Notes Compiled for Manali-Tabo-Kibber-Sarahan Circuit
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
The following are notes I have compiled for the Manali-Tabo-Kibber-Sarahan-Naggar Circuit. They were created simply as something to reference from, to jog ones memory and to compliment information once on the road.
The notes are by no means complete or throughly detailed. I will be reading up further in Thailand and making further notes to carry onward. I have not had much time to devote to this. that is a luxury as a place bagger as opposed to the mountaineer.
It is a small, compact offering that i hope saves others time from doing the same.
These notes could not be made possible without the gracious help of following indiamike.com contributors: voyager61, rajeev1008, rishabh6296, vistet, and avid trekker.
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You need an inner line permit for Kinnaur between Jangi and Sumdo. If you go from Manali and visit only Spiti you don't need one. Best places to get a permit are Kaza or Recong Peo.
Routes to get to Spiti (from South)
1. Delhi-Shimla-Rekong Peo-Kaza (approx. 790 kms):
Delhi-Shimla (370 kms.): Buses ply regularly (mornings & evenings daily) between Delhi and Shimla (approx. 9 hrs). The other option is to take the Shatabdi train from Delhi to Chandigarh/ Kalka (3.5 hrs/4 hrs) and thereafter buses and taxis to Shimla are readily available (approx. 4 hrs/ 3 hrs). Flights are also available to Shimla (approx. 45 mins).
Shimla-Rekong Peo-Kaza (approx. 420 kms.): From Shimla, there are 2 direct buses to Kaza via Rekong Peo (approx. 20 hrs). The other option is to break the journey in Rekong Peo, for which buses from Shimla ply regularly (daily). From Rekong Peo 2 buses leave for Kaza daily at 4:30 am & 7:30 am. This route is open through out the year.
2. Delhi-Manali-Kaza (approx. 670 kms):
Delhi-Manali (550 kms.): Buses ply regularly (mornings & evenings daily) between Delhi and Manali (approx. 14 hrs). Flights are also available to Bhuntar (approx. 1 hr), from where buses and taxis are available to Manali (approx. 2 hrs.)
Manali- Kaza(213 kms.): From Manali 2 buses ply daily and start early in the morning. This route is open only in the summer months (June to October), and it is hence advisable to confirm the status of the road before starting this journey. The other option is to hire a taxi, either individually or on a share basis (approx. 9 hrs).
There is a bus from Recong Peo,leaving early morning and reaching Kaza at around 6 PM.Both roads are normally open between June and October. Manali-Kaza takes between 10 and 14 hours and last summer the cost was 152 Rs
On the way to Kaza you should not miss Sangla Valley, Nako, Tabo, Dankhar, Lalung, Pin Valley. From Kaza must see are Kibber and Ki gompa. Further afield,near Batal and Kunzum La, visit Chandra Tal. Chandra Tal off Kunzum Pass is a not to be missed place. Another poster: Circuit shimla-kalpa-tabo-kaza-manali-delhi.You can take detours like sangla valley and chitkul,sagnam village,ki monastery,kibber,gette ,chandratal etc..
Try walks in sangla valley,like sangla to rakcham,sangla to sangla kanda etc. they are excellent. Nako lake is close to Hangrang valley at the very end of Hindustan-tibet road.
Once you reach Sangla, the valley opens out and the road further to Chitkul is good. The area is great for walks, hikes and treks.
Losar is not really worth to stay,accomodation is really not so good and not cheaper than elsewhere, bad value altogether. And there is hardly anything to do or see there.
PIN VALLEY TREK (South): Kungri (Sagnam) – Kafnu > The Bhaba Valley after you cross the Pin Bhaba Pass from Mudh is "heaven on Earth". I would provide for two extra days just to loaf around and do nothing. The camps are Fushtiring, Kara Pastures and Mulling... abso wonderful. “You need to be very fit to do the bhabha pass trek”.
If you dont want to cross the Pin Bhaba Pass, you could visit the Valley from Wangtu-Kafnu opposite Sarahan a little upriver. From Kafnu is a day's March to Mulling and another day to Kara [or maybe Fushtiring] Beyong the Fushtiring Camp is the Bhaba Pass which you may not want to attempt..
It is a three or four day sojourn. Even if you wish to keep it short, this is what you could do...
day 1 Reach Wangtu then Kafnu. Wonderful lake owned by Govt and some lakeside hotels do exist, though they are hardly anything to write home about. Just a place to recoup your breath, coz you will be tired if you start trekking immediately. [alternatively, if you are feeling energetic, start trekking on the same day and stop wherever your feet tire out. There are some intermediate camp sites before Mulling.
