Spity Valley is one of the best and must visited place by backpackers, bikers and trekkers. It is the Himachal Tribal circuits that provides alternate to the already overcrowded Ladakh bike trip.
The ice-topped Himalayan Summits, the river that follows you as a shadow throughout the valley, the waterfalls and the Grey-blue skies, will be your journey companion. You can get whole information about How to Reach Spiti Valley from Delhi mentioned below: –
April to early October is the best time to visit Spiti Valley. It is not advisable to plan your trip from mid-July to late August due to heavy rainfall. The roads get narrow and muddy and even blocked. So, it is advisable you should have 1 or 2 spare days in the monsoon season. You can get detailed information of Spiti Valley Weather around the year from here.
Vibrant monasteries, picturesque hamlets, snow-laden peaks, plush forests and magnificent lakes build make one of the places to visit in Spiti Valley. Villages are few in number and far between in this serrated moonscape and they arrive like mirages, with clusters of whitewashed homes huddled by green barley fields below monasteries nestled on crags a thousand feet above.
Whether it’s a explore to the small villages, where life flows at an unbridled pace, or the ancient monasteries which are treasure-houses of Buddhist teachings, every experience is amazing.
Before you move on to the How to reach Spiti Valley, here is some essential info about Best Plces to visit Spiti Valley.
Where is Spiti
Literally means “the middle land”, Spiti Valley is located between Tibet and India. It is a cold desert valley nestled in the Himalayan range of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The Rohtang Pass situated at 13,054 feet (3,979 m), connects Spiti from the Kullu Valley.
How to Reach Spiti Valley from Delhi
You can get entire information about how to reach Spiti by Train, Bus and Air from below: –
How to Reach Spiti Valley by Train
The nearest railway station from Spiti which have good connectivity is in Chandigarh. Jogindernagar also has a railway station which is nearest to Spiti, but it has very poor connectivity.
How to Reach Spiti Valley by Road
It is very buzzing to reach Spiti from Delhi by Bus, but trip offers lifetime experience. There are different two routes to get Kaza, the headquarter of Spiti Valley: one is via Shimla and another via Manali. The Manali route is shorter than Shimla route. Although, the difference is only around 20 Km if you compare.
Permits
Both these routes need permits. But, if you are hiring a cab or taxi, the driver would take it itself.
Via Manali route
From Delhi to Spiti via Manali Route, you can pre-book seats of Volvo buses which departure from Kashmiri gate ISBT to Kullu and must prefer night buses (HRTC buses).
Then, you reach Kullu by 11 Am, after that take a day break. Next day at very early morning, there is only one bus from Kullu to Kaza via Manali at 4:30 Am.
It is unthinkable to get ticket of the bus from Manali, that is why board on the bus from Kullu. Be smart and collect information from Kullu ticket counter regarding when and how you can book a ticket.
There is second option to stay at Manali and pre-book a shared cab/traveller to Kaza for next morning. It will be slightly expensive, near Mall road, but better to stay near Mall road though. You will arrive Kaza around 5 pm, unless there’s a blocked road/accident.
Spiti Road Trip
Manali Trip
Via Shimla route
It’s a much longer route! So, if your trip is shorter than 8-10 days, then don’t go via this route. For Shimla route, there is a direct bus from ISBT Kashmere Gate, Delhi to Reckong-peo which takes 21–23 hours to reach Peo, it is bustling. It probably departured around 7–7:30pm from Kashmiri gate and get Peo by next afternoon.
There are Rs. 100/bed dormitory next to Peo bus stand where you can stay, but the toilet is a mess. There are also very cheap hotels around Rs. 300/night after bargain near the uphill opposite to Peo bus stand.
In the next morning there is only single bus for Kaza probably at 7:00 am, there is a huge rush for tickets, you must reach bus stand at least an hour before to buy tickets.To enjoy mesmerizing views of spiti Valley ask for a ticket on left side window, if you don’t get it, request some locals to switch seat.
How to Reach Spiti Valley by Air
There is no direct air connectivity to Spiti Valley. The nearest airport to Spiti Valley is in Bhuntar, near Kullu, 245 km away from the same. However, Bhuntar airport is small with few daily flights. Chandigarh Airport, situated at a distance of 522 km is the nearest international airport.
Nearest Airport: Chandigarh Airport (IXC) – 522 kms from Spiti Valley
FAQ
You should have at least 8 days for Spiti Valley trip as you need 5 days in total to reach Spiti via Kinnaur side and come back from Manali side. So, having three more days will assist you to visit Pin Valley, Langza, Hikkim, Komic, Ki and Kibber Villages around Kaza.
Yes, Spiti is safe for foreigners as well as for Indian citizens. But, as a foreign national, you must take a permit to travel through the valley. Without the permit, you will be not allowed to enter from any of the check posts in route. This permit can be obtained from Shimla, Manali or Reckong Peo.
Spiti valley is popular for its natural beauty of Himalayas and cultural heritage. Tabo monastery is one of the most prominent Places to visit in Spiti. The monasteries in Spiti are acclaimed for spectacular murals, ancient temples, and several stupas.
Only BSNL or MTNL mobile network works in Spiti Valley in places such as Kaza, Tabo, Dhankar, Pin Valley, Key, Kibber, Langza, Komic, etc. There is no other network including Reliance Jio, Airtel or Vodafone that works in rest of Spiti Valley.
The distance of Delhi to Spiti Highway is around 732 km and the total travel time is approximately 17 hours.
Best time to visit Spiti Valley by road is from June till September. This way you can able to complete the circuit and will not be limited to just explore Kaza. You can visit places like Chandratal and Kunzum Pass during this time only.
No permit is needed to visit Spiti Valley for an Indian National. The only permit an Indian National required can be – a vehicle permit to cross Rohtang Pass. If he/she plans to enter Spiti Valley from Manali by his/her own vehicle or self-driven rented vehicle.