We begin this Spiti Valley Winter Expedition by hitting the road from Shimla. We pass through popular town of Rampur-Bushahr before entering the spectacular Kinnaur Valley.

Our first halt for the trip, Sangla. Sangla valley also known as Baspa Valley, named after it's river, holds the age of tradition of a theatrical Holi - That, is an experience of a lifetime

With snow capped peaks as your background, be ready to witness a spectacle of colours, drama & non-stop dancing for the next 3 days.

Overnight at a hotel in Sangla.

Today is the big day - we move to the Sangla temple to play holi. Almost the entire town will be slowly becoming part of the procession, which will then move through the rest of the town until dusk. In the evening, there’ll be holika dahan at the temple grounds.

Overnight stay in Sangla

Today is the day of Faguli - the festival marks the beginning of Spring. We will be joined by the idols of local Gods, who will be dancing along with the folks of Sangla town throughout the evening. It is a sight that one must witness, to see the way faith still binds the lives of people living in these parts of Himalayas.

Subject to weather and road conditions, we can head to Chitkul, the last inhabited village of India towards Tibet border, on this side of the Himalayas.

Chitkul can be described as one of the most scenic settlements in the valley and the last inhabited village before the India-China border. This short drive from Rakchham to Chitkul will be one of the most scenic drives you’ll take with plenty of opportunities to take stunning photographs. Walk around the Baspa river and pay tribute to the Mathi Goddess at the temple in the village. After spending time in Chitkul, we turn around and head back to Sangla.

One can choose to visit the famous Mela of Sangla as part of the continued Holi celebrations or simply stay back and soak in the natural beauty of Sangla on our last night here.

Overnight at a hotel in Sangla.

After a comfortable night’s rest at Sangla, we set off on the famous Hindustan-Tibet Highway. Famed for its spectacular views and proximity to Tibet, this road snakes north into Nako, the last hamlet of Kinnaur district.

We have a steaming hot lunch at Nako, a picturesque lakeside village - before entering the magical Spiti Valley. Here, we spend the night at a comfortable and authentic homestay in Tabo.

Overnight at a homestay in Tabo.

We start the day with a visit to the over 1000 – year old Tabo Monastery, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk around this sacred site and gain a deeper understanding of Buddhism. Unlike other monasteries in Spiti Valley, the Tabo monastery is located at the bottom of the valley.

From Tabo, we drive to the spectacular Pin Valley. Imagine a national park with an abundance of animals and birds, with some rare plant varieties and a river that is frozen. Pin Valley promises all this. We first visit the Kungri Monastery and then the beautiful hamlet of Mudh – the last motorable village of the Pin Valley.

Declared a national park in 1987, Pin Valley has altitudes ranging from 11,000 to 20,000 feet and is home to at least 12 endangered snow leopards. In addition, other animals indigenous to the region and park are the Siberian ibex, bharal, weasel, red fox and marten. Birds such as the pika, griffon, golden eagle, bearded vulture, chukor and raven paint the skies a pretty picture.

Overnight at a homestay in Kaza.

On the fourth day of this Spiti Valley Winter Expedition, we drive to some of the highest inhabited regions of the world.

The highest village in Asia, Komik, which literally translates to ‘eye of a snow cock’, is situated at a height of 4513 meters. This farming village has a population of 84 people, living in utter isolation, mostly cut-off from the rest of the world during this part of the year. If accessible during this tour, we will make the drive to Komik.

Later, we drive to Hikkim where we visit the world’s highest post office in the world. If possible, you might even meet the post-master and hear his stories.

After sending out a postcard, we drive to Langza. At Langza, walk back to the prehistoric era when Spiti was submerged by the Tethys Sea, as you explore a land very rich with fossils of Marine animals and plants which were here millions of years ago. We visit the Buddha statue here.

Later, we drive to the renowned Ki Monastery. The car will first stop at the base of the monastery hill for the ultimate photo opportunity of this remarkable structure amid white snow. With over 1000 years’ worth stories to tell, the Ki Monastery situated at a height of 13,668 feet was founded by a disciple of the famous Atisha, in the 11th century CE. Belonging to the Yellow Hat or Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, this monastery is famous as a prominent center of learning as well as a refuge for Tibetans.

Then we will move farther up the valley to the picturesque village of Kibber. Located at a height of 4205 meters and 18 km from Kaza, this formerly highest permanently inhabited village in this region, is also a popular base camp to embark on adventure and treks to adjoining mountains of high altitude. From Kibber we will head to the famous Chicham bridge - Asia's highest bridge. We drive back to Kaza for the night.

Overnight at a homestay in Kaza.

On the seventh day, depending on the road condition, we can head to Dhankar and explore the ancient monastery and village here, before heading to Sangla.

We make our way south towards Kinnaur Valley. Along this journey, you can get to capture some scenic views that you might have missed out earlier. After a scenic and memorable drive on the Hindustan-Tibet highway, we will enter Kalpa, facing the Kinner Kailash range, adobe to Lord Shiva by evening.

In the peak of winters, often the road to Kalpa becomes inaccessible and unsafe. In such a case, we shall stay in Rampur.

Overnight stay at a hotel in Kalpa / Rampur.

Today, we wake up with a slighlty heavy heart, and lots of memories as we arrive on our last day of the trip. But do not forget to wake up early and witness the sunrise through the foreground of Kinnaur Kailash.A sight to behold indeed.

As we slowly descend, we take a brief halt at Rampur Bushahr to witness the Padam Palace and it's architecture, if time allows. We then descend into the capital of Himachal bidding adieu to mighty upper-Himalayas

Trip ends with a drop in Shimla around 4-6 PM. Kindly estimate some buffer due to festivities / traffic in and around Shimla.