Himachal Pradesh
A cold desert between India and Tibet
A high-altitude desert valley in the Himalaya, sitting mostly above 3,000 metres. Spiti is known for its thousand-year-old monasteries, near-empty roads and some of the highest inhabited villages in the world.
Spiti sits in the rain shadow of the Himalaya, which is why it looks nothing like the rest of Himachal. There are no forests here - the valley is bare rock and sky, cut through by the Spiti river. Monasteries at Key, Dhankar and Tabo have been in continuous use for centuries, and villages such as Langza, Komic and Hikkim sit above 4,000 metres. Two roads reach the valley: the year-round route through Shimla and Kinnaur, which gains height gradually, and the shorter summer-only crossing from Manali over Kunzum Pass. The gradual route matters more than it sounds, because altitude here is a genuine consideration rather than a formality.
Mid-May to early October for the full circuit. The Kinnaur route stays open longer, but the Kunzum Pass crossing closes with snow.
Timothy Gonsalves / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Trips
6 Nights / 7 Days
Coming SoonA group road trip across the Spiti valley, gaining height gradually through Kinnaur and returning over Kunzum Pass.
Price on enquiry
Tell us your dates and group size and we will send you the options.