After a massive success of our DoW Mega Meet in Ladakh in September 2013 in order to materialize the vision of DwD Community for promoting Responsible Travel and DoW Causes up in remote Himalayas, it gives me an immense pleasure to announce the DoW Mega Meet 2014 which will be held from 12th to 21st September 2014 in Spiti Valley this year If interested, you can check the complete detailed Travel Tale of last year’s DoW Mega Meet in Ladakh starting from the link (currently running): Prologue, Itinerary & Road Updates | Ladakh Mega Meet

The Prologue

Somewhere deep inside my heart still remains the sights of our last year’s DoW Mega Meet in Ladakh where I cannot thank enough to everyone who joined in and participated in bringing loads of smiles over such remote places of Himalayas through DoW Causes. Having same enthusiastic feelings and vision to bring smiles to Himalayan lives while we travel there, we will be undertaking DoW Mega Meet 2014 but this time in Spiti Valley, known as “The Middle Land”…

Like I said before, here at DoW, I always follow my heart as a traveller and see what luck & mother nature has planned for the success of any of my tour including this ambitious and adventure Tour to Spiti Valley!! So, coming fall or autumn in September 2014, again, are you ready:

  • to spin over the barren landscapes,
  • to unwind through the lush green valleys,
  • to fly with the wind at some of the highest villages of trans – Himalayas,
  • to get lost in one of the remotest yet magical places in trans – Himalayas,
  • to bring smiles on the faces of Himalayan Lives through DoW Causes,
  • to care about and travel responsibly in Himalayas,
  • to witness the burning colours in their most beautiful form,
  • to witness the beauty of Moon Lake – Chandratal,
  • to witness the chill on few of the most isolated stretches,
  • to experience the real feel of camping in lap of mother nature,
  • to experience a journey, like never before,
  • to explore some hidden gems of this Middle Land, called Spiti Valley,,
  • and finally, to explore THE unexplored !!
Are You Ready for DoW Spiti Valley Adventure? If yes, then get going and read on… If not, then also get going and read on, who knows you are there right amongst the group 😀
Are you ready for the drive to explore Hidden Gems of Spiti Valley??
Hidden Gems of Spiti Valley

DoW Spiti Valley Mega Meet 2014 – Tour Plan

You can find all the details for this DoW Spiti Valley Mega Meet below including the eligibility which, as usual, seeing the nature, difficulty, season and distance to travel would mainly be HIGH ENDURANCE and POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Here is the complete tour plan for this WILD, ON THE ROAD ADVENTURE which can be experienced LifeMeinBaarBaar 😉 …

Day 1 (12/13-09-2014) | Delhi – Shimla – Kalpa/Peo/Akpa/Ribba

  • We plan to leave by 6 PM on 12th evening towards Shimla – Kinnaur
  • We plan to halt somewhere ahead of Shimla for 3-4 Hrs and then continue to Kinnaur
  • People can opt to take day drive and join rest of the group early morning on 13th
  • Overnight at Kalpa/Peo/Akpa/Ribba
  • About 16-17 Hrs drive, depending upon the traffic movement and breaks in between

Day 2 (14-09-2014) | Kalpa/Peo/Akpa/Ribba – Nako Lake – Geyu Mummy – Tabo

  • Hit the roads by 7 AM
  • Cover Nako Lake and 550 year old Mummy at Geyu Village
  • Overnight at Tabo
  • About 8-9 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks in between

Day 3 (15-09-2014) | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley (Mud Village)

  • We explore Dhangkar, hike to Lake there and then drive to Pin Valley
  • 1st Half | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley
  • 2nd Half | Pin Valley (Kungri – Sagnam – Mud – Tailing – Kuokti)
  • Overnight at Pin Valley
  • About 4-5 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks in between

Day 4 (16-09-2014) | Pin Valley – Mane Villages / Sopona Lake

  • Hit the roads by 8.00 AM
  • Head for Mane Villages (Maneyogma and Manegogma) by little backtracking and stay either overnight at Mane Village or most likely trek to Sopona Lake
  • Overnight at Mane Villages / Sopona Lake
  • About 3-4 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks in between
  • About 3-4 Hrs might be needed for the Trek to Sopona Lake as well

