The Spiti Valley Winter Expedition is a must for any adventure seeker who wants an authentic Spiti Valley tour through the winter months. Winter embraces Spiti in the first week of November and stays on till March. It is a cold and tough time in the valley, making it difficult yet extremely rewarding at the same time!
Everything is covered in a cloak of white for as far as the eyes can see.The Spiti river is more or less frozen up owing to the temperature falling till -20 degree celsius.
During these months, the famous Manali – Rohtang Pass – Kunzum La – Kaza road closes due to heavy snowfall. Hence, the only way of reaching Spiti Valley is through the Hindustan – Tibet Highway (Shimla – Kalpa – Kaza). We will be using this road both ways – to enter and exit the Spiti Valley.
What is included in the tour
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Accommodation – on double (couples and special requests) and triple sharing(General) basis
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SUV/Tempo for Sightseeing & Transfer As per the Itinerary
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Daily Dinner & Breakfast Starting from Dinner on Day 1
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Delhi-Shimla Volvo & Shimla – Delhi Volvo
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Driver Night Charges, Toll Tax, Parking Charges, etc.
What is NOT included in the tour
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Anything which is not mentioned in the itinerary
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GST @ 5%
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Any cost arising due to natural calamities like landslides, Roadblocks etc (to be borne by the client directly on the spot)
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Any entrance fee to the monastery and monuments
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Travel Insurance
DAY 0 : DELHI TO SHIMLA
Today marks the beginning of a journey you’ve been waiting for. Board the bus from Volvo Pickup Point at Delhi and proceed with an overnight journey towards Shimla.
DAY 1 : SHIMLA TO SANGLA/CHITKUL
Arrive at Shimla and proceed towards Sangla the beautiful Kinnaur Valley. It will be a beautiful 6–8-hour drive where you will enjoy the magnificent vistas throughout the way. It is the last inhabited village before the Indo-China border. Surrounded by Zanskar, Himalayan and Dhauladhar ranges, Kinnaur is a well-preserved haven for adventure travellers filled with culture and incredible rituals and the gushing rivers of Spiti, Sutlej and Baspa flourished the land around for centuries. The valley is most famous for its well-developed orchards of apples and apricots. Have a sumptuous dinner and retreat for an overnight stay at a homestay in Rakcham.
DAY 2 : SANGLA TO TABO
After a comfortable night’s rest at Sangla, we set off on the famous Hindustan-Tibet Highway. Famed for its spectacular views and proximity to Tibet, this road snakes north into Nako, the last hamlet of the Kinnaur district. Before entering the magical Spiti Valley, we have a steaming hot lunch at Nako. Here, we spend the night at a comfortable and authentic homestay in Tabo. Overnight at a homestay in Tabo.
DAY 3 : TABO TO KAZA VIA MUDH (PIN VALLEY)
We start the day with a visit to the 1021 – year-old Tabo Monastery, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk around this sacred site and gain a deeper understanding of Buddhism. Unlike other monasteries in Spiti Valley, the Tabo monastery is located at the bottom of the valley.
From Tabo, we drive to the spectacular Pin Valley. Imagine a national park with an abundance of animals and birds, with rare plant varieties and a frozen river. Pin Valley promises all this. We first visit the Kungri Monastery and then the beautiful hamlet of Mudh – the last motorable village of the Pin Valley. Declared a national park in 1987, Pin Valley has altitudes ranging from 11,000 to 20,000 feet and is home to at least 12 endangered snow leopards. In addition, other animals indigenous to the region and park are the Siberian ibex, bharal, weasel, red fox and marten. Birds such as the pika, griffon, golden eagle, bearded vulture, chukor and raven paint the skies a pretty picture.
DAY 4 : KAZA LOCAL SIGHTSEEING (LANGZA + HIKKIM + KOMIC)
By far, this will be the most eventful day of your journey. Start your ride early in the morning as this one is going to be a long day. Visit the World’s Highest Post Office located at Hikkim and the World’s Highest Village connected via motor-able road, Komik. Also visit the famous place, Langza, where you will get tremendous views of the Chau Chau Kang Nelda Park and The Buddha Statue down at the valley. Dinner and overnight stay in Kaza. Overnight at a homestay in Kaza.
DAY 5 : KAZA -KIBBER, CHICHAM, KEY MONESTORY
We start our day with a delicious breakfast. After a break we will proceed towards to key Monastery The Key Monastery is a famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Lahaul and Spiti District of India. Located at an altitude of 4,166 metres above sea level, the monastery is very close to the Spiti River in the Spiti Valley, After that, we will go to Kibber village and Chicham bridge Located at a height of around 4500 meters above sea level in the Himalayan mountain ranges, the Chicham Bridge is said to be the world's highest suspension bridge and is one of the most spectacular bridges of the world. The bridge is situated across a deep gorge around 1000 feet in height.
DAY 6 : KAZA TO KALPA
After Breakfast, we shall leave for Kalpa and on arrival, we shall check in at the hotel for the overnight stay. Kalpa is the district headquarters of Kinnaur and was once the favourite getaway of Lord Dalhousie. Little has changed in Kalpa in the last 500 years. Legend has it that when Lord Dalhousie wanted to take a break from his hectic schedule in Shimla. he would come here on his Horseback. Bv the side of Kaloa is a 79-foot rock formation that resembles a Shivling that changes colour as the day passes and is visible to the naked eye on a clear day. In the evening, visit the Buddhist Gompa - Hu Bu Lan Kar. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 7 : KALPA TO SHIMLA TO DELHI
The last leg of this 8-Day Winter Expedition is here. We drive to Shimla with a bag of delightful memories and exciting stories to recount. In the evening we will start your overnight Volvo journey towards Delhi where we will come to the end of this beautiful and memorable road trip.
