Challenging (high-altitude winter)
Winter Spiti Circuit
Starts Chandigarh (Mumbai/Pune add-on by train)
- From
- Rs. 20,000*
- Nights
- 10
- Open dates
- 6
Field guide · Himachal Pradesh
Kalpa travel guide
A Kinnauri village at about 2,960 m that looks straight across the Sutlej gorge at Kinner Kailash, with apple orchards on every terrace.
- About 2,960 mAltitude
- Kinner Kailash, 6,055 mFaces
- One or two nightsGood for
Photo: A red-roofed temple in Kalpa with the snow-covered Kinner Kailash range behind it
Kalpa sits above Reckong Peo, the district town of Kinnaur, on a slope of orchards and old wood-and-stone houses. Across the gorge is the Kinner Kailash range. The view at sunrise, when the peaks turn orange before the village has any light, is the reason people stay here instead of down in Peo.
It was once called Chini and was the district headquarters. Today it is the last comfortable night before the road turns dry and climbs towards Nako and Spiti.
Overview
The village above the gorge
Kinner Kailash stands 6,055 m high and is holy to both Hindus and Buddhists. On its flank, at around 4,800 m, is a rock pillar that people treat as a Shivling and that is said to change colour through the day. The highest peak of the same range is Jorkanden, at 6,473 m.
Kalpa itself is at about 2,960 m. Brochures often print 7,500 feet, which is the height of Reckong Peo below it, not Kalpa. The difference matters if you are counting your sleeping altitudes on the way to Spiti.
Old Kalpa
The old village has a Buddhist monastery, a Hindu temple and a Kinnauri fort-style tower within a few minutes of each other, in carved wood and slate. Kinnaur mixes the two faiths more easily than most places.
India's first voter
Kalpa was the home of Shyam Saran Negi, remembered as the first voter of independent India. Kinnaur voted months ahead of the rest of the country in 1951 because snow would close the valley.
Things to do
A day or two in Kalpa
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Sunrise on Kinner Kailash
Set an alarm. The light hits the summits well before the village. Most guesthouses face the range, so this can be done from a balcony with tea.
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Walk old Kalpa
The Narayan-Nagini temple, the Hu-Bu-Lan-Kar monastery and the lanes of slate-roofed houses. Go on foot. The lanes are narrow and people live here.
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Roghi village and the cliff road
The road to Roghi is cut into a cliff, with a railed viewpoint about 3 km out over a drop of roughly 1,000 feet to the Sutlej. It is marketed as "Suicide Point". The name describes the drop, nothing else. Roghi itself is a traditional village among orchards. Stay behind the rail. The risk here is people stepping back for a photo.
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Chaka meadows
A trail climbs from Kalpa through forest to open meadows with a wider view of the range. Sources give 3 to 4 hours up. Take a local guide if there is snow on the ground, and start early.
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Reckong Peo
The district town below has the market, ATMs, fuel and the bus stand. It is the last dependable place for cash before Spiti.
Practical info
Before you go
Best time
April to June, September to October
Spring has blossom and snow still on the peaks. Autumn has the apple harvest and the clearest skies. July and August bring rain and landslides on the Sutlej road. Winter is cold, snowy and quiet, and the road usually stays open with interruptions.
Getting there
On the Shimla to Spiti road
About 230 km and a full day from Shimla on NH5, through Narkanda and Rampur, then up the Sutlej gorge. Buses run from Shimla to Reckong Peo. Kalpa is a short climb above Peo by local bus or taxi.
Altitude
A useful first step
At about 2,960 m most people feel fine, with perhaps a mild headache. If you are going on to Spiti, this night is doing you a favour.
Permits
Indians need none
Indian citizens need no permit for Kalpa or the road beyond. Foreign nationals going on towards Spiti need a Protected Area Permit, which is issued at Reckong Peo among other places.
What to pack
Cold mornings
A warm jacket for sunrise even in summer, walking shoes for the Roghi road and Chaka trail, and a rain layer from July to September.
Build your packing list
Tell the builder where and when you are going and it gives you a list you can tick off.
Open the Packing List BuilderGo with Charkadam
Kalpa, with a group
Kalpa is on the route of our Winter Spiti Circuit, as a night on the way up through Kinnaur. The trip page has the current day-by-day plan.
* Indicative starting price. The trip page shows the price for each date.
Questions
Kalpa, answered
About 2,960 m (9,711 ft). The figure of 7,500 ft printed in some brochures matches Reckong Peo, the town below it.
The view of the Kinner Kailash range across the Sutlej gorge, especially at sunrise, and Kinnauri apples and chilgoza pine nuts.
One night gives you a sunset, a sunrise and a walk through the old village. Two nights lets you add Roghi and the Chaka meadows hike.
The name refers to the sheer drop at the viewpoint on the Roghi road, about 3 km from Kalpa. We found no record of the name coming from an actual event.
Keep reading
Guides nearby
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The lake village
Nako
A small lake, thousand-year-old temples and the first real altitude on the Spiti road.
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The Baspa valley
Sangla and Chitkul
Kamru Fort, wooden villages, and the road that ends at Chitkul.
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The whole valley
Spiti Valley
The route in, the monasteries, the high villages and how to handle the altitude.
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The old summer capital
Shimla
The Ridge, the toy train, Himachali food and the forest walks behind the crowds.
