Winter Ride to Spiti Valley - Day 8

Today was going to be the last day of our ride. Ghiyagi was cold but temperatures were on the positive side of zero so we were relieved. We decided to have breakfast at the small town of Aut in Mandi district because all of us were supposed to head in different directions from here - Sumit to Kullu, Gopal to Manali and Abishek and I to Chandigarh. 

Managed to make friends for life on this ride! Saying goodbye to Sumit and Gopal here

River Beas

The roads after Ghiyagi are in decent shape and apart from being narrow, they are a pleasure to ride on. The closest major town is Banjar and as you proceed further, from a small town named Shoja, two rivers Sainj and Tirthan finally merge with the river Beas. Beas kind of gives you an assurance that you are on the right path! Continue further and you will get on to the Manali-Delhi highway. From here, it is a routine ride to Chandigarh via Mandi, Bilaspur and Kiratpur Sahib.

Honestly, this is one ride that I find absolutely boring; nevertheless, a ride mandatory to reach our destination. Abishek and I managed to reach Chandigarh by 4.30 pm, returned our motorcycles and checked in to our hotel to get some much-deserved rest. We had to kill about a day and a half in Chandigarh before taking a flight back to our respective hometowns. 

Looking back, our ride was successful in every possible way- no motorcycle breakdown, no tire punctures, no motorcycle falls, excellent weather, white mountains and the list can go on and on. Yes, we were fortunate at some places, especially Langza where we stretched our luck to quite an extent, but luck is something that you need irrespective of where you are riding. Having someone accompany you on rides to such terrains is indeed a blessing and I was fortunate to have someone passionate about travel and motorcycles with me all throughout.  

Lazying around malls in Chandigarh

If you wish to ride to the mountains, especially Kinnaur and Spiti, you must go with no expectations. This will enable you to return with memories to last you a lifetime. Unforgettable moments and experiences are bound to have a lasting impact on everyone who goes to these places, that's my guarantee! 

Bidding goodbye to the beautiful city at Chandigarh airport

I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading about our journey to the magical and mesmerizing White Spiti and Kinnaur.

Until the next big ride, that's all folks!

Route: Ghiyagi/Jibhi - Banjar - Aut - Pandoh - Mandi - Sundernagar - Bilaspur - Kiratpur Sahib - Chandigarh

Winter Ride to Spiti Valley - Day 7

Seeing Jalori Top was an unfulfilled dream for a very long time. By end of today, Jalori would no longer remain a dream and I was excited by that prospect. Moreover, riding back via the same route is always boring so barring a major issue, we expected the ride to be enjoyable. 

Exiting the "Gateway to Kinnaur"

We decided to start early so we could make maximum use of daylight and avoid traffic in Rampur. Our first halt was for breakfast at Tapri, the same place where we stopped for lunch en route Sangla on day 2. During our onward journey, we have braved the rain to reach this place. However, today the weather was fantastic and the sun was also out. Gradually, one layer after another started coming off, thanks to the quickly disappearing cold and chilly winds. 

Excited AF to just be able to ride in the mountains!

We crossed Rampur and Jeori in good time and had to take the diversion from Kingal, about 25 km before Narkanda. It was about 2 pm and we decided to halt for lunch about 10 km further, at Luhri. Jalori Top was exactly 50 km from here but unfortunately, because of some road construction work, we had to take a 15 km detour that was breathtakingly stunning but totally off-road. 

Beauty at it's best!

Covering this stretch itself took us almost an hour. However, once we merged with the regular highway, the road, though extremely narrow, was well-maintained. There was a lot of greenery all around and snow only slightly visible in the background. Road conditions all the way up to Khanag and beyond are excellent and a pleasure to ride on. 

The last 5 km ascent is highly steep (I mean literally even on first gear it is difficult) and you need to be really careful. It is advisable not to look towards the valley because it is bound to freak you out. The top was beautiful and we did get to see a lot of snow out there. There is a temple at the top and if you have any energy left, a short trek takes you to the Serolsar lake. 