Day 5 (17-09-2014) | Mane / Sopona Lake – Lingti Valley – Kaza

  • Hit the roads/trail by 6.30 AM
  • 1st Half | Early morning trek down from Sopona Lake, 2-3 Hrs
  • 2nd Half | Lingti (Rama Village) – Lalung – Demul – Kaza. Subject to the fact that we stay at Sopona the previous night
  • Overnight at Kaza/Rangrik
  • About 3-4 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks in between

Day 6 (18-09-2014) | Kaza and sightseeing around

  • Hit the roads by 7.00 AM
  • 1st Half | Ki – Kibber – Gette – Tashigang
  • 2nd Half | Langza – Hikkim – Koumik
  • Overnight at Kaza/Rangrik
  • About 5-6 Hrs drive time, depending upon the breaks

Day 7 (19-09-2014) | Kaza – Chichcham – Losar – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal

  • Hit the roads by 7.00 AM
  • Cover Chichcham Village and head over Kunzum Pass to Chandratal for camping
  • Overnight at Chandratal
  • About 5-6 Hrs drive time, depending upon the breaks

Day 8 (20-09-2014) | Chandratal – Batal – Gramphu – Rohtang Pass – Manali

  • Hit the roads by 8.30 AM
  • Travel the gruelling journey from Chandratal to Gramphu and then to Manali over Rohtang Pass
  • Overnight at Manali
  • About 9-10 Hrs drive depending on breaks taken and traffic at Rohtang Pass

Day 9 (21-09-2014) | Manali – Delhi

  • Hit the roads by 10.00 AM
  • Cruise yourself towards Sweet Home
  • About 12-13 Hrs of easy drive on the foothills of Himalayas

Highlights?

Apart from amazing, picturesque wide valley views of Spiti, some highlights of this Mega Meet will be Nako Lake, Sopona Lake, Dhangkar Lake and Chandratal Lake. Then, Kunzum Pass, Rohtang Pass, Ki Monastery, Tabo Monastery, 550 years old Mummy at Geyu Village, Mane Villages, Komik, Langza, Rama, Lingti Valley known for their exceptional beauty.

Sitting High and Pretty near Nako… The White Queen…
Views on Hindustan Tibet Highway

DoW Responsible Travel Initiative

  • For all those who will be traveling with us, it is Mandatory to support one of the DoW – Causes which are briefly described as follows:
    • Carry Rs 499 of general stationary items with you to be donated to local schools or children in the remote villages of Ladakh.
    • Carry Rs 499 of generic medicines with you to be donated to local dispensaries in the remote villages of Ladakh.
    • Carry whatever NEW woollens you can donate to the needy people in the remote villages of Ladakh or Changpas.

    Complete details of DoW – Causes can be found at the link: DoW – Causes | A Step Towards Responsible Travel

  • Kindly go through the link which enlists Tips for Responsible Travel in Himalayas, so that we follow them wherever possible.
  • Apart from that, we will be holding cleanliness drives on all four lakes we will be visiting Nako Lake, Dhangkar Lake, Sopona Lake and Chandratal Lake. We will be carrying the large plastic bags and carry out these cleanliness drives while visiting these lovely lakes in Spiti Valley.

Eligibility

You can easily see that the above tour plan has about 70-75 Hrs of drive time in 9 days which makes an average of 8 Hrs of drive time per day that is the time you will be on the road itself almost every day. This tells that the difficulty level of the trip will be somewhere in between Moderate and Tough. Hence, for being apt traveller for this tour:

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  • You must be adventurous enough to take up this heavy duty road trip.
  • You must have high levels of endurance and low levels of fatigue.
  • You must have a positive outlook towards adventure & should always respect the time to hit the roads.
  • It is trans-Himalayas, a place where Mountain rules… So, you must always be ready for the surprises or change in plans.
  • If required, you must be ready to camp out or stay at moderate Guest Houses or Homestays especially when away from big towns.
  • I feel families looking for relaxing vacation should not pay attention to this tour as it might be little difficult.

The Loose Ends

In order to have a varied flexibility, I have kept loose ends, head and the tail. So, in case you wish to start from Shimla/Chandigarh, feel free OR in case if you wish to move to Ladakh from Chandratal instead of coming to Manali, then also feel free. In the latter case, you can move to Keylong from Chandratal or Sissu for night stay and then next day carry on with the journey towards Leh- Ladakh.

