6N / 7D
Shimla & Manali Hills
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7N / 8D
High-Altitude Adventure
Himachal Pradesh
Spiti Valley Circuit
Shimla · Kalpa · Kaza · Chandratal — The Spiti circuit is one of the great Himalayan road journeys — a high, cold desert of ancient monasteries, fossil villages and roads carved into cliff faces, looped from Shimla through Kinnaur to Kaza and out over the Kunzum Pass to Manali. We run it in that direction, gaining altitude gradually through Kinnaur so your body acclimatises, and we lead with the honesty this trip demands: the terrain is remote and rough, accommodation is genuinely basic, the high road is open only in the short summer, and weather can close passes and change plans. For the right traveller it is unforgettable; for the wrong one it is a hard week. We help you judge which you are.
Duration7N / 8D
StartsShimla
EndsManali
Best seasonJune to September (the high road opens only in summer)
Ideal forAdventurous travellers · road-trip & mountain lovers
- Duration
- 7N / 8D
- Cities
- Shimla, Kalpa (Kinnaur), Kaza, Chandratal
- States
- Himachal Pradesh
- Distance
- ~700 km high-mountain roads
- Start → End
- Shimla → Manali
- Transport
- Private SUV with an altitude-experienced driver
- Hotels
- Guesthouses, homestays & basic hotels
- Meals
- Breakfast & dinner (MAP)
- Best season
- June to September (the high road opens only in summer)
- Ideal for
- Adventurous travellers · road-trip & mountain lovers
Day by day
Complete itinerary
Tap any day to expand. Drive distances and times are realistic approximations, stated up front and traffic-dependent — never hidden.
Day 1 Shimla → Sangla / ChitkulShimla → Sangla
- Route
- Shimla → Sangla (Baspa valley)
- Distance
- ~225 km
- Travel time
- ~8 hrs (approx.)
- Mode
- Private SUV (hill road)
- Depart
- 06:30 AM
- Arrive
- 02:30 PM
- Alternative
- Long first day through Kinnaur
- Early start from Shimla
- Arrive Sangla in the green Baspa valley
- Chitkul — the last inhabited village near the Tibet border
Out of Shimla and up the Sutlej into Kinnaur — a long, spectacular first day of apple orchards and gorge roads to the green Baspa valley. Chitkul, the last village before the old Tibet trade route, is a gentle high-altitude start before the desert proper. This early gradual gain is deliberate acclimatisation.
✓ Kinnaur gorges✓ Sangla valley✓ Chitkul
🛏 Overnight: Sangla
Day 2 Sangla → KalpaSangla → Kalpa
- Route
- Sangla → Kalpa
- Distance
- ~50 km
- Travel time
- ~2h30m (approx.)
- Mode
- Private SUV
- Depart
- 10:00 AM
- Arrive
- 01:30 PM
- Alternative
- Kamru Fort & Reckong Peo stop
- Kamru Fort, then drive to Kalpa
- Arrive Kalpa
- Sunset on Kinner Kailash from the Suicide Point viewpoint
A shorter day to Kalpa, an old Kinnauri village facing the sacred Kinner Kailash range across the valley. The sunset light on those peaks, from the dramatically named Suicide Point, is the reward — and the gentle altitude gain continues to prepare you for Spiti.
✓ Kalpa village✓ Kinner Kailash✓ Sunset viewpoint
🛏 Overnight: Kalpa
Day 3 Kalpa → TaboKalpa → Tabo
- Route
- Kalpa → Tabo
- Distance
- ~155 km
- Travel time
- ~7 hrs (approx.)
- Mode
- Private SUV (rough high road)
- Depart
- 07:00 AM
- Arrive
- 03:00 PM
- Alternative
- Nako lake & Gue mummy detours
- Cross into Spiti — rough, dramatic gorge road
- Nako village & lake
- Arrive Tabo
- Tabo Monastery — the "Ajanta of the Himalayas"
Into Spiti itself on a genuinely rough, awe-inspiring gorge road. Tabo's thousand-year-old monastery, its mud-walled temples covered in exquisite early Buddhist murals, is one of the most important in the Himalaya — often called the Ajanta of the mountains. Nearby Gue holds a naturally preserved 500-year-old monk's mummy.
