Spiti: Need information and advice

MonkeyBoy4u

Hi Anand, I have answered your questions here

Delhi ~ Kaza ~ Delhi ~ Manali

__________________
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

~ Robert Frost

avinashzalake

Can u help on these??

1) Where to take a halt Chango, Sumdo or Tabo??

Tabo has GH of monastery- basic facilities , also I had seen other GH
I don't know about Chango & Sumdo
2) Is there any place to stay at Chandratal or we need to carry tents with us??
As to My knowledgeable We have to carry our tents.
I had not visited because road closed by snow for last 8 kms

3) Condition of Road from Kaza to Chandrtal and within how many hours can one reach there??

Kaza- Losar - road good. will take 2 hrs
Losar - Gramphu road very bad be prepared for it. It will take around 6 - 8 hrs
For Chandratal Losar- Kunzum La(18km) then Chandra -tal (18 km )
consider 2+2 = 4 hrs + 1 Hr Spare Total 5 hrs.

4) Chandratal to Manali , how many hours it will take??
Gramphoo to Manali Road is good, need to pass Rohtang Pass, will take up to 4-5 hrs provided No traffic Jam
We suferred major traffic Jam.
If we start from Kaza around 7am, We can reach Manali up to 6 pm all approximate time, Consider Emeregency Extra time.

5) Condition of Maling nallah, is it fine now??
We do not get much disturbances from Maling Nallah. New Road had made it Good one.
What to worry is From Losar to Gramphoo, road is more bad than Maling nallah

6) Constact no. of any rented vehicle??
We traveled on our Bike
7) Hotels on this route??? shall we book HPTDCin advance or go there n book???
Most of the time we stayed at Guest Houses. I don't know about HPTTDC.

You will get good no. of GH at Sangla, Chitkul, Nako, Tabo, Kaza, 2 - 3 at Losar, Basic stay option at Batal. Hotels are more in no. at Kaza. Generally they are cheap. 250 - 300 bucks
depends on your bargaining. They may say higher rates. It also depends on your need.

Sorry, I was Busy with some unavoidable work, So I answered Late.

I will be glad to answer more queries.

abn999

hey avinash thanks bro.

One more query,

we are having second thoughts on Visit to Chandratal..

I do not wish to miss it for anything ... Is it feasible and possible to take night halt at Losar n leave early morning to chandratal and night halt at manali, consider we are travelling by a jeep (mostly scorpio).

avinashzalake

It may possible, provided roads will be clear.
confirm with some one other guy.

vistet

That should be max 500 meters per night from 3000 meters. Going over higher passes in the day is generally OK , once you've had one night pf efficient acclimatization around 2500-3000.

That should be 250 mg x 2 , starting 24 hours before ascent over 3000 if you weigh around 100 kilos and is not allergic to sulfa medication to start with. Read up on dosage & side effects ( http://korta.nu/5c3a ) , and talk this over with a doc.

__________________
high road to ..

vistet

On the other hand I crossed the Rothang from Manali recently and it took six and a half hour to the top of the Rothang. Another traveller a couple days later had the same experience.

alfonso

Losar-Chandra Tal- Manali
I don't think you can make that in one day.
Don't forget the road from Kunzum-La all the way to Gramphoo is very bad. When coming down from Kunzum-La to Chandra river, the track up to Chandra Tal is also bad. Besides, the charm of the place will make you linger.
Al together, it will be too late to risk taking Rohtang-La in the late evening. Better to make a stop either at Batal or Chaatru (both only very basic accommodation).
Perhaps your first idea of leaving Chandra Tal out is not that bad. You might leave it for another time. It's easier to approach Chandra Tal from Manali, e.g. cross Rohtang-La and go to Keylong. Then plan Chandra Tal from Keylong (no passes to cross - and you will have experienced already the Gramphoo-Batal Road on this trip). Perhaps next time you can foresee to have a tent with you and camp at Chandra Tal for the night. You won't regret it (even if it's bitterly cold).
On the whole, the Shimla-Kaza road is nowadays much much better than the Manali-Kaza stretch. So going up and down between Shimla and Kaza is a good option. Moreover, this approach minimizes AMS risk as it slowly goes up.
Last: many travelers prefer Nako above Chango. The main advantage of Chango is that it's lower than Nako, so better to balance your daily height increase.

Vish80

Thx.
Vishwak

abn999

Hey Vishwak,

Thanks a lot bro.. I will definately get in touch with Mr. Lalchand. Can you give me little idea about the cost structure for Jeep. Will it be possible for you to share your contact no.

regards,

Anand

Vish80

hi there,

i guess the cost would depend on where you would start & end the trip...otherwise we found them to be less than the others we found out the rates from...one sincere bit of advice...go with a local driver, that would make all the difference due to their knowledge of the area, the distances, trivia about the place etc: not something to be missed...would stronly advise against going with anyone from delhi

would suggest have a word with mr. lalchand, i am sure his rates will be good

abn999

Hey Vishwak,

Totally agree with you .... dirver in such terrain makes big difference. We spoke to Lalchand, gave him your reference n booked him for our trip as well.
He seems to be good, thanks a lot bro..

yeh, he will pick us up from Chandigarh and will drop us at Chandigarh.

n we got good rates as well .. hope to have superb trip with him.. any particular dos and donts with this guy???

regards,

Anand

avinashzalake

will u please give how much he will charged you ?

Vish80

Hey...that's great. Best of luck for the trip...this guy is quite an enthusiastic chap & he knows these offbeat places, so keep asking for the good places. He will pack you with loads of trivia, just one thing start early whenever you are travelling, as the speed of travel is about 20 km in the spiti area & Mr. Lalchand is extra careful while driving here. I guess that is that, keep an open mind & i am sure you will be amazed at how spectacular spiti is, if you are indeed travelling for the first time.

aditi_aruna

Hi Anand
I am aditi from Mumbai
Did this trip and am back just last week ,Ans to most of ur qs


1) Where to take a halt Chango, Sumdo or Tabo??
Tabo
many homestay/guest house options, dont book in advance
2) Is there any place to stay at Chandratal or we need to carry tents with us??
Tents are rented , very few persons stay at nite , try to negotiate rates for Rs 400 per person including food ...no need to book in advance
3) Condition of Road from Kaza to Chandrtal and within how many hours can one reach there??
we left Kaza at 7.00 am, had breakfast at Lossar and reached Chandratal by 11.00 am ....road is not that bad as I was mentally prepared for worse roads
4) Chandratal to Manali , how many hours it will take??
This will take a long time at least 8-10 hrs ....also Rotang always has a traffic jam ...add 4 hrs for that ...hence we took a nite halt at Chattru enroute Chandratal to Manali
5) Condition of Maling nallah, is it fine now??
6) Constact no. of any rented vehicle?? we booked with Ram Chand from Shimla but wud not recommend as its costly,
7) Hotels on this route??? shall we book HPTDCin advance or go there n book???
Do not book in advance ....u will get lots of options

need anything more write to me at aditi.august@gmail.com
take care ...have a great trip