Road Trip to Spiti Valley

 

Day 0: Bangalore to Delhi to Shimla

Our alarm rang at 12:30 AM. As we were getting ready, I called the pre-booked Taxi by 1 AM. He was in the neighborhood & came within 10 mins. As planned we took the taxi & reached the airport around 2:30 AM. The check-in procedures went smoothly & we boarded the flight by 4 AM. The flight took off at right time and we settled down for the 2.5 hrs journey. In the middle of the journey we even witnessed a beautiful sunrise.

 

We landed in the capital city on time & by the time we collected our luggage, it was around 8 AM. Confused on what to do next, we decided to show some of the places to my little girl in the capital city. Last year, same time we visited only the India Gate enroute our “Golden Quadrilateral” Road Trip in our BEAST. This time, we hired a taxi for the 1-day Delhi Darshan. First things first, we stopped at a restaurant for breakfast at the entry gate of the Qutb-Minar.

Immediately after our breakfast, we rushed inside the gate & walked a bit to reach the monument. My daughter was surprised to see the height of the Minar as she didn’t expect that tall structure. 

 

We explored the place & later visited the Lotus Temple, India Gate, Rajpath, area near the Parliament, Raj Ghat, Vir Bhumi, Shakti Stala and finally went to the Red Fort post lunch. After exploring inside the Red Fort, we went to a Fair outside the Red Fort. 

My daughter & me went on the Giant wheel ride & later we enjoyed some of the delicacies in the Fair. The one-day tour ended & we were dropped at our Bus pick-up point for our onward journey. The best part was that the temperature was not high as it had rained the previous day. But the ladies still had a complaint that I didn’t take them for shopping. “Women will be Women”.

We had a lot of time to finish our dinner before boarding the bus to Shimla. We reached the boarding point on time & met our co-travellers, of which some were there at the cafe where we had dinner. We introduced each other & boarded the bus hoping to have a good sleep after a hectic day. The time: 10 PM.

Just an introduction of our main trip: 

We 12 of us had booked for the road trip to Spiti Valley through “Karnataka Hikes”, a travel/trek company. From Delhi we go to Shimla by bus & then a dedicated Tempo Traveller (TT) awaits at Shimla for the rest of our trip & back to Shimla.

The Team: (Me) Suresh, (my wife) Srilakshmi, (My daughter) Smriti, Aravind, Bharath, Deepa, Dhivya, Nischala, Pushpa, Senthil, Shubha & Sowmya.

The bus halted for a break near Panipat. One hour later, the bus stopped again near Karnal. We were trying to sleep but as the bus was stationary, we couldn’t and it was sweating. The bus was not moving for about an hour and when we got down to check, we found out that the bus broke down because of an over-heated engine. The bus driver & his companion tried so much to cool the engine but in vain. Meanwhile they both tried stopping other buses to ferry the passengers to the nearest city, Chandigarh.

We 12 as a pack were reluctant to split into groups and move forward. We then decided to hire a vehicle to reach Shimla instead of Chandigarh. With the help of a Taxi Driver, we got a TT & resumed our journey, of course that was sponsored by the trip organiser. In this process, we lost more than 4 hours of our time. Time: 4 AM. 

We shifted our luggage from the bus to TT and started our delayed journey to Shimla.

Day 1: Shimla to Sangla valley via Narkanda (210 kms)

We should have been in Shimla for Sunrise, unfortunately we were still travelling. The sunrise was beautiful at an unknown place with some sunflower farms around. 

 

 

Later we halted for breakfast on the way on a scenic location. We saw some sports bikes zooming towards Shimla as it was a weekend. We even saw the iconic train to Shimla (from Kalka) over the hill & narrated our journey we did in 2006 to our daughter. Finally, we reached our temporary destination in Shimla by 11 AM. Again we transferred our luggage to our dedicated TT & headed towards Sangla. 

I need to introduce our new companions for the rest of the trip. Anil: our travel guide & Vishal: the man behind the wheel.

On the way we halted for lunch at a designated resort/stay where we were provided rooms to freshen up. Now started the photo sessions & postings in social media. The lunch was ready by then & in no time our single pack of 12 was divided into 2 groups on Day 1 itself. The VEG group & NON-VEG group. We, NON-VEG group was generous enough to share our food to the other group. Just kidding.