This will be a "carry everything on your own trek". You can arrange some agency in Kafnu itself...
day 2 Kafnu to Mulling trek or Campsite to Mulling trek, day 3 Mulling to Kara, days 4 & 5 return to Kafnu
If you dont want to go ahead, return from Mulling itself and you will be back at Kafnu on day 3.
The Bhaba Valley is worth it. See if it fits in.
PIN Valley: There IS a road to Mudh. All vehicles do it. It is only further up to Ching Put Maidan that it becomes an unfinished track.
Key names for search, places mentioned/of note (not in any specific order):, Gushaini, Shoja, Jalori Jot pass [Aut, Banjaar, Jibhi, Shoja ], Sarahan (both villages near Wangtu, Kafnu), Sangla pass-thru (Rakcham, Kanda villages near Sangla), Chitikul (Nagasthi, Sariopa both villages near Chitikul), Rekong Peo, Kalpa sleep Kalpa, Nako Lake (surrounding), Tabo, Dhankar, Kaza, Ki, Kibber. Pin Valley…Kungri, Sagnam, Mudh, Mulling (see above for Pin Vly Trek/villages). Chander Tal pass off main road (trek). Also …names: Kiato, Thanedhar, Demul
Recong Peo is quite a desperate place,better to stick to Kalpa. From Nako a nice long walk takes you to the interesting village of Tashigang,short of the tibetan border and with an old gompa..In Pin you can do the walk you mention,basically a level tramp, or explore the Parahio valley,up to Thango one day walk,one more day to Choem,beautiful and only a handful of locals around.
From Kibber you cannot trek to Comic,because the Shilla nala is quite impossible to ford in high summer.You can trek from Langza to Comic or further to Demul,Lalung and Dankhar.
From Kunzum La the way to Chandratal is a bit up in the beginning and then all the way down. And down goes the link road from the Lake to Batal .
AV Trekker: NOT suggested the trek from the PIN valley side but from the the Sutlej Valley side. [Sarahan to wangtu to Kafnu and then hire agency then trek to Mulling or Kara] Its very green and lots of wildlife etc. For a five day trek you can try to get some agency to take you for around 8000 to 10000 rupees. [average rs 2000 per day if you are alone.]
Chander Tal: sharing is difficult. hang around Manali taxi stand and see if there are "others" going to Chandra Tal... join up with them. Try the same tactic at Kaza.
These notes could not be made possible without the gracious help of following indiamike.com contributors: voyager61, rajeev1008, rishabh6296, vistet, and avid trekker.
Main link to the entire discussion: http://www.indiamike.com/india/showt...t=32666&page=2<BR><BR>Cycling in North India excellent quick read (great map!): http://www.masterlyinactivity.com/spiti/intro.html<BR><BR>Great photos around Nako/fun read: http://indianvacations.blogspot.com/...ley-start.html<BR><BR>Musings on quick trip in North + a trek: http://www.itinerantwitness.com/wher...past-few-weeks<BR><BR>Detailed notes on trip in North w/ xlnt info: http://users.telenet.be/jbruyndonckx/ladakh.html<BR><BR>Government website: http://hplahaulspiti.gov.in/
Trekker Report
I started in Manali in Kullu Valley. I rented a jeep with a group of people and took a nine hour ride to Sarahan. After a couple of days looking at the timber-and-stone Hindu temple in this town perched up on the side of the valley, I took a local bus to the mouth of the Sangla (or Baspa) Valley. Here the group found a jeep to hire to take us to the the town of Sangla.
The jeep ride to Sangla was probably the most dramatic of any road on my trip. The road is blasted from the side of a cliff. The road is wide enough for one bus, with occasional areas just wide enough for another to pass. A bus coming in the other direction usually meant one bus carefully backing up to a wider section of road, and then the drivers passing slowly so that their side mirrors would just miss each other.
From Sangla we took another bus to Chitkul at the end of the valley. Chitkul has lovely views of mountains. Because of the proximity to Tibet, there is an Indo-Tibetan Police Force camp further up the valley. Travellers seem to be a new phenomenon in Chitkul and I was usually stared at as an alien. The architecture is traditional stone and timber housing. An irrigation system of stone and concrete diverts water through the village.
I attempted to walk up to Charang La (Charang Pass) at 5300 meters from Chitkul. It was a tiring and frustrating experience, as there was unstable scree (loose rocks) the entire 6000 feet of elevation of the climb. After five hours I estimate I made it about halfway up (900 meters). I turned around and came back down to make it to Chitkul by nightfall.
