Looking at your comments on my previous posts, a lot more people seem to be willing to travel to Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. To make your journey more comfortable here are ten things to know before you travel to Spiti. It might provide some food for thought as well!
Prepare for High Altitude
Kaza the district headquarter is at an altitude of 3650 meters (11,980 feet). Chandratal is at 4,300 meters (14,100 feet). As there is less oxygen than we are used to, it can lead to what is called AMS or acute mountain sickness. While I am no expert on it, I believe in acclimatization. If you take it easy initially and gain height slowly, your body will get used to the less oxygen.
There is a common medicine called Diamox for altitude sickness as well. All my guides carry it. But I never had any need to use it. The ultimate authority on the topic is your doctor and you. But I do not like what some trekking agencies seem to be doing these days, rush the trip, cut down on acclimatization and prescribe Diamox for everyone!
Drinking and High Altitude don’t Mix Well
I am not big on drinking. One glass of very watery rum is all I might have on the cold nights in the hills. And even that creates trouble for me at high altitude. In the picture above I look lost in thought! I was actually holding my head as I had a hangover from that watery glass of rum mixed with the altitude at Chandratal last year. This year as we reached Chandratal in one go by road, I anyway had a headache. For the first night I didn’t drink any alcohol and I hardly ate anything. By the next day, I was fine.
There are No Roads
The roads to Spiti are bad. There are hardly any roads in fact. There is more mud and stone than tar on the roads. It makes for a very tiring journey. A lot of ‘nalas’ flow on the road. The ‘nalas’ get formed due to snow melt. The water increases as the sun gets higher. So it is easier to cross the ‘nalas’ early during the day time. That is why drivers insist on an early start.
Also if you wish to stop at ever bend, and believe me you will want to, to take pictures it makes sense to start early. Your driver will not like it at all if you delay the arrival till late as he is the one who will have to drive on bad roads in failing light.
Private Vehicle is Expensive, Public Transport Sparse
Hiring a private vehicle to Spiti would be the single most expensive addition to the cost of the trip. It gives you a lot of flexibility about when to travel, what to see, where to go etc. There is hardly any public transport in Spiti. People hitchhike, use the rare buses that ply in season, ask for lift in canters, with Lamas and somehow get wherever they wish to. Keep this is mind when you plan your trip. If you are driving your own vehicle, that is another matter. As I have never done it, I have nothing much to say about it.
Homestay is an Option
People do offer a room in their homes at in most of the villages in Spiti. All the places that I stayed in 2007 were clean and beautiful. Back then not too many people spoke Hindi, but they do now. Homestays seem to be on the rise now.
Guesthouse are the Norm
Other than homestays there are guesthouses where you can stay. There are no star hotels in Spiti. At the time of Buddhist festivals all the guesthouses will get full. If His Holiness, the Dalai Lama is in the region, that particular village will be jam packed.
You Cannot Camp by the Edge of the Chandratal Lake
However much you may like, no one can pitch a tent next to the Chandratal Lake. The forest department has a restriction of 2 kilometers distance from the lake.
Spiti is Beautiful
Do I really need to elaborate on this? This is the view of Dhankar Village in the Spiti valley from the balcony of my guesthouse.
Go with an Open Mind
The two common traits of the cities do not work well in the hills. First is aggressiveness. Spiti is a quiet region, people are peaceful. You will do better with the gentle people if you leave home your ‘can do’ ‘go getter’ attitude. The other thing that is jarring is that ‘everyone is out there to make a fast buck at your expanse’. Believe me, it will be an insult to almost everyone in this region. The norms are different, the society is different and the pace is different. I am not saying that you trust people blindly, but go with an open mind and less of the city aggression.
Only BSNL Phones Work in the Region
All the phones become dumb boxes in the region unless you have BSNL. BSNL is the only network that works in the region. At Dhankar there is not even BSNL. In Kaza you can make a STD call like the good old days.
I will give you two bonus tips, there is no airport in the region! From Manali side there will be an ATM only at Kaza and no one can predict if it will have money or not. And you can forget credit cards for the duration of the trip.
There is a route from Shimla but unfortunately I have not done that till now. I will try hard to rectify this the next year. And in the end I guess I wrote this post just to show you more pictures from Spiti!
