spiti valley
                                                                                             fixed departures for 2008
June 15 – 29 June
15 July-29 of July
 25 Aug- 7^th Sept
10 Sept-24 Sept
1-15 of Oct

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About the holiday: Spiti means many things to many people. For some people its cold frozen desert, for some others it’s the land of Himalayan mountains in hundred different shades and for some its where they find peace within themselves.

Situated in the state of Himachal Pradesh along the Western Himalayas, Spiti Valley has Ladakh in its Northern side and Tibet to its east. Originally known as "Piti" before the Tibetan dialect influenced the local language, Spiti is a land of stunning beauty.

From the laid back traveller to the most adventurous, Spiti has something to give to everyone. With a population of around ten thousand people, the valley is immersed in Buddhist traditions and the influence of neighbouring Tibet is quite visible.

This trip takes you through the landscape, its people, immerse you in its culture and you can walk through the wilderness. We will be visiting oldest monasteries of the region, perched on top of some of the highest villages in the world.

Staying in traditional homestays, eating with locals in their households, trekking to distant monasteries and watching performances by traditional artists make your holiday unforgettable.

Hotel accommodation in Delhi on arrival and departure is not included in the price. We can arrange this for you on an individual basis. Prices on twin sharing. Single supplements extra
 

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The itinerary

Day 1 Delhi to Manali: Drive through the famous Grand Trunk Road built by Sher Shah Suri. The drive takes you through the Shivalik ranges and gradually make our way to the Middle Himalayan ranges to Manali. Overnight in a hotel.

Day 2 Manali: Day visit to Roerich’s gallery and Naggar Castle. Evening to Solang. Famous for para gliding and skiing.

Day 3 Manali to Kaza: The day long journey takes you through Rohtang pass and descend into the valley of the Chandra river and over the Kunzum. By evening we reach Kaza. Entire drive is through breath-taking landscape. Overnight in a small hotel.

Day 4 Kaza: The day in Kaza. Visiting local markets. Overnight in the small hotel.

Day 5 Kaza – Kibber; Day for acclimatisation. Visit to Key Monastery, village of Kibber and visit ancient villages of Tashigang and Gette before heading back to Kaza in mountain bikes.

Day 6 Kaza – Giu – Tabo: Giu is the last Indian village on the Chinese border. Famous for its Giu mummy, this village grows mouth watering apricots. After lunch we visit one of the oldest monasteries , Tabo which withstood many earth quakes and natural disasters. Magnificent painting and architecture. Stay overnight in a small hotel in Tabo.

Day 7 Tabo – Dhankar: Early morning trekking to Dhankar lake to watch sunrise. The mountain ranges near the lakes give stunning view of the Dhankar Village. Visit the oldest and still functioning monastery that calls for your attention. Overnight in the monastery guest house. 

Day 8 Dhankar – Lhalung – Kaza: After breakfast we drive to Lhalung to visit some of the oldest temples like Serkhang. This is also the best place to see some of the traditional performances by locals. Overnight in a small hotel in Kaza

Day 9 Kaza – Langza: Today is for legends and stories of the area. Visit Langza village is under the constant gaze of mountain princess ‘Chau Chau Khang Nilda’. Post lunch trek to the see the unique natural fossil area. Considered to be one of the most fossiliferous regions of the world, Spiti Valley tells us the story behind the trilobites and ammonites that were formed after the collision of Indo-Eurasian sub-continent. Overnight in the village homestay.

Day 10 Langza – Komic – Demul: From Langza we drive through the village of Hikkim to reach Komic which is one of the highest villages in the world. You will also be moving around on the Himalayan yaks to see the flora and fauna of trans-himalayan desert. Overnight in the homestay,

Day 11 Demul – Kaza: Today the Yak Safari will take you to the vantage point to see the magnificent scenery. Drive back to Kaza in the afternoon. Overnight in a small hotel. 

Day 12 Kaza – Manali: Long drive to Manali through Rohtang Pass. Overnight in Manali

Day 13 Manali: Spent the day in Manali. Rest and optional sight seeing. Overnight semi sleeper bus (VOLVO) journey to Delhi.

Day 14 Delhi: Arrive early morning. Trip ends. 

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   benefits

All our tours are designed enough to incorporate aspects that directly and indirectly contribute to nature and cultural conservation and bring in economic benefits to the local community.

 All our activity partners are sourced from local areas which ensures that they have a supplementary source of income. We have taken initiatives in conserving and preserving the local heritage and culture by bringing in the homestays as an alternate accommodation for the travelers.

Homestays function in a rotation basis so that all the houses benefit out of tourism. Those people in the village who are not providing accommodation provide assistance to us as chefs, field experts, trackers, guides, and provide pack animals.

Considering the traditional art forms and the number of people who are practicing these are dwindling, we take extra care to incorporate these performances into our holidays. This ensures an earning and sense of pride amongst community members, which becomes handy in conservation work.

More than 80% of the money from travelers are spend locally in Spiti that goes between the homestays, our activity partners and select NGOS who are working in supporting our conservation initiatives.

Briefings are given in thorough manner to our travelers about the background of the place, our culture and environmental sensitive of our region. 

Local boys have been trained to take care of the fossils that were earlier being sold away to tourists without knowing the value of ammonites and trilobites. Instead of letting travelers walk around all the regions, we have take care to take the travelers only to demarcated fossil lying areas in the mountain.

20% of profits from running all our tours including the one in Spiti Valley are kept apart for Nila Foundation that is building partnership across for sustainable development and river conservation.
 

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