Located in between India and Tibet is this beautiful dessert mountain valley – Spiti which quite literally
translates to “The Middle Land”. The valley lies in the North Eastern section of the Indian state Himachal
Pradesh, and forms part of the Lahaul and Spiti district. The sub-divisional headquarters (capital) is Kaza,
Himachal Pradesh which is situated along the Spiti River at an elevation of about 12,500 feet (3,800 m)
above mean sea level. Situated in the lap yards of the gigantic and blissful Himalayas, Spiti Valley lets
you experience the wilderness of nature and magical snow clad mountains.
All the picturesque landscapes and scenic views you must have seen in movies come to life here and yes
it is quite a surreal feeling. The accessibility to this hidden valley in the Himalayas is what makes the
journey adventurous and enthralling. We drove to Kinnaur valley via Shimla, a long drive of about 400
kms, but it doesn’t seem that long when you are surrounded by valleys one side and beautifully snow
clad mountains on the other.
The breath taking views on this journey is what will make you want to come back to this place time and
again. We reached Sangla in Kinnaur valley after sunset and the view at night was something you
would’ve never imagined of witnessing. We were under a sky that had a million stars alongside snow
clad mountains greyed out in the bright moonlight falling on them.
This was just the beginning and it was only going to get better from here on as we moved upwards
towards the main Spiti Valley. We drove through Chitkul (the last inhibited village of Himachal Pradesh)
on the banks of the Baspa River a few kms away from the Indo-China border. This small village also had
so much to offer, we were lucky enough to catch a view comprising of the sun, moon, mountains and
river all in one frame!
Also Read: Spiti Valley – A Perfect Wanderlust
Our next stop was Nako, largest village at an elevation of about 3,600 metres with the backdrop of Reo
Purgyal, the highest mountain in Himachal Pradesh. This was our stop for the night before starting our
journey to Kaza the following day.
On the way to Kaza we stopped at Tabo to get a feel of the ancient and beautiful Tabo Monastery. It is
one of the oldest monasteries in Spiti Valley. The monastery depicts the various periods in Buddhism
and has a large number of frescoes displayed on its walls that depict tales from the Buddhist pantheon.
After spending some peaceful time at the monastery, we started towards Dhankar. We decided to do
the Dhankar Lake trek to discover the untouched beauty of the high altitude lake.
The tiring trek was one of the most rewarding things of the trip. Moving slowly upwards allowed us to
get a breathtaking panoramic view of the high mountains and valleys. The view of the crystal clear lake
was definitely worth all the effort. The lake surrounded by snow clad hills is a site that is hard to forget,
no amount of time spent at the bank of that lake would ever be enough. After a long and tiring but
eventful day we reached Kaza.
The following day was the one we all had been looking forward to, having read about Hikkim, Langza &
Komic, we couldn’t wait to get there. These are 3 small towns which are basically the heart of Spiti
Valley. Covered in wilted snow and snow clad mountains on all sides, the drive from one town to
another was an unforgettable one. The humongous golden Buddha statue in Langza, The world’s highest
post office in Hikkim, Komic, the highest motor able village in Asia and the Ki Monastery are places you
cannot miss when in Spiti.
Kalpa was the last stop over of our trip and without a doubt as the saying goes we saved the best for the
last! Kalpa is a small town in the Sutlej River overlooking the vast range of mountains giving a panoramic
view of the Himalayan ranges that light up beautifully under the bright moonlight.
Visiting Spiti will make you realize that the mountains & valleys have a certain kind of magic in them and
quite ironically, they will instill a certain kind of calmness and storm in you all at once!