Accommodation and Cost Estimate

We plan to carry our own tents, sleeping bags and camping gear in order to stay wild and open with nature at most of the places. However, you are free to opt for any home stays, guest houses, hotels, etc.. based upon your own choice. There won’t be any pre-bookings made because plan can change dynamically in case the need arise. So, be ready for some set-backs too 🙂 …

Apart from that regarding cost estimate, I feel that you can take somewhere about Rs 700-900 per day for both Food and Stay. Hence, over 9 days, it will be somewhere around Rs 6500 – 8000 at max. Ex. Delhi we are looking for about 1800 KMs of journey, meaning if your own commute/car gives an average of 12 KMs over in Hills + Plains then you are looking for Petrol of about Rs 11000 – 12000. With 4 people in one car, it will be like Rs 4000 for the commute per person. Hence, total approx. cost by own vehicle of this trip should not exceed Rs 11000 – 12000 excluding all personal shopping aside. Bikers of course, will have less expenses on fuel, so can consider accordingly.

Taxis from Shimla are available for about Rs 3000-3200 per day, so considering 10 days including your Volvo ticket to Shimla and taxi charging you way back to Shimla from Manali, you will get a taxi for about Rs 30000 – 32000. And now considering 5 people can easily be accommodated in one taxi, you are looking for Rs 6000 – 6500 for taxi share per person. Hence, total approx. cost by tax of this trip should not exceed Rs 13000 – 15000 excluding all personal shopping aside. Based on my personal experience, these are high numbers and I am sure we will be able to make it well under these figures considering we are traveling on budget and will be taking our own camping gear. Above all, we will use our presence felt as a community so that we are offered the best prices in terms of taxi as well as lodging/stay too.

You should refer the section “How do we Travel Together over DoW Mega Meet” in the topic at DwD Community linked here, in order to understand the process we follow when we Travel together for such DoW Mega Meets or DoW Himalayan Meets and how the cost gets split between us.

Leading us to heaven…
Autumn Colors in Spiti Valley

Are you interested?

In case, you feel the RUSH in the blood, want to feel the ADVENTURE at its best, want to feel CLOSER to the nature, want to get OUT of the comfort zone, want to be a part of a journey where there is no destination rather JOURNEY itself is the DESTINATION then… Then don’t wait to register or mark your attendance at the link: DoW Mega Meet 2014 | Confirmation Tracking OR Facebook Event Page of DoW Mega Meet

Confirmations

We will use Google Forms in order to track the confirmed people (or almost confirmed with strong intent) going on this saga adventure and here is the link to it: DoW Mega Meet 2014 | Confirmation Tracking OR Facebook Event Page of DoW Mega Meet

Welcome to Spiti Valley… Welcome to Spiti Valley

Conclusion

Looking forward to hear from you all over this Mega Adventure trip with DwD Community. Based on the inputs, feedback and getting in touch with almost all of you interested in it, we will go ahead and finalize the group. For all other details including Formal Disclaimer on Traveling over this adventure trip, discussions, queries, finding travel partners, please go through the DwD Community Mega Meet thread at the link: DoW Mega Meet 2014 | Spiti Valley | 12 – 21 Sept

You can use Private Messaging feature of DwD Community in order to communicate or post on meet thread over there to get your queries resolved. We can talk over phone from there and discuss if it really suits / meets the expectations from both ends and get going from there…

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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.

57 Comments

  1. Manish Vaid on

    dear Dheeraj,
    Me, my wife and kids aged 14 & 7 would like to join. we reside in district kangra and can join the group at Kalpa/Peo/Akpa/Ribba.
    do you think a tata vista petrol will be able to undertake the journey. was planning this trip in end of july but can surely postpone it to be with a group.

    • Manish, most welcome brother. Regarding Vista doing the trip, there will surely be some challenges of course post Kunzum Pass to Chandratal and then to Manali from there. Rest it should be manageable.

      • ramesh babu s on

        eligibility aspect= I am from AP (hyd) 56 years height 5’11” weight 75 kg running my enfield motorc bullet since 1980.Once i traveled on bike char-dam yatra two years back in the month of sep last and first week of oct. regarding health aspect I am in condition of not using any sugar or BP tablets.Even today I can ride(riding) 300 to 400 km per day on my bullet. So please give the analytical suggestions and tips to travel in spiti-leh valley

        • Ramesh ji, I think you are looking forward to join this event right as I see your name in the list too. Given the description above I do not see why you cannot join the trip 🙂 … Please feel free to join and we would be inspired by the spirit of your riding too. There will be groups who will go to Leh after covering the meet in Spiti. So, you can ride ahead with them all the way to Leh.

