. I’ve been to Kinnaur last year and upto Nako so that won’t be much of an issue to plan. The rest part is that I’ll start from Kalpa and will have a force night stop at Tabo And then, my thought is to spent nights at Mud, Langza, Kibber & Losar. I’ll be making this trip with my family where my mother, aging 67 years, is also a member. In fact, she has been an integral part of the group and we visited many high altitude places like Ladakh & Bum La. I need your help to decide :-

    1. Are there any better places in Spiti over those what I’ve mentioned ?
    2. Budget family accommodation options with attached toilet in those villages

    I’ve 5 nights at disposal for Spiti only. Please suggest with contact details.

    • Hi Arindam,

      Following is what can be one of the option:

      Day 1 – Kalpa – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
      Day 2 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley
      Day 3 | Pin Valley – Kaza Local Sightseeing
      — For stay check Sakya Abode or snow lion are two good options at Kaza apart from PWD Guest houses. Get in touch with Tsering, the guy who runs it. He is a very good friend of mine and you can refer my name.
      Day 4 | Kaza Local Sightseeing
      — Ki, Kibber, Gette, Tashigang
      Day 5 | Kaza Local Sightseeing and go back to Tabo
      — Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit

      Regarding stays, refer above article

      • Hi Dheeraj,

        Thanks for your reply…I really don’t wish to stay at Kaza instead I’d love to stay at Langza, Hikkim or Koumick. Only pre-requisite to stay is attached toilet with room in any of these villages. Do you have any such information or contact ? I’ll exit through Manali and hence won’t come back to Tabo.

        • Yeah, the days marked in KAza can be taken as days marked for sleeping overnight at these villages. All the remote villages will be having home stays and I really doubt that they will have attached toilets. They will have traditional style toilets with dry pits. Yeah, that’s fine if you want to exit from Manali side.

  6. Dheeraj bhai can u share the mode of transportation and different ways to explore the spiti in cheaper way as I m a solo backpacker planning to explore whole spiti in detail in 20 days .. budget transportation and accommodation are necessary. I hv no particular demand of comfort as being a backpacker I m used to it

  7. Hi Dheeraj ,This is Suresh from Tabo and I would like to recommend Namsay Homestay as an option in Tabo….its located at the main road Tabo (towards Kaza end)…It will help people to find us f you add it in your recommendatiin list..I will be posting pictures too….My contact no. +919418600825

    • Thank you Suresh ji !! Julley, it will be great if you can add pictures and tarrif for the guest house in the DoW Forum. Let me know if you need any help.

  8. Sunil Gupta on

    Hi Dheeraj,

    Any contact details of accomodation options in Dhankar & Key, Kibber village?

    • Well, Sunil, Dhangkar has many home stay options available, Key monastery has a guest house where you can stay and Kibber again has many home stays available. You can land there and walk in to any of the vaailable ones.

  9. Kaushik Adhikari on

    Hi Dheeraj,

    We a group of 7 are planning to visit spiti valley in 1st week of September 2016. Is it recommended to pre book hotels during this time ? Will hotel rooms be available if we plan to book on spot? We’re planning to go for some budget hotels in mind.

  10. hi sir…
    i have a query…if we go spiti kaza by car n we have tents is there option to stay in them in any of valley…in kaza…i mean is there any security issue…??

