How to plan a trip to Spiti Valley – Things you need to know

Well, well who doesn’t dream of a place surrounded by snow-capped mountains and perfectly landscaped villages? You dream it and Spiti has it all. So, if you are a true nature lover and are ready to have some life-changing experience, you must plan a trip to Spiti Valley. Those who don’t know Spiti Valley lets say it is a heaven in India located at the extreme end of Himachal Pradesh. Full of cold deserted landscapes, blue water river, peace, purity, away from the chaos of society, close to nature, and surrounded by a lot of beautiful valleys that separates it from the rest of the World.Since the time I have returned back from Spiti Valley, many adventure lovers, travelers, vacation seekers asked me a lot of questions on how did I travel, what is the budget needed, how many days we need to travel to Spiti Valley, and a lot many questions. This article will help you plan your upcoming trip to Spiti Valley.

About the beautiful valley and the coldest desert of India

The name “Spiti” itself means the “Midland”. Yes, Spiti is itself a world inside the World. It gives you the true reflection of Tibet lifestyle and culture. Its amazing geographical features make the Spiti Valley even more desirous place for every traveler of different age groups. If you are a curious soul like me and desire to know more about the culture, lifestyle of people, how do they survive in extreme climate, and a lot more about this beautiful valley and villages around, read more about Life Local in Spiti Valley – traditions, culture, and more

An ultimate guide to planning a trip to Spiti Valley

To plan a trip to Spiti Valley, all you need is to pen down the information such as best time to visit, things to do in Spiti depending on the duration of the trip and of course the budget. With the budget, comes the hotels or homestays that you must consider to stay.

I stayed at Hotel Delek House (check reviews here) in Spiti Valley which is hardly 800 meters from the city center of Kaza. City center is the main market of Kaza, where you’ll find cafes, food, rental bikes, shared taxis, and all that you need while traveling to Spiti.

I chose Delek House because it is not a homestay but a hotel with all comfort, but the specialty of this place is it is cozy, comfortable, and gives you the feeling of being at home with generous staff and a very humble owner (you can reach me out to get in touch with him, you might get some discount too. **wink). Also, the food is really good and fresh that is a bit hard to find at other places in Kaza.

A place for those who have money constraint and are not looking for a comfortable stay

If your budget is very low, you can also plan your stay at other homestays. My personal suggestion as what I observed would be a stay at Mah Bodha homestay. It is a homestay provided by a traveler like us who settled in Spiti since the time he visited and now Kaza is his home. It is not as luxurious as Delek house but it comes with basic facilities.

Best time to visit Spiti Valley

Well, if it was in my hand, I would stay in this heavenly place forever. Anyways coming out of my fantasy world, the best time to visit Spiti Valley is from June to October. Those who seek for out of the world experience and extreme adventure also visit Spiti valley in late December or January. Also, all the trekking and adventure enthusiasts who are looking for long treks around Spiti Valley and want to spend at least a month in Spiti Valley, you can check out our blog on Treks to do in Spiti Valley.

Talking about the winters, weather in Spiti Valley is always unpredictable, so I visited in June and even then I had to carry one sweatshirt and one jacket even during daytime.

How to calculate the budget for Spiti Valley trip?

Well, this question is one in a million and before I answer that, I want you to understand that calculating the budget for any trip or for Spiti Valley entirely depends on the individual person. However, I will share the detailed budget that I incurred while traveling to Spiti Valley and that will give you an approximation.

Manali to Kaza – Shared Taxi – Rs.1000 per person

Kaza to Manali – Shared Taxi – Rs. 1000 per person

Stay in Kaza (5 nights) – Rs. 4000  – Rs 2000 per person

Bike on Rent(Royal Enfield) – Rs. 1100 each day (for 4 days)- Rs. 2200 each person

Bike Petrol – Rs. 2000 for 4 days – Rs. 1000 per person

Food for the complete trip – Rs. 4000 for two – Rs. 2000 each

Other Expenses (if needed) – Rs.1000 per person

Total Expenses ( Manali to Manali) – Rs. 10,000 per person

What all you should carry on your Spiti Valley trip?

Now that you are already excited to explore this mother of all the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, let us quickly create a checklist of all the things that you must carry on your trip to Spiti Valley.

This list, of course, can reduce or increase depending on your needs.

Is it possible to go to Spiti Valley trip from Manali instead of going on Shimla to Spiti route?

OR

How feasible is the route to Spiti via Rohtang Pass?

Are you scared that you might face motion sickness or acute mountain sickness? One tab Diamox or just smelling a camphor, and yes most importantly, few hours of rest is all you need to acclimatize your body at high altitude. The only thing is you won’t find a very good road on this path, but then that is itself an adventure all together

A quick trip itinerary for your trip to Spiti Valley

Route 1: I followed this route because I had already been to Kinnaur. I wanted to spend most of my time in Spiti. I made sure to explore as many places as I can. So yes, it covers all the must-visit places in Spiti Valley.

7 Days Trip Plan: Manali – Rohtang – Spiti Valley – Chandra Taal (Moon Lake) – Manali

Day 1: Manali to Kaza and Stay at night in Kaza

Day 2: Key Monastery, Kibber, Hikkim, Komik, Langza (Stay in Kaza)

Day 3: Kaza to Tabo, Giu Mummy, Nako (Be careful of stone pelting on the way)

Day 4: Nako to Dhangkar Monastery, Dhangkar Lake(If time permits), Pin Valley

Day 5: Explore the local culture and Cafes in Kaza, Kaza Monastery

Day 6: Kunzum Pass, Losar, Chandra Taal  followed by tent stay at Chandra Taal

Day 7: Chandra Taal to Manali

Route 2: If you have never been to Kinnaur and You have enough days to explore Spiti, I would personally suggest you follow this route:

9 Days Trip Plan: Shimla – Kinnaur – Spiti Valley – Chandra Taal – Rohtang Pass – Manali (It completes the circuit)

Day 1: Shimla to Sangla ( you will need to leave early morning from Shimla)

Day 2: Sangla, Chitkul, Rakcham, and then Stay in Kalpa/ Reckongpeo

Day 3: Reckongpeo to Nako

Day 4: Giu, Tabo, Dhangkar Monastery, Dhangkar lake

Day 5: Pin Valley, Mudh, and back to Kaza

Day 6: Kaza to Ki, Kibber, Hikkim, Langza, Komik, Gette

Day 7: Explore the local culture and Cafes in Kaza, Kaza Monastery

Day 8: Kaza to Kunzum Pass, Losar, Chandra Taal and stay overnight in Chandra Taal.

Day 9: Chandrataal to Manali via Rohtang Pass

Few pictures that might give you an idea (To get a deep insight of Spiti Valley, follow our pictures on Instagram @discoverwithanisha)

Now that you know all about this beautiful wonderland of India, what are you waiting for?

Take a leave from routine and create the most memorable and magical moments of your life. Trust me, after returning from the trip to Spiti Valley, your perspective of life will change a lot.  It changed for us 🙂

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Till I come up with a whole new experience,

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