✓ Nako lake✓ Tabo Monastery✓ Ancient murals
🛏 Overnight: Tabo
Day 4 Tabo → KazaDhankar → Kaza
- Route
- Tabo → Kaza
- Distance
- ~50 km
- Travel time
- ~2h30m (approx.)
- Mode
- Private SUV
- Depart
- 09:00 AM
- Arrive
- 01:00 PM
- Alternative
- Dhankar monastery & lake trek
- Dhankar Monastery, dramatically perched over the confluence
- Optional short Dhankar lake walk
- Arrive Kaza, Spiti's main town
- Rest & acclimatise
A short day so you can slow down at altitude. Dhankar, clinging to a crag above the meeting of the Spiti and Pin rivers, is the trip's most dramatically sited monastery. Kaza, the small administrative heart of Spiti at ~3,800 m, is the base for the highest villages — rest here matters.
✓ Dhankar Monastery✓ Arrive Kaza✓ Acclimatise
🛏 Overnight: Kaza
Day 5 Kaza — high villagesKey → Kibber → Langza
- Key Monastery — Spiti's iconic tiered gompa
- Kibber, one of the highest inhabited villages
- Langza (the fossil village) & the giant Buddha
- Hikkim — the world's highest post office & Komic
The signature day. Key Monastery, stacked white on its conical hill, is the postcard of Spiti; Kibber, Langza, Komic and Hikkim are among the highest villages on earth, at 4,000 m and above, where you can post a card from the world's highest post office and find marine fossils in a land that was once an ocean floor. Extraordinary, and high — we keep the pace measured.
✓ Key Monastery✓ Kibber & Komic✓ Langza fossils✓ Hikkim post office
🛏 Overnight: Kaza
Day 6 Kaza → ChandratalKunzum La → Chandratal
- Route
- Kaza → Chandratal
- Distance
- ~110 km
- Travel time
- ~6 hrs (approx.)
- Mode
- Private SUV over Kunzum La
- Depart
- 08:00 AM
- Arrive
- 02:30 PM
- Alternative
- Kunzum Pass ~4,590 m — weather-dependent
- Losar & the climb to Kunzum Pass
- Kunzum La (~4,590 m) — prayer flags & views
- Chandratal — the "moon lake" & camp
- Sunset at the lake
Over the Kunzum Pass, the gateway between Spiti and Lahaul, to the exquisite Chandratal — the crescent "moon lake" at 4,300 m. Camps sit a short walk from the shore (camping right at the lake is restricted to protect it). This whole stretch is entirely weather-dependent and the roughest of the trip; we plan honestly around it.
✓ Kunzum Pass✓ Chandratal lake✓ High-camp night
🛏 Overnight: Chandratal (camp) / Batal
Day 7 Chandratal → ManaliAtal Tunnel → Manali
- Route
- Chandratal / Batal → Manali
- Distance
- ~110 km
- Travel time
- ~6–7 hrs (approx.)
- Mode
- Private SUV via Atal Tunnel
- Depart
- 08:00 AM
- Arrive
- 03:00 PM
- Alternative
- Rough Batal–Gramphu stretch
- The notoriously rough Batal–Gramphu road
- Through the Atal Tunnel into the Kullu valley
- Arrive Manali — hot shower, oxygen, comfort
Out of the high desert and down to green Manali via the Atal Tunnel — the descent to oxygen, hot water and comfort is genuinely welcome after a week at altitude. The Batal–Gramphu stretch is famously rough, honestly stated; it is also the last of the adventure before the valley.
✓ Atal Tunnel✓ Return to green✓ Manali comfort
🛏 Overnight: Manali
Day 8 DepartureManali → Onward
- Route
- Manali → Bhuntar Airport (KUU) / Chandigarh
- Distance
- ~50 km / ~300 km
- Travel time
- ~1h30m / ~8 hrs
- Mode
- Private car
- Depart
- As per plan
- Arrive
- —
- Alternative
- Fly from Bhuntar or drive to Chandigarh
- In Manali
- Transfer for your onward journey — Bhuntar flight or drive to Chandigarh
Depart from Manali — the limited Bhuntar flights, or the drive to Chandigarh for a reliable onward connection. We plan the last day around your departure after one of India's great mountain journeys.