  2. Trupti Dharap on

    Hi Dheeraj,
    I have added my name a week back. Sorry, I am not tech savvy. How do I know if I am added to your group? My hubby is not sure of joining at the moment, but I will.

    • Trupti, check the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=tJx5uN-QjXmIQRdMiLVktjA#gid=0

      On this link there are many people with option as “Shared Taxi | Need Travel Partners”. You need to contact them over email or phone and ask for their confirmation and form a team. One Team is already setup as Team A, who have collaborated and found travel partners as 5 in numbers. As soon as you all reaches 5 count, you can let me know we will mark your team as Team B. there is Nikita S Shah, Sangita shah, Anuja and Hina all looking for Travel Partners. I will say pick their mail addresses and pass a combine mail. You can keep me in CC.

    • Anirudh, though I have a 3 year kid with me but I am not 100% sure that I will take him or not on the tour. It is in favour of 70:30

  3. Sanjay Chauhan on

    May i know when you next plan to Leh Laddakh & Pangong Lake.
    I am excited to join you for this trip

    • Sanjay, this year as you see above, we will be doing Spiti only. Next year, most likely it will be Zanskar Valley and nothing planned in mind for 2016

  4. punit mishra on

    count me in… dheeraj bhai, m stay in bombay.. kindly help me to explore spiti valley…

    • Hi Punit,

      Sure, please mark your presence by filling up this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iYxtLmu-CLIrgk6fLfHQMWnwR7a4LMAeVKYv3O46FbM/viewform

      If required, there are people who have opted for option “Shared Taxi | Need Travel Partners” or “Self Drive Car | Need Travel Partners”. Get in touch with them to form your team and book your spot in the taxi or car pool.

      After filling the form, go to responses sheet where there is this guy Sourabh from Mumbai, then a lady Nikita from Mumbai. You can get in touch with them on the contact info. present there and form the team, book air tickets together.

      Regards
      Dheeraj

  5. Dheerajbhai, your experiences from last year’s DOW Mega Meet 1 across Ladakh is simply amazing. Just a thought – wondering if we could do this year’s one too at Ladakh; will the landscape & experience of Spiti and its lakes be as beautiful as the ones in Ladakh ? How many among the confirmed participants are repeaters ? Look forward to your comments. Thx, Santhosh

    • Santhosh bhai we cannot repeat in Ladakh because this is for causes in Himalayas and we will keep adding places whenever we travel to these meets one by one. This year meet will be in Spiti Valley only. Out of 27, we have about 10-12 confirmed members so far from the last trip itself 🙂

  6. Dheerajbhai, In this trip, will we find Petrol Bunks at regular intervals throughout or do we need to carry Petrol in plastic cans?
    Thx, Santhosh

    • Santhosh bhai, Petrol is not an issue. We will get petrol in Kinnaur where we all will refill full tank and then in Kaza where we do it again. In between there is no fuel pump and not needed too 🙂

      Sorry I was on trip to Chansal Pass – Pabbar Valley to celebrate DwD Community’s first B’day and hence could not reply earlier 😉

      Regards
      Dheeraj Sharma

  7. Hi Dheeraj, Is it necessary to carry a puncture repair kit (tubeless car tyre) & air pump for this or any other himalayan trip ? If yes, which one and where to buy? Thx, Santhosh

  8. Hi travel manics , i would like to join you guys on this trip but don’t have any vehicle so please let me know to whom should i contact or plz contact me on my no. 9953564672

  9. jyotendrasinh gohil on

    Hi.i want to join. Plz guide me that how can i contact others who r looking for partener.

    • Please check the thread: Confirmed Members List for Mega Meet. You will see a section in the post with Confirmed Members list. There are the names of people who are confirmed and if they are looking for the travel partners or not. You can post your requirements there and start connecting with them if they are interested to tie up. ONce the group finalize, you can publish the group name and book your taxi on your own.

  10. Its very good site for Himalayan lovers. It helps travelers like me to learn much more about road travel in Himalayan region.
    I wish to join DoW in Spiti tour 2014. Please guide.

