We assemble at Shimla bus stop by 7 am in the morning. Our TGE organizer will be waiting at the bus stop to receive you. After a brief ice breaking session, we board our Tempo Traveller and get ready for a beautiful drive of 250 km to Kalpa via Rampur & Reckong Peo. We drive down from Shimla and cross over to the other side of the river, and follow the Hindustan - Tibet road to Reckong Peo, the principle township in Kinnaur

Reckong Peo is considered to be the land of Gods and is a splendid beauty showcased by the Himalayas. The town is serene and is famous for its apple orchards. It is inhabited by Kinnauri people and has a diverse culture even in today's modern era

From Peo, a climb brings us to the beautiful village of Kalpa, nestled amongst apple orchards and Chilgoza pine trees. Kalpa and a couple of villages around it such as Chini and Roghi, provide some of the most spectacular views of the Kinaaur Kailash range across the valley. We will spend the night at Homestay and indulge in some local food

Experiences: Stay in a beautiful Homestay in Kalpa
Visit various fruit orchards and learn about organic farming

Our journey today takes us to Tabo village, reknowned for the ancient Tabo Monastery. Tabo is a small village, situated on the left bank of river Spiti in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. Flanked on either side by hills, it houses one of the most important Buddhist monastery, that is regarded by many as only next to the Tholing Gompa in Tibet. This monastery is said to be over a thousand years old, founded back in 996 A.D

To reach Tabo, we pass through the peaceful and picturesque Nako village which is perched on the banks of the Nako lake. We spend some time here before we take a short detour to Giu to see the famous 500-years-old mummy of a Buddhist monk

Experiences: Visit Nako Lake
See the famous 500 year old mummy of Buddhist monk

After breakfast, we head off to Tabo Monastery. Tabo Monastery is an ancient monastery that was established in 996 CE. It is considered to be an important monastery and is often referred to as the Ajanta of the Himalayas. The complex has 9 temples and many stupas—all of which are made in mud and have been standing like this for more than 1000 years.

After Tabo, we drive to Dhankar village. The beautiful Dhankar Village is one of the most stunning attractions in Lahual and Spiti Valley, a home to the most beautiful and awe-inspiring Dhankar Monastery and Dhankar Fort that are perched on the top of the hill in Dhankar. Dhankar looks like a bowl-shaped structure in the hills. It looks almost as if all the old Dhankar houses and fort have emerged straight from the mountains with their back wall being merged on the hill

We have lunch at Dhankar and then head off to Mud to explore th Pin Valley. Mud is the last motorable village of the Pin Valley. Mud village also acts as the base for trekking route towards or from Pin-Parvati Pass or Bhabha Valley. The views in the entire Pin Valley including Mud village is just majestic, and the valley is mostly virgin, serene, barren and beautiful.

Experiences: Tour of Tabo Monastery & Dhankar Monastery

Today is a relaxed day. After breakfast, we drive to Kaza, the capital and the largest settlement of Spiti region. This is also our last place with an ATM and petrol bunk. Being the largest settlement in Spiti Valley, it is well-equipped to meet needs of travellers. We spend the evening exploring this quaint village and call it a day

Experiences: Shopping & Cafe's ( Yes, Kaza has some amazing Tibetan cafe's worth visiting )
 

The Langza, Hikkim, and Koumik are three villages above Kaza. They are one of the highest motorable villages in the world. We start our journey from Kaza post breakfast and make our first pit stop at Hikkim. The road from Kaza to Hikkim will give you goosebumps at certain sections being too narrow overlooking a 1000 Mtrs vertical drop down to Kaza

The Hikkim village has the honor of having the highest post office and polling station in the world. Do not forget to send a postcard to your loved ones from here

After Hikkim, we drive to Koumik, a village which is famous for having the highest motorable monastery in the world. According to locals, it is believed that this monastery houses some hidden treasures which are made to public only once in 60 years due to security concerns. This includes an egg of a dragon, the horn of a unicorn, the upper tooth of a sheep, the ribcage of a giant demon and the tail of a prehistoric man

After Koumik we head off to Langza, popularly known for hunting marine fossils and breathtaking view of Chau Chau Kang Nelda peak sitting on top of the village. If you are fond of fossils, you can hike a bit higher around Langza village, look around/beneath the rocks to observe some ancient fossils. You can also visit Chaudua (Fossil) center in Langza village to know more about these fossils. Apart from the breathtaking landscape, the presence of a big, 1000 year odd old Lord Buddha statue in the meadow makes Langza as heavenly as one possibly can imagine. It is one of the most beautiful villages of entire Spiti Valley.

Experiences: Send a postcard from Hikkim
Visit the world's highest monastery at Koumik.
Find fossils at Langza ( No, you cannot take them home )
Try to spot Ibex's or Blue Sheep at Langza

After breakfast, we start towards the beautiful Key Monastery

Key Monastery is a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist monastery situated right on top of a hill at an altitude of 13500 ft. The monastery has some really beautiful scriptures and paintings of Lord Buddha and other gods. The Key gompa is also famous for its priceless collection of ancient thangkas, including Tibetan silk thangkas upto 800 years old and frescoes depicting the life of Padmasambhava. There is a Key Village that comes just before the Key monastery. The views from this vantage point are just breathtaking from where you can also view Rangrik Village across the Spiti River

About 9-10 KMs from Key Monastery is the famous Chicham bridge, the highest suspension bridge in India. After some quality time here, we head back to Kaza in the evening

Experiences: Tour of Key Monastery
Visiting Chicham Bridge, the highest suspension bridge in India

It is the final leg of our journey and the most trecherous one. The Kaza - Manali route is not for the faint hearted. The road is rough and you have to cross several streams and high passes. Start early today

The road to Manali takes you through a high altitude pass, Kunzum La at 15000 ft. We will visit Chandratal Lake en route before heading off to Manali. We will drop you in Manali by 8 pm. You can either choose to stay overnight and depart the next day or take a cab/bus out of Manali on the same day (please ensure you keep enough buffer time for delays

Experiences: Visit Chandratal Lak
Cross A High Altitude Pass: Khunzum La
Cross Atal Tunnel
Take the adventurous route to Manali