The Journey so far-

A Teaser… Burning colors of Spiti Valley…
Views between Kaza and Tabo
Day 4 – 8th October, 2011 | Kaza – Kinnaur Valley – Shimla – Delhi

We woke up around 6.30 AM, soon packed up bags, got ready and by 7.15 AM we were at the restaurant’s table for the breakfast. I was feeling well today and AMS symptoms seemed to have resided by now along with headache. In the restaurant, a family was sitting aside us abusing the people who flocked the hotel yesterday for all sough of nuisance they created. The guy was with National Geographic and appeared pretty knowledgeable about the terrain. Meanwhile, our breakfast got ready he told us that they will be heading Keylong today via Kunzam Pass as the roads were still clear despite last night snowfall. Considering this in between, we were also discussing the possibilities of going via Kunzam Pass to Manali. Some arguments here and there about why we returned and finally there were two options out of which one to choose. We go Manali via Kunzam Pass and stay overnight at Manali with comfortable ride to Delhi day after OR we go via Kinnaur – Shimla today and with a non-stop drive, reach Delhi in the morning tomorrow 😯 …

After quite fight of 15 minute including all if’s and but’s by 8.00 AM were back on road to Tabo – Kinnaur from Kaza. I was pretty excited for this challenge, as driving one of the most adventurous roads in India, that too non stop to Delhi all the way from Kaza, is quite a tough ask. Generally, people cover it in three days 😯 … But, the challenge was well accepted and the idea was simple, no stops up to Rampur where we will have meal for the day. We drive through the beautiful burning colors of Spiti Valley looked so mesmerizing that there are no words to express them…

Morning views of Kaza…
Morning views of Kaza Town
Beautiful burning colors of Spiti Valley…
Views between Kaza and Tabo in Spiti Valley
Beautiful burning and reflecting colors of Spiti Valley…
Views between Kaza and Tabo in Spiti Valley
Spiti River flows with color of purity…
Views between Kaza and Tabo in Spiti Valley
Spiti River flows with color of purity…
Views between Kaza and Tabo in Spiti Valley
Wide view of Kaza Valley…
Views between Kaza and Tabo in Spiti Valley
A road so narrow…
Views between Kaza and Tabo in Spiti Valley
Soil eroded sculptures of Spiti Valley…
Views between Kaza and Tabo in Spiti Valley
Dark clouds surround Tabo village as we leave…
Distant view of Tabo in Spiti Valley

We made good progress and soon we hit Tabo where we inquired about buying the Spitian apples as they were super delicious. People told us that we cannot get them as all the orchards are now under the control of contractors or agents and they export them directly. They asked us to come back by mid-September next year as by that time villagers have control over the crop and can give us at that time. Bargaining with contractors meant rocket high prices, so after asking one of them who quoted 4500 for 28 KGs we though coming back next year will be a better idea 😆 … The beauty was never lasting and every curve around I forced myself to stop and click but we had a mammoth task ahead of non-stop drive to Delhi which I never thought in my life 🙂 … By 11.00 AM we reached Sumdo ITBP checkpost where we registered our names again along with vehicle’s registration and bid adieus to Spiti Valley for the year 2011.

Running all the way…
Views between Tabo and Sumdo in Spiti Valley
How about measuring the path…
Views between Tabo and Sumdo in Spiti Valley

After Sumdo, Kinnaur Valley started and the roads started to deteriorate towards Chango. Ahead of Chango, we drive through the steep ascent towards Malling Nalla and the views started to turn beautiful and beautiful as well kept ascending. Again heart beats rise as we came close to Malling Nalla, a 24X7X365 landslide prone zone on Hindustan – Tibet Highway. This time it was pretty easy and with little direction suggestions from outside we were able to go through it without any glitch 🙂 …

Some facts on NH – 22 and Hindustan – Tibet Highway (read IM thread here for more info):