  11. Jiwesh Mishra on

    Thanks Dheeraj Bhai for one more chance to explore Life…I m In…on my Thunderbird 350….

  12. Santhosh Sujir on

    Hi Dheeraj,

    This sounds fantastic ! We will definitely join this mega event this year; after which we will proceed to Leh from Chandratal. I am simply fascinated by the Himalayas especially Ladakh. I really appreciate your initiative for the rural / poor people of this place who are deprived of many basic amenities. This is the least that we could do to give back to this beautiful state. Look forward to meeting you in person. Thanks

  13. Dheeraj, Glad to know that you are going to Spiti and this year seems to be Spiti Festival at DOW. Need any help regarding taxi, homestay, travel guide or local contacts/support etc? Do contact me. One my student (local) is regularly taking trek to parlang-la to tso-morari from kibber. I have his contacts. Best Wishes

    • Ravindra sir, actually I am going there for some DoW Causes and support one IT Project for the locals of Kaza, Spiti Valley for their social causes and welfare work. DoW will be facilitating those needs in terms of IT and will manage everything for them, just as one other cause from DoW 🙂 … Also sir, we wanted to create a profile of all such reliable guides from all over Himalayas, you if you can pass on the details to me, it will be great. I will put them under a section of such profiles so that people can directly benefit the lives of locals up there. You can message me over FB or using Email me link here sir. Once I will reach there I will talk to him and get his profile done and ready to be published on DoW

  14. Dheeraj
    Have you ever traveled in mountains on the rooftop of a bus or behind a goods carrying jeep (pick-up jeep or chota haathi) directly in fresh air under open sky and mountains, like in a BMW convertible?
    Rather than being packed in a matchbox of car or suv, I propose that on this trip we should have ONE goods carrying jeep with foldable polythene or “tirpal” at the back. At the back, five-six chairs can be adjusted and a mattress (whoever want to sit in front can sit with the driver or in a car).

    It will add new dimension to traveling.

    If possible, then please add ONE jeep.

    Aditya.

    • Aditya, not in my hand brother. All will depend upon the final number of people who like this concept of traveling. If there are few, you can form a team and I will help you get the contact of such persons who can rent his jeep cum taxi.

      please mark your presence by filling up this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iYxtLmu-CLIrgk6fLfHQMWnwR7a4LMAeVKYv3O46FbM/viewform

      If required, there are people who have opted for option “Shared Taxi | Need Travel Partners” or “Self Drive Car | Need Travel Partners”. Get in touch with them to form your team and book your spot in the taxi or car pool.

  15. Dheeraj bhai,

    i really apperciate your efforts as a mentor who is doing his best by helping the people looking for a life time holidays in himalayas.

    I am very keen to explore spiti valley with devil on wheels. I think my dreams are gonna be true in coming september. So please suggest me how can i join you adventurous guys on this trip. I have made entry last day on calender.
    My budget for this trip is only rs. 20000. Is this amount sufficient for the trip ?

    • Narendra bhai, use the forum link to start collaborating and posting any requests or queries you have. When you post your request for tie up as travel partner in the forum topic, people will know if there are such people around and will collaborate on the same thread. There is already couple asking in the thread for tie up to share cost. Check the link: DoW Mega Meet 2014 | Spiti Valley | 12 – 21 Sept

  16. Dheeraj. can i rent a bike for the meet or share a car with any of the traveller????

  17. uttam hathi on

    how do i join, without a car, willing to share expenses (preferably on vehicle which carries 4), is someone willing to take me abroad

    • Uttam, thanks alot. Yeah, it will be thrilling !! You can use the Forum Link DoW Mega Meet 2014 | Spiti Valley | 12 – 21 Sept in order to collaborate with others for Travel Partner and post your attendance/registration in the Travel Calendar link. There were couple of people already looking to share the taxi cost and expenses with others. So, everyone can collaborate over that thread so that anyone interested should know about your need and your travel needs can be worked out together there only.

  18. Count us in

    Good that you included camping this time

    Hope it’s a going to be as thrilling as Leh last year

    Cheers!

    • Cool, awesome and yeah, we will make it as thrilling as possible this year too 🙂 … Do make an registration entry in DoW Calendar event in the link above, which will be better to help in tracking..