Himachal Travel Club welcomes you to your journey to the “SPITI SUMMER TOUR 21”. Your amazing journey of creating lifelong memories will start right as you reach Chandigarh. Our representative will pick you up from there and we will start our journey towards Shimla and Narkanda. Today will be a drive of 6-7hr, driving through the beautiful villages of Fagu, Theog, Matiana, and Narkanda. En-route we will visit the Apple orchards, Hatu peak (10,000 ft) at Narkanda, from where you can have a spectacular view of the mighty Central Himalayas and we’ll be back for the overnight stay and dinner at Narkanda.

Details

After having a wholesome breakfast at the hotel, we will set off at around 9:00 a.m. Today it is going to be a 7-8hr drive, through the beautiful villages of Kumarsain, Kotgarh and Rampur to reach Sangla Valley. The Baspa-Sangla valley is the part of Kinnaur valley and from there we will head to Chitkul. Chitkul is the last village of India on the Indo–Tibetan border. The village of Chitkul is like something from a fairy tale, and you will have a golden chance to walk around it. In the evening you can walk through Kamru and Sangla village and we will visit the beautifully carved old temples and Buddhist monasteries. You will have plenty of opportunity to speak to the local people in these valleys, and our guide will be happy to interpret. Overnight stay will be at a hotel/camp in Sangla.

Today after having our breakfast and freshening up, we will start our journey toward Reckong Peo and from there we will reach NAKO. Today we will start our day journey at early hours because it is going to be a long drive till NAKO. We will drive towards Spello, Pooh, Khab and reach there by afternoon. We will have our lunch nearby and will continue our journey toward NAKO today. As we reach Nako village, we can pay your visit to see the footprints of Padmasambhava. As the village is very small in its area, one can easily explore the hidden gems of this village on foot. The major attraction of Nako Village is Nako Lake which is located amidst extremely hilly terrains. Close to this lake one can get to see four Buddhist monasteries and a huge foot like impression. After exploring Nako, we’ll proceed to Tabo. As we arrive at Tabo, we will visit Tabo Monastery. Tabo Monastery (or Tabo Chos-Khor Monastery) is located in the Tabo village of Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, northern India. It was founded in 996 CE in the Tibetan year of the Fire Ape by the Tibetan Buddhist lotsawa (translator) Rinchen Zangpo (Mahauru Ramabhadra), on behalf of the king of western Himalayan Kingdom of Guge, Yeshe-Ö. Tabo is noted for being the oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclave in both India and the Himalayas. A large number of frescoes displayed on its walls depict tales from the Buddhist pantheon. There are many priceless collections of thankas (scroll paintings), manuscripts, well- preserved statues, frescoes and extensive murals which cover almost every wall. The monastery needs refurbishing as the wooden structures are aging and the thankas- scroll paintings are fading. After the earthquake of 1975, the monastery was rebuilt, and in 1983 a new Du-kang or Assembly Hall was constructed. It is here, that the 14th Dalai Lama held the Kalachakra ceremonies in 1983 and 1996. The monastery is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as a national historic treasure of India. Overnight stay at camp/hotel in Tabo.

Wake up in the morning. Freshen up, have your breakfast and get ready for today’s adventure. We’ll proceed to Dhankar Pin valley, Mud sightseeing today and before the evening we will reach Kaza for the overnight stay and dinner. Dhankar Gompa (also Dankhar, Drangkhar or Dhangkar Gompa; Brang-mkhar or Grang-mkhar) is a village and also a Gompa, a Buddhist temple in the district of Lahaul and Spiti in India. It is situated at an elevation of 3,894 metres (12,774 feet) in the Spiti Valley above Dhankar Village, between the towns of Kaza and Tabo. The complex is built on a 1000-foot (300-metre) high spur overlooking the confluence of the Spiti and Pin Rivers – one of the world’s most spectacular settings for a gompa. Dhang or dang means cliff, and kar or khar means fort. Hence Dhangkar means fort on a cliff. Dhankar, like Key Monastery and Tangyud Monastery in Spiti, and Thiksey, Likir and Rangdum monasteries in Ladakh, was built as a fort monastery on the Central Tibetan pattern. It was reported to have had 90 monks in 1855.

Sightseeing on the way to Pin Valley:
 Spiti and Pin River Confluence: This will be your first sightseeing spot as you travel
towards Pin Valley. From  Kaza , or even from  Tabo , to get to Pin Valley, you will first
reach a spot called Attargo Bridge. Here at the bride, you will cross Spiti River.
Cross to the other side and continue driving to Pin Valley.
 Kungri Monastery: After crossing the Attargo Bridge, continue driving for about 18
kilometers and you will reach the village of Gulling. This road takes you to the
Kungri Monastery, also known as Kungri Gompa. This monastery is the second
oldest in all of Spiti Valley. It was built around 1330.
 Mud Village: After driving for about 34 kilometers from Attargo Bridge, you will
arrive at Mud Village. This is the last village of Pin Valley and the road ends here.
The best thing about Mud Village is the mesmerizing view that you get.
Dinner and overnight stay will be arranged at Kaza.

After breakfast, we drive to some of the highest inhabited regions of the world. The highest village in Asia, Komic, which literally translates to ‘Eye of a snow cock’, is situated at a height of 4,513metres. This farming village has a population of 84 people, living in utter isolation, cut-off from the rest of the world for most parts of the year. This little hamlet ensures to bring you thousands of miles away from your familiar settings to a place of soft brown pastures and snow- white mountain peaks. Some of the common animals of the region are the Tibetan wolf, Blue sheep, Red fox, Hare, Snow cock, Himalayan griffin, Rock pigeon etc. Later, we drive to Hikkim where we visit the world’s highest post office in the world. If possible, you can even meet the post-master and hear his stories. The highest post office in the world at Hikkim village (PIN 172114) at an elevation of 4,400 m (14,400 ft) is situated 46 km (29 mi) from Kaza. It sends postal letters to and receives postal articles from the Kaza post office. And we will be even visiting the world’s highest habitat village connected to the road. Overnight stay will be at Kaza.

After getting up early in the morning we freshen up, have our breakfast and get a briefing before we leave for Kalpa from Kaza. Today is going to be a long way till Kalpa. Today we’ll witness the mesmerizing mountain deserts and snow-covered Himalayas on the way to Tabo, Nako, Pooh & Kalpa. Today will be a 7hr drive. We’ll reach Kalpa in the evening. You’ll have a chance to visit the religious Monastery and the famous Suicide point near Roghi Village. We will have a comfortable stay and dinner at Kalpa.

With this beautiful morning, after breakfast today we’ll start our journey towards the Queen of Hills- Shimla. You can explore the Heritage Mall Road, Ridge, Lakkar Bazar, and other nearby places in the evening. Overnight stay will be at a hotel in Shimla.

After enjoying breakfast, local sightseeing of Chail is what we will be going for before leaving for our homeward journey to Chandigarh. With this, our power-packed Spiti Valley Tour will come to an end with bag full of memories and various experiences that you will take back home along with you. You will be reaching back to Chandigarh most probably by the evening and the Cab will drop you at Chandigarh Airport/ railway station.