✓ Onward transfer
Where you stay
Hotels
| Destination | Nights | Category | Meal plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sangla / Kalpa | 2 | Guesthouse / basic hotel | Breakfast + dinner |
| Tabo / Kaza | 3 | Guesthouse / homestay | Breakfast + dinner |
| Chandratal | 1 | Alpine camp | Breakfast + dinner |
| Manali | 1 | 3★ | Breakfast |
Specific hotels are confirmed against your dates and budget at quotation — we never claim a named property is included unless your package explicitly specifies it.
Meals
What's included, day by day
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 · Shimla → Sangla / Chitkul | — | Optional | Optional |
| Day 2 · Sangla → Kalpa | ✓ | Optional | Optional |
| Day 3 · Kalpa → Tabo | ✓ | Optional | Optional |
| Day 4 · Tabo → Kaza | ✓ | Optional | Optional |
| Day 5 · Kaza — high villages | ✓ | Optional | Optional |
| Day 6 · Kaza → Chandratal | ✓ | Optional | Optional |
| Day 7 · Chandratal → Manali | ✓ | Optional | Optional |
| Day 8 · Departure | ✓ | Optional | Optional |
✓ Included · Optional add-on · — not included. Meal plan (CP / MAP / AP) is configurable per booking.
Inclusions
What's in the price
- ✓Accommodation on twin sharing (basic mountain-grade)
- ✓Breakfast & dinner (MAP)
- ✓Private SUV with altitude-experienced driver
- ✓Inner-line permit assistance where applicable
- ✓Applicable taxes (GST)
Exclusions
Not included
- ✕Flights & train fares
- ✕Monastery entry & camera fees
- ✕Any oxygen/medical costs
- ✕Lunches & personal expenses
- ✕Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- ✕Anything not listed under inclusions
Good to know
Important information
- •Spiti is remote, high (much of it above 3,500–4,500 m) and rough — accommodation is genuinely basic guesthouses, homestays and camps. Comfort expectations should be honest.
- •The full circuit is open only in summer (roughly June–September) when the Kunzum Pass and the Batal road are clear; outside that the loop cannot be completed.
- •Altitude is real — we gain it gradually via Kinnaur, but consult a doctor if you have heart/lung/BP conditions and consider Diamox on medical advice.
- •Roads are rough and weather-dependent; landslides and pass closures can change plans at short notice, so buffer time is wise.
- •Mobile networks (only BSNL/postpaid in much of Spiti), fuel and ATMs are scarce — carry cash and plan connectivity gaps.
Who is this for
Ideal travellers
👨👩👧Family
💑Honeymoon
👴Seniors
👥Friends
🏢Corporate
🧳Solo
Make it yours
Customize this trip
Change hotel category · add or remove nights · extend the route · upgrade transport · add flights, activities, meals or travel insurance. This is the default; almost everything is configurable.
Pricing
Starting from
Figures on enquiry · priced for your dates
On enquiry / per person · twin sharing
We price the real configuration — your exact party, dates, hotel category and inclusions — rather than publish an average that changes the moment you ask.
| Occupancy | Price / person |
|---|---|
| Single occupancy | — |
| Double / twin sharing (per person) | — |
| Triple sharing (per person) | — |
| Child with bed | — |
| Child without bed | — |
Price varies with travel dates, hotel availability, season, number of travellers and selected inclusions. The occupancy grid above is the live structure; figures populate from configurable pricing fields — never hard-coded.
Questions
Package FAQs
How tough is this trip really?
Genuinely demanding — long rough drives, high altitude and basic accommodation over a week. For adventurous travellers it is a once-in-a-lifetime journey; for those wanting comfort and short days it is the wrong trip. We'll help you judge honestly before you book.
When can we do the full circuit?
Only in summer, roughly June to September, when the Kunzum Pass and the Batal–Manali road are open. Outside that window Spiti can only be reached and left via Shimla (an out-and-back), not looped.
Is the altitude dangerous?
It is significant, so we build gradual acclimatisation through Kinnaur rather than rushing up. Anyone with heart, lung or blood-pressure conditions should get medical clearance; we brief everyone on AMS and pace the days.
What are the stays like?
Basic and characterful — guesthouses, family homestays and alpine camps, often with shared or simple facilities and limited power/hot water, especially higher up. That is the nature of Spiti; we book the best available.
How do I get a price?
Use Enquire Now or Get Best Quote. A consultant prices your dates, party and vehicle/stay category and replies within one working day. No payment to get a quote.
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