Kinnaur/Lahaul/Spiti trip itinerary

abhi182

After wrapping up Leh in December last year, I am yearning for more

How does the Kinnaur/Lahaul/Spiti region compare?

What would be a good itinerary for a week's trip (in mid June) if I were to want to rent out a bike in Manali and start off from there?

Sorry to be such a bother with such far sweeping questions but unlike Leh, good & well consolidated information on the Central HImalayan regions in Himachal is relatively hard to find

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Cheap 'n' Best

Hello there Abhi,

A few years back I travelled from Shimla to Manali going through Kinnaur, Spiti, Lahaul and the Rohtang Pass. It was a fantastic journey.

Two points for you to consider are;

1) Is the road passing through Spiti fully open ? When I was there, and I think it is almost an annual occurrence, the road between Nako and Tabo was blocked due to landslides. This is ok if you are travelling by bus or jeep as you can send your bags over by a pulley system and then you just have to walk down the valley and back up. It is however a different story if you are on a bike. Maybe someone else with experience of travelling this road by bike could help you ?

2) To travel into Spiti valley between Kaza and Rekong Peo you will need to get a permit which is valid for only seven days. This permit is available in either Kaza or Rekong Peo.

My three favourite spots during this journey were Kalpa in Kinnaur, Nako in Spiti and Tabo also in Spiti.

Let's take it that the road is somehow passable and you are going to do this journey, a possible itinery could be;

Manali-Kaza via Rohtang Pass

Kaza-Tabo

Tabo-Nako

Nako-Rekong Peo/Kalpa

Rekong Peo-Shimla

Please bear in mind that I was in this area a few years ago so things may have changed. Maybe someone can give some up to date information to help you out. Whatever you decide I hope you enjoy.

voyager61

Hi! The whole stretch between Peo and Manali can get blocked anytime of the year,but generally it does not take too long to open again. You need a permit only if you are a foreigner,and in any case only between Sumdo and Jangi,not more than 3 hours driving a bike.

EL ES DEE

I was wondering for a moment, we indians dont need a permit to traverse this route only foreigner's do.
Right said voyager. : )

nayan

you can have a look at my trip log.
we did kinnaur spiti trip in april 2008.

http://www.indiamike.com/india-artic...kinnaur-spiti/

EL ES DEE

how cold is it in june/july in spiti and pin valley ?

voyager61

Hi!It's not cold,but in the evenings you need a fleece jacket or something similar, and a windbreaker can be very useful.

Yogesh Sarkar

Last year it was terribly hot in June, I only needed to take my warm jacket out when I reached Losar, for rest of the journey a sweat shirt was more than enough.

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EL ES DEE

Thanks for the replies yogesh and alex for that different insight makes me learn a tad more about the weather. ; )

voyager61

Hi! I could also add that last year on 8th July we got stuck in Batal because of snow(4 inches there,7-8 on Kunzum La) and that many improvident people spent the night shivering and with chattering teeth.

Yogesh Sarkar

July isn't the ideal month to tour in North India and Hills in particular. In the first week of July 2005, I was stuck in Manali due to Kullu - Manali highway getting closed due to flood and Rohtang and Kunzum closing due to snowfall.

EL ES DEE

Oops im going to be in spiti/pin/kinnaur for the whole july :S

voyager61

Hi! Don't worry,in Spiti July is generally by far the best month of the year.

rishabh6296

I did a Manali-Kelong-Udaipur-Kaza-Tabo-Manali in July last year with no problems whatsoever, but you should check the local reports about floods and landslides before crossing over to Trans- Himalayan territory.