Seated inside the Apple garden, we finished our first lunch of the trip together. The Apple trees had flowers all over them & we were told that Sep-Oct month is best to see the fruits on the trees. Also we could see the Apple trees over the top of the mountains were covered with a thin cloth in order to protect them from hail-stones that affects the fruit.

We moved forward to Sangla with Vishal playing some of the best music. The scenic beauty is unexplainable in words. We took a tea break to beat the cold.

After a dinner break amidst the long journey around the mountains, we managed to reach the hotel in Sangla Valley by 11 PM. It was really cold when we got outside the TT. Hoping to get a good sleep after 2 nights, we retired to our rooms immediately.

 

Day 2: Sangla to Chitkul (25 Kms) to Leo (150 km)

We had a great sleep that we got up late: the much needed rest. The view from the room was awesome. The place was surrounded by snow-capped mountains that was not at all visible during our arrival last night. Also the hotel had an Apple garden at the entrance. Everyone got ready in colorful attire and the photo session started again even before breakfast.

As we were finishing our breakfast, Anil started shouting “Chalo Chalo…” indicating that we were already late. From then on “Chalo Chalo…” became the last & final call for all the passengers of TT to board Anil’s flight.

As we started travelling towards our next attraction, the snow-capped mountains were coming closer to us. We started seeing snow/ice on either side of the road. After seeing the ice so closer, we requested Anil that we will stop at a location. Vishal stopped the vehicle at a beautiful spot. We took some really cool pictures. We spent nearly an hour there posing for single/group/combo pictures and proceeded to Chitkul.

Driving around some beautiful scenic mountains, we reached Chitkul signboard that read “India’s Last Village at an altitude of 11320 Ft”. Everyone took their time to capture the moments in their own style about the place.

 

By this time, Anil & Vishal became part of our pack and were part of our photo sessions too. But “Chalo Chalo…” didn’t stop.

From here we reached the next attraction that was a river. We had to walk a bit to reach the Baspa river. On the way my daughter & her new friends posed for some funny videos. There was ice everywhere as I took some coolest pics of the trip. 

 

 

We walked to the valley to witness a river with crystal clear water. We spent some time there breathing the freshest air which is impossible in any city. Also I noticed that everyone was creative in capturing their moment with nature. 

 

 

Again from somewhere we heard “Chalo Chalo…”

We then headed back from Chitkul and halted for a late lunch. This time no groups, as I guess all wanted to have NON-VEG food.

We proceeded to Leo after the lunch break & then had a late tea break. We could sense that the road was getting dangerous as it was dark, but Vishal was an expert in what he does. 

We managed to reach the designated Homestay late in the evening. Later we came to know that it was Anil’s home that we arrived. His parents took great care of all of us. They made us feel at home.

They had this unique combo of dining cum cooking area where a firewood stove is placed in the centre of the room. People would be seated around the stove for the warmth from the stove. Also the cutlery was neatly arranged in a rack. It had everything from bowls to glasses to plates to flasks, well organised.

We relished the much needed tasty home-made meal and then retired to our rooms. The temperature was below zero that night.

Day 3: Leo to Kaza (110 km)

The day started early with a cup of tea in the above said kitchen. The view from the stay was awesome yet different from the previous day. We were in a valley with huge dry mountains from the front. As I climbed up the terrace for a 360 deg. view, I could see some snow-capped mountains.

As we had limited bathrooms, we took turns to get ready for the day. In the meantime, Anil’s mom was preparing momos & fried rice for breakfast. She was pretty quick in whatever she was doing. After breakfast, Anil showed us their garden, which had trees of Apple, Apricot, Almond & Cherry. We even tasted one Almond from the tree. Anil also gave us an invite to come during the Apple season to see the Apple trees covered with the fruits.

After our breakfast, Anil introduced to some ladies of the home as they were preparing for a wedding with some hand-art work. Sowmya became one among them. Next was “Chalo Chalo…”

As we were travelling to the next attraction, the road/terrain seemed familiar to me as I had driven around Ladakh, 6 years back. I could see the excitement in other’s faces watching the view of the road in Himalayas & the Himalayas itself. It’s a kind of dry mountains without vegetation with stone & mud. At some mountains, you find small pieces of stones & in some other you find slices of stones. The scenic beauty here is difficult to explain in words or cannot be felt in photos or videos, but has to be witnessed for the unique experience. 

