Manali-Kaza-Tabo-Kunzum La-Chandratal Lake
At 6: 00 pm report at Delhi Volvo pick up point Majnu Ka Tila (on your own) to Depart for Manali. Overnight Journey by Volvo.
We begin this Spiti Valley tour by hitting the road from Manali. We pass through the popular adventure-haven Rohtang Pass. Then we drive into the desolate and stunning brown-badland landscape and approach Chattru and Batal. At 14,931 feet, we catch our first chill at the august Kunzum Pass and then descend into Losar Village, the first in Spiti valley. Having warmed up with cup of chai (tea), we continue driving through the stunning landscapes and reach Kaza where we spend the night at a comfortable hotel Overnight in a Kaza Hotel.
On the second day of the Spiti Valley Tour, we drive to some of the highest inhabited regions of the world.The highest village in Asia, Komik, which literally translates to ‘eye of a snow cock’, is situated at a height of 4,513 meters. This farm-village has a population of 84 people, living in utter isolation, cut-off from the rest of the world for most parts of the year. This little hamlet brings you thousands of miles away from your familiar settings to a place of soft brown pastures and snow-white mountain peaks. Some of the common animals of the region are the Tibetan wolf, blue sheep, red fox, hare, snow cock, Himalayan griffin, rock pigeon etc. Later, we drive to Hikkim where we visit the world’s highest post office in the world. If possible, you may even meet the post-master and hear his stories.
On the third day of our Spiti Valley tour, we drive towards the beautiful Pin Valley.
Imagine a national park with an abundance of animals and birds, with some rare plant varieties, a river that gushes when it isn’t frozen and trekking opportunities for the adventure-seekers. The Pin Valley promises all this and more.
We first visit the Kungri Monastery and then the beautiful hamlet of Mudh – the last motorable village of the Pin Valley. Declared a national park in 1987, Pin Valley has altitudes ranging from 11,000 to 20,000 feet and is home to at least 12 endangered snow leopards. In addition, other animals indigenous to the region and park are the Siberian ibex, bharal, weasel, red fox, and marten. Birds such as the pika, griffon, golden eagle, bearded vulture, Chukor and Raven paint the skies a pretty picture.We drive back to Kaza in the evening and spend the night in a comfortable and warm Kaza hotel Overnight in a Kaza Hotel.
After a delicious breakfast, we continue our Spiti Valley tour and drive towards the only other town of Spiti Valley – Tabo. Also known as the ‘Ajanta of the Himalayas’, Tabo houses the 1020 year-old Tabo Monastery – which is a UNESCO world heritage site and is famous for its ancient paintings that depict the life of The Buddha, and intricate portraits of gods and demons along with life-size statues of bodhisattvas, in a fusion of western Tibetan, Indian and Kashmiri styles.
After spending a couple of hours at Tabo, we drive towards Dhankar. Perched high above the confluence of the Spiti and Pin River, in a hidden bowl, is the tiny hamlet of Dhankar. The former capital of the Royals of Spiti Valley, also known as the Nono, who ruled the dust-coloured badlands of Spiti Valley. Go back in time as you explore the 1200-year-old Dhankar Gompa which perches precariously between eroded rocky pinnacles on the edge of a cliff. If time permits, do take an hour’s climb above the village to visit the stunning turquoise Dhankar Tso or Dhankar Lake which offers views over the valley and towards the twin peaks of Mane Rang (6593 meters).
Later, we take a short drive to Lhalung – another beautiful high altitude Spiti valley village. The word Lhalung means ‘land of god’ and the village of Lhalung is located at the foot of the Tangmar Mountains which supposedly transforms in color depending on the mood of the deities. Red denotes anger while yellow signifies happiness. Apart from being home to hospitable local families, the village of Lhalung is also home to one of the oldest gompas in Spiti valley. The Lhalung Monastery – also known as Sarkhang and golden Temple – is situated at a height of 3658 meters. We spend the night at an authentic local homestay with a local family, listening to life tales at above 12,000 feet Overnight in a Lahulang.
This day, we commence our journey back home and trace our steps back on the Kaza – Manali road. However, we take one last stop at another Spitian wonder – Chandratal Lake. The mystical and beautiful Chandratal Lake, which translates to Moon Lake, is located at a height of 14,100 feet. The Chandra Bhaga mountain range forms a striking backdrop for the lake, which changes appearance according to the pictures painted in the sky. After capturing the colours of the beautiful Chandratal Lake, we drive to our camping site where a hot supper under the gaze of a million stars and the Milky Way awaits us.
Our camps at Chandratal Lake are equipped with camping equipment including tents, high altitude sleeping bags / blankets and a comfortable mattress Overnight in Camps near Chandratal Lake.
With visuals of the stunning Chandratal Lake captured in minds and cameras, we continue tracing our steps back, driving on the Kaza – Manali road and after a few hours of driving and some more stunning landscape, we pass through the famous Rohtang Pass and reach Manali where we bid goodbye to our drivers.
You can choose to explore Manali’s markets in the evening if you are up for it or you can rest in the comforts of your Manali hotel.
Check out from Manali at 12 noon / Take an overnight bus to New Delhi. We wake up to some hot tee, a sumptuous breakfast and some brilliant views of the Himalayas from the hotel in Manali. You'll be free to explore Manali on foot this day. You can choose to take an overnight bus to New Delhi / we can help you arrange a private taxi from Manali to New Delhi.
HOTEL NAME (Hotel is Strictly Subject to Availability) at the Rates & STANDARD Room Category Quoted)
There is no Contract between the company and the client until the company has received the initial deposit amount per person as specified for each tour package. The full payment must be received in accordance with procedures laid down under Payments Terms. If not paid in that time, the company shall not refund the token amount of the package cost also expect the token amount rest of the payment will be the refunded as per the cancellation policy.
If the Client is willing to amend or cancel his/her booking because of whatsoever reasons including death, accident, illness, or any other personal reasons including non-payment of the balance payment, the Company is liable to recover Cancellation charges from the Client. All cancellations are to be communicated in written and advance amount is non-refundable, besides the forfeiture of the deposit amount of the tour. If you wish to cancel your tour, you must intimate the Company as follows provided that such intimation should be given on a working day within working hours:
When a cancellation is made | Cancellation charges |
Clear 30 working days or more prior to the date of departure of the Tour or for nonpayment of the balance Tour Cost within the stipulated time from | 25 % of the Tour Cost |
Clear 30 to 15 working days prior to the date of departure of the Tour. | 50 % of the Tour Cost |
Clear 15 to 07 working days prior to the date of departure of the Tour. | 75 % of the Tour Cost |
Less than 07 clear working days prior to the date of departure of the Tour. | 100 % of the Tour Cost |
You can transfer for advance booking to below account:
Account | SHIMLA TOUR GUIDE |
Branch | BALDYAN |
Account No. | 37603116939 |
IFSC Code | SBIN0051278 |
You can confirm your bookings by making a nominal advance payment of Rs. 25% of total booking amount to our bank account and send the payment receipt to [email protected] we will issue you the final confirmation within 24 hours of getting the payment verification from the bank.