Honest answers to the questions our guests ask us most, from people who live and guide here.
Most healthy travellers don't need oxygen in Spiti if they come in slowly through Kinnaur and rest on day one. A can of oxygen is a comfort, not a cure. Here's how to stay well up here, from a family that lives at around 4,000 m.
A tandem flight at Bir Billing with a registered pilot in good weather is generally safe. Most accidents involve bad weather, late flights or corners cut. Here's how to fly safely, when to go, and what the flight is really like.
Chandratal, the moon lake at about 4,300 m, is reachable by road only from about June to early October. The last kilometre is on foot, the camps are a few kilometres back, and in winter it's frozen and cut off. Here's how to time it.
There are two roads into Spiti and three ways to travel them. The bus is cheapest, a taxi is easiest, and self-driving suits confident mountain drivers. Here's how to choose, from people who make the trip every week.
Pick Triund for a steep half-day to a huge view of the Dhauladhar. Pick Kareri Lake for a longer, quieter walk along a river to a glacial lake. Neither needs experience. Here's how they compare.
Yes, you can ride here legally with your home licence and an International Driving Permit that covers motorcycles. The real question is which roads suit your experience. Here's how we'd plan a first Himalayan ride.
Indian citizens need no permit for Spiti. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for the border stretch, and every vehicle needs an e-Aagman pass. Here's who needs what, where to get it and the mistakes that cost a day.
Yes, most healthy people in their fifties, sixties and beyond can trek in the Himalaya. Age matters less than fitness, knees and pace. Here's which Himachal treks we'd suggest, and how to prepare for them.
Triund in snow is beautiful, and often walkable, but it's colder, icier and more regulated than in spring. In recent winters Kangra has required police permission for the trek, cancelled whenever there's a weather alert. Here's what to expect.
Yes, if you want silence, snow and a valley without crowds, and you can live with −20 °C nights, dry toilets and a road that sometimes shuts. Here's what winter in Spiti is really like.
Spiti if you'd rather arrive slowly by road, stay in villages and see fewer people. Ladakh if you have less time and want to fly in. Here's how to choose, from a family that lives in Spiti.
Triund is a steep half-day walk to a ridge that most fit beginners can manage. Indrahar Pass carries on to 4,342 m over three or four days and needs trekking experience. Here's how to pick.
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