7 Days Spiti Road Trip From Shimla

7 Days Spiti Road Trip From Shimla

This road trip to Spiti via Shimla is an excellent way to explore Spiti in one week. It covers most major attractions of the region in relative comfort and in less time. For this tour, we enter Spiti via the Shimla Dhankar route which is more reliable and accessible compared to the Manali Gramphu route. The average duration of this tour is 7 days which can be adjusted according to the needs of the guests.

Day 1: Chandigarh – Sarahan – Reckong Peo

The journey will begin from Shimla as we drive towards Kinnaur after breakfast. Pickup can also be done from Chandigarh if needed, but it should happen early morning. Depending upon road conditions and traffic, we’ll reach Reckong Peo by early evening and stretch our legs by taking a walk in the local village and surrounding areas.

Day 2: Reckong Peo – Nako – Tabo

Foreigner tourists need to get a permit from Reckong Peo to proceed further which takes just a few minutes. After this, we’ll stop at Nako village for lunch and trek to the lake for sightseeing and rest. After this, we’ll get back in our car and drive towards Tabo where we’ll enjoy the sights before calling it a day.

Day 3: Tabo – Dhankar

The first half of the day will be dedicated to visiting the Tabo monastery and nearby caves which were and still are used for deep meditation by Buddhist monks. These caves are being used for this purpose for centuries and have a very peaceful and spiritual aura about them. After an early lunch, we’ll drive towards Dhankar which was the capital of the ancient kings of Spiti. We’ll see remnants of the ancient fort and Dhankar monastery.   If there’s enough time, we’ll drive to Lalung to see its famous “Three-Cornered Buddha” statue. The monastery has a lot of history and legends associated with it and is one of the major holy places of residents of the Spiti.

Day 4: Dhankar – Ki – Kibber

The day will begin with a walk to picturesque Dhankar lake and bird spotting in the vicinity. Depending upon weather conditions and luck, one can see numerous rare migratory and local birds and wild animals. Later, we’ll drive towards Kibber via Ki village to visit the famous Ki monastery situated on the mountaintop. Later we’ll drive to Kibber, the largest village in the region. The nearby wilderness is a great place for spotting the rare wildlife of Spiti.

Day 5: Kibber – Kaza

Next morning we’ll drive to Kaza after breakfast, the largest town in the district, and spend the day enjoying the sights of the town via urban exploration. As one moves along the Kaza mountainside, spectacular views of the silvery waters of the Spiti river on the valley floor. The route leads to high-altitude Shilla valley where local herders graze their livestock.  There is an option of spending some time volunteering with locals.

Day 6: Kaza – Kalpa

We’ll leave Kaza the next morning to reach Kalpa village which is famous for its apple orchards. The orchards, vegetable fields, and grazing grounds form a very picturesque setting for a picnic lunch and photography. You can observe or help the local villagers with their daily day-to-day tasks in the fields if you wish. We’ll enjoy a local Spitian dinner there.

Day 7: Kalpa – Sarahan – Shimla

This will be the day to end the tour as we drive back to Shimla via Sarhan. At Sarhan we’ll stop for a while to enjoy the famous dumplings (momos)  and savor the views and memories of Spiti valley that we just left behind. We’ll reach Shimla by evening.