  11. Janvi Arora on

    Firstly..thanks for writing such an informative blog..it really helped me planning my trip..i wanted to stay in chitkul and not travel anywhere else…so it was a bit easy..but travelling solo has its own concerns ( especially for parents of a girl) , so i had to atleast go with pre booking of stay..After some online surfing ..i came across ” Samaa Resorts ” website (www.samaaresorts.com)..i immediately called them and spoke to the owner..at first go she really made me comfortable and settled all my inhibitions of travelling solo..and was so looking forward to seeing them..
    The day of check in. .she made sure that she was in touch with me to find out if all was ok…when i reached there…Wow…!!! The place is so beautiful and added goodies…Samaa resorts…the property has uninterrupted view of the mountains…nice open lawn to enjoy coffee by the day and stars by the night..the rooms are very well done..and maintained..the food is like simple home made food…with various options like pastas and sizzlers too..not to forget…they serve gujarati & jain food also…even though the top 2 floors were not ready…they made it a point not to start work as guests were checked in….it was good to see all type of guests..family with kids, friends, senior citizens..and of course solo like me…the owners Manmeet & Manali , a lovely couple from Mumbai…who have virtually moved in here for the love of mountains.. their personal touch and attention makes one feel like home…they looked into it that all guests are comfortable. .be it stay..food or travel…felt like home…one of the unique thing i noticed was special offer to bikers…!! As Manmeet & Manali both are ardent bikers ..they offer Rs.999/- per biker ! So obviously they did have bikers vrooming in too..campfire. .good food (only veg..and eggs..but totally worth it..)..Good staff…awesome hospitality and above all view to die for…Samaa Resorts and the dashing duo..M & M made my experience most memorable. ..
    After wonderful experience in Chitkul…they not only suggested but gave me a ride to their another property in Kalpa.. (Samaa Resorts – Mount view)..small property compared to chitkul…but again…unique…well placed and neat..staff so helpful…and food…yummmm….again preferred treatment to bikers…but who cares..i was pampered as well…Manmeet & Manali truly inspire…
    I was there second guest at newly started Fagu property…Samaa Resorts – Maya….and experienced. ..heaven…a beautifully located place…with serenity and peace that one requires…large rooms and lawns to walk around after overeating the delicious food..
    Verdit : You walk in as guest and get friends for life….so Must must must go…Samaa Resorts & Kinnaur are interlinked..and bikersss…go for it…!!!

    • Thanks for sharing the details, how about sharing some pictures and other details on the DwD Community forum thread too where it will help many others.

  12. Rakesh Gupta on

    We visited this place perhaps in 1994. It was just second year, when Govt. opened this place for Tourists. Earlier it was banned for tourists.
    There were no hotels, restaurants or Dabas or tea stalls or any type of shops or market or anyone selling any thing.
    Luckily, we had book PWD Guest houses every where and we took a small bus about 30 seater and we were 6 adult and 7 kids all below age of 14 to 2 year + one helper.
    We had all the ration for our 10 days trip.
    It was amazing and Best of Best trip and it still holds that position.
    Though we did enough research before going there, read so many books and did every thing to the finest level and enjoyed every second, I said every second.
    We even forget which day is today, during the trip, has to count our journey backing to calculate the present day in our trip.
    People were amazing in these areas, never met such Indians in our whole life. Very simple, polite, honest, sober, cooperative and welcoming. They treated us like God has come to the village. We felt like King during our trip.

    But But
    Your description and details are marvelous and I personally feel, as to why never bothered to go through them earlier. Such minute details and mostly with telephone nos. is best helpful and your research and actual visits and comments, make is most fantastic to read your well worded, simple enough description. Your links provide further in depth knowledge. I have read few books on travel, but none comes near to your live description with live and current telephone nos. which help us to reach to the last person, to make our trip with ease, satisfaction and we can leave to trip with peach of mind.

    One strange thing happened on our way back journey. When we were near Shimla, we asked our group whether they would like to visit Shimla for one day. But after seeing the freshness and beauty of Sangla, Kalpa, Ribba, and Chitkul, and on the way Sarahan, Rickon peo etc,. Shimla appeared to be Garbage, in front to natural beauty.

    I am generally lover of Off beat tracks. but being aged 65 now, I love easy destinations where we can reach easily. I love mountains, cascading water falls, local fruits at those destinations.

    • Thank you so very much sir, your feedback and comments are truely appriciated and helps me fill a dull day with frustration, right into th joy of doing good and making smiles somewhere in this world. Thank you again

  13. Hi, planning to travel to spiti valley in Aug through Manali . Will it be risky or shd we go ahead with our plan??

      • Rakesh Gupta on

        When you do good deeds, thinking it is your duty or your way of style, please keep on doing, without anticipating any reward for the same. But GOD is there watching your selfless efforts, and he rewards in plenty, beyond our expectations.

