short visit to kinnaur valley

dan kaffeman

hi all forum members
after reading a lot of usefull tips in this forum i would like to receive your opinion and advise on my suggested itinerary. i love your country and visited
on my own most parts of it, this is my 10th visit in the last years and would like this time to travel to kinaur&spiti late july to beginning of august.
my son will join me for short time only 7 days so my itinerary is:
day 1 - delhi to kalka by train and proceed to
narkanda with hired car
day 2 - narkanda to saharan
day 3 - saharan to kalpa
day 4 - kalpa to sangla
day 5 - sangla
day 6 - my son will return with the hired car to
kalka and i will proceed by public transport to
nako
day 7 - nako to tabo
day 8 - tabo kungri
day 9 - kungri to kaza
day 10 - kaza to kibber
day 11 - kibber to losar
day 12 - losar to manali
day 13 - manaly to shimla
day 14 - shimla to delhi
my questions : what is your opinion on this itinerary taking in mind that i am 68 years old.
which specific places you recommend that i neglected
how can i arrange for hire car and driver to meet with us in kalka which type of car? what cost to expect and any recomendations for hired cars?
with thanks
dan

ks_bluechip

Hi Dan,

Overall I think your trip route/schedule looks pretty ok to me .... it covers almost all places in that route. I did the same route (more or less) by Bus in April 2005.

See my blog:
http://kothanda.srinivasan.googlepag...ysi nhimachal

I think you might like to visit Chitkul beyond Sangla. I havent been to Kungri & Losar, since in April the Kunzum-La Pass to Manali was not yet open. So I came back to Shimla the same way.

I dont think age will be a problem, if you are reasonably fit. The route is a bit rough and but I didnt have any problem (I was 56 yrs old then). No idea about Hired Car costs. I was travelling on a Budget basis ... and so did'nt spend more than Rs.700-800 avg per day, including stay, food & travel.

If you have any other specific questions, I will try and answer. I can say the route you have chosen is well-worth seeing and I did enjoy it a lot. Pretty awesome places there.

- KS

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jyotirmoy

Chitkul is a beautiful place. The last few days will be quite hectic tho. THere are comfortable Volvo bus services from Shimla to Delhi. In fact you can take a Volvo bus from Manali to Delhi with out going to Shimla.

dan kaffeman

hi ks bluechip & jyotirmoy
thanks for you immediate respond i will have spare day in sangla and that is for chitkul

ks_bluechip

Dan ... There are some other important Monasteries / Gompas near Kaza ... namely Khibber, Ki, Dhankar. These can be done as day trips from Kaza ... I went to these places sharing a Taxi (Jeep/Sumo) with two French tourists. I am not sure if Buses go there. I am assuming you have these in mind already..... KS

arunchs

It looks doable, but I would suggest going a little slow on it. An extra day in Sanga/Chitkul and an extra day in Losar would be nice to have. If possible, you can also add Chandratal to your itinerary.

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dan kaffeman

ks bluechip
i read your trip report very impressive will use the tips thanks dan

thank you arunchs
i have no spare days for chandratal only if i will skipp another place do you have any suggestion?
thanks dan

rupshu

Please do go to Chandratal,heavenly.On day 10 of your itinerary,you can do Kaza-Kibber-Key-Losar. Day 11,leave early from Losar,cross Kunzam Pass and to Chandratal.Spend some time,then you can come back to Batal and drive to Manali.Day 11 will be a bit long,but it is eminently doable.I have done it with my 3 yr child.
Happy Journey
Rupshu.

dan kaffeman

thanks rupshu
i will change according to your suggestion - how will i gate from losar to chandratal and back to the highway are there share jips going this way?
dan

voyager61

Hi! Losar is a place where there's nothing to do and see so it can be easily skipped. Coming from Kungri in a jeep you can have a stroll in Kaza and proceed to Kibber,visiting Ki gompa enroute. Doing that you should find time for Chandratal,and also for Lalung,Dankhar and perhaps one more place.

dan kaffeman

vojager61
thanks for the reply but on this part of the trip (meanning spiti ) i will travel alone useing public transport and i do not want to rush things in my age so i am worried it will be too hard. i only chose losar to break the long ride what is your oppinion
dan

voyager61

Hi! Yes,stopping in Losar you will shorten the trip to Manali by 2-3 hours. On the other hand you might have to travel without a seat for 10-12 hours if the bus is really full. And accomodation and food in Losar are very poor.

dan kaffeman

voyager61
i will use your advise and skipp losar
thanks dan

uttam

I suggest u should move to Sangla from Sarhan on day 3rd and then proceed to Kalpa next day. If u move to Kalpa first, u,ll be travelling back to Sangla for about 40 to 50 kilometers. Again for ur next halt u,ll be covering up this distance once more enroute to Nako. U'll be taking public transport to Nako, so it will be easier for u to get the same if u r stationed at Kalpa. The main bus-stand at Reckong-peo is very near to Kalpa (9 kms down; takes about 30-minutes to reach by local mini buses). Moreover, the number of buses going to Nako from Reckong-peo is more which is not the case from Sangla.

rupshu

Hi Dan,
You will have to have your own transport if you wish to go to chandratal. At your age I would say it's better to have your own transport as the road condition is quite bad from Losar to Gramphu.Losar is basic,but worth taking a rest before the arduous journey to Manali.
Rupshu