Jalori Top

Snow all through at the top of Jalori Pass

The descent, however, is very very tricky with a lot of snow and black ice on the road and on the sides. Moreover, it is off-road and passes through a dense forest. Yes, it does make you feel slightly scared because there is not a single soul on the road. We decided to stay for the night at Ghiyagi at a fantastic place we found - Jalori River Touch. The sound of the flowing river was indeed music to the ears and we felt fortunate to be able to see and stay at places we never thought existed! 

Well, I definitely will!

We lit a campfire to have some fun in the cold weather and spent our last evening together talking about the incredible journey so far and the route we traversed to get here! 

Stay tuned to know how the last day of our ride turned out to be! 

Route: Reckong Peo - Rampur - Kingal - Anni - Khanag - Jalori Top - Ghiyagi/Jibhi

Winter Ride to Spiti Valley - Day 6

Similar to Kaza, Tabo too was extremely chilly. The locals jokingly told us, "You need to have an iron heart to survive the weather here!" As the evening progressed, we did realize how true that statement was.

The Himalayas standing tall!

The previous evening had been the best of our trip, thanks to some amazing Spitian music and local food. Just before dinner, Sonam, the owner of our homestay, played the traditional Spitian guitar (it is known by some other name which I sadly cannot recollect now) and sang local Tibetan prayer songs for us. It was music to the ears, quite literally. As we started talking, he said that nobody apart from him the skill and expertise to play these instruments and therefore, he imparts this knowledge to children in local schools. He wished to keep Spitian culture and tradition alive for years to come. 

We were amazed at how he efficiently managed his passions while simultaneously running a beautiful homestay. For dinner, we had good home-cooked food. But what caught our attention was a conch-shaped steamed bread freshly prepared just for us. This Spitian bread, also called Timoh (tee-mow) in the local language is eaten with vegetables/dal here instead of roti/chapati.

After getting great sleep on Day 5, we were totally fresh when we woke up next morning. The sun was out and it seemed to be a perfect day to ride. The plan was to visit Kalpa to get a majestic view of the sunset over Kinner Kailash range and stay back for the night. 

Somewhere between Nako and Pooh

Quick halt for a picture at Khab Sangam, the confluence of Spiti and Satluj rivers

Fearing road blockage due to mountain blasting and wanting to avoid getting stranded, we decided to start early. The return journey was along the same road that we had ridden on during our onward journey. The rugged terrains and jaw-dropping valley views literally make you both happy and terrified. Certain stretches along the Hindustan-Tibet highway are dreadful, especially the roads between Pooh and Spillow, considered to be the most treacherous in the world. 

But the scenic beauty of gorgeous valleys, Satluj river, and snow-clad mountains more than makes up for the terrible road conditions!

Crossing Malling Nalla one last time!

We successfully reached Pooh by afternoon and were praying for the road to be open. As luck would have it, we did get stranded at three different places that set us back by around two hours! However, we had factored this time when we left in the morning and therefore the seeing the dream sunset at Kalpa was still very much possible. 

Fortunately, at one of these places where we were waiting for the road to open, a local taxi driver who overheard us talking about the road to Manali via Jalori told us that Jalori Pass had opened for vehicular traffic just 2 days ago. Sumit and Gopal, who initially thought of going ahead to Rampur, then decided to stay back with us on day 6! We had not yet utilized our buffer days, so time was on our side. The plan was made. All of us would head to Chandigarh via Jalori and not via the traditional route passing through Shimla and Narkanda. 

Looking back, the road closure essentially helped and we would no longer have to return to Chandigarh via the same route. We halted for lunch at Spillow around 4 pm and without wasting too much time, we decided to reach Kalpa as quickly as possible so that we could see the sunset over the Kinner Kailash ranges. 

As we were nearing Kalpa, we could see the picturesque view of Kinner Kailash mountain standing tall, completely covered in snow. Series of snow clad peaks one behind the other made us feel as if we were in dreamland!

No caption needed!

Sunset over Kinner Kailash

Kalpa seemed like a perfect leisure getaway with lush green highlands and the snow-clad Kinner Kailash mountains in close view making for a gorgeous backdrop. We also managed to visit the suicide point at Kalpa, a place that is bound to give you goosebumps because of the crazy vertical fall.