        The work you are doing with such high level of dedication and ferfection with minute details, live links, live name of persons, and live telephone nos,, it makes as if whole world is in our grip and we can go to any place, with so much ease , which can not be described in words but can be experienced only by the person who use your information.

        Moreover, your information, to such vast level, certainly will be making hundreds or thousands of nature lover, always happy but they may not be writing back.

        I think, even I am associated with your Facebook for the last 2-3 years, but only now gathered courage to write few words. Actually, your work compelled me to appreciate your unrelenting efforts for a vast community of nature travelers.

        Your description is to such level, even if we do not go to those places, still we can feel and touch those places in our heart and feel like, as if we are on a tour there and every thing unfolding, in front of our eyes and we can breath in fresh air with fragrance of that place.

        Good deed, indeed.

        Keep it up, it may be bring smiles on many faces, every time, you do some thing for them.

        Rakesh Gupta,
        Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, India.
        09350014172
        01146065172

      • Rakesh Gupta on

        We visited during Dussehra Holidays, It was best of best time, Amazing weather. Last days for Apples in Kinnaur, like Kalpa and Sangla.

  14. Sabyasachi Mukherjee on

    Hi Dheeraj,
    We are planning ti visit spiti on 22nd June. We planned like we will leave manali on 22nd June and after reaching kaza we will go for dhangkar same day. Next day we will return Manali touching chandratal lake. Can we cover manali to dhangkar in one day?

  15. Nishant Jha on

    Hi Dheeraj,

    Can you please share the contact details for Kunzum Guest House, Tabo?

    Thanks a ton for your help 🙂

    Cheers,
    Nishant

      • Hi Dheeraj,

        First of all appreciate your blog. It has been really helpful for us. We did the ladakh trip successfully using your reviews. Now planning spiti on the basis of your writeups, itineraries.

        Trying to contact Kunzum but unable to reach them on both the nos.

        Cheers
        Anshul

      • Aditi Kapoor on

        Hi Dheeraj, We recently came back from our Spiti & Kinnaur Valley trip, thanks to you, we had a wonderful trip. 🙂 🙂 I would like to recommend Namsay Homestay in Tabo. It is situated in a beautiful and peaceful location. It is a traditional homestay with simple Indian, Chinese and Spitian meals. The culture of Spiti Valley is truly reflected here. It has all the amenities required for a comfortable stay. We had an amazing stay here. Dr. Suresh who manages the homestay is a very welcoming and knowledgeable person. He has worked very hard to ensure that the guests can experience the traditional feel of Spitian life. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to everyone visiting Tabo. Dr. Suresh +91 94186 00825.

        • Thanks Aditi, posted your experience here in DwD Community so that it helps others too. If possible, please share some pictures and the prices you paid too.

        • First of all I would like to appreciate Dheeraj sir for your blog. The kind of information and platform you are giving to the guests of Spiti is very precious .I would like to pay great regards and thanks to Aditi Mam to mention Namsay at such a big platform…

        • Thank you Suresh ji !! Julley, it will be great if you can add pictures and tarrif for the guest house in the DoW Forum. Let me know if you need any help.

  16. Shankhajit on

    Hi Dheeraj,

    I plan to visit : Delhi > Shimla > Sarahan / Narkhanda > Sangla > Chitkul > Kalpa > Chandrataal > Manali > Delhi.
    I want to visit with my family (myself, wife and 5 yrs old son) and parents (70 yrs, 60 yrs) during last week of May next year. Is it good time to visit the region if I intend to witness snowfall / view snow just on roadside. If not, what is the best time to experience snowfall as well as have a safe travel without much hindrance from road safety point of view?

    Please share your views which will be very grateful. Also I plan to keep around 10 days for this entire trip ex-Delhi. Will it be sufficient? I don’t want trip to be too hectic. Please advise

    Regards
    Shankhajit

  17. Hi Dheeraj, plan to explore Spiti Valley with family including a four and half year old daughter. Grateful if you could help with insights on the following:

    We plan to be around there during October 15-20–is there any advise in terms of the season?