PS. My guide for this trip was Rama Kant Sharma.
Beautiful Pictures and Writing 🙂
Thank you so much.
Very sound tips for anybody planning to travel to Spiti. Would need to revisit this whenever I get a chance to go there.
I hope you will go there soon!
Great, useful info, Mridula, thanks a lot 🙂 will come handy 🙂
So when are you going?
I like the statement – Leave the ‘Can do’, ‘Go getter’ attitude at home. 🙂 All the city conditioning comes crashing down when you confront raw nature and slow pace of life.
True Gaurav and it feels thousand times more jarring in the peaceful hills!
Good tips for the first timers to Spiti!
Thank you so much!
informative post !
Thank you Mahesh.
It is good that a seasoned Spiti traveler like you is sharing experience…lot of people visit Spiti and Leh without preparing and fall sick..
Some amount of preparation always helps Prasad, I would be scared to go to those heights without any awareness.
Helpful post and amazing pics. Glad mine is bsnl .
BSNL would do fine, though not sure if only postpaid ones work 😀
Those are some great tips… and amazing pictures, Mridula 🙂
Thank you so much Archana.
The first pic is so surreal! Thanks for sharing info! 🙂
Thank you Deepa.
Thanks for informing about the windmill pic Mridula…I had uploaded it but it wasn’t showing for some reason! 🙂
And I thought that you didn’t! 😀
A very informative post with lovely pictures 🙂
Thank you Purba.
nice virtual tour of spiti
Take a real one Shrinidhi! Take one of your SUVs though you would need time to explore. And maybe another driver.
Well I need to know just One thing – where are my tickets !!! Rest I’ll manage :p
Loved the first image of the star studded sky to bits ……….
Tickets are with me, come with me the next year Kokila 😀
Great tips and advice.
Altitude sickness is something we have to take seriously. We’ve had a few experiences. 🙂
I have also had a few mild ones. I want to keep it that way!
Hehe…. Loved the last line. Great pics indeed. 🙂
Thank you Ravish 😀
Most of them sounded like warning rather than tips… but very helpful ones. Thanks ! 🙂
Indrani that is the ground reality. No resorts, no roads, no network 😀
I am sure this article would be a ready reckoner for the ones planning a trip to Spiti
Rathina’s View Space
Thank you so much.
Wow.Can we join you for the trip?
Informative Post.Wonderful shots.:).
Cheers,
Sriram & Krithiga
Yes for the next year 😀
I was looking for this type of information . I feel that You wrote this post for me only with a great stuff and information. Thank you so much Mridula Ji !!
Yogi I am sure tum tou jaaoge! Kaab jaaoge ye dekhna hai!
Mridula – whatever the intent, the pictures are stunning and make me want to go to Spiti 🙂
Pradeep the intent is largely good!
Now that is some handy information. Am gonna bookmark this for my trip – whenever that happens 🙂
Ami I hope you will go, sooner than later.
Oh yes I have made a point of all of them and also a 11th one Take you along 🙂 he he he
Ha ha Bikram, I am always happy to go back to Spiti.
Thanks for sharing valuable tips on Spiti. 🙂
Thank you, I hope you will make use of them in visiting Spiti!
Hi Mridula, The first pic seems very scary to me as I’ve never faced so far like this!! Except it, All pic is remarkable!!
When you say first you mean the night sky? Or where I am standing on a ledge? I was just posing there.
So very beautiful!
Thank you Lady Fi.
Awesome photos, Thanks a lot for your informative post.
Thank you Rupam.
Thanks so much! 🙂 This is extremely useful!
You are most welcome Divsi.
Extremely useful! Gorgeous places, reminded me of my trip to Ladakh. 🙂
Yes Chaitali to me also the regions look very similar.
Such a fantastic post. Superb photos 🙂
Thank you so much.
Helpful tips; superb pictures
Thank you David.
What a beautiful place… didnt even know it existed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now you know. I hope you will go too!
Can I Travel At Night To Spiti. Am from Dehradun and i was thinking to travel at night around 5-6p.m. and in morning I’ll be in spiti. Is it ok ?
Not sure you can surely do the initial stretch at night but not sure about the mountain roads. It is day traffic kind of roads.
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Thank you for stopping by!
Wonderful post. Really loved the images you have used. Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you so much!