Spiti Surmount

The adventure covet had evolved into a new dimension after 'The Dream ride to Leh'. It could no longer be satiated by mere visual indulgence or voyaging into unknown territories, but demanded a bracing mental furor with a wacky sense of niche attainment. Thankfully the hyperactive travel sites feed these aspirations by bribing the HTTP cookies to deliver the correct match, right to your online doorstep.

World's most treacherous Road seemed a reasonably good punchline to intrigue our inner dementia. And so the plan to surmount Spiti materialized.

Route:
Delhi -> Narkanda -> Sangla -> Nako -> Tabo -> Losar -> Kaza -> Kunzum -> Chandertaal -> Rohtang -> Manali -> Prashar -> Delhi

Five of us in Scorpio and 1 on RE Bullet; Insane destination. This was going to be spectacular!

Day 1: Delhi to Narkanda (420 kms)

Everyone was itching to escape the dreadful heat of Delhi and get some respite in the sedative ambiance of the hills. And hey presto, as soon as we entered the ghats, the weather turned misty and greeted us with incredible spectacle:

Wondrous weather and terrific terrain

Jolly colorful Hill huts

Our stay at Narkanda - Shimla Hills International

We reached our stay for the night - Shimla Hills International (Narkanda) in damp plight but cheerful spirits, all geared up for the forthcoming adventure starting next day.

Day 2 : Narkanda to Sangla (157 km)

A hearty breakfast with valley view and cool breeze set things up for a perfect start to the day:

Appetizing Breakfast

We fueled up and began our ascent to Sangla:

All set for Sangla

On the way we encountered gorgeous vistas in form of cavernous mountain roads near Kinnaur:

True connotation of a ROCKing click!

Way to Kinner Camps (Uphill)

Finally arrived at our accommodation - Kinner Camps (Sangla), a beautiful campsite nested among the mountains, adjacent to river and into nature’s green lap:

Sangala -Kinner Camps : Lovely place :)

In evening, there was bonfire, followed by unforgettable late night conversations till the break of dawn:

Bonfire: The perfect remedy to shoot down chills

Day 3 : Sangla/Chitkul to Nako (130 km)

We decided to cover Chitkul early in the morning as we had reached late to camps yesterday after taking numerous halts standing transfixed, gawking at the mesmerizing landscapes. The road to Chitkul village turned out to be an extension to amazing canvases from the day before:

Turn 1 - yeah..cool

Turn 2 - yeah even better, water stream running throughout the route

Turn 3 - Was that it?

Turn 4 - aha...WOWterfall!

Chitkul Village: Last village on Indo-China Border.
Can't cross this checkpost

So we headed back to the village

And captured the amiable moments

Who wouldn't want to wake up to such gorgeous views every morning

Leaving Chitkul was turning to be a tough job as it was such a treat for all senses. But time was paramount and we did not want to miss out on the surprises ahead.

We had deliberately left our luggage in camps before leaving to Chitkul as we had to anyway cross the place again on way to Nako, but more so, to have a last eyeful of this place.

We collected our luggage from Sangla camps and bid adieu with a heavy heart having to leave such a delightful haven, not knowing when would we be able to feast our eyes with these views again.

But the onslaught of sheer surrealism had not yet stopped!

We had no clue of the glorious sights that were to be bestowed on us, but as the day progressed, we had to slow down further. Each corner presented a magnificent picture of the nature filled with vibrant colors and beauty of incomprehensible magnitude:

Never had witnessed such a clear rainbow - check!

Incase one was not enough - double check!!

How to resist traveling when you get to witness these amazing scenes

And no, these pics aren't even edited!

Stunning array of colors

Signboard should read - All roads lead to Utopia!

After much procrastination and innumerable clicks, we reached camps late in the evening and at once retired to our cozy beds in the tents for night.

Day 4 : Nako to Kaza (112 km)

Fresh and injected with new enthusiasm after much needed rest, we explored the Knaygog Kinner campsite and nearby areas:

Knaygog Kinner campsite, Nako

Made a friend - excuse to revisit Nako :D

The Nako monastery was also nearby so we decided to stopover before heading off to Kaza:

Wheels of Prayer at Nako Monastery

Also on the way was Geyu Monastery which houses a 500+ year old mummy naturally preserved.

