# Spiti Valley tours, taxis & travel guide A cold desert between Tibet and Lahaul: thousand-year-old monasteries, fossil villages and Chandratal lake. We run the circuit from our own hotel in Kaza, Spiti Villa. - **Altitude:** Kaza 3,650 m · Key 4,166 m · Kibber 4,270 m - **Best season:** June – September; October for clear, cold days - **Roads:** Shimla–Kinnaur most of the year · Manali–Kunzum Jun to mid-Oct - **Permits:** None for Indian citizens · ILP for foreign nationals ## Spiti at a glance Spiti is a high cold-desert valley in Lahaul & Spiti district, with Kaza as its main town at about 3,650 m. Villages and monasteries sit between 3,000 and 4,300 m, so the best trips go slowly: a rest day on arrival, plenty of water and a gradual climb. Our usual route goes in from Shimla through Kinnaur and out over Kunzum Pass to Manali. That way you acclimatise on the way up and finish at Chandratal. ## Highlights - **Key Monastery** (4,166 m): The largest monastery in the valley, of the Gelugpa school, 12 km from Kaza. - **Kibber** (4,270 m): One of the highest villages lived in all year, and the base for Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary. - **Tabo Monastery** (3,050 m): Founded in 996 CE, with monks still meditating in the cliff caves above. - **Dhankar** (3,894 m): A cliff-top gompa above the meeting of the Spiti and Pin rivers. It was once the capital of Spiti. - **Chandratal** (~4,300 m): A crescent-shaped Ramsar lake on the Manali side of Kunzum Pass. - **Langza, Hikkim & Komic** (above 4,300 m): A fossil village, a high-altitude post office and a monastery, all in a half-day loop from Kaza. ## Best time to visit - **Best, June – September:** Both roads open and Chandratal reachable. Days around 15 °C in July; nights can still freeze. - **Good, October:** Clear, cold and quiet. The Manali road usually closes by mid-October. - **Experts only, November – May:** Deep winter, reachable only through Kinnaur. January lows can fall near −30 °C. ## Sample itinerary: Spiti Circuit: 8 days, Shimla to Manali 1. **Shimla to Sangla.** Night: Sangla · Kinnaur. Drive along the Sutlej into Kinnaur, with a lunch stop at Rampur. A long road day, so we start early. 2. **Chitkul and Kalpa.** Night: Kalpa. 3. **Kalpa to Tabo via Nako.** Night: Tabo · police check at Sumdo. 4. **Tabo, Dhankar and on to Kaza.** Night: Spiti Villa, Kaza. 5. **Key, Kibber and Chicham.** Night: Spiti Villa, Kaza. 6. **Langza, Hikkim and Komic.** Night: Spiti Villa, Kaza. 7. **Kunzum Pass to Chandratal.** Night: camps near Chandratal. 8. **Chandratal to Manali.** Trip ends in Manali. The Manali side is usually open from June to mid-October. Outside those months we return the way we came, through Kinnaur. ## Things to do - **Monastery trail: Key, Kibber & Komic** (Full day · Key, Kibber, Komic): Visit three working monasteries with a local guide who can explain what you see. - **Langza fossils & stargazing** (Evening · clear nights): Look for marine fossils by day, then watch the night sky away from any town lights. - **Pin Valley day trip** (Full day from Kaza): Drive into Pin Valley National Park, through Mud village and back. - **Chandratal lake walk** (Late May – early Oct): An easy walk from the camps to the lake, best at sunrise. - **Snow leopard winter trail** (Multi-day · winter): Track wildlife around Kibber with local spotters. Cold, slow and unforgettable. - **Village homestay dinner** (Evening): A home-cooked Spitian meal with a family in a village near Kaza. ## Stay with us in Kaza - [Hotel Spiti Villa Himalayan Brothers](https://www.hotelhimalayanbrothers.com/spiti-villa): Mountain-view wooden cottages on Kibber Village Road, close to Key Monastery, with a restaurant serving Spitian food. Open through the travel season and closed in winter. Along the circuit we also book trusted guesthouses in Sangla, Kalpa and Tabo, and camps near Chandratal. ## Routes, roads & permits - **Shimla via Kinnaur** (~420 km to Kaza on NH-505, Most of the year): Climbs gradually, which is best for acclimatisation. Short closures for landslides or heavy snow. - **Manali via Kunzum Pass** (~200 km to Kaza, June – mid-October): Shorter and more dramatic, crossing Kunzum Pass at about 4,550 m. Closed in winter. - **Permits:** Indian citizens: no permit needed. Carry a valid photo ID. Foreign nationals: an Inner Line Permit is needed for the Kinnaur stretch near the border, checked at Sumdo. We apply for it as part of your booking. ## Spiti Valley packages - [Spiti Circuit: Shimla to Manali](https://www.himalayanbrothers.com/tours/spiti-circuit-shimla-to-manali): Spiti Valley, 7 nights · 8 days, road trip. Route: Sangla, Nako, Tabo, Kaza, Chandratal. Best: Jun – Sep. Kinnaur, Nako, Tabo, Kaza, Key and Chandratal in one loop, with buffer time for the passes. - [Spiti from Kaza: Monasteries & Villages](https://www.himalayanbrothers.com/tours/spiti-from-kaza-monasteries-villages): Spiti Valley, 4 nights · 5 days, culture. Route: Key, Kibber, Langza, Komic, Dhankar. Best: Jun – Oct. Key, Kibber, Langza, Komic and Dhankar from our own hotel in Kaza. - [Winter Spiti & Snow Leopard Trail](https://www.himalayanbrothers.com/tours/winter-spiti-snow-leopard-trail): Spiti Valley, 6 nights · 7 days, winter. Route: Kinnaur, Kaza, Kibber. Best: Winter, on request. Spiti in deep winter, through Kinnaur to Kaza and the snow leopard country around Kibber. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Spiti open in winter?** Yes, but only through Kinnaur. From November to May the Manali road is closed and temperatures in January can fall near −30 °C. Winter trips suit experienced, well-prepared travellers. We run them on request. **How many days do I need?** About 8 days for the full circuit from Shimla to Manali, so you can climb slowly through Kinnaur and rest in Kaza. If you are already in Kaza, 4 to 5 days covers the main monasteries and villages. **When can I visit Chandratal?** From late May to early October, while the road on the Manali side of Kunzum Pass is open. The camps near the lake are basic, with shared facilities, and the walk to the water is best at sunrise. **Which way should I enter Spiti?** Through Kinnaur from Shimla if you want to acclimatise slowly; that road is open most of the year. Over Kunzum Pass from Manali (June to mid-October) if you have less time. Our Spiti Circuit goes in one way and out the other. ## Sources - [Kaza, Himachal Pradesh, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaza,_Himachal_Pradesh) - [Key Monastery, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Monastery) - [Kibber, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibber) - [Chandra Taal, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_Taal) - [Tabo Monastery, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabo_Monastery) - [Dhankar Monastery, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhankar_Monastery) --- Canonical page: https://www.himalayanbrothers.com/spiti-valley Source: Himalayan Brothers (https://www.himalayanbrothers.com/). Summary for LLMs: https://www.himalayanbrothers.com/llms.txt