With a lot of views & a N number of songs played, we reached Nako Monastery by 11:30 AM. We had to walk a little bit to go the picturesque Nako lake. It seems the lake freezes in winter. The location was mesmerising with a lake in between & surrounded by snow-capped peaks. The colored flags added some more magic to the place. 

 

After the walk around the lake we had to have a tea to beat the cold. Leaving the place after the tea, we halted for lunch at Tabo & then headed to the Tabo Monastery.

 

 

It was an old monastery with large statues that had some beautiful paintings all over the inner walls. It was so dark with a couple of vents on top for sunlight. The paintings were done with organic paints extracted from plants/vegetables. Mobile phones were not allowed inside just because the flash light would damage the paintings. But still they provided torch lights for the visitors to have a look at the paintings. We all took the torch & walked around the Monastery. Later all posed for some beautiful pictures around the Monastery. I guess at this point of time; we were no strangers anymore.
“Chalo Chalo…” 

As they say “Focus on the Journey, not the Destination”, this statement is 100% TRUE for the Himalayas. You get to experience more in the journey than in any destination here.

We took turns to sit in the front seat of the TT to get the FPV. The punishment to sit in the front was that everybody gives their mobile phone to you to capture the FPV. As Sowmya took the front seat more often, we even tried hiding her mobile, but in vain.

As usual, after dark we could sense the dangerous roads that led to yet another destination, Kaza. We walked into the Homestay and the temperature that night was freezing at -7.

What everyone needed was a hot cup of tea but Anil offered something interesting for the cold. No, it was not ALCOHOL, but a special drink made of a berry that is found at high altitudes. The name is “Sea Buckthorn”. After some hesitation, everyone enjoyed the taste of the Sea Buckthorn Tea.  Most of us asked for a REPEAT of the drink. We had a delicious home-cooked meal by Anil’s sister-in-law (Dolma didi) and then retired back to the rooms.

Day 4: Kaza sight-seeing (40 km) & Kaza to Chicham (25 km)

The temperature was -11 at 7 AM. The day started with Sea Buckthorn Tea, which became the official drink of our trip. Everyone was trying to remember the name as it was hard to utter that name. Again we took turns to get ready with the available hot water. As we moved to another kitchen cum dining area, we were introduced to a boy (Nawang) who acted in the recent “Sita Ramam” movie. He comes in the beginning part of the movie and also we came to know that most of that movie was shot here and not in Kashmir. To our surprise, he was also a National Ice Hockey Champion.

The day’s plan was to visit the Komik: world's highest village, Hikkim: World's highest post office and Langza. When Anil asked who all want to rent a bike for today’s visit, my eyes lit up as he was talking about my long-time dream: a bike ride through the (Himalayan) mountains. 

I was ready for the bike ride today as I had recovered from the High Altitude - blah blah blah. I just looked at my daughter & sensed that she was 200% confident being my pillion rider. She was over excited than me. Bharath, Deepa & Shubha too agreed to rent bikes.

“Chalo Chalo…” for getting the bikes. Anil took us to a bike rental and we had only 2 options: Himalayan & Classic 350. They said Himalayan was the preferred bike there but somehow it was alien to me as I ride a Classic 500 back at home. I test rode a Classic 350 & locked on it. Bharath took a Himalayan & he vanished for a test ride even before the rental guy gave him a helmet. The same moment we saw cops going behind Bharath. That moment the rental guy told that helmet is must in those roads also. Bharath returned & we did all the formalities & took our bikes.

Unfortunately, the ladies didn’t have their choice of bike (scooter) there. But Anil managed to get one from another shop for Deepa. All set for the ride, we proceeded to Hikkim. After a while Bharath & me stopped for clicking some pictures and waited for Deepa & our TT. Only the TT arrived & we came to know that Deepa’s bike had some issue. So she became pillion to Bharath. 

 

We 4 in 2 bikes had a great ride photographing each other’s bike to reach the World’s Highest Post Office at Hikkim. People got postcards for their loved ones, posed and posted it there.

 

Later we rode to Komic: world's highest village and finally to Langza. 

