Tour 11 Days Spiti And Kinnaur Tour From Shimla

Guide

This tour is fully escorted and guided by a local professional Guide. He will meet you on arrival at Chandigarh and will remain with you till the departure at the same place. We use only local guides who speak very good English, are knowledgeable about the area, are well-groomed, and have been handling our tours for more than ten years. Because these Guides belong to this area they are very much aware of the local culture and traditions.

Accommodation

We prefer homestays or boutique hotels to star properties. We personally inspect and check the accommodation units before we recommend them for our tours. They are located away from the madding crowd and are professionally managed by the owners. They are small units but are kept perfectly ok from the point of view of hygiene. Also, they provide homely-cooked local food and use organic ingredients.

Meals

All meals are included in this trip starting from your arrival till departure.

Hygieneprotocol

Others

All Entrances to the monuments. All Applicable taxes.

Transport

This trip is for couples, friends, and families. So a dedicated Toyota Crysta car is used for two pax traveling in one car. The car remains at your disposal with you from your arrival at Chandigarh till your departure at the same place. All cars are new and not more than five years old. All drivers are highly professional and know how to negotiate on these winding roads in the hills. The cars have luggage carriers on top.

Not included:

Flights

No flights, national or international, are included in the cost.

Others

No airfares. Any Kind of Personal Expenses or Optional Tours / Extra Meals Ordered. Anything not specifically mentioned under the head “Prices included”. Tips, Insurance, Laundry, Phone Calls. The Services of a Vehicle are not included on leisure days & after finishing the sightseeing tour as per the Itinerary. Any Kind of Drinks / Table drinks (Alcoholic, Aerated). Camera fee, Soft or Hard drinks, Starters. Medical and travel insurance. Additional costs due to flight cancellation, train delays roadblocks, natural calamity, etc. Tips. In most cases, people ask us about the tips in the restaurants, for the drivers and the guides. We recommend the following. In the restaurants: Normally it is 10% of the total bill. For the Driver: This man works very hard as he drives on the narrow and bumpy road with great care and at night hardly finds any place to sleep. The next morning he has to drive again so a sound sleep is required. He expects the hotelier to provide him with a comortable room and some hotels do that but in most cases, he sleeps in his car. The tip recommended to him is Rs. 500/- per day. For the Guides/ Tour managers: This man is your friend, philosopher, and guide for throughout the trip, and with his knowledge he keeps your trip alive and brings different experiences to the front. He takes care of check-ins/check outs at the hotels / organizes and decided the venue for your meals, organizes local guides for you, takes care of you in case of emergency, helps you with the local language, and remains your local caretaker and remains your friend forever even after the trip is over. He deserves the better portion of the tip and so we recommend a minimum of Rs. 500/- per person per day for him.

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Arrival Chandigarh And Drive To Shimla
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Arrival Chandigarh And Drive To Shimla

Distance: 120 km Driving Time: 4.5 hours

Inform us about your arrival details before you start from home so that we have enough time to send your car to Chandigarh airport to pick you up. You must fly to Delhi and take a connecting flight/train/taxi to Chandigarh. In case you are planning to stay overnight in Delhi, and you need any help with the travel to Chandigarh, kindly let us know and we shall be able to help. you.

We welcome you to Chandigarh, the base of the Himalayas. Your tour escort cum tour guide is going to meet you here, outside the exit gate of the airport. And then, we together drive to Shimla – the former Summer Capital of British India. A thirty minutes drive brings us to Kalka, the entry gate to Himalaya from where we follow the continuous incline towards Shimla.
Day 2 Drive To Kalpa
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Drive To Kalpa

Distance: 250 km Driving Time: 8 hours

After an early breakfast, we drive to Kalpa, the headquarters of Kinnaur - the tribal district of the state. This scenic drive is through the apple orchards and the cedar forests. From Rampur which is 130 km from Shimla, we drive along river Satluj, one of the mightiest rivers in the hills. On arrival check into the hotel. After some relaxation, we shall walk a bit to stretch our legs, to village Roghi.
Day 3 Kalpa
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Kalpa

After breakfast, we have to appear before the State Divisional Magistrate to obtain an inner line permit. Kindly keep your passports with you.

After this, we walk around the villages in and around Kalpa. These are the ancient and exquisite villages of Chini, Kothi, Pangi, and Telangi. Make good use of your camera as the landscape and the architecture attract you repeatedly.
Day 4 Drive To Tabo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Drive To Tabo

Distance: 170 km Driving Time: 6 hrs

Today we enter the Spiti Valley. Geographically and archeologically, Spiti is a living museum. The mountains are devoid of any vegetation due to erosion by wind, sun, and snow over thousands of years. Our vehicles climb up to the village of Tabo (3050 M/ 10,006 feet). Built in the year 996 AD, the Chos Khor Monastery at Tabo is the largest monastery in Spiti and one of the few remaining examples of the Golden Period of Buddhist Culture in the Himalayan Region. The wall frescos of the monastery are comparable in their antiquity and quality to those of the Ajanta caves, hence they are called the Ajanta of the Himalayas. It houses more than 100 Lamas, a large number of scriptures and pieces of art, wall paintings, thangkas, and stucco. We will reach Tabo for lunch. In the afternoon and evening, we will visit the monastery and village.
Day 5 Drive To Kaza
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Drive To Kaza

Distance: 47 km Driving Time: 4 hrs

Rise early if you want to join the monks in Tabo Monastery for the morning worship. (5 min walk through the village).