Its not en route to Kaza; there is a slight deviation by taking a right turn, but should not be missed :

Geyu Monastery. Left side hut with yellow roof houses the mummy.

Prayer flags fluttering incessantly at Geyu Monastery

Yep that's the mummy, sitting timidly with yellow scarf

Till now we had been traveling with a leisurely pace.But seeing The mummy gave us perspective of value of time and we hurried to get back on route to Kaza.

Some pics on the way to Kaza:

That's Geyu Monastery on hill top in background

Salute to this man covering these terrains on a cycle!

And bikers too - hatsoff to them riding such strenuous stretches

Meanwhile we were chilling peacefully with no concerns of world!

Finally, nearing the destination

Fact file: Kaza has the highest petrol pump (zoom pic to read signboard behind the car)

Received a warm welcome at Kaza Hotel (Hotel Delek House)

After check-in we headed to Key Monastery:

We slept early after returning, as the next day was going to be the climax of trip we had been waiting anxiously for!

Day 5 : Kaza to Manali via Chandrataal (260 km)

This has to be undoubtedly, the most thrilling day; handsdown!

From the beginning of trip we were fed horror stories on Kunzum pass and pagal Nallah, about how they have overpowered travelers to succumb to their will often.

But we were positive, as we had left on time, and the breathtaking views provided the fortitude to carry on steadfast:

The sheer magnificence of this pic bowls me over every time!

At long last we reached Kunzum Pass:

Final homestretch to Kunzum

Kunzum Mata Temple
All vehicles stop and circle around the temple to pay respect to goddess and pray for safety

Charged up with confidence and elation of completing our first arduous task of reaching Kunzum, we decided to cover Chandrataal also, which proved to be a vicious trail to conquer:

Deserted but placid lands

Encountered various nallahs enroute to Chandrataal

Enigmatic pathways to the lake

The red devil was unperturbed and conquered these terrains with aplomb

And at the end of road, the effort was worth the landscape:

The moon Lake : Chandra Taal

The magical tranquil would have lingered had we not looked at our watches and realized that there was still more than halfway left to cover in order to reach Manali.

Things got more enthralling when we got lost after Batal as there were no roads and only various tyre-treads that were leading to different routes up and down hill and across rivers and glaciers:

Lost in no-mans land

Asking for direction from a jeep passing by.

Trying to find a way through the jumble

Finally followed some bikers crossing us that seem to know the right path through glaciers

The roads took us through Chhatru and Gramphu:

Battling the tough roads

Travelling by Gramphu's gra'mercy'

And ultimately after much turmoil and endurance, we reached familiar territory - Rohtang Pass :

We breathed a sigh of relief & triumph, and thanked the gods to help us accomplish and complete the journey through Spiti Valley.

But the journey hadn't yet ended.

We had kept a backup day before the return journey in case we got stuck somewhere or were delayed. So we planned to utilize the day by driving to Prashar Lake the next day from Manali.

Day 6 : Manali to Prashar (114 km)

We had to cover a mere 114km, so we all reclined and waded into a gentle pace enjoying the great roads and even better scenery around:

Destination is near- Prashar!

Camping out under the stellar sky at Prashar

Peaceful sojourn at lake:

Prashar Rishi Temple besides the lake

Prashar Lake

Hot chai-parathas, cool breeze and splendid location!

View from our abode

Our accommodation at Prashar - PWD Forest Dept, Mandi

Day 7: Prashar to Delhi (482 km)

Unwilling to return to hustle bustle of cities, we stayed till afternoon to soak in the last few hours of unperturbed silence, peace and fresh breaths of freedom.

We stopped after Mandi and just lazed sitting on this bridge reliving the glorious past few days :

We were blessed to have experienced nature in its most fervor purest form. Not only did we create memories, but also developed a heightened sense of respect and admiration towards the range of brilliant and awe-inspiring contours that nature has to offer.

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Travelers *-*