Planning a Trip to Spiti Valley from Manali Only

Well, something I mostly oppose traveling to Spiti Valley from Manali but still, the Kinnaur Valley route has its own disadvantages and a lot many people do not want to take that route. They prefer taking the route to Spiti Valley from Manali side and also come back from Manali side.

Hence, in this article today, I will suggest a travel plan to make a trip to Spiti Valley from Manali side and come back from Manali side as well. I suggest people travel Spiti Valley from Shimla – Kinnaur side because of better acclimatization as the altitude increases gradually on this route. However, you can also read in one of my previous articles, 5 Reasons to Travel Spiti Valley from Manali Route

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A Trip to Spiti Valley from Manali Side in 9 Days

Today in this article, I will be suggesting a most common itinerary to travel to Spiti Valley from Manali side and make the best use of the time and energy to explore most parts of this hidden, magical middle land in the lap of trans-Himalayas.

I have already suggested plans for Spiti Valley from Shimla back from Manali and Spiti Valley from Manali back from Shimla, where I did mention that sooner or later Leh Ladakh will be full of the mad rush of tourists, almost you can see the glimpse of this thing happening in season time. However, Spiti Valley is altogether untouched as of now and people mostly confuse it with Lahaul Valley or they are more or less restricted to only a visit to Chandratal.

The real beauty of Spiti Valley starts beyond Kunzum Pass, towards Losar then to Kaza and then towards Tabo and then towards Nako or Kinnaur Valley… Not to forget the Pin Valley in between and there is a hell lot of heavenly beauty to explore in Spiti Valley.

Day by Day Plan

This article covers almost all major places in Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh including Tabo, Kaza, Losar, Chandratal, Kunzum Pass, Ki, Kibber, Pin Valley, etc. Below is the most common itinerary for Spiti Valley from Manali only spanning over about 9 days and making the most use of the time.

Day 1 | Delhi – Manali/Solang Valley

• Better stay at Solang Valley and avoid Manali as sleeping at Solang Valley does help in acclimatization
• If going by own car, get the permit made in advance to drive on Manali – Rohtang Pass road through by checking How to get Rohtang Pass Permits Online
• Overnight at Manali/Solang Valley
• About 13-14 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between

Day 2 | Manali / Solang Valley – Rohtang Pass – Kunzum Pass – Kaza

• Head early morning to Kaza via Rohtang Pass, headquarters of Spiti Valley
• Visit Kunzum Pass and enjoy the moment there
• Drive through Batal – Chattru – Gramphu is out of the world
• There may be some headache or AMS this night, but enjoy this magical drive over Kunzum Pass to enter the middle land called Spiti Valley. You will enjoy the drive to Kaza greatly.
• About 10 – 11 Hrs drive easily if you do not get messed up Rohtang Pass or stuck in a water crossing
• Overnight at Kaza

Day 3 | Kaza – Pin Valley (Mud Village) – Tabo

• Traverse the Pin Valley | Kungri – Sagnam – Mud – Tailing
• Enjoy the magnificent vistas all-day
• About 4 – 5 Hrs of drive in the day
• Overnight at Tabo

Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Lhalung – Kaza

• Explore Tabo an around, check out monastery and old caves of monks
• Travel back the 47 KMs to Kaza from Tabo via Dhangkar and Lhalung villages
• Visit Dhangkar Monastery and Dhangkar Lake and leave after early lunch
• Take the diversion to Rama Village in Lingti valley and visit Lhalung village before returning back to Kaza by evening
• Enjoy the magnificent vistas all-day
• About 3 – 4 Hrs of drive in the day
• Overnight at Kaza

Day 5 | Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Gette – Tashigang – Kaza

• Visit Ki – Kibber – Gette – Tashigang and for more details, you can read: Key – Kibber – Gette – Tashigang – Local Sightseeing in Kaza
• Ki is a famous monastery and others are places to explore as a lovely drive
• Tashigang is where the road ends but again beautiful drive
• About 3 – 4 Hrs of drive in the day
• Overnight at Kaza

Day 6 | Kaza – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Kaza

• Today visit the road less traveled or offbeat places near Kaza
• Great view of Chau Chau Kang Nelda peak from Langza
• Statue of the Buddha near Langza looking down the valley
• The Tanggyud monastery at Komik is one of the most important and the highest monastery in the Spiti Valley
• Overnight at Kaza

Do check my article on making an economic or budget-friendly trip to Spiti by Public Transport.