Suicide Point, Kalpa

Accommodation options in Kalpa were all closed and the only place that was open was extremely expensive! We, therefore, decided to stay at Reckong Peo, headquarters of Kinnaur district. After checking into the hotel, we finally take a shower after three days (haha I kid you not!). Thanks to Jio, we even got mobile data connectivity at Reckong Peo.

The beautiful town of Reckong Peo

The roads to Reckong Peo and Kalpa from Powari are in good condition but too narrow for two vehicles to cross each other at the same time! Another fantastic ride day came to an end and all of us were now excited at the prospect of crossing Jalori Pass and visiting the Serolsar temple and lake on the top.

After spending over two days in Spiti Valley, we realized how amazing it is to be close to nature and totally cut off from the rest of the world. Thanks to drastic changes in the landscape, Spiti transforms into an entirely different land in winter.

Stay tuned here to get all the details of Day 7 of our ride! 

Route: Tabo - Nako - Pooh - Kalpa - Reckong Peo

Winter Ride to Spiti Valley - Day 5

What a day we had been through, absolutely incredible! Day 4 was hectic but totally worth it. Kaza was probably the coldest place of our ride yet, with temperatures hovering around -12 to -15 degrees at night and -2 to -8 degrees during the day. 

The beautiful town of Kaza at 5.30 am!

According to our schedule, we were supposed to visit Key, Kibber, Langza, Hikkim and Komic and return back to Kaza for stay overnight. However, after staying in Kaza for a night, we did not feel it would be worth our time to stay back one more day. We, therefore, decided to visit these high altitude villages and head to Tabo. 

Sumit and Gopal decided not to join us for visiting places around Kaza and said they would meet us at Tabo by evening. We left around 9.30-10 am for Key Gompa and the ride was thrilling, to say the least. I think these pictures will tell you gorgeous the views from the monastery were-

Can you see the tiny monastery?

Snow and black ice everywhere!

Entering Key Gompa

View from the top of Key Monastery

Backside view from Key Monastery

After visiting Key Monastery, we proceeded towards Kibber, a small village where the probability of spotting a snow leopard is the maximum. Unfortunately, we couldn't find anything but pug marks at a certain place while entering Kibber and there was no leopard in sight for miles! 

Approaching Kibber

Entering Kibber

Everything else was shut and a few locals helped us with directions to Chicham Bridge, the highest bridge in the world at 4037 meters above sea level. This bridge connects the villages of Kibber and Chicham and after almost 14 years of construction, was opened for use by the public in the second half of 2017. It was a sight to behold, especially because the bridge is above the Samba Lamba Nallah, which is almost 1000 feet below.

Between Kibber and Chicham

The highest bridge in the world

Beautiful, isn't it?

Returning back from Chicham

One section of the ride done and we began riding towards the trio- Langza, Hikkim (home to the highest post-office in the world) and Komic (highest village in the world), all located in line, one after another. First up was Langza, the fossil town, where we visited the Langza Buddha Statue.

Entering Langza jurisdiction

The eerily silent fossil town, Langza

Langza Buddha Statue

Another view of the Langza Buddha statue

Adverse weather conditions and presence of excess snow and black ice on the road meant we just fell short of Hikkim and Komic by a few kilometers. However, we convinced ourselves that despite the fact that we were hardly 5 km away, it was not at all worth taking a risk because there was not a single soul on the road. The only living beings we saw between Langza and Hikkim were a Tibetan wolf and Himalayan Ibexes! Strange but true. We managed to spot some of the rarest animals in Spiti (of course the snow leopard is a dream!) so overall what was missing was just a photograph of those 2 iconic posts- "world's highest post office" and "world's highest village!" With this, we decided to head back to Kaza.

Between Langza and Hikkim

Having fuelled up a couple of days back just before the turn to Reckong Peo, it was imperative that we tank up completely to avoid getting stuck. Though we were carrying jerry cans for emergency, it made sense to fill up when the facility was available. 