  • NH – 22 starts at Ambala and Hindustan – Tibet Highway starts at Shimla.
  • NH – 22 and Hindustan – Tibet Highway are not aligned together for majority of the part except the common sections are only Shimla to Rampur, Wangtu to Tapri, and Puh (turn-off) to Khab (turn-off).
  • Hindustan – Tibet Highway, ends at Shipki La at least from Indian side. Uncertain, about its extent into Tibet. It is like Shimla-Narkanda-Rampur-Gaura-Sarahan-Nichar-Wangtu-Tapri-Urni-Roghi-Kalpa-Pangi-Jangi-Labrang-Puh-Khab-Namgya-Shipki La- Shipki Village (Tibet)- and may be beyond.
  • NH – 22 ends at Kaurik (a village that do not exist any more) via Sumdo (From Sumdo the road to Tabo – Kaza is SH – 30) and then you can hike to Lepcha hamlet near the Indo – Tibet border if ITPB guys allow you to do so.
  • In papers we assume that legally the NH – 22 also ends at Shipki La 😀 …
As we left Spiti Valley behind at Sumdo…
Distant view of Sumdo checkpost
Shialkhar Village between Chango and Sumdo…
Shialkhar Village between Chango and Sumdo in Kinnaur Valley
A lonely house just ahead of Chango…
Views between Chango and Nako in Kinnaur Valley
BRO Creates, Connects and Cares… So, true…
Views between Chango and Nako in Kinnaur Valley
Curving its way up towards deadly Malling Nalla…
Road between Malling Nalla and Chango
What a view just before Malling Nalla…
Road between Malling Nalla and Chango

By 12.15 PM, we crossed Nako village which was again a beautiful sight to cross, though of stopping by for the lunch but decided against it as none of us felt hungry at that time. We kept running almost alone on the road upto now with one or two bike / pick-ups here and there. Ka – Loops were again a pleasure to drive and we soon hit the Khab bridge without any trouble at all. We decided to buy some eatables from Puh General store but as we reached Puh we found it closed. Some highly influential person of Kinnaur region had passed-away that day in Reckong Peo and most things were closed including taxis to pay condolence to the great soul, as told by one of the locals. Nevertheless, we kept running and as we reached towards Akpa bridge after registering ourselves at Jangi ITBP post, the weather had started to turn harsh with dark clouds all over the place and extremely strong wind gushing through the roads.

Prayers on stones at Nako Village…
Prayers on stones at Nako Village

Driving in Kinnaur Valley in bad weather is generally something you should always avoid but perhaps we never had the choice. It appeared snow was falling al over the Kinner Kailash range and soon it started to drizzle on the highway too. The road conditions between Akpa and Powari were in horrible state as we knew but we kept driving. After a while on the rough roads, with slight drizzle pouring down and strong wind blowing dust from the mountains, we saw a person standing and watching something up towards the hills. It appeared some casual thing to me, but as I passed by him there was a big rock right in the middle of the road and as soon as I realized the mountain aside is sliding down 😯 … PANIC SET IN… I couldn’t put reverse gear and there was no going forward too 😯 , but eventually, the reversed gear got in and in one go I reversed the car to safety location. The man standing in the middle immediately stopped two foreigners riding their cycles and hurried to push the rock in the middle of road down into the river. He asked us to leave immediately as the mountain may come down any time in this bad weather and we knew no one will come to clear the road as everything was shutdown today. In one go, I pushed the throttle and zoomed passed the landslide prone region, soon followed by that taxi driver and two foreigners. We thanked him and move ahead. One scary experience finally 😀 …

Ahh… Glad to find green color after long time..
Views near Ribba in Kinnaur Valley
A stream flowing down into Satluj River…
A stream flowing down into Satluj River
Dark clouds as we near Reckong Peo…
Dark clouds at Reckong Peo in Kinnaur Valley
Somewhere in Kinnaur Valley…
Somewhere in Kinnaur Valley

The incident meant we need to keep running even in this bad weather and I obliged by maintain some good speed no matter how the road condition was. Petrol Pump at Powari was also closed but we had enough to reach Rampur where we eventually refueled. The drizzle became heavy as we reached Jeori where I gave a pain killer to my cousin Dhruv who was having severe pain in the ear and we bought some wafers and cold drinks to help us. It was dark but we finally reached Rampur at 7.45 PM after 12 Hrs of non-stop drive from Kaza. We were happy with the progress considering lot of photography breaks which we took in between. It meant we will reach Delhi after driving overnight by about 9 AM next day. This time we stopped at other HPTDC property, Bushahar Regency at Rampur for our dinner. Dinner was good that day or perhaps we were hungry too much, ate well, had a cup of tea and on the road we were by 9 PM.

