Kinnaur

Buddhist monasteries in Himachal are as much a part of the landscape and the people as the mountains. This package takes you through the most artistic monasteries in Himachal and immerses you in the lesser known cultures of Kinnaur and Spiti. Start your trip in Shimla and continue on to Sangla in Kinnaur District. The Nyingma-pa, Drug-pa and Geluk-pa sects are well represented here and Kinnaur is home to 33 Buddhist monasteries. Visit the recently built gompa in Rekong Peo, and continue on to the ancient settlement of Kalpa to visit the Hu-Bu-lan-kar gompa, said to have been founded by Rinchensang-po. Leave for Spiti valley, which is completely immersed in Buddhism from the footprint of Padmasambhava on a rock near Nako, past monastic villages, ancient monastery complex in Tabo, to the internationally renowned Ki monastery near Kaza. Spend a day in Manali experiencing Kullu culture at its best and proceed to McLeodganj/Dharamshala the current residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. End your journey at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

A Spiritual Journey  (11 Days)

Shimla – Sangla – Rekong Peo – Kalpa – Nako Lake – Tabo – Dhankar – Kaza – Manali – Dharamshala – Amritsar

Day 1: Chandigarh to Shimla
Day 2: Shimla to Sangla
Day 3: Sangla to Kalpa
Day 4: Kalpa to Tabo
Day 5: Tabo to Kaza
Day 6: Kaza monastery tour
Day 7: Kaza to Manali
Day 8: Manali sightseeing
Day 9: Manali to Dharamshala
Day 10: Dharamshala sightseeing
Day 11: Amritsar drop

 

Spiti Valley Tour

                        Manali-Spiti-Kinnaur-Shimla Tour (10 days)
Manali – Lossar – Kaza – Tabo – Kalpa – Sangla – Shimla – Chandigarh

Spend a day visiting local sites and sampling Himachali home-cooked fare in Naggar/Manali and set off across Rohtang Pass to Spiti. Visit the high altitude Chandertaal Lake and spend the night at the quaint village of Lossar in Spiti. Take in the harsh and dramatic landscape of Spiti from the heights of world famous Ki monastery and the high altitude Kibber village. From the mountain deserts of Spiti travel through Tabo with its well-preserved and ancient cave paintings to the intense green of Kinnaur valley and take in the snow-capped peaks of Kinner-Kailash in Kalpa. The detour to Sangla valley before continuing on to Shimla and Chandigarh is well worth it and one of the highlights of the trip.

Day 1: Manali sightseeing
Visit the Hadimba temple, Vasisht Baths, Manu Temple and Tibetan monastery. Chill in Old Manali, imbibe the local ambience and shop for souvenirs at the Tibetan Market on the Mall.
Day 2: Naggar local sightseeing
On the left bank of the river Beas, Naggar is a pictureque village on the wooded slope. It used to be the capital of the Kullu rajas and you can visit their heritage castle there. Naggar was also home to the Russian artist Roerich, whose house has now been converted into a museum. Visit some of the famous temples in and around Naggar as well and continue on to Jana for authentic and tasty Himachali food. Walk up to the beautiful waterfall there and wind your way back to Manali
Day 3: Manali to Chandertaal. Stay at Lossar
Travel over Rohtang Pass to Batal and walk to the crystal clear waters of Chandertaal lake. Overnight camping at Chandratal lake or drive from Batal over the Kunzam Pass (4558 m) to enter the starkly beautiful Spiti Valley stay at guesthouse in the first village as you enter Spiti Valley – Lossar.
Day 4: Lossar to Kaza
Drive past small villages of little whitewashed houses with flat straw roofs and reach the relatively large town of Kaza. Check-in to hotel at Kaza.
Day 5: Kaza – Ki, Kibber, Komic (Day Excursion)
In the morning, visit the Ki monastery which looks like a higgledy-piggledy anthill of buildings stuck together from afar, and is a labyrinth of rooms and corridors inside. This centuries old gompa at one time also acted as a fort. It houses valuable thangkas and offers a panoramic view of the area. Continue further up and feel on top of the world at Kibber and Komic, which have the distinction of being the highest permanently inhabited villages of the region. Return to Kaza and spend some time in the local market shopping for turquoise beads, silver jewellry, singing bowls and prayer flags.
Day 6: Kaza to Dhankar and Tabo
Drive to Tabo, dropping in at Dhankar gompa along the way. Dhankar gompa rests high over the valley and served as a fort to the ruler of Spiti. Tabo, built in 996 AD, is renowned for its breathtaking murals and stucco images and is often called “The Ajanta of the Himalayas”. Return to hotel in Kaza.
Day 7: Tabo to Kalpa
Enter the intense green of Kinnaur valley and take in the snow-capped peaks of Kinner-Kailash in Kalpa.
Day 8: Kalpa to Sangla. Overnight Saran
Enter the gorgeous Sangla Valley and drive upto Chitkul which is the last village before Tibet.
Day 9: Saran to Shimla and stay overnight
Drive to Shimla.  Set at an altitude of 2,213m, Shimla was once the summer capital of the British administration in India and is now the capital of Himachal Pradesh. This queen of hill stations still retains its colonial charm in its architecture.Visit Jakhoo, an ancient temple devoted to Lord Hanuman, situated on Jakhoo Hill. This is Shimla’s highest peak and offers panoramic views of the Shivalik Ranges. Go on an excursion to Kufri, popular for its trekking trails, pine-scented air and beautiful views all around. Evening walk around The Mall.
Day 10: Shimla to Chandigarh
Take a city tour of Chandigarh. The Rock Garden, created by a humble road inspector called Nek Chand is the pride of the city. Its a marvel of urban waste material transformed into creative patterns and art objects. Other attractions in Chandigarh include Leisure Valley, Sukna Lake and Rose Garden.

Pin Parvati to Spiti Valley

Start the trek in green forests and end up in the stark mountain deserts. This trek, starting at Manikaran, takes you from the lush Parvati valley along the powerful Parvati river to its source – the glacier fed lake of Mantalai – and on to the harsh and beautiful Spiti valley in its varied shades of brown. A strenuous, but exciting trek over ice-fields with crevasses and finally into the Pin Valley National Park with chances of spotting some wildlife like snow leopard, Spiti wolf, ibex and ghural.

5319m   (Strenuous, June – October)

Day 1: Manikaran
Day 2: Pulga
Day 3: Khirganga
Day 4: Tanda bhuj
Day 5: Thakur kuan
Day 6: Pandu Pul
Day 7: Mantalai lake
Day 8: Base Camp – Pin Parvati Pass
Day 9: Ghurgul
Day 10:Mud
Day 11: Sagnam

“I had the pleasure of doing Pin Parvati Pass with Himalayan Brothers Adventures in August 2014. They were professional as well as much fun. Great team work from everyone made the journey a joy to do. Stunning place to trek I recommend it to anyone thinking of doing it.”
-Sue Hanlon, New Zealand