Kaza Fuel Station

Sakya Tangyyud Monastery, Kaza

Distances from Kaza to various places!!

We said goodbye to Kaza, had lunch and started our ride towards Tabo. Our return journey had begun. It was a smooth and relaxed ride and we managed to reach by 5 pm! 

Welcome to Pin Valley

Heading back to Tabo

Tabo Bridge

Stay tuned as we exit Spiti Valley and re-enter Kinnaur on Day 6.


Route: Kaza - Rangrik - Key Gompa - Kibber - Chicham - Langza - Hikkim - Komic - Kaza - Tabo

Winter Ride to Spiti Valley - Day 4

After being stranded for well over an hour on day 3 because of mountain blasting, Nako became out of bounds for us. We had collectively agreed to halt for the night at Pooh, a small town that inhabited by just about 1200 people! This was apparently an important trading center in the early 11th century and expectedly, there is a lot of Tibetan influence on the language and culture here. Our mobiles did not have any network beyond Spillow which meant they were only going to serve as cameras for the next few days! 

You just cannot get enough of this!

We were fortunate to see a breathtaking sunrise, with the sun's rays causing the white mountains to shine like gold. Pooh was indeed beautiful by day and we didn't regret staying here even for one bit! All of us were super excited for day 4 because we were going to enter Spiti Valley. You can say that Pooh is the last proper town of Kinnaur district, so yeah technically we still weren't in Spiti region.

I have always believed that starting early helps in dealing with most of the unpredictable factors that come bundled enroute, especially with a terrain like Spiti’s. Gopal and Sumit, as helpful and friendly as always, did a routine check of all the 4 bikes to ensure all the parts were in place because the machines had been ridden extremely hard on some very harsh patches on the third day. After confirming everything was intact and having some light breakfast, we started towards Kaza, almost 200 km away. Since we had to see quite a few places en route, this was going to be a long ride. After the first two days, there was no sight of any rain or cloud formation, and the weather was just perfect. However, even during the day, the temperatures were below zero degrees and we had to be dressed in multiple layers. Winters bring with them their own share of fun! Never before in my life had I ridden a motorcycle in sub-zero temperatures so naturally I was pumped up.

We managed to reach Khab, the confluence of Spiti and Satluj rivers in slightly less than an hour and this is the gateway to Spiti. We were finally out of Kinnaur and entering Spiti. All this while, we had Satluj for company and from now on, Spiti river would accompany us.

Gateway to Spiti, this is the confluence of the Spiti and Satluj rivers

From the Khab Sangam point, adjacent to the bridge constructed by BRO/Army, there is a diversion or rather a 16 km totally off-road trekking route that takes you to Tashigang, the last village on the Indo-Tibetan border. This village is part of the ancient but significant silk route and entry to this village is restricted. We saw a few mules carrying luggage that did give us a feel of commodity trading!

The oldest trade route that goes via Tashigang, 16 km from here

The wind chill was being felt even inside 5 layers of clothes at the Sangam bridge. The position of the mountains in these terrains makes you feel as if the sun is playing hide and seek. Around 15-20 minutes later, we were back on our motorcycles and started riding towards Nako, a high-altitude village home to the beautiful Nako Lake and Nako Gompa. The roads after Pooh were in sublime condition all the way upto Nako, of course barring short patches that were bad only because work was in progress.

Approaching Nako

Nako Lake

Nako Gompa

Both the Nako Lake and Nako monastery were nothing short of spectacular! We initially went to the lake and proceeded to the monastery after having our breakfast. The Lama was thrilled that someone had come to visit the Gompa and he opened the doors just for us and showed us around. While we were leaving, during the conversation we found out that the Nako Gompa's Lama was Sumit's relative! (probably a teacher, even I am unsure :P)

The beautiful roads towards Chango

Isn't that breathtaking?

