The Spiti Valley

Rudyard Kipling called Spiti "a world within a world" and it's not hard to understand why. The giant rock mountains around could not have been carved by any mortal hand but only the force of wind and water over millennia. In Spiti you'll learn that there is another path into the future - a path based on the co-evolution between humans and earth. At first, the traveller will only see the harsh life, but give yourself time and you'll see the rare kind of purity the people live with. For the adventure traveller, Spiti is a virtual "Natural Theme Park", there are seemingly endless array of activities to be enjoyed in the mountains. 

~ The Shepherd

This post is for people who are planning to visit Spiti, and to convince others to make a trip at least once in their lives. It will follow a simple format: Where to live, what to see, where to eat, and my favourite part.

THANEDAAR
We flew to Chandigarh and drove to Thanedaar. It took us 5-6 hours. A more popular first location is Narkanda. We chose to stay at Thanedaar because we found amazing property there.
Where to live: Seetalvan Orchard, 77km from Shimla. 
Beautiful property. An entire orchard attached to it. Hammocks. View. Peace. Flowers. Birds. And cute dwarfy furniture.

What to see: Tani Jubbar Lake
Tired from our long flight and freezing halt at Delhi airport, in dire need of fresh air and rest, we mainly just enjoyed the property. Asked for a tour of the orchard. Chilled with cherries and tea. We went to Tani Jubbar Lake the next morning, and the small ecological park next to it. It is very small, but you can get good pictures. The trash thrown in the park is disheartening.

Tani Jubbar Lake

Where to eat: Seetalvan Orchard

The owner informed us that we were free to pick and eat as many cherries, apples, apricots, and peaches as we wanted. The food prepared otherwise was also excellent.

Favourite part: has to be eating cherries right from the tree! 

darker red big ones were the best

In case you want to live somewhere else...
Narkanda suggested property: Hatu Valley Home and HPTDC's property. Have not been myself.


SANGLA
Where to live: Hotel Royal Castle. Hotel Batseri was very expensive, same with Kinner Camps.
The place was clean. The heaters were pretty good. The view from our rooms was nice too.

What to see: Padam Palace on the way, ChitkulOn your way you will come across Padam Palace at Rampur. Do stop over for a visit. The palace will have a separate post soon. Rampur is also the hub for all fruits, vegetables, and dry fruits. So feel free to pick some up for the rest of your trip from the market!
We reached at night due to a landslide, so nothing happened that day.
But the next day at Chitkul was breathtaking. There was a river that we walked down too. And I cannot tell you how badly I just wanted to sit beside it and listen to the water for a few hours. Please find some space less crowded that you can go down the river to - we went about 300m away from the Indo-Tibet border patrol's point. Basically there is a popular spot which we avoided.

Chitkul: By the river

Where to eat: At Hotel Royal Castle. 
Because our food was included. And the food was VERY GOOD. And cheap.

Favourite part: Chitkul by the river. Must not miss going here.

KALPA

on our way: from green to rock

Where NOT to live: Hotel KinnerVilla.
Why? We had taken the deluxe rooms. They were tiny. The bathrooms were weirdly shaped. There was no view from the room. There ARE better rooms, but the hotel was full so even though we had booked in advance, the manager gave us these. I'd recommend you to confirm whether you will be getting a room with a view, and probably going for the super deluxe rooms instead. If all you care about is safety though, this place would work for you.

What to do: Walk in the village.
We walked down to the village. The houses were small, and the weather was great. Walked up to a monastery. Basically the only thing you could really do here is roam around the village, look at the Durga Fort maybe (which was shut when we reached). But we thoroughly enjoyed. 

Where to eat: Not at Hotel KinnerVilla.
The chef was very nice person to talk to. But I did not like the food.
Where to live: Hotel Grand Shambha-la. Kinner Kailash (HPTDC's property). These were our first preferences which were already full when we booked. Check them out maybe!

the rainbow

Favourite part: when we spotted a rainbow in the evening, and a glow worm at night.

TABO
(From Kalpa to Tabo, there is a place called Punjabi dhaba. You will get an unbelievably clean bathroom there. And 70 rupees unlimited lunch.)
Where to live: Hotel Maitrey Regency
Since they had a demand for deluxe rooms, they upgraded us to super deluxe. Great location. Very friendly staff.

What to see: Tabo caves and Tabo Monastery We went for a (super small according to our reception guy)  25-minute walk to Tabo caves. It was a short hike only, and the caves were enough for a person or two to sit in. It just felt nice climbing up a mountain partially and being able to see the entire town from above.

view from above

We followed the map and walked through the lane. There were cafes. And restaurants. A monk gave us some breathing tips and explained to us how they try to make both eyes one as they focus and meditate. 

feel free to follow the trail!