Twilight of Dusk near Jeori…
Twilight of Dusk near Jeori

It was still raining with loud thunderstorm and lighting. At first it looked threatening but I like driving in hills at night because it is much easier owing to least traffic as well as you can see the headlight around the corner. Of course, you should try this if you have earlier experience of driving in hills at night and you are not interested in the beautiful views on offer. After offering prayers to Lord Hanuman at Rampur we were cruising alone on the road… Every one was asleep by the time we reached Narkanda but I managed to hold on. The night was cold and between Narkanda and Shimla the road conditions were bad but we need to continue. There came Theog from where till 2 KMs ahead of Kufri the road conditions were too pathetic and I had trouble descending the car near Kufri. Somehow managed without any skid and we ran by-passing Shimla in the hope to find some tea-stall open for a cup of tea. But, everything was closed. Now, I was feeling sleepy too but by that time Neeraj woke up and I asked him to drive. My sleep was short-lived as we were stopped by police near a checkpost at Shogi just ahead of Shimla for verification of  documents and licenses. Well, I asked why this checking at night the police guy told 6-7 cars have been stolen from Shimla in last 3 days 😯 and I said OK. Meanwhile, he asked us from where we were coming, I said Kaza. The guys writing there and the one who asked, repeated together “Aaj kahan se aa rahe ho?? (We are asking from where are you coming, today??)”… I replied again “Kaza” and we are going to Delhi :lol:.. They immediately said OK go but take care while driving and if possible stay overnight at some hotel 😀 …

Jai Jai Jai Bajrang Bali…
Lord Hanuman Statue at Rampur
Theog town at night…
Theog town at night

I couldn’t not fall asleep again and soon we encountered some rash strange vehicles running into us without speeding down, 3-4 headlights blinding us… Passed one, passed two, passed three and nothing was visible due to smoke they emitted. I realized that those were gypsies or participants of one of the major Himalayan rally which was about to start in few days. I perhaps thought I was wrong in admiring these chaps. (I wrote a detailed account on such spoiling sport here at: Motor Rallies | A Gimmick, Cursing Himalayan Nature) … Anyhow, after the smoke settled we moved after offering some helping verbs for them. The drive was pretty easy and soon we crossed Kalka, Zirakpur, Ambala to join NH –1 leading all the way to New Delhi. Our last stop of the trip was our usual, Neelkanth Resorts and Restaurant right after Karnal, 10-15 minutes after passing Savoy Greens. We reached there at 5.30 AM types and had a good, tasty breakfast. We started ahead towards home and after a drive for 15-20 odd KMs getting back to main road from one of the many diversions went tricky at high speed due to which I bumped the rear left wheel into a pot hole. Result was flat tyre and moreover a bent wheel rim 😯 … Thank god axle didn’t broke as the pot hole was deep and car was around 90 KMPH when it bumped into it. At first I though ale has all gone for money but god was with us. In a matter of few minutes there were three more cars getting down in similar fashion. I guess it was a known trouble point because within 5 minutes each car was offered helped by some locals for changing the tyre or getting new one etc etc. :cry:… But for us, it was moment of frustration and matter of changing the spare tyre 🙂 … I was disappointed as I could have saved it by driving slow or not taking last second shift from the diversion. But, nevertheless it had to happen, so it did. As we reached, Delhi Border at 8.00 AM types I was feeling too much sleepy and asked Neeraj again to drive us home from there. Finally, we all reached back home after 1.30 Hrs of traffic loaded driving within Delhi and eventually the dream non-stop 26 Hrs drive from Kaza – Kinnaur Valley – Delhi was a reality for me and my friends.

I hope you enjoyed this short Spiti Sprint with such long descriptive parts and I hope I didn’t let you feel any boredom 🙂

End of this travel tale!!!

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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.

