Trip Report - Kinnaur Spiti Lahaul - June 2010

Hi Dinesha Kshil,

Thanks for the really informative trip reports and updates of the region.
I am starting on a similar trip on the 17th June from Delhi.
I am driving myself in my Scorpio with my wife and kids.
I will try to post updates about the road conditions once I hit the road.
I have a thread going here:
Delhi-Kinnaur-Spiti-Manali Starting 17th June
BTW can you please give me some idea about Mobile / Internet Connectivity in places like
Tabo
Dhankar
Mud
Kaaza
Rangrik
Losar

Also do you have any Contact info for Pin Parbati Guest House in Mud, and Hotel Dekit Norphel in Tabo ?

Styler

If you are sticking to NH 22 then roads are between Good and Excellant. If you are diverting to any other route like Kharapathar etc, roads are not Good at many places.
I travelled through this region between 23/5 - 6/6/11.
Harish

Styler, I have already commented on your thread.

Mobile connectivity was there last year in all the mentioned places (Can't remember Mud though) through BSNL.

Internet connectivity would be extremely poor, I doubt if datacard would work. But Tabo/Mud/Kaza I have seen cyber cafe available. Dhankar and Losar you won't get any. Rangrik is an isolated place but heavenly, I can't remember any shops around that place.

I remember I have given some contact in Mud in my report, that hotel was the best at that time in Mud. They have some nice rooms where I found mostly Israeli people were staying. You can contact them. Dekit Norphel, I somehow missed to get the number. But after summer holidays, you won't be having any difficulties to get accommodation in anywhere in Spiti.

Dhankar Monastery Guest House is the best else you have backup to stay at Home stay. Talk to Lotey and he would be able to help you out.

Thanks very much for your appreciation on the report and we all would look forward to your trip and the subsequent snaps and report.

Have a nice and safe trip!!

Anybody has any idea if MTNL Pre-Paid will work on roaming with BSNL in the Spiti Valley ?

Being both of them PSU, MTNL would surely roam with BSNL but only doubt if the prepaid would work. Usually in the border area, sepcially those are disturbed according to home ministry, prepaid cell can't roam. Recently Govt lifted this ban in whole of North East but this is still there in J&K. I don't think Spiti is disturbed in any standard but then again there is a percentage of doubt. Someone with first hand experience should be able to answer you but anycase postpaid BSNL is the safest bet, if you can manage.

@ kshil

Hi, hope your are fine. It's been quite some time since I logged into the forum. Unfortunately passing through some difficulties in professional front ...

It is really great to see the forum is doing as well as ever and this thread has reached such a long way since last year.

Feeling Great to be back

Hi Ani,

Nice to see you guys back and IM and its members would be certainly benefitted if you share your thoughts experiences with the people planning this year.

Hope you are doing fine and where is your planned vacation for this year? I am quite active in ladakh/zanskar forum this year and so you get what I mean here

Feeling great to say a warm welcome back to you.

Hi

Couldn't be happier to be back. Great to know your plans for Ladakh /Zanskar, would look forward to another informative & comprehensive Trip Log.

I'm still undecided as because , the family is perhaps getting extended by a new member.. . Hence need to wait for a month more to get a nod from the doctor and then also can plan for a short trip only :-(

Would look forward to a bigger one next year. However, I'm always happy to share my experiences and information regarding the trips I have done so far and all IMers are welcome for any query..

hi k shil, im just back from kinnar. originally planned to visit lahul but could not cross rohtang on 17th june due to land slide and falling boulders at Raninala which was going on for some days. Became very much disappointed not to be able to see the sea of snows at barlacha. I then rescheduled my tour and visited kinnar which I enjoyed very much.Though this alternate plan was also threatened by a road blocade at a place 2 km ahead of Bhavanagar after Rampur. luckily road was cleared after one day . That stretch is very very unpredictable .However This could not disappoint me this time.