After breakfast, we drive to Kaza. On the way, we shall visit Dhankar, the ancient capital of Spiti. Dhankar Gompa (3800 M/ 12,467 feet) was built in the 12th century. This hilltop fort dominates the scene and once served as a jail. It contains more than 160 scriptures of Lamas and Buddhists in the Bhoti language. A statue of Dhyan Buddha consisting of four complete figures seated back to back is the main attraction of this four to five-century-old monastery. Unfortunately, the ancient Gompa, situated on the very edge of the peak, is deteriorating. Entering the interior may be restricted very shortly. They have shifted the main monastery to a new complex at the entrance of the village. His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated this temple in June 2004.

Before we drive to Kaza, a detour to Peen Valley is strongly recommended for a photographer. Peen Valley was the sea bed of the ocean Tythes from where the Himalayas rose. Commonly known as Geologist’s paradise Peen Valley is known for its amazing rock folds and Moonlike landscape. We continue our drive to Kaza.
Day 6 Visit Key Monastery, Kibber Village, And Lingti Valley
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Visit Key Monastery, Kibber Village, And Lingti Valley

In the morning after breakfast, we visit Kye Monastery. Then drive to Village Kibber and Village Gete from where the view of Spiti Valley is just astounding.

Afternoon drive to Langcha, Komic, and Hikkim Villages. In all these Hikkim is the highest village (4587 meters) in the world that is connected by road, electricity, water, and telephone. Please don’t ask about the beauty of the landscape here. We shall not be able to explain it in words.
Day 7 Drive To Nako
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Drive To Nako

Distance: 110 km Driving Time: 5 hrs

Breakfast at the hotel and then drive to Nako via Tabo.

The village of Nako lies at an altitude of 3625 meters (11,893 feet), high above the last stretch of the Spiti Valley. Once it was a very important center of Buddhism in the region. There are different small-sized temples belonging to different periods between the 11th and 12th centuries distributed all over the village, including a monastic complex on its western edge. Boasting four temples and several additional buildings, this complex preserves the earliest artistic heritage. The austere and unornamented exteriors of the buildings give little hint of the important artistic and religious legacy that lies within the walls.
Day 8 Drive To Sarahan
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Drive To Sarahan

Distance: 175 km Driving Time: 6 hours

The drive is through the Apple orchards, lush landscape and over Narkanda – a small but busy town at the elevation of 9000 feet.

Early morning breakfast, Sarahan, a beautiful village surrounded by apple orchards and dominated by Shrikhand Mahadev Peak (5155 M/ 16,912 feet) which resembles the “Shivling.” We visit the Bhimakali Temple, a wonderful mixture of Buddhist and Hindu architecture. It is very sacred to both communities. The idol of Goddess Bhimakali is approximately 200 years old.
Day 9 Drive To Shimla
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Drive To Shimla

Distance: 175 km Driving Time: 6 hours.

Drive to Shimla is via Rampurand Narkanda. On arrival check into your hotel and relax.
Day 10 Shimla Heritage Walk
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Shimla Heritage Walk

Shimla is Walker’s paradise. Many people coming to Shimla regret if they miss it, so we keep here two nights for you so that you can walk through the Heritage Lanes of Shimla with your guide. There are beautiful Churches, A Viceregal Lodge now called the Institute of Advanced Study, the Army Heritage Museum, Annandale Ground, the Gaiety Theater, and of course The Mall road – a busy street but meant only for pedestrians.

After breakfast, we proceed for a Heritage Walk of Shimla with your local historian. This is the best way to learn about Shimla and know it better. You will be walking with Sumit, a local historian and a published author of eight books.
Day 11 Departure To Chandigarh
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Departure To Chandigarh

In the morning have your breakfast and drive to Shimla / Kalka/Chandigarh, railway station/airport.

From here onwards you have to travel on your own so kindly make the arrangements before you start the tour. In case you need any help of suggestions, kindly let us know.

11 days tour

11 Days Spiti And Kinnaur Tour From Shimla

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip 11 Days Spiti And Kinnaur Tour From Shimla

Arrival Chandigarh And Drive To Shimla

Drive To Kalpa

Kalpa

Drive To Tabo

Drive To Kaza

Visit Key Monastery, Kibber Village, And Lingti Valley

Drive To Nako

Drive To Sarahan

Drive To Shimla

Shimla Heritage Walk

Departure To Chandigarh

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