A 35 feet Buddha statue facing the snow-capped mountains was the attraction there. It was cold out there as we were waiting for our fellow travelers. We walked to the statue, clicked some for our memories of Langza.

 

 

While returning back, the pillion riders switched bikes. Some part of the route was different than the earlier one. The ride was awesome as it cannot be explained in words with the terrain & scenery changing every few Kms: from snow-capped mountains to rocky ones. The last lap was interesting with a series of hairpin bends.

Finally, we reached Kaza having completed one of the best road trips of our life time. The same was felt by the pillion riders. In fact, Deepa also agreed that she enjoyed more being a pillion than if she would have taken the bike herself. My daughter & I was even ready for another ride to Langza. We returned our bikes and the rental guy congratulated Bharath on getting a Challan at 13500 Ft.

As we settled for lunch at a nearby restaurant, I came to know that the 2 pillion riders did not allow any of the other travellers to ride pillion even after a few requested them. Very cunning pillion riders. My wife too had a sad face that my daughter rejected her request. I was on safer side that I didn’t get/reject anybody’s request.

Followed by lunch, we started our journey to the highest point of the trip: Chicham Village at 14500 Ft. We were hoping to reach the village in day light as in other days we used to reach the night-halt point after dark. With dry mountains on both sides and some loud music, Vishal was at his best. On the way, Anil showed us the Sea Buckthorn plants that was covering a whole valley. 

 

 

Proceeding forward Vishal stopped the vehicle to show us a herd of wild goats that were grazing, in fact trying to find some food in the dry mountains. They are called as Himalayan Ibex. It seems visitors pay and wait for days together to have a glimpse of that animal, but we were lucky enough to see the Ibex in our way.

In some time, we crossed the famous Chicham Bridge and we could see our final destination far from there. As it was getting late & cold, Anil told us that we’ll spend time at the bridge while returning back the next day.

On reaching the final point, without any confusion, everybody asked for Sea Buckthorn Tea as if we got addicted to it. Later we had our dinner on time that day. We even tasted some local wine that was available there. As it was getting cold, we winded up early to have a good night’s sleep.

Day 5: Chicham to Kaza (30 Kms)

The beginning of the End (of the trip). Our return journey started again with Sea Buckthorn Tea followed by breakfast. We had a small chat with the owner of the Homestay (Mr Takpa). Takpa uncle has a good thought process. He had started a library there at his place. He wanted his kids & others to read a lot & get educated even though he wasn’t. He was telling that only the youngsters can make things right with proper knowledge.

Bidding adieu to the hosts & the Yak at the backyard, we proceeded to the famous Chicham Bridge. It is claimed to be the highest suspension bridge at 13500 Ft spanning 114 meters built across the Spiti river at a 1000 Ft. gorge. The bridge reduces the journey between Kibber & Losar by 40 Kms.

 

Watch the Drone video here: "Chicham Bridge Drone Video"

We also made crazy videos sitting atop the TT and later passed through the Kibber village still sitting at the top. It was like riding a camel which everyone enjoyed except Dhivya. Unfortunately, she was low on Oxygen for a while but Anil revived her temporarily with the help of a portable Oxygen Cylinder.

 

 
Tracing back our yesterday’s path, and with some matching music, we managed to reach the Kee Monastery by 11:30 AM. The Monastery was at a picturesque location that can be seen from a view point. We all walked to the point and got the view to some extent. “The view from the top is always awesome… right”. 

Later we walked down to enter inside the Monastery. It was a calm place & they even had small rooms for meditation. It was written that the Monastery had rooms to accommodate 350 monks. They even served herbal tea inside. We reached the top of the Monastery for a beautiful view of the surroundings and also got to see many crow look-alike birds with yellow beaks.

We were waiting for the “Chalo Chalo…” call to leave that place. We drove back to Kaza for lunch. The restaurant owner seemed to be a hardcore traveller which could be sensed by the stuff that was exhibited in the restaurant. Later Anil told us that the guy has trained a number of kids in Ice Hockey & Nawang was one among them. 

After the lunch, we retired to our Homestay for a break. The next part of the itinerary made all the ladies happy: it’s nothing but shopping. I had no option to avoid as my 2 ladies dragged me out to join them. Anil & Vishal took us to the market area by walk. A couple of hours of shopping is what we did & then returned back to the kitchen to have Sea Buckthorn Tea.