    Is HPTDC’s Kinnaur Kailash better to stay than the Green Apple hotel? Any other recommendations?

    Is it an overall good idea to explore Spiti, Kinnaur now? Or there are some other options–we want to stay away from usual, get overwhelmed by pristine mountains, valleys

    Really hope you can help with guidance:)

    • Pankaj, the time you are planning the trip to Spiti Valley is a bit cold and with such a small kid I will recommend that you please consider Kinnaur Valley given the less number of days in hand.

      • Thanks a lot, Dheeraj. So HPTDC’s kinnaur Kailash will make for a good place to anchor and explore nearby?

      • Dear Dheeraj, thanks for your patience with my queries:). When I am looking for Shangrila, I am getting Shamba La on the web–is it the one? Do you have any numbers or links?

        Really grateful

  18. Himanshoo on

    Hi. I am travelling to Sangla-Chitkul in 3rd week Sep with a 2 yr daughter. Pls advise on roads quality at this time of year. Also advise should I get a PWD guest house/FRH at Sangla, or go for higher priced camps like Banjara/Baikunth/Kinner? Are facilities at PWD/FRH upto mark?

  19. Just got back from Spiti. Had this amazing homestay experience at komic/komik and thought I must definitely share with people visiting Spiti. Clean, attentive, basic but absolutely delicious food, friendly, very good English.

    Komic/komik village homestay, Kunga, 945 998 1295, 01906200050, kungajordan14@gmail.com

  20. Hi,
    Thank u for ds hlpful info..i’ld lyk to kno if itz not risky to travel spiti n lahaul in mid of november as we r planning a trip at same tym for almost a week

    • Vina, it is quite risky to travel to Lahaul for sure in the month of September and Spiti will be damn cold as well but it remains open from Shimla – Kinnaur side. Of course you cannot travel between Manali – Kaza road

      • Hi Dheeraj,

        Please correct “September” to “November”. Typo 😉

  21. Mehul Jain on

    Hotel Deyzor is a lovely place in Kaza..karanbir bedi. 09418402660
    Extremely helpful and sweet people..

  22. Sujay Nandi on

    HPTDC hotels in Kaza and Kalpa is decent though the Kalpa one is bit overpriced considering the service provided. Do note practically there is very little option once you cross Rohtang Pass before reaching Kaza (if you are taking Manali – Kaza route via Kunzum La), there are couple of guest houses with very basic accommodation.

  23. Adding my two cents to this very helpful post after having travelled across Kinnaur and Spiti for two weeks startig last week of April 2015:

    Narkanda: The HPTDC Hotel Hatu has a beautiful room for Rs. 1300. It is clean and faces the lawn with a beautiful mountain view. The attached bath is fully equipped with gesyer and all necessary amenities. So there is no need to go for any of the higher priced rooms. The hotel is a short uphill walk from the main chowk/bus stand. For people drivng in, there is ample parking space in the hotel.

    I am sure the other hotels/guest houses in the Chowk are lower priced and seemed equally good. But they lack the calm and quiet that The Hatu offers. Book hrough http://hptdc.gov.in/
    VERDICT: RECOMMENDED

    Reckong Peo: Stay options are mostly mediocre in the main bazaar. I am told that the Little Chef Hotel & Restaurant rigt next to the bus stand is decent. However, if you are palnning to stay near the bus stand which is a good 5-10 minutes drive uphill from the main bazaar, be aware that the options are very limited. We stayed at Hotel Shivling View which is located on the main road near the PWD Rest House. Were charged Rs. 900 to spend the night. The room was OK but the very poorly maintained. The sheets were unclean and we were given a used soap and towel. There was no water because they had left the taps running when the room was not occupied.
    VERDICT: NOT RECOMMENDED

    Kalpa: We stayed at the Chini Bunglow for two nights. This is a very cosy place just above the main market. The Deluxe Rooms have a balcony which offers full view of the Kinnar Kailash. The placement is such that you are away from the hustle bustle in spite of being so close to the market. We paid the full rent of Rs. 500 per night though we were aware that a young friend of ours paid only Rs. 350 after some haggling.
    The rooms are clean and have attached baths. They do not offer food/tea. Yu will have to walk down to the market for these and there are plenty of options there. Book by calling Totaram ji (care taker) +91-9805495656
    VERDICT: RECOMMENDED