From Chitkul. a bus took me to Rekong Peo and Kalpa. Kalpa has fantastic views of a massive mountain named Kinnaur Kailash across the valley. I took a walk through farms and pine forest higher up the valley wall to get a better view.
In Rekong Peo I got an inner-line permit to continue my travels up to Spiti Valley. The permit is required by the Indian government to pass closely to the Tibetan border. A bus took me to Nako, a beautiful town high on the valley wall. It has a natural source of water which allows the villagers to plant green rice paddies in an oasis in the middle of a desert. This was Spiti Valley and the trees were now gone.
From Nako a bus took me to Tabo. Tabo has a thousand-year-old Buddhist monastery. On the outside the temples look like one-story adobe huts, but the inside walls are covered in frescoes of images of the Buddha and statues of the Boddhisatva. There is a quiet guesthouse run by the monks with a library about Tibet, Buddhism, and the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama plans to retire here when he finishes his active days as the Dalai Lama.
From Tabo a bus took me to Kaza, the administrative headquarters for the Spiti Valley. Kaza turned out to be a gathering place for travelers because there are a number of places to visit near Kaza.
From Kaza I went to the small town of Kibber, high up a side valley at 3600 meters. Kibber was a very quiet and picturesque place and was ideal for chilling out for a couple of nights.
From Kibber my Irish friend Dave and I walked down a cliffside to Ki Monastery. This monastery is built dramatically on top of a small hill. After touring the monastery the monks invited us into their kitchen for tea. The monks were of all ages and spent most of the time kidding each other in Tibetan.
From Kibber Dave and I caught a jeep back to Kaza. I took a bus up to Pin Valley, a side valley of Spiti. There I stayed in very rustic settings in a family's home. A few other travelers talked to a guide who had just walked up from Kafnu near Kinnaur Valley. He was returning with his assistants and horses the next day. In a change of plans I decided to take advantage of this opportunity for a trek. Instead of returning to Manali, I would walk back south to Kinnaur, and then continue further south to take care of my visa.
We had a fantastic four day trek over Tarik La (also known as Bawa Pass). The vegetation and climate reversed itself on my return to Kinnaur: dry and treeless in Pin Valley, and then lush, green, treed, and raining after we crossed the pass and walked the valley to Kinnaur. The pass is at 4900 meters, which I figure is the highest I have been.
After camping one night in Kafnu I caught a local bus and traveled nine hours to Shimla. After a few days rest in Shimla I took an A/C deluxe bus to Delhi. Now I need to take care of the visa.
Rough Itinerary:
naggar-jalari pass (1-2 day/s up there??)
jalari pass-sarahan (via jeori)
sarahan-sangla (via karcham)
sangla-chitikul (see nagasthi, sariopa)
chitikul-rekong peo (via sangla, karcham)
rekong peo-kalpa-rekong peo
rekong peo: obtain inner line permit
rekong peo-nako lake
nako lake-tabo
tabo-dhankar
dhankar-kungri
see what is possible in pin valley for walkabout:
sagnam, mudh, khar, tilling >>NOTED: BHABA PASS TOUGH GO.
pin valley(?)-kaza (via hindustan/tibet road)
kaza-kibber (via ki monastery)
kibber-kaza (maybe trek back via komik ??)
kaza-kunzum pass(sort way up to chandertal if poss)
kunzum pass-manali -OR-
Chander tal-Batal and Batal-Manali
Dear Monk, ask roman to keep your thread permanent, otherwise it risks falling off the end of the board after a certain time. There is a rule here that if a thread isn't used for 6 weeks, it goes, unless its been given permanent status. And make sure you keep a copy of it for yourself somewhere else secure. I learnt this the hard way.
Thanks monkgonemad. Excellent post.
I'm not going there Sept Oct next year, but I'll store the info.
I wish everyone would post as you have whichever country or place they've just been to. Very useful to have the latest prices/info for transport, routes and accommodation, and a few tips as well.
That's what this forum is all about: mates helping fellow travellers to have a great hassle free trip.
i have the info printed and in myy head - what lp wishes to do with it - up to them
good to see you still about edward
Thanks you for posting this.
I started searching for information about Ki after hearing a fascinating account of it on the radio. YOu can read a trasnscript of the relevant bit of the programme here.
In people's experience, what's the earliest in the season that this circuit could be completed? I was hoping to start late May and take a relaxed pace (2-3 weeks).
If it has any bearing on the situation, I plan to take public transportation, and probably won't be doing much trekking.
And thanks for the thread, good info here!
-Logan
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