Field guide · Himachal Pradesh

Spiti Valley travel guide

A cold desert at 3,600 to 4,500 m between Kinnaur and Tibet: mud-walled monasteries, villages on an old seabed, and one road in for half the year.

  • 3,600 to 4,500 mAltitude
  • Via Shimla and KinnaurYear-round road
  • None, carry IDPermit for Indians

Spiti is the high, dry end of Himachal Pradesh. The monsoon mostly stops at the ranges to its south, so the valley is brown rock, grey river and white peaks, with barley and pea fields in a short summer. People have lived and prayed here for over a thousand years, and the monasteries at Tabo, Dhankar and Key are still in daily use.

This guide covers the whole valley and the approach through Kinnaur. The stops have their own guides: Kalpa, Nako, Tabo, Kaza and Sangla and Chitkul.

Researched and written October 2026Location photos are free-use images, not Charkadam trip photos

Overview

A valley the monsoon does not reach

The Spiti River runs north-west to south-east and joins the Sutlej at Khab. Kaza, the main town, sits roughly in the middle. Above it are the high villages of Kibber, Langza, Hikkim and Komic, all over 4,200 m. Below it are Dhankar and Tabo, then the road drops to Sumdo and turns into Kinnaur.

There are two ways in. The Shimla road follows the Sutlej through Kinnaur on NH5, then turns up the Spiti River on NH505. It is long, about 420 km to Kaza by the district's count, but it climbs slowly and it stays open through winter, with closures of hours or days after snow or landslides. The Manali road over Kunzum Pass is shorter and shuts for winter. Guides put its opening between late May and mid June and its closing around late October, depending on snow.

Why the route matters

Altitude is the thing that spoils Spiti trips. Coming up through Kinnaur you sleep at about 2,960 m in Kalpa, then 3,600 m or so at Nako or Tabo, before Kaza. Coming from Manali you cross a 4,500 m pass on day one. If you have a choice, go up the Shimla side.

What it is not

Spiti is not a place for a packed schedule. Distances look short on the map and take hours. Phones work in patches, card machines rarely, and the only petrol pump in the valley is in Kaza. Plan fewer stops and longer stays.

Dhankar monastery and village on eroded cliffs above the Spiti river valley
Dhankar, above the Spiti and Pin rivers

Food

What people eat up here

Barley, peas, dairy and whatever keeps through winter. The food is Tibetan in outline, with its own local dishes. The best version of most of it comes out of a homestay kitchen.

On the menu in Spiti

  • Thukpa and thenthuknoodle soup

    Thukpa is noodles in a clear or lightly spiced broth with vegetables or meat. Thenthuk uses hand-pulled flat pieces of dough instead, so it is chewier. Both are the standard dinner after a cold day.

  • Tingmosteamed bread

    Soft, layered steamed bread with no filling, torn and dipped into dal, stew or curry.

  • Butter teasalty, not sweet

    Tea churned with butter and salt. It is closer to a thin soup than to chai, and it makes more sense at 4,000 m than it does on paper.

  • Seabuckthorntea, juice, jam

    A sharp orange berry that grows along the river and is picked around August and September. Guides point to a seabuckthorn society shop in Kaza market that sells the tea, juice and jam.

  • Black peas and barleythe local crops

    Black peas turn up as a snack or a cooked dish. Barley is roasted and ground into flour, which goes into porridge, pancakes and churam, a dense breakfast mix with tea, butter and cheese.

  • Chhurpehard cheese

    Dried cheese, usually sold as yak cheese. Chewed slowly as a snack or grated into soup.

Kibber village and its green fields seen from above, with a dry river bed beside it
Kibber. The green is barley and peas.

Outside Kaza, expect basic dhabas and homestay meals, mostly vegetarian by default. Many cafes run only from about May to October, so in the cold months you eat where you sleep. Carry snacks for the long gaps between villages.

Eat light on your first day at altitude. Soup and rice, not a feast.

Things to do

Worth your time

  1. Key Monastery

    About 12 km from Kaza · 4,166 m

    The largest monastery in Spiti and a training centre for Gelug monks. Tradition puts its founding in the 11th century, though that may refer to an older monastery nearby, and it has been rebuilt after raids, wars and the 1975 earthquake. Go for morning prayers if you can.

    Key Monastery on its hill with the braided Spiti river and snow peaks behind
    Key, with the Spiti river below

  2. The high villages: Langza, Hikkim, Komic

    A day loop above Kaza · 4,400 to 4,587 m

    Langza sits on rock that was once the floor of the Tethys Sea, and ammonite fossils turn up in its slopes. Hikkim has a post office at about 4,400 m, open since 1983, where you can post a card home. Komic, at about 4,587 m, is one of the highest villages in the world with a road to it. Ask before you buy or pick up a fossil.

    A Buddha statue at Langza village with snow-covered ridges behind
    Langza and its Buddha statue

  3. Kibber and Chicham Bridge

    Above Key · 4,270 m

    Kibber is a year-round village inside a wildlife sanctuary that protects snow leopards, ibex and blue sheep. Winter is when the cats come lower. The suspension bridge to Chicham, opened in 2017, crosses a gorge that people used to cross by ropeway. You will read that it is the highest bridge in Asia. We could not find an official source for that.

    Chicham suspension bridge spanning a deep rock gorge
    Chicham Bridge

  4. Dhankar

    24 km from Kaza · 3,894 m

    A fort-monastery on a spur about 300 m above the meeting of the Spiti and Pin rivers, and once the seat of Spiti's rulers. The World Monuments Fund listed it among the 100 most endangered sites in 2006. A walk of an hour or so leads up to a small lake above the village.