    Chitkul: Here we stayed at the PWD Rest House which has a very good location and spacious rooms. But the caretaker Rai Singh, though a very friendly person, is very negligent of his duties. The bathrooms are dirty and stinking. There was no arrangement for water. He did not provide towels or extra blankets in spite of repeated requests. The sheets had not been cleaned.
    VERDICT: NOT RECOMMENDED

    We spent another night at the Thakur Guest House which is also very conveniently located and has a dhaba attached to it. The rooms are small but cosy and have attached baths with running water and geyser. Carry your own towel since they do not have any. We paid Rs. 350 for a night. Book by calling +91-8988209604 , +91-8894464604
    VERDICT: RECOMMENDED

    Note on places to stay in Spiti: If you are travilling in off-season (like we did), please understand that you are more of a guest in the places that you stay as against a customer. Even the bare minimumnecessities are offered to you out of kindness and not as a matter of your right. The staff of these hotels are yet to arrive after the winter break so all services are provided by the family of the owner. So please be understanding and cooperative. In our case, we pumped water from the tubewell and carried it across the road to our hotel instead of letting our host do it (though the owner was most embarassed when he learnt of this). If you feel this is not your cup of tea, do not travel to Spiti in off season … choose June to October for your travel dates.

    Tabo: Monastery Guest House was the only place operational in late April apart from Siddharth Guest House. We got beautiful room with attached bath for Rs. 600. It is a very cosy place to stay and Dhani Ram, the care taker is an extremely helpful and jovial person. The entire village did not have any running water because teh pipes were frozen. But every time we needed water, hot or cold, Dhani Ram would without fail bring up buckets of water with a smile on his face. The monastery also has a very good restaurant which serves all kinds of veg and non-veg dishes. All proceeds from the guest house go towards running the monastery school. Book by calling Dhani Ram at +91-8988107473 , +91-9418984340 or emailing tabomonastery1600@gmail.com
    VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

    Kaza: Snow Lion and Bodhi Guest House were the only places operational in late April. Other places start operations in May and in some cases even June. Tsering bhai the owner of of Snow Lion and Sakya Abode is an amazing person and a very kind host. He very kindly organized a room and hot meals for us when we arrived unannounced in the dark of the night. This in spite of the fact that his hotel was not operational, he had no staff and he was extremely busy with the start of the sowing season.
    The rooms in Snow Lion are clean and have beautiful view. It is located on the outskirts of the town. The food we were served was delicious and the rates were more than reasonable.
    VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

  24. hi dheeraj.. nice to see so much needed information at one place. dheeraj i would your advise on the following:-

    1. I plan to go to visit Narkanda, chitkul, kalpa, tabo, kaza, losar manali. with my son 12 yrs. on a santro, starting 28 may 15 to 5 june 15. is the time safe to go on a santro.
    2. I have not booked any accommodation.. carrying our own tent. can you suggest where all can we get place to pitch in our own tents.

    • Hi Amit,

      1. Up to Losar it shall be fine but beyond that it will be very challenging and I think even the road from Kaza to Manali will not be open by that time as it opens in general by thrid week of June. This year delay is expected.
      2. You can pitch your own tents anywhere but I will suggest you pitch them at a place where there are some dhabha tents put up by locals or where other camping guy pitch theirs or somewhere near some house in village or in their garden/lawn. All you will need is to gently ask them (villagers/dhabha guys/camping guys) for permissions. Most likely they will allow, other wise negotiate for small little tip or move on to some other such place nearby. This will give you sense of security too.

      Regards
      Dheeraj

  25. Hi Dheeraj,

    Kinner camps or Banjara camp, which is better to stay. And also tell me the costing and difference between the two location wise also

    • It all depends upon budget. If you low on budget, better to go with Kinner Or Kailash View camps. Bajara for a person like me is too too costly for a night stay 🙂