The next morning we visited Tabo monastery. 1000+ years old, it was completely made of mud. The main hall had four statues of Buddha. A statue with a bowl is Amitabha. Amitabha is the buddha before the current one. Maitreya had a mudra with thumb and forefinger joined. Surrounding on all walls there were the kundrik deities. So they seem to belong to the vajra mandal. The deities near the door are always scary looking because they are the protectors. All the mudras are different. Monks generally do puja of the kundrik. 

the monastery back side

On the left there was the Golden Temple. It's known as so because the painting in the center had gold highlights on the clothes. Real gold of course. You could still see it.
Another temple had paintings of the olden day kingdoms. One more had the medicine god with 28 something, and a lot more that I can't remember. And one more with a lot of ancient books that have never been opened.
There were stones engraved with 'om mani padme hoon'. Click here to find out what it means. Travellers in the olden days would deposit carved stones here hence they're piled up.
A lady told us how there are a total of 9 temples in that area. A couple of them were shut since the local people had not come for work. We met some really cute kids, and as advised by someone online, gave them chocolate. I'd request you to carry chocolate as well. 

Where to eat: Hotel Maitrey Regency!!!
Thank God I had seen the menu prices and had the foresight to only book rooms and order ala carte. They made us Jain momos and thukpa - something no one else agreed to do. The best pancakes and pasta. And lovely decor.

AMAZING

Favourite part: Disha and my dad being the explorers they are decided to go into the only rectangular structure. I was above the structure when my dad shouted at me to bring my camera. There's a statue, he said. You must go click a photograph. It looks like a statue of a sadhu. I went quickly to the door. It was dark. I was confused. Could not see anything. Disha motioned for me to come forward and look into a corner. And there it was. A triangle of orange. I didn't go much further. I was (obviously)  scared. I clicked one photo fast. But the flash was off. So I put it on. And before I could click, THE STATUE SPOKE: "You can come here." To say we freaked out is an understatement. We RAN out of the mini house.

Shopping: very pretty hairpins in silver and gold for 200 rupees outside the monastery. Keeps your hair up like a charm. 

KAZA
Where to live: Hotel Deyzor.
I did not live there (again already booked), I went to eat dinner there on both days. And it was TOO GOOD. Sakya Abode was also already booked which is supposed to be great. I lived at Hotel Snow Lion which was okay okay.

What to see: Day 1 Dhankar Monastery and Trek to Dhankar lake. Day 2 Ki Monastery and HikkimThe way to Kaza was about 2 hours and we stopped at Dhankar monastery. We saw a helipad and wished paragliding could be an actual way to travel. We also saw snow. It was super cold.
Dhankar monastery is where the head lama comes every winter to meditate. He gets out of his meditation room only to eat, that too in the dark, and is supposed to keep his mind inside the meditation cave. I really don't know how they don't get scared.  

too pretty to not share: on our way

Monastery: it was snowing!!

The highlight of Dhankar had to be the 2km trek to the lake. It was snowing lightly.  We were freezing. And we were climbing up the hill. The monastery and mini town were left behind us. We saw the Pin and Spiti river confluence.

the confluence

The wind was slowing us down. It was an exhausting climb and took us 2 hours. But it was so very worth it. The lake was beautiful. The mountains around with a sort of green chicken pox were also worth it. And as the sky cleared up, we got a much better view of the snow mountains. It was as if they were next to us. Dhankar lake was a mini world itself. It was hard to imagine one side of a mountain to look so different from the other. The way down took us only 30 mins.

At Ki Monastery, the door on the right led us to a split, on the left there were meditation rooms that were completely dark with tiny windows that we guessed may be what the monks focused on. The door on the right took us to huge figurines which were the four protectors. The walls were covered with cloth to save the remains of the paintings. As we walked a little upwards, a monk took us into a small chamber and offered us some hot tea before he took us to the rest. We were taken to a room where there were paintings of philosophers and their work in the past 1000 years, and a stupa too.
We went to Kibber next. We just appreciated the open air school there but tbh it was pretty pointless.
Sending postcards to friends and family at Hikkim was very fun. You have to go a bit neeche, and then you'll reach a tiny house which will have one square room. 6000 rupees worth post is sent every day. One postcard costs 6 rupees to reach Mumbai. And 10 if you put it in an envelope. Even if I assume every person sends 3 envelopes, at least 200 people come on a daily basis in the season. Highest post office of the world might be posting the most too!! 

Keep the address of friends and family handy!

We did not go to Langza even though it is said that it was once submerged by Thethys Sea and has marine fossils because someone told us there isn't much to see there. 

Where to eat: Hotel Deyzor

looked prettier in person

The decor blew me away. How can a place be so artsy!!! It had such a lot of artwork hung everywhere I was in love. I was even more in love with the food. Tomato basil soup, tacos, and a wrap. Unfortunately, they couldn't make pizza since the mozzarella cheese comes from Manali and those roads are shut. The next day we had yummy enchiladas and green pea soup which really tasted like green peas. Also called for a salad which we enjoyed.
Lunch was once at the Himalayan cafe. It has a fun atmosphere with rap music and a great collection of t-shirts and books. Dead tired, we filled out stomachs with the only Jain food they could make. They don't have any eggless desserts either. So a great environment but not as great food.
Did not get anything in the market except banana and mango.

This is Simba. Go to Deyzor to know his story.

Favourite part: Disha and I learned how to make pebbles hop in the lake from dad.  