44 Comments

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  2. daleep Singh on

    Hi dheeraj
    We are 4 frinds and 2 bikes. We are planning to spiti valley from 1 july via shimla route we have 7 days in hand kindly give me best route plan and halt in this route in 7 days.
    Bsnl prelaid working or pospaid working in this route.

    Thnks
    Daleep

    • Daleep, 7 days from Shimla side will be hectic. Best will be to do it from Manali side only.

      Day 1 : Reach Manali by overnight volvo of and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
      Day 2 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
      Day 3 : Kaza – Dhangkar – Tabo
      Day 4 : Tabo – Pin Valley – Kaza. Do Ki, Kibber in the evening.
      Day 5 : Kaza – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Chandratal
      Day 6 : Chandratal – Manali
      Day 7 : Reach Delhi

  3. Brother I am planning to visit Kaza cia the Rekong Peo route, is there any special permit required? Also any check post which have formalities to be done? Also can a diesel Verna easily go and how are the road conditions?

    • No Abhishek, there is no permit required in case you are an Indian Citizen. You just need to make an entry into the police register at the checkposts of Jangi/Akpa and Sumdo. The road conditions are mostly bad after Kinnaur and verna will surely get bruises in the underbelly of the car. So, if you love the car I will suggest to avoid it 😀

  4. Prakhar Pandey on

    Hi Dheeraj,

    Please help me to plan my trip to Lahul and spiti valley from Manali.
    My trip will be Manali – Lahul and Spiti – Manali.
    On my last trip to Leh ladakh from Manali I had a stay at keylong (Visited Drupka Kardang Monastery). Had stayed at Khoksar (wouldnt mind again better than keylong if required for acclimitazation).
    I want to cover Chadratal lake too.
    Please suggest best possible itinary for 6-7 days. Or is it possible in 5 days also?
    One Doubt: Covering this trip will mean covering Lahul and spiti Valley?

    Thanks in advance

    • Prakhar, 6-7 days are quite less to make a trip to Spiti Valley and you want to do Lahaul as well 🙁 … Are these days from Manali or Delhi?

      • Sorry for this question 🙁 what comes under spiti and what comes under Lahul ?? and if i have a option to cover one of this then which one should I choose ?? or I can cover one complete and one major destination of other .. 6-7 days is from Manali ..

        I want to keep trip little under budget so Manali – Spiti or lahul – Manali .. I dont want to full circuit from shimla – lahul spiti -manali.

        • Spiti is altogether a different region and need about 5-6 days ex Manali at least to explore something out of it. It has places like Kaza, Tabo, Chandratal, Ki, Kibber, etc.. Lahaul is on the north-west side of Spiti that comes from Manali – Rohtang Pass – Khoksar – Keylong – Udaipur, Jispa, Darcha, etc..

          I will suggest the following since you have 6-7 days from Manali:

          Day 1 : Reach Manali by overnight volvo of and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
          Day 2 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
          Day 3 : Kaza – Dhangkar – Tabo
          Day 4 : Tabo – Pin Valley
          Day 5 : Pin Valley – Kaza. Do Ki, Kibber in the evening.
          Day 6 : Kaza – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Losar – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal/Batal
          Day 7 : Chandratal/Batal – Rohtang Pass – Manali
          Day 8 : Reach Delhi by overnight Volvo from Manali

  5. Krishnanand on

    Hi,

    My friends and I (6 of us) were planning to head to Lahaul/Spiti from oct 2-6 starting from Delhi. Can you please suggest an itinerary that would include camping at a nice spot and a place where we can relax and chill and enjoy nature?

    • Well, it is not the time to camp as winter has set in at higher reaches and cold wind blows you away at night. I am just back from Spiti lat night. Also, just 5 days are not good enough for a tour to Spiti Valley. Try to focus on Lahaul only with visit to Jispa, Keylong and then couple of days in Manali.

  6. Hi Dheeraj,

    thanks for all the information. can you please also help me on planning a trip to spiti in the month of june. how many days would it take, going via shimla and coming via rohtang and also the stay options and how many days would it take to complete the journey.
    thanks in advance.