Day 7 | Kaza – Losar – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal

• Enjoy the most scenic drive of the entire Spiti Valley between Losar and Kaza at an easy pace.
• Visit Chandratal via Kunzum Pass and enjoy the day there.
• Camps are about 2.5 KMs from the lake, either stay there or back to Batal where there is a PWD rest house now though without electricity. But, no point going back a painful ride to Losar over Kunzum Pass unless you want to stay in the guest house with electricity. Better stay at Batal and save time as well as energy for the next day.
• About 4 Hrs drive from Kaza to Chandratal.
• Overnight at Chandratal.

Day 8 | Chandratal – Batal – Gramphu – Rohtang Pass – Manali

• Drive through Batal – Chattru – Gramphu towards Rohtang Pass is out of the world
• Head back to Manali via Rohtang Pass
• About 6 – 7 Hrs drive easily if you do not get messed up Rohtang Pass
• If there is time explore Manali, that is if going by overnight Volvo which starts around 5.30 PM
• Manali Local sightseeing which includes Hadimba Temple, Manu Temple, Mall Road, Local Monastery, Old Manali, Vashisth Hot Water Springs (never found it interesting), etc.
• Overnight at Manali

Day 9 | Manali – Mandi – Jahu – Bhota – Una – Delhi

• If not taking Volvo and driving self to Delhi, you can try a different route
• Take a longer but different route to Delhi from Jahu – Bhota – Una side
• The route is pretty scenic, much better roads and offers good views
• About 14 Hrs, as it is about 55 km longer route but devoid of bad roads and truck traffic
• Sweet home

Day 10-11 | Buffer Days

For any trip to the remote Himalayas, you must keep some buffer days in case of road closure due to landslides or snowfall or perhaps you want to enjoy more 🙂

Add On Days in Spiti Valley??

If you have more days then perhaps you can choose any of the days to explore more beautiful places within Spiti Valley…

• Spend a Day to explore Rama Valley and Lingti Valley that includes Demul, Lhalung
• Spend a day to explore Mane Village in Spiti Valley or maybe a trek to Sopona Lake

Petrol Pumps Between Manali – Kaza – Manali

As you travel from Manali to Kaza and come back to Manali from Kaza, you must fill the petrol at Manali before leaving for Spiti Valley. Once you reach Kaza, make sure you fill the petrol at the Kaza petrol pump as well.

After doing the complete sightseeing in Spiti Valley, make sure you top up again at Kaza fuel pump before starting your journey back to Manali from Kaza. This way you do not need to worry about carrying extra petrol on your road trip to Spiti Valley via Manali only.

Foreign Nationals visiting the protected areas of Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley are required to get the inner line permits or ILP. Domestic (Indian) tourist do not require any permits. If you are Indian, then just carry a valid photo ID proof of your nationality to be on safe side.

Don’t have time to read the full article? Check this less than 3-minute video on Discover With Dheeraj YouTube Channel on why you may travel Spiti Valley from Manali side. If you like my video, please do not forget to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel.

Conclusion

I am sure the above itinerary if not help you 100% with planning a trip to Spiti Valley but can certainly act as a starting point for your upcoming Spiti Valley trip. Do share your valuable thoughts or queries or doubts you have in the comment section and we can discuss more on your upcoming travel plans for Spiti Valley 🙂

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