Anyone visiting Spiti soon?Will Chandratal be freezing in late May?

soledad

Hello everyone!
Is anyone of you thinking of visiting Spiti-Lahaul late May?
I am going there at that time,which I have already posted in the forum,you can check it out over here :- http://www.indiamike.com/india/india...t-here-t55044/

I was told by a localite here,that the glacial lakes of Chandratal & Suraj Tal would be frozen and not to expect much of the usual views that it presents during the summer; Now,I am in a dilemma;Is that really true? Is Chandratal is not worth a visit during last week of May?
Please do let me know,any of you who might had been there at this time;

I am posting below a picture of Chandratal which a friend took last year,just to show you all,what divine beauty is attracting me to that place so much.And how disheartened I would be,if I don't get a glimpse of the same.

voyager61

Hi!Can't say about Suraj Tal,but I would be really surprised if Chandratal was still frozen at the end of May. I was there once in the third week of June and felt very much like swimming in it,and the nearest by snow was in the Samundra Tapu glacier.....

soledad

Thanks a lot for sharing this with me;
You have no idea how relieving that is to me.And what about Suraj Tal?Does anyone knows about it ?
Would be glad to hear from someone about Suraj Tal,if possible!

voyager61

Hi! I just talked to one of my friend in Kaza and the news is that the road up to Kunzum La will open officially in 4-5 days,some cars actually already went there. The road from near Batal to Chandratal is still blocked by some avalanches and so is the stretch between Batal and Gramphoo. Apparently few more days and that one also will be cleared,and the same applies to the link road to the lake. To reach Chandra Tal now, one has to walk from the pass,about 11 kms.

soledad

Hi voyager61,
Thank you very much for comming up with that important piece of information; I had been very tensed off late thinking about the raod condition around that stretch,and now much to my relief it seems evident that there are enough chances of it getting cleared by the end of this month,when I would be there crossing Kunzum and trying to get a glimpse of Chandratal;

mailsarkar

Hi Voyager. Would you say that Chandratal may be accessible by jeep (scorpio) around June 20th? I plan to drive through Shimla-Rampur-Recong-Kaza etc and exit through Rohtang at that time. The current weather over N.India is a bit worrying, but that should clear in a few days. Hopefully, the roads would be sorted out by that time. Would you say that this entire circuit is do-able in 8 days (ex-Delhi with a divert to Chitkul in between)? Also, once at Chandratal, would the temperatures allow staying in a tent overnight?

Will look forward to any gen you can share.

Cheers!

voyager61

Hi! In 2004 I went from Manali to Kaza by bus on 5th June,and all the roads were allright. At that time in a Skorpio there should be no problem. That same year I also went to Chandratal around the end of June and there where people who came with a Santro and with a Maruti 800. I also slept in my tent and with my good sleeping bag felt very comfortable,but everybody else up there did. I think you can do all that travelling in 8 days,but you will spend most of your time in a car and frankly speaking I wouldn't do it,but that's up to you of course. In a couple of days I hope I will be able to give more up to date news.

mailsarkar

Thanks Voyager. That settles a major concern. Will look forward to more inputs when you can. Hopefully, I'll be able to add some of my own once I have negotiated this region successfully. Happy voyaging.

Dilliwala

I fully agree. On both points.


mailsarkar,
The way I see it, you're planning the below-mentioned or similar:
Day 1 - drive to Shimla
Day 2 - drive to R/Pio
Day 3 - drive to Kalpa and Chhitkul during the day, back to R/Pio for the night
Day 4 - drive to Kaza
Day 5 - drive to nearby places, back to Kaza for the night
Day 6 - drive to Chandra Tal
Day 7 - drive to Manali
Day 8 - drive to Delhi
(alternately 5 might be drive to Chandra Tal, 6 to Manali, 7 hang around Manali or start driving half-way to Delhi).

This is not so much a holiday as a vehicle test. The vehicle might enjoy it, you won't. And I shud add - the road Rampur-Gramphu-Manali is nothing like Delhi-Shimla.
My suggestion: either add 2 days, or at least drop Baspa valley/Chhitkul. I realise you may not have more time available, but you can't do everything in 8 days.

gobbledegeek

I am in Manali right now and have been enquiring about shared taxi to Spiti everywhere, but no ones willing to offer a ride... as there is no "rush of tourists" yet the same folks are assuring me that if I "hang around" early in the morning I might get a ride ... so it means getting up at 5 am and running after any vehicle I see with the hope of hitching a ride ... Which is such a lousy idea ...

voyager61

Hi! You could try to check at Kiran guest house,near the SBI,to see if there are already drivers from Spiti about to go back there,that the place where they all stay in Manali.

voyager61

Hi! Just got confirmed that the road from Kaza to Manali is open for cars and in a week or so buses will start service too. The link road to Chandratal is stil closed to traffic. Drivers from Spiti are already going to Manali every day,and so finding one of them going back could be a good option to travel to Spiti.

mailsarkar

[quote=Dilliwala;493581]I fully agree. On both points.


mailsarkar,
The way I see it, you're planning the below-mentioned or similar:
Day 1 - drive to Shimla
Day 2 - drive to R/Pio
Day 3 - drive to Kalpa and Chhitkul during the day, back to R/Pio for the night
Day 4 - drive to Kaza
Day 5 - drive to nearby places, back to Kaza for the night
Day 6 - drive to Chandra Tal
Day 7 - drive to Manali
Day 8 - drive to Delhi
(alternately 5 might be drive to Chandra Tal, 6 to Manali, 7 hang around Manali or start driving half-way to Delhi).

Dilliwala - thanks for the insight. I fully agree with Voyager and you. The itenerary IS a bit pushed to the extreme. Its just that every year I plan for Spiti, the weather blows me away! Well, last year it was something else and we ended up going to Leh, again. And I might add, the first time around we did Leh-Srinagar-Delhi in 8 days as well. But like you'd guess, we simply kept driving and I ended up with a slipped disk. You've got to admit though, the terrain is well worth the pains though.
Anyway, while I agree on the hustled nature of this plan, I was thinking more along the lines of reaching Narkanda the first day (4am till 6pm) and then trying to make it to Chitkul on the second day. I wanted to spend a night at Chitkul, for the reportedly glorious views from there. Possible? The other option is to limit myself to approaching Chitkul from Shimla, staying put for a few days and heading back the same way. Else, approaching Chandrataal from Manali, staying put and heading back. I may have to save the full circuit for a later, longer holiday. Which would you recommend? And thanks all for being so helpful once again.

Dilliwala

Hi ms,

Quote:

You've got to admit though, the terrain is well worth the pains though.

I do not!
LAST thing I need on a driving trip is a slipped disk.

Quote:

I wanted to spend a night at Chitkul, for the reportedly glorious views from there. Possible? The other option is to limit myself to approaching Chitkul from Shimla, staying put for a few days and heading back the same way. Else, approaching Chandrataal from Manali, staying put and heading back. I may have to save the full circuit for a later, longer holiday. Which would you recommend?

Nothing against a night in Chhitkul, but IMO the views are better from Pio/Kalpa. You cud stay in both places, in conjunction with which:

I strongly agree about doing either one of the shorter circuits, and leave the full circuit for later. Take your pick, both are good IMO.