      • HI Dheeraj,

        Thanks for the link. it was really helpful. however, i would need some additional info about the trip.
        1) is it possible to complete the whole journey in 7-8 days against the normal 11-12 days prescribed by you?
        2) will outside taxi no car be allowed to visit all the areas or its better to take a private car?
        3) if a hatchback is ok for the journey or SUV the better option?
        thanks in adcance.

        • Hi Ravi,

          1. Possible but difficult. You can cut Day 2 and head to Kalpa that day. Day 8 I have removed from the itinerary, so you can do so as well. If you want in 7 days then either drop dhankar or Pin Valley to merge Day 5 and 6 together.

          2. It will be allowed, no restriction in Spiti Valley.

          3. SUV anyday will be great Savior.

          Regards
          dheeraj sharma

  7. Hi Deeraj,
    Kindly help me with my Ladakh Itinerary.The comment is dated February 14,2013 at 7.35 am. Thanks!

  8. Vaijayantee on

    Hi,
    Is Spiti Valley doable during 25’th March and 2’nd April?
    Me and my husband (Both 55+) would like to visit from Mumbai
    Can you please give us a few tips?
    As I have already written last Aug, I used your Most Common Itinerary for Leh Ladakh as our base plan for Ladakh and worked beautifully. We might even do an encore! Thanks again for the same

    Regards,
    Vaijayantee

    • Hi Deeraj,
      Am going Ladakh with 4 friends in Jun 2013.Kindly advise us on the below route.Is time enough for the various destination?We have experienced highland trekking in Nepal,Karakorom Highway & so AMS isn’t a problem to us & we didn’t allow too much time for acclimatization. Below is our itinerary:
      1 11-Jun-13 Arrive Delhi
      2 12-Jun-13 Delhi-Leh-acclimatization-permit application
      3 13-Jun-13 Tso Panggong-camping
      4 14-Jun-13 Tso Panggong-Leh
      5 15-Jun-13 Leh-Nubra Valley
      6 16-Jun-13 Nubra Valley
      7 17-Jun-13 Nubra Valley-Leh
      8 18-Jun-13 Hemis festival
      9 19-Jun-13 Hemis festival-late afternoon to Lamayuru
      10 20-Jun-13 Trekking starts from Lamayuru to Chilling,Alchi
      11 21-Jun-13 Trekking
      12 22-Jun-13 Trekking
      13 23-Jun-13 Trekking
      14 24-Jun-13 Trekking
      15 25-Jun-13 Leh-Tso Moriri
      16 26-Jun-13 Manali-Spiti Valley
      17 27-Jun-13 Spiti Valley
      18 28-Jun-13 Spiti Valley
      19 29-Jun-13 Spiti Valley-Manali
      20 30-Jun-13 Keylong
      21 1-Jul-13 Delhi
      22 2-Jul-13 Depart for 7 am flight to Calcutta
      Thanks!
      From: Kwuck

      • Hello Kwuck,

        Sorry for the delay but I take about 24 Hrs to reply and was just reached your comment too after replying others in the morning. I will suggest following itinerary in such a case:

        11-Jun-13 Arrive Delhi
        12-Jun-13 Delhi-Leh-acclimatization-permit application
        13-Jun-13 Leh-Nubra Valley
        14-Jun-13 Nubra Valley
        15-Jun-13 Nubra Valley-Leh
        16-Jun-13 Tso Panggong-camping
        17-Jun-13 Tso Panggong-Leh
        18-Jun-13 Hemis festival
        19-Jun-13 Hemis festival-late afternoon to Lamayuru
        20-Jun-13 Trekking starts from Lamayuru to Chilling,Alchi
        21-Jun-13 Trekking
        22-Jun-13 Trekking
        23-Jun-13 Trekking
        24-Jun-13 Trekking
        25-Jun-13 Leh – Tso Moriri
        26-Jun-13 Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Sarchu
        27-Jun-13 Sarchu – Keylong
        28-Jun-13 Keylong – Chandratal, Spiti Valley
        29-Jun-13 Chandratal, Spiti Valley – Manali
        30-Jun-13 Manali
        1-Jul-13 Delhi
        2-Jul-13 Depart for 7 am flight to Calcutta

        In any case, I would want you to stay one more day before in Leh on second day but since you say that acclimatization will not be an issue so did not change much of an itinerary. Still, I will suggest, if possible add one day there in Leh and move to Nubra Valley third day. May be take out the 30th June rest day at Manali and use that in Leh for second day. Also, given above schedule Spiti Valley will not be possible but like I suggested Chandratal could be visited.