Three places ticked off since morning and we were well positioned to reach Kaza by 6 pm, thanks to some insane roads constructed by the BRO. The dreaded Malling Nala, on the main highway itself, was supposed to be our next brief halt. During the months of April-October, this is a major water crossing but from November-March, Malling Nala is considered one of the most dangerous patches to ride through simply because it's a downward sloping frozen patch and the road to the top has lots of black ice and steep ascent. We were lucky to cross this patch without too much of a hassle.

After clicking a few photographs, we started off towards Gue Mummy, perhaps the only testifiable one among lots of legends that Spiti is famous for. It is said that during a drought in Tibet, the Chinese mummified several lamas and destroyed them. However, in the earthquake that struck Tibet in 1975, one of these mummies was washed up in the Spiti River. One day during a digging accident, a spade hit the mummy’s head and it started to bleed! The Indian government then rescued this and housed it in a small room in Gue village, 5 km from the border. 

As of today, a huge structure has been constructed and the mummy will be shifted from the room to this structure very soon. You can still see hair growing on the mummy’s head and as spooky as it might sound, it is one of those things you must see to believe.

Gue Village

Gue Mummy

That's where the mummy will be housed very soon!

The small yellow structure is where the mummy sits as of now!

Group picture with the current and new abode of Gue Mummy

This is where you need to turn from the main highway to go to Gue

Seeing this mummy was one among many items checked in the Spiti bucket list! Satisfied, we resumed our ride and our next destination was Tabo, about 3000 meters above sea-level, where the oldest monastery of India, Tabo Monastery, is situated. 

Approaching Tabo

Welcome to Tabo!

Tabo Gompa

Tabo Gompa again!

After Gue, the road condition worsens to quite an extent, but then there's no fun if the road is totally tarred, right? And before I forget, the dogs of Spiti valley were some of the cutest I have seen!

Well, it was almost 4 pm and we were 50 km away from Kaza, the district headquarters of Spiti Valley. Just one more place left to visit - Dhankar Monastery and that was it! Without wasting time, we once again sat on our machines and began riding. The road condition had become excellent from approximately about 4 km before Tabo and hence we were able to cruise at comfortable speeds!

Dhankar Monastery is situated at an elevation of 3900 metres above Dhankar Village, between the towns of Kaza and Tabo. The Gompa structure is built on a 300-meter high spur overlooking the confluence of the Spiti and Pin Rivers. Dhang or dang means cliff and khar means fort. Hence Dhankar literally means fort on a cliff and when you see it, it does look like it!

Welcome to Dhankar village

View from Dhankar Gompa

Every place that was to be seen today was covered and trust me, there is no better feeling than that! Ohh and did I tell you we managed to spot an entire herd of Himalayan Blue Sheep, that came down from the top of the mountains to drink water from the Spiti river. We never expected to get so lucky but yeah let us just say, the lesser you expect, the better you get! 

The Himalayan Blue Sheep quenching their thirst!

We were elated and began the last leg of the ride for the day. On the way, we saw a turn for Mudh, the last motorable village of Pin Valley and Kaza was slightly less than 20 km from here. Mostly cut off during winters due to extreme snowfall, we decided to halt again at this diversion during our return journey to click some pictures. From here, the roads were in pretty good shape so we made it to Kaza well in daylight, kind of.

Somewhere between Dhankar and Kaza!

We somehow managed to find a simple and basic homestay near the main bus stand. In all the other places, finding accommodation was never a problem but then we realized how remote a location we were in, that too in winter! From my experience, I would always recommend staying near the bus stand in Kaza in winters because most of the shops and restaurants that are open at this time are nearby.

Approaching Kaza

Kaza finally!

200 kilometers of bliss. That is how I would describe day 4 of our ride. So many thoughts running through each of our minds as we successfully made it to Kaza. We got our fill of Spiti's snow-white mountains, quaint gompas, crystal clear rivers and frozen streams and it exceeded our expectations.

Spiti in winters is not for the average tourist. If you have a hunger for adventure and experiences, then this land of surrealism promises you just that. After all, “the traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.”

If you have loved our journey till here, stay tuned as we try making our way to some landmark and record-breaking places near Kaza on day 5!

Route: Pooh - Khab - Nako - Gue - Tabo - Dhankar - Kaza