Ha Ha Ani, Ladakh trip log is still 3/4 months to come, but surely I would try to write it with as much details as possible. But since Lahaul/Spiti, I have already completed 3 more trips and wrote 3 more reports.

Eastern Arunachal, MP and Sikkim

Wow!!!! That's a great news!!! Our best wishes and congratulations from IM to the new member and the proud would be parents. So that's a great excuse to do some short trips and then I would probably be able to give to some extra tips on how to travel with kids beside the usual information

Sure, we all look forward to that big trip and a nice report as you gifted us last time. I am sure your presence would help many IMers planning to visit the area this year.

Hi Sampa, nice to know about your trip and I do agree it's heart breaking not able to cross Rohtang but Kinnaur is nice too. I understand the land slide you are pointing in NH22, it happened just a week back (last friday) and road was reopened on Saturday. Have you uploaded the snaps? Can you please share the link with us so that we also could share the Kinnaur experience with you? Roads usually remain unstable during early season but Rohtang became an exception since last year. Last year too it was better only in Sep and October. Till August everyday we saw slides/blocks/Jams in that pass. Anyway make a wonderful plan of Spiti and Lahaul together sometimes soon

Back from Spiti trip yesterday. What a place, what an experience.
Thanks Kshil and Dilliwala for all the help with routes and my questions.

Congratulation Araib for the trip. But just a completion news won't suffice, we are waiting for snaps and reports to share your experience you know

Read in other threads about Foreclaz500, you guys tried in the trip, what was the report on that?

Have you done Chandrataal? Then it must have been a trek I guess but you guys are lucky to complete the loop I believe, isn't it? Infact if you really have completed the loop with your own vehicle you would consider yourself even luckier when you read this news here.

Waiting for snaps and report!!

Some of the pics here: Link

I will write detailed report in some time . Till then some facts and figures:

We completed the circuit in one day less than planned.
Day 1: Delhi- solan , started very late
Day 2: Solan-Peo-Kalpa
Day 3:Kalpa-Nako ( took wrong turn to Leo, went some distance towards ShipkiLa)
Day 4:Nako-Tabo-Dhankar ( suffered puncture which ate up 2 hrs)
Day 5: Dhankar-Kaza-kibber-key-Kaza-Losar (suffered puncture again)
Day 6:Losar-Batal-Chandratal-Batal ( trekked full length of raod ,24 kms)
Day 7:Batal-delhi (Drove/rode 700 kms non stop, phew)

I have tried Forcalz before too in my treks, great shoes, even in snow.

Road was perfect.Weather was awesome.Total cost 6500 per person ( 7 in group)!
Had one gypsy and 2 bikes( pulsar+unicorn)
Camera used :Nikon D5000 with 18-55 , and 70-300 lens.

Excellent snaps Araib and that's expected with 5100/18-55/70-300 combo. Is this 70-300/f4.5 VR-II?

But it was just a collection of 20 snaps and I am sure its not the full list, you are still working on it, it seems.

Day3 - You are lucky man, so how you understood you are towards Shipki La?
Day4- Where you stayed in Dhankar and have you trekked the lake there?
Day5 - No Pin Valley?? where in Losar you stayed?
Day6 - How long the 24km trek took and how the trek is? Easy? Moderate? Why you didn't stayed at Chanrataal? Would wait for detail timing on this day like when you started from Losar, when you reached Batal and started for trek, when you reached Chandrataal etc..
Day7 - Batal - Delhi -- Canonball run???, you know now you need a permit to cross Rohtang if you drive/ride a Non HP Registered Vehicle? You crossed just in time man

Thanks for Foreclaz update, I noticed the shoe in one of your snaps where you introduced yourself to us

Please can anyone tell me that when is the last bus from Manali to Keylong is ???? We are leaving on the Delhi Manali volvo on Tuesday night and will reach by late Wednesday morning .... Will we get the bus to Keylong the same day ????