        • Hi Deeraj,
          Thanks so much for your advice!If we skip Tso Moriri, do u think we have enough time for Spiti Valley?What will be the route u would recommend?We heard that we need Inner Line Permit to go Spiti and Kaza area.Where should we apply for the permit?If don’t go Spiti Valley,what area do u recommend for travelling after Tso Moriri?Thanks again!

        • Hi Kwuck,

          Spiti Valley, will need at least 3-4 days easily if not more to explore it at some level otherwise a dedicated trip to it. Foreigners do need permit for Spiti Valley called Inner Line Permit. Indians only require to carry a valid photo identity card but no permit required for them. You can get the complete details on Inner Line Permits for Kinnaur and Spiti Valley at the link here.

          After Tso Moriri follow the itinerary as I suggested, at least you can visit Chandratal as mentioned above. Let me know in case you have any queries or doubts.

          Regards
          Dheeraj Sharma

    • Hello Mrs. Vaijyantee,

      Though it is doable but will not recommend because it will be too cold up there. I will suggest you first travel upto Kinnaur Valley and then see if it can be extended to Spiti Valley or not or perhaps cover a major portion of Kinnaur only in the 8 days you have in hand. Let me know if it sound good, I will suggest the plan for you.

      Regards
      Dheeraj Sharma

      • Hi Deeraj,
        Thanks for your advice!Most probably I shall follow your suggested itinerary after Tso Moriri. May I know is there any place nice nearby Chilling?Heard that Zanskar Valley got more to explore…Thanks!

        • Hello Kwuck

          The ride to Chilling itself is quite lovely and scenic along Zanskar River. Nothing specific there to see though. Zanskar Valley will require at least 5 days from Leh to be explored and that will only include Padum local sightseeing. There is too much to explore there and perhaps like for Spiti Valley, you will need a separate trip for Zanskar Valley too. May be sometime do Darcha – Padum trek including Phuktal Monastery and then explore rest of Zanskar while in Padum and finally traverse to road from Padum to Kargil via Penzi La Pass and Drang Drung Glacier to either exit from Leh or Srinagar 🙂

          Regards
          Dheeraj Sharma

    • I have done the circuit in my dZire, so very much possible in SX4 too. just drive with caution and as I said start late in the day so that black ice on road gets melted. Try carrying a shovel with you, just in worst case you find some ice and want to get rid of it.

      Regards
      Dheeraj Sharma

    • Hi Dheeraj,
      Thanks for your help.I have got a friend of China nationality who can’t get permit to go Spiti Valley.Please help advise him where to go after finish trekking with us on 24th Jun.Wonder which part of Zanskar should he hang around before Tso Moriri?Below is his itinerary:
      20-Jun-13 Trekking starts from Lamayuru to Wanla
      21-Jun-13 Trekking:Wanla to Hinju
      22-Jun-13 Trekking:Hinju to Sumdo Doksa
      23-Jun-13 Trekking:Sumdo Doksa to Dung Dung Chanla
      24-Jun-13 Trekking:Dung Dung Chanla
      25-Jun-13
      26-Jun-13
      27-Jun-13 Leh – Tso Moriri
      28-Jun-13 Tso Moriri
      29-Jun-13 Keylong
      30-Jun-13 Manali
      1-Jul-13 Delhi
      2-Jul-13 Depart for 7 am flight to Calcutta.
      Please help and we would appreciate it so much!Thanks!!

      • Hi Kwuck,

        What he can do is, he can go towards Suru and Zanskar Valley. Both days will be very much long n 26 as well as 28.