Realisations: Buddhism is really just about being a good human being. Be compassionate, have patience.  If you can't in this birth, hope and pray for a full body so that you can try in the next. The monk told us how you will know what level you are at on your own. No one else can tell you. You can only help yourself. He asked us to follow our own religion and the path shown by it. It's all the same, he said. We just need to respect all religions.
He told us how schools here at Himachal have normal HP curriculum for the first half of the day, and teach Buddhist philosophy and meditation in the second half. After the tenth standard, the children are allowed to choose whether they would like to explore the outside world or follow the spiritual path. I really liked the idea of that.
Everyone there seemed so full of kindness and looked so satisfied and at peace, the vibe was incredible. We got out of Ki Monastery being astounded by the similarities in Jainism and Buddhism. I hate how at least in Mumbai, for a lot of people that I know, Jainism is more about not eating underground vegetables, doing puja, and fasting on specific days. It's about the pratikraman and following the no touching rule when a woman is on her period. But what I believe the essence of Jainism and any other religion too for that matter is just being a good human being.
Be kinder. Empathise with living beings. To complain less, and accept and adapt more. To be grateful and help those in need in your own capacity and even beyond. To be one with nature and do no harm. 

NAKO
Where to live: Rikpa Homestay. Another place suggested to us which seemed nice was Hotel Reo Purguil. 
Rikpa Homestay was extremely homey. Take the bigger rooms since they are nicer. One of the only places to guarantee he will give you hot water even when the electricity is gone. Also close to the lake - walking distance.

What to see: Lake, Village walk, and detour to Pin Valley and Gue Monastery on the wayThe Gue Monastery was creepy. It has a live mummy. Live mummys are basically people who have mummified themselves while they are alive. This stuff creeps me out, and it gives my sister a thrill.  Google or check my Spiti highlights on Instagram (@letsgorandomco) to know more.
We thought our drive to Pin Valley would be pointless, till we came across tiny falling stones, looked up expecting a landslide, only to find a herd of ibex when we looked hard enough!!

the herd was next to it

At Nako though, go to the lake. Walk the village. You can cover the entire village in one circular walk. It has pretty square coverings in the middle which were apparently created to make ghosts run away. Very cute village.

square covering

what mom could see

Where to eat: We ate at our homestay. 
There was a place that made you pizza and falafel but the guy was very busy to even talk to us due to an influx of foreigners.

Favourite part: Picking up rocks as souvenirs for my friends and family (which I still have not distributed) with the intention of giving it to them with a note that says "You rock." I got 20+ rocks with me. Better give them to people soon.

RAMPUR
Where to stay:  Hotel Nau Nabh - Padam Palace Hotel.
Live in the non-AC room which has wooden carvings on the top. Ask for it. I didn't pick that because I did not know. But the property is like five-star property. You really won't get better. If not this, try for the HPTDC property.

The top room here

What to see: Padam Palace
Entire blogpost coming soon because my father told them I am a blogger and they let us in because I'd write a blog on it. Exciting. Sweet.

What to eat: At Padam Palace
They have good quantity. Order Indian food. Continental was not great. Paneer kulcha was good.

Favourite part: Inside the palace of course. But honestly watching big bang theory with my sister and having a hot water bath with unlimited hot water and sleeping on an amazing bed.

SHIMLA (my suggestions for Shimla are useless)
Where to stay: The Press House BnB
The location was not as convenient as we thought, there were so many hotels on our 2km walk back from Mall Road to Press House that we sort of wished we had booked there. The accommodation itself was really cute, and the host very nice, and it was a good place, but I'd like to try a place more open and close to Mall Road the next time I go.

What to see: Mall Road
We didn't have much time. The number of people at Mall Road were annoying. We enjoyed the ice cream and juice though. 

Where to eat: Don't really know.

Favourite part: there wasn't any favourite part really. It was a bleh place.

And we drove to Chandigarh, had south Indian food, and came back.

Make sure you have a safe and recommended driver. I do not recommend driving on your own. They have their own language of how honking means that you want to overtake and giving signals means the person behind you can overtake, beyond the narrow roads which require solid confidence while overtaking.

Do not take food included at any of these places (except probably Seetalvan orchard). Book only bedrooms without breakfast and dinner. The food is generally much lower priced than atleast Mumbai people would expect, and ordering ala carte lets you order different cusines wherever you go, and save on money as well.

Book the hotels on your own. It may help you save money.

The last three days for us were unbooked. We were supposed to come back from Manali, but Kunzum pass was shut. Hence from Nako, we did the bookings on the go. Keep calling the place you want till the last day, you may even get it due to a last minute cancellation (that's how we got Padam Palace 3 hours before we reached there).

CARRY A BSNL phone if you want to have network. No other network provider has reached Nako yet. So Nako onwards you will have no network. Which is fine. But if you want network, carry a phone with BSNL.

It is one of the most beautiful place I have ever been to. I think the fact that I went with my family was the best too, because we all have similar and varied interests. This isn't a trip you want to do with fussy people, or people who don't enjoy exploring and outdoors.

Good luck, stay safe! Let me know if you have any further questions, I would be happy to help :)
Kanksha <3