While we were chit-chating, our Dolma didi prepared Rajma-Chawal for dinner. After a long time, everyone had stomach full and of course enjoyed the meal. Everyone agreed that was the best meal of the trip so far. After the delicious meal, the youngest lot of our pack entertained us with some dance moves for all the dance-mix songs.

Anil informed us that the next day would be full of travel & we should leave as early as 7 AM. So we planned to pack our breakfast early in the morning and then retired to our rooms.

Day 6: Kaza to Sarahan (280 km)

The last day of Sea Buckthorn Tea. No doubt that everyone had one. As instructed by Anil, everybody was ready by 7 AM. Our Dolma didi was preparing Aloo Parathas so fast as if a machine was programmed to do so. As we all sat in the kitchen cum dining area, we somehow resisted not to break the rules.

I guess Aravindh broke it and started having one Aloo Paratha, later by me, then everyone followed our footsteps & almost all of us finished our breakfast there itself. It was an indication that our appetite was returning back at the right time.  On a lighter note, I told Anil that Aravindh is the only person to blame for the day’s delay.

As Dhivya was not fully fit, we asked didi to pack some bread toast for her & Parathas for those who missed breakfast. After good byes to didi & Nawang, we started our drive back from the high to low altitudes. We stopped at the landmark “I Love Spiti” to take some pictures for our album.

 

On the way, Anil showed us the frozen water falls. Travelling across some variety of landscapes, valleys & some dangerous roads, we later stopped for tea. As we had tea, few even had a second round of breakfast, thanks to “Return of Appetite”. 

We crossed many bridges, valleys & one of them was the Khab Sangam Bridge that was also the Sangam of River Satluj & Spiti. And Deepa was calling all the bridges as Chicham bridge.

After a couple of hours on the way, Anil & Vishal took us to an Army hospital somewhere near Pooh in order to check-up for Dhivya. The doctors & the officers there asked us about our plan & itinerary and almost scolded the trip organiser for having a tight schedule. But Anil & Vishal convinced them that we were given proper rests between altitudes.

As it was time for lunch, we took a decision to separate for the time being. Anil with Dhivya & 2 others decided to stay at the hospital until the doctors show her a green flag. Others with Vishal proceeded to the nearest town for lunch that was 20-25 Kms from there. Based on Dhivya’s condition, the plan was that Anil would join us there or directly send her to Shimla in a Taxi.

We proceeded forward as planned and it started to rain mid-way. As we didn’t expect the rain, the luggage on top was not covered. Immediately Vishal stopped the vehicle and then we wrapped all the luggage with the available tarpaulin sheet. Enjoying the rain, we reached Spello town in no time. As we finished our lunch, we called Anil about their status. They told that they are on their way to join us & as I turned back a Taxi stopped in front of us.
 
We couldn’t believe to see Dhivya running towards us explaining how much she missed everything the last 2 days. She was hyperactive after the Oxygen & IV treatment from the Army hospital. Anyhow all of us were happy to see her back in form. Thanks to the Army (Hospital).

We left the place after the second batch finished their lunch. On a lighter note, Dhivya complained for not taking her to an Army Hospital in Kaza itself as she would not have missed her shopping in Kaza.

We travelled for the rest of the day and reached the hotel in Sarahan. This time we had proper rooms with attached bathrooms as it was a proper hotel.  We freshened up & assembled for the buffet dinner in the restaurant at the specified time. Chatting for a while after the meal, we retired back to our rooms as it was a very long day full of travel.

We planned to leave early the next day as there could be traffic while entering Shimla & also to make time to stroll through the famous Mall Road of Shimla.

Day 7: Sarahan to Shimla (164 Kms) and to Delhi (340 Kms)

The day started with a milk tea at 6 AM. We all were missing the Sea Buckthorn very much. Later everyone was ready at the decided time. The waiting time for breakfast was converted into photo session with some nice sun-kissed photos. We could even see the Shrikand Mahadev Peak from our hotel.

Later we were served with hot Poori-bhaji & Toast after which we left for the last attraction of our trip: Shree Bhima Kaliji temple. We reached the temple in 15 minutes. We went inside, depositing our mobiles wearing a sort of cap. Most of them were saffron in color and we looked like as if we were there for canvassing a party. 

