Best of Himachal - The lesser known Himalayas
Left untouched for thousands of years it emerges only
for six months before being submerged in snow. Situated at a height of 2700m
surrounded by massive towering mountains on all sides the valley also boasts
the gurgling Baspa river, famous for trout fishing possibilities lies Thanedar,
a small orchard town tucked away 10kms from Narkanda. This was the birthplace
of apples in India and affords a serene and calm experience. For the activity
oriented there are some lovely walks as also a trek to a peak nearby. From
here we reach the beautiful valley of Kinnaur, which is also the land that
produces some of the best apples in the region.
A must see little village with a small population is
Batseri - a typical Kinnauri village, with a lovely local Devta temple.
Moving from Sangla to another spectacular journey is a Sarahan, famous for
its more than 800 years old Bhimakali Temple, one of the best examples of
hill architecture. The place provides awesome views of Shirkhand range,
reminding us of the greatness of the Himalayas. The valley of Spiti is unlike
any other. We move from lush green valley of Sangla into Barren moonscape
of Spiti valley with few signs of vegetation. Yet this land renders visitors
speechless with it's harsh raw beauty of the landscape. Shoja, on the other
hand is an angler's paradise, due to its proximity to the Tirthan River
where Trout fishing is a definite possibility. Shoja at just 5 kms from
Jalori Pass at 3223m provides breathtaking sceneries and walks to nearby
lakes and forts.
This is a suggested tour. It can be tailor-made to suit
your requirements. Please contact
us for a tailor made tour.
Day 01, Arrival / Delhi
Meeting and assistance on arrival at Delhi international
airport and transfer to hotel for the rest of the night. Overnight at hotel.
Day 02, Delhi / Chandigarh / Thanedar - 195 kms/6 hrs
After breakfast transfer to airport for flight to
Chandigarh or transfer to railways station to board train to reach Chandigarh
by Kalka Shatabdi express train around 1200 hrs. On arrival at Chandigarh,
you will be met by our representative and driven to Thanedar. Overnight
at Hotel / Camps
Day 03, Thanedar / Sangla - 158 kms/06 hrs.
After breakfast drive 6 hrs en route visiting Bhimakali
Temple in Sarahan. Your journey of discovering of the lesser-known Himalayas
begins in the Sangla Valley. For six months every year, the Himalayan valleys
of Kinnaur and Spiti emerge from a thick cloak of snow to reveal a different,
secret world to man. Long walks to discover the amazing fauna and flora
of the valley, treks to view snow covered Himalayan peaks, angling for trout,
experiencing some of the local culture and traditions, rock climbing, rappelling
are only some of the delights that are on offer. Overnight at Camps / Hotel
which are surrounded by towering mountains on all sides and is set on the
banks of the Baspa River that surges through the valley at a height of 2,700
Mts.
Day 04, Sangla / Chitkul / Sangla – 50 kms/3 hrs
Visit Chitkul and hike up to Nagasthi, the last village
on the old Indo-Tibetan trade route.
Day 05, Sangla / Rakcham - 6 kms/3 hrs
Hike to Rakcham village. This is the signature walk
of the valley. Drive back from Rakcham.
Day 06, Sangla / Kalpa - 57 kms/3 hrs
After breakfast, leave for Kalpa famous for its apple
and chilgoza plantations. Kalpa offers the best panoramic view of the 6,000m
high Kinner-Kailash range. Night stay in Kalpa.
Day 07, Kalpa / Kaza – 210 kms/7 hrs
We depart for Kaza after an early breakfast, leaving
behind verdant, forest clad mountains as we go over the tree line towards
the Spiti region. En route you may take a short detour to visit the picturesque
Nako Lake. The terrain will leave you breathless and speechless. Rock-hard
Desert Mountains, torrential rivers and icy cold winds account for the sparsely
populated villages. Reach Kaza, check into the Hotel / Camp and spend rest
of the day at leisure.
Day 08, Kaza / Tabo - Dhankar - Kaza
After an early breakfast, drive down to Tabo and
visit Tabo Gompa, reputed to be the oldest (an inscription on a wall here
indicates, it was founded in AD 996) continuously functioning Buddhist monastery
in India and the Himalayas, with its original decoration and iconographic
program intact. We then move on to see Dhankar monastery. Dhankar, the traditional
capital of Spiti, sits pretty on a hilltop. The fort here overlooks the
Spiti valley and it was used as a jail in olden days. Today, more than 160
lamas reside here. A statue of Dhyan Budha where four complete figures of
Budha sit back to back is the main attraction of this more than seven-century
old monastery. About an hour’s walk (about 3 kms) from here on a slightly
uphill track is a small lake that sits languidly is a bowl. The size of
the lake in the summer varies every year depending on how much snow the
catchment area had in the previous winter. After an al fresco lunch, we
take a 30 minute walk to the car and drive back to reach the retreat by
evening.
Day 09, Kaza / Pin Valley National Park / Kaza
Declared a national park in 1987, Pin Valley is located
in the cold desert region of the Spiti valley, Himachal Pradesh. With its
snow laden unexplored higher reaches and slopes, the Park forms a natural
habitat for a number of endangered animals including the Snow Leopard and
Siberian Ibex. The elevation of the Park ranges from about 3,500 M near
Ka Dogri to over 6,000 M at its highest point. In summer, flowers decorate
the valley with startling hues. Along with animals, rare birds like the
Himalayan Snow Cock, Chukor, Snow Partridge and the Tibet Snow Finch also
flourish in the area.
Day 10, Kaza
After breakfast visit Ki monastery and Kibber village.
Ki gompais a Gelugpa sect monastery. Its hilltop position points to a post-thirteenth
century construction. The three storied structure consists largely of storage
rooms at the bottom level, while the middle floor houses the Dukhang- the
assembly hall- and the uppermost floor has another temple and the head Lama’s
quarters, on one side of an open terrace. The greatest wealth of Ki Gompa
lies in its collection of ‘Thangkas’ salvaged with difficulty from the devastating
raids of the Dogars and the Sikhs in the 19th century. From here a scenic
drive takes you into the pasture country of Kibber. Kibber is small village
and is the take off point for the popular trek to Tso Moriri in Ladakh.
Further up six kilometers from Kibber, we drive up to a still smaller village
of Gete. Consisting of just six houses, it boasts of being the highest village
in Asia connected by road. Drive back to the retreat for lunch and spend
rest of the day at leisure – preferably resting.
Day 11, Kaza / Manali - 201 kms/8 hrs
Drive over Kunzum La (4553m) to reach Manali. Manali
is one of the most popular hill stations in India. Overnight stay in hotel.
Day 12, Manali
Spend the day exploring the hill station famous for
its hip hop culture. Overnight at hotel.
Day 13, Manali / Sojha - 117 kms/4 hrs
Drive to Sojha visiting Naggar castle and Roerich
art gallery en route. Check into Banjara retreat on arrival. Evening at
leisure around bon fire.
Day 14, Sojha
Day at leisure/ Hike to Raghupur Fort or Serolser
lake. Overnight stay at Banjara Retreat.
Day 15, : Sojha / Bhuntar / Chandigarh - 2/8 hrs.
Drive from Manali to Bhuntar airport (2 hrs) and
fly back to Delhi else drive to Chandigarh to board evening Shatabdi express
train departing at 1800 hrs to Delhi.
Day 16, Delhi / Departure
After breakfast transfer to airport for flight to
onward destination.