  5. Tabo

    Lower Spiti

    Founded in 996 CE and in use ever since, with wall paintings from the 10th and 11th centuries inside plain mud walls. It has its own guide: Tabo.

  6. Pin Valley

    Side valley south of the Spiti river

    Greener than the main valley, and a national park. Mud village is the roadhead and the start of the treks. In winter the valley is one of the places people go to look for ibex and, with luck and a local guide, snow leopard.

  7. Gue

    Near Sumdo, close to the border

    A village that keeps the naturally preserved body of a monk, Sangha Tenzin, in a glass case. He is thought to have died around 500 years ago. Popular accounts quote a carbon date of about 1475. We found no lab report behind it.

Hidden gems

What travellers pass on

These are not our discoveries. They are places and tips that other travellers keep passing on, in forum threads, Q&A answers and independent travel blogs. We have cross-checked each one against at least one more source, but small places change fast. Ask locally before you plan a day around any of them.

  • Lhalung

    Lingti valley, off the Dhankar road

    A small village with an old temple, the Serkhang or "golden temple", that several independent guides call one of the oldest in Spiti. It sees a fraction of the visitors Key does. Some people walk to it from Dhankar.

    Named in several offbeat-Spiti lists and by Quora answerers

  • Demul

    High village between Komic and Lhalung

    Travellers describe a homestay village where you join in with whatever is going on, from fieldwork to brewing barley beer. It is higher than Kaza, so it is not a first-night stop.

    Recommended in more than one traveller list

  • Rangrik at dusk

    A few km from Kaza

    People who found Kaza busy suggest staying or walking in Rangrik across the river, for wide valley views and quiet at the end of the day.

    From independent travel blogs

  • Morning prayers at Kaza's own monastery

    Sakya Tangyud, Kaza

    Most visitors drive past it on the way to Key. Travellers who went in the morning describe sitting in on prayers and being offered tea and bread by the young monks. Ask first, sit at the back, no photos unless invited.

    From Tripadvisor reviews and Kaza guides

  • Leo and the Tabo caves

    Near Nako and above Tabo

    A Quora answer that lists overlooked places names Leo village near Nako and the old meditation caves above Tabo village. Both are short detours rather than destinations.

    One Quora answer, backed by Tabo guides for the caves

Practical info

Before you go

Best time

Depends on the trip you want

June to mid October is the main season: both roads are usually open, cafes and homestays are running, and days are mild. September and early October get the clearest skies and better roads after monsoon repairs.

Winter, roughly December to March, is a different trip. Only the Shimla road is open, nights at Kaza can fall to minus 20 C or lower, pipes freeze and many places shut. It is also when the valley is under snow and wildlife comes down.

Getting there

Shimla side or Manali side

Via Shimla and Kinnaur: Shimla, Narkanda, Rampur, Reckong Peo, Nako, Tabo, Kaza. Two to three days with night halts. Open all year, subject to snow and landslides.

Via Manali: Atal Tunnel, Gramphu, Batal, Kunzum Pass, Kaza. One very long, rough day. Summer and early autumn only.

The nearest big railheads are Kalka, Chandigarh and Shimla. There is no airport in Spiti.

Altitude

Take this one seriously

Kaza is at about 3,650 to 3,800 m depending on which source you believe, and the high villages are over 4,400 m. Climb gradually, drink water, skip alcohol for the first nights, and tell someone if a headache does not ease with rest. If symptoms get worse, the treatment is to go down. Talk to your doctor before the trip if you have a heart or lung condition.

Permits

ID for Indians, permit for foreigners

Indian citizens do not need a permit for Kinnaur or Spiti. Carry a government photo ID for the checkposts. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for the stretch near the border between Kinnaur and Spiti, issued at offices such as Reckong Peo, Shimla and Kaza. Rules change, so confirm before you travel.

Cash, fuel, phone

Assume none of it works

The district lists one petrol pump in Spiti, at Kaza. The ATMs in Kaza are widely reported to run dry, so bring cash from Reckong Peo or earlier. Guides disagree on which network is best; BSNL and Jio are named most. Download maps and tell family you will be out of reach.

What to pack

Layers, sun, lips

Thermal base layers, a proper insulated jacket, gloves and a cap, sunglasses and high-SPF sunscreen for the thin air, lip balm, a refillable bottle, a headlamp and any regular medicine. In winter add insulated boots and a sleeping-bag liner.

Build your packing list

Spiti is cold at night in every month. Tell the builder where and when you are going and it gives you a list you can tick off.

Open the Packing List BuilderFitness guide

Go with Charkadam

Spiti, with a group

Our Winter Spiti Circuit goes in by the Shimla and Kinnaur road, the one that stays open and climbs gradually. The trip page has the day-by-day route, what is included and the price for each date.

See the departure calendarAll trips

* Indicative starting price. The trip page shows the price for each date.

Questions

Spiti, answered

From Shimla or Chandigarh, plan at least 7 to 8 days for the Kinnaur and Spiti road with sensible night halts. Shorter trips are possible from Manali in summer but give you less time to adjust to the altitude.

No. Indian citizens need only a government photo ID for checkposts. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for the border stretch between Kinnaur and Spiti.

The road from Shimla through Kinnaur is kept open through winter, though it can close for hours or days after snowfall or landslides. The Manali road over Kunzum Pass is closed in winter.

There is patchy mobile coverage in Kaza and some villages, and ATMs in Kaza that often run out of cash. Carry enough cash for your whole stay and do not rely on card payments.

Kaza is at roughly 3,650 to 3,800 m depending on the source. The high villages above it, such as Langza, Hikkim and Komic, are between about 4,400 and 4,587 m.

Keep reading

The stops, one by one

All destination guides