It seemed to be a very old temple that was built with stones & wood, in order to withstand earth quakes. Once again we posed for some individual, small group, full group pictures and left the temple by 10:30 AM.

As we were driving back to Shimla, one question was in our mind: “What to do in Delhi for the whole day?” as we had a late night flight. Also, for the past 2 days, I was trying to find accommodation in my company’s guest house in Delhi. Every time they said it was full & told me to call the next day.

As distance to Shimla reduced, so came the time for last lunch of the trip together. Unfortunately we stopped at a restaurant where they didn’t even know how to make soup or a fried rice. We ordered a few items & cancelled almost half of them. Finally, we managed to fill our tummies with some of them. We didn’t have a good lunch but definitely had a good time with the pack at the restaurant. We took a long lunch break and that may be the reason we entered Shimla late. 

We were dropped at a restaurant nearby our pick-up location so that we could finish up our dinner & board the bus. We relaxed a bit there before ordering our dinner. Finally, the time came to bid adieu to Anil & Vishal. We took the last customary group photo with both of them and boarded the bus to Delhi at 10 PM.

Before that, I promised Anil that we will be back in our BEAST for a cup of Sea Buckthorn Tea with him & Vishal in the mountains.

Last Day: Delhi to Bangalore

With a break in between the journey, we reached Delhi around 6 AM. Everyone had some or the other plans for the day. Everyone exchanging bye-byes until we meet in the airport in the evening. We 3 proceeded to my company’s guest house as they gave hope to make some arrangement as we asked a room only for half-a-day stay. I couldn’t take any of my new friends along with me as nothing was confirmed even for us. We took an auto, Metro & another auto to reach the guest house. The house-keeper allotted a room that was vacated early in the morning.

We made ourselves comfortable in the room after a nice breakfast there. Now my 2 ladies started bugging me to take them for shopping. I tried to avoid quoting that we are going by flight & any extra luggage will be charged. Meanwhile my daughter enquired that Deepa, Bharath & Aravind were going to Sarojini Market for shopping after lunch and as usual I had no other option.

The plan was to reach Sarojini Market by noon, shop till 4:30 PM, come back to the guest House and leave for Airport by 5:30 PM to catch our 9:30 PM flight to Namma Bengaluru.

We reached the market by 12:30 PM, they started buying even before we entered the market complex. I understood what is going to happen. We attacked every shop & bought many items and tried to fill our tummies in between. Later we even met Deepa & Bharath in the crowd. We could hardly visit 25-30% of the shops in our available time, yet we purchased many items. Finally, the ladies were also 25-30% happy. So, we decided that our next visit to Delhi will be only for shopping.

At 4:30 PM, we parted ways with our pack members, came to guest house, forcefully packed the new items in the available bags and left for the airport.

During check-in we found out that we had purchased 10-15 Kg of clothes/accesories in Delhi. We finished our dinner just before boarding time and we met Shubha, Nischala & Aravind at the Airport Lounge. We also got a message that the Chennai people who went via Goa have landed. And unfortunately Sowmya & Pushpa’s flight got delayed. I guess Sowmya would have asked for the co-pilot’s seat for a front view.

Our flight took off on-time and we landed 15 mins late due to poor weather conditions. As I was waiting to collect our luggage, my wife booked an OLA. We 3 enjoyed the cool breeze of the final lap of our trip and reached home around 2 AM on Sunday.


Summary:

In simple terms, visit to Spiti Valley is a must-do for a traveler just like the Ladakh trip.As it is difficult to explain the experience in words or images, one has to be there to feel/experience it.

Our Spiti Valley Road Trip went on well as planned except for the initial hiccup. With the tight itinerary, Anil & Vishal managed to take us to all the places. The medical condition was also handled effortlessly. Adding more number of days would have been fun.

Living with luxuries in the city, the basic facilities provided in the home stays seemed to be below basic. Hats-off to the people living there in extreme conditions and the BRO for providing the connectivity to such places.

One plus point is that we had like-minded people in the pack: Travellers and not Tourists. We had each other’s support whenever needed. Glad that a pack of strangers as on Day-1 turned into a family pack by the end of the trip. Looking forward to travel once again with all of you guys. Julley.