Booking open
Spiti Valley
The cold desert loop
The full circuit: Kinnaur in, Kunzum Pass out.
- Length
- 8 nights
- Meet in Shimla
- Group
- Group of 16
- Price
- ₹24,999
- Per person, triple Hold your seat with a deposit of ₹5,000.
Shimla to Kalpa, Tabo and Kaza, Key Monastery and Chandratal, out over Kunzum to Manali. Long road days, made shorter by the people in the seats next to you.
Highlights
- Kalpa and Kinner Kailash
- Key Monastery
- Chandratal lake
- Kunzum Pass
What the price covers
- Stay 2
- Eight nights - hotels and guesthouses in Shimla, Kalpa, Tabo and Kaza and a tented camp at Chandratal, triple sharing
- Camping and sleeping-bag hire at Chandratal
- Getting around 2
- A Tempo Traveller for the full circuit, including the Kunzum Pass crossing
- Oxygen cans and a first-aid kit in the vehicle
- Food
- Breakfast and dinner daily, plus tea stops on the long drives
- Host & guides
- A local driver-guide who knows the valley, plus a Backpack India trip host
- Entries & activities
- Spiti valley entry fees
- Travel to Shimla and from Manali - buses, trains or flights
- Lunches and any drinks
- Optional detours such as the Pin Valley or a local taxi around Kaza
- Travel insurance with high-altitude cover, which we strongly advise
- Personal expenses and anything not listed under inclusions
The plan, stop by stop.
9 days from Shimla, 7 stops. The map follows each day.
Route · 7 stops
Day 01 · Shimla
- Day 01
Assemble in Shimla
Meet the group in Shimla, sort out the bags and walk the Ridge and Mall Road at an easy pace. Acclimatisation starts here.
Shimla is at about 2,200 m. Most people arrive by an overnight bus or train from Delhi.
- Day 02
Shimla to Kalpa
An early start along the Sutlej through Rampur and Jeori. Reach Kalpa in the evening under the Kinner Kailash range.
About eight to nine hours on the road, and the first long day at altitude.
- Day 03
Kalpa to Tabo
Cross into the Spiti valley via Nako and the Hangrang range. Reach Tabo and its mud-brick monastery, one of the oldest in the Himalayas.
Roughly seven hours, and you cross 3,600 m. Drink water and skip the evening walk if you feel light-headed.
- Day 04
Tabo to Kaza
A short drive through Dhankar and its cliff-top monastery, then on to Kaza, the valley's main town.
About two hours. Kaza sits at 3,800 m.
- Day 05
Key Monastery and Kaza
Morning at Key, the fortress monastery above the Spiti river. Back in Kaza, the afternoon is free for the market and cafes.
A short climb up to the monastery, with the valley laid out below.
- Day 06
Langza, Hikkim and Chicham
The high villages: Langza's fossil beds and Buddha statue, Hikkim's post office, and the Chicham bridge over the gorge.
About 4,400 m at Langza. Cold even in summer; carry a layer and water.
- Day 07
Kaza to Chandratal
Over Kunzum Pass towards the moon lake. Camp by the water and watch the light change on the Chandrabhaga range.
Kunzum La is 4,590 m. The last stretch to the lake is a rough walk or a local taxi.
- Day 08
Chandratal to Manali
Cross the Atal Tunnel and drop into Manali's green valley, a sharp change from the desert. Farewell dinner on Mall Road.
About five to six hours. Kullu is the first proper phone signal in days.
- Day 09
Departure from Manali
A slow morning, then transfer to the Volvo stand or Manali airport for the journey home.
Overnight Volvos to Delhi leave in the late afternoon and evening.
How our trips feel.
Moments from past trips, filmed and photographed by our team. These show how we travel together, rather than footage of this specific departure.
Make it your trip.
Pick your dates. Meet your people.
Coming solo? We room you with travellers of the same gender from your group. Double means two travellers sharing a room. Private rooms are on request.
Trip total ₹24,999 for 1 traveller.
- ₹24,999 × 1 traveller
- ₹24,999
- Triple sharing
- Included
Deposit and cancellation
Hold your seat with a deposit of ₹5,000.
Balance due 30 days before departure.
Cancel more than 30 days out: full refund except the deposit, which moves to any departure within a year.
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Rooms, food, fitness, who else is coming. A real person answers on WhatsApp, usually within the hour.
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