        25-Jun-13 Alchi – Kargil
        26-Jun-13 Kargil – Padum
        27-Jun-13 Padum Local Sightseeing – Karsha Monastery, Stongde Monastery, Zangla Fort
        28-Jun-13 Padum – Kargil
        29-Jun-13 Kargil – Srinagar
        30-Jun-13 Srinagar – Delhi by flight
        01-Jul-13 Delhi

        It is the only way he can do Zanskar in these 4 days in hand. Otherwise, he can opt to go to Dha Hanu villages from Alchi, spend couple of days and then back to back to Leh on 28th. Then do Leh – Sarchu on 29th and Sarchu – Manali on 30th

        Regards
        Dheeraj Sharma

        • Hi Dheeraj,
          Thanks.My friend will be coming from Srinager to Leh before joining us for Lamayuru trek.So, he won’t plan to go back Srinager. Kindly advise how he may continue trip in Zanskar Valley after Lamayuru trekking without going to Srinager.Kindly help and thanks so much!

        • Hello Kwuck,

          The dates are not so friendly in that case. Your trek is finishing at Chilling and he will have to back track all the way to Kargil first. Once in Kargil he can go to Padum and then back to Leh. finally, take flight back to Delhi. But doing this way he will missout on road journey to Manali – Leh highway. My advice would be like below if he is interested in Zanskar Valley. Otherwise, better option would be to do Dha Hanu villages as two day trip from Alchi/Leh and then use Manali – Leh Highway to reach Delhi order to cover that adventure.

          25-Jun-13 Alchi – Kargil
          26-Jun-13 Kargil – Padum
          27-Jun-13 Padum Local Sightseeing – Karsha Monastery, Stongde Monastery, Zangla Fort
          28-Jun-13 Padum – Kargil
          29-Jun-13 Kargil – Leh
          30-Jun-13 Leh – Delhi by flight
          01-Jul-13 Delhi

          OR

          25-Jun-13 Alchi – Dha/Hanu
          26-Jun-13 Dha/Hanu – Leh
          27-Jun-13 Leh – Sarchu
          28-Jun-13 Sarchu – Jispa/Keylong/Manali
          29-Jun-13 Jispa/Keylong – Manali Or Manali
          30-Jun-13 Manali – Delhi
          01-Jul-13 Delhi

          Regards
          dheeraj

        • Hi Dheeraj,
          Thanks for your valuable advice.Are the 2 options given by u all using private transport or by trekking?Will it be possible to use bus from Leh?Thanks!

        • Kwuck, yes both options are motorable and you can use taxis on them. It is not trekking. Buses are not that frequent, you will need some taxi, shared or private one

      • Hi Deeraj,
        Thanks for your valuable tips and suggestion!Is there no short cut from Padum to Manali road?Must go Padum Kargil,Leh then Manali?

        • Nopes, you cannot go to Manali from Padum. There is only a trek that goes from Padum to Darcha and from there you go to Manali by Taxi. It is usually 4-5 days trek.

        • Hi Dheeraj,
          Thanks for your good tips on LADAKH trip again.Your response to question here is quick and helpful and even better than Indian Mike Forum where question may hang there for months without anybody helping out….With your help,tourist will have more confidence with his/her travel plan to Ladakh. Thanks again!

        • Hi Kwuck,

          Thank you so much for such delightful appreciation. Honoured. Comments like such makes the purpose of the blog more meaningful 🙂

          Regards
          Dheeraj Sharma

    • Hi Dheeraj,
      Sorry, with reference to my comment to you yesterday,please be informed that my friend,who is a China national, won’t be able to get permit to Tso Moriri too, where would u recommend him to go after finishing the trekking from Lamayuru to Chilling?Thanks for helping!

  9. lyked ur spirit..
    am planing to visit spiti(kaza and losar if possible) in january end 2013. Is it doable in sx4 in january or early feb?

    • Bhaskar, Losar would be closed, highly likely. Kaza can be done but do not keep any urgent or important plans because in case of heavy snowfall the Highway can get closed for a couple of days. Also, start the day in late hours when sun is completely up so that you do not get ice on roads.

      Regards
      Dheeraj Sharma

  10. utsav verma on

    good one dude! i am also planning a road trip to kinnaur. ur blog will help me. 🙂

    • Sure Utsav, I guess there are couple of itineraries in the Travel Itineraries section. Otherwise, we can discuss and plan this beautiful road trip here 🙂

      Regards
      Dheeraj