Spiti Valley Tour Packages

Only while the Kunzum La road is open, from about June or July to October or November. Chandratal, a Ramsar-listed wetland at 4,337 m whose name means lake of the moon, lies beyond the pass, 98 km from Kaza by Himachal Tourism's count, at the end of a 14 km track from Batal or a level two-hour walk from the Kunzum La. On our circuit it follows Kibber and Langza when the road allows, a long day; your specialist plans it with you.

Slowly. The circuit stops for a night on the way in, and the Shimla road through Kinnaur gains height gradually. Most of the valley is above 3,000 m; Key Monastery stands at about 4,100 m, Komic higher still at about 4,400 m. Rest when you arrive, drink plenty and keep alcohol low. Altitude medication is not included; ask your doctor about it before the trip. The district's travel advice says the same thing: gain height slowly.

Most come in summer, while the roads are open. Monasteries including Key, Tabo and Mane stage masked dances, generally in June, says the district; Himachal Tourism adds the Kungri monastery's dance, in the Pin Valley, in July. The Ladarcha fair began as a place where traders from Ladakh, Rampur-Bushahr and Spiti met to barter; today it is held at Kaza, generally in August's third week. Losar, the new year festival, usually falls in February, in the depths of winter.

Kaza is the place for both: it has a bank, an ATM and Spiti's only petrol and diesel station. Take enough cash for the villages; the district also advises planning fuel ahead, which on the circuit is your driver's job. Signal is patchy: BSNL covers Kaza and Jio 4G reaches some parts of the valley, so save offline maps and tell family you may be unreachable for a while.

Blue sheep and ibex, most often around Kibber, where a sanctuary of some 1,400 sq km protects the cold desert. The country round Kibber is snow leopard habitat, says Himachal Tourism, but a sighting is a rare piece of luck. The Pin Valley National Park shelters snow leopard, ibex, bharal and red fox; the district's best months for sightings are April, May, November and early December, when the animals come down lower.

Yes, as extra days. Tabo, 46 to 48 km down the Kinnaur road from Kaza, has Spiti's largest monastic complex, dating from 996; at about 3,050 m it is lower than Komic, Kibber or Key, so it makes a good first night on the way up. Dhankar, once Spiti's capital, is perched on a spur above the river, 7 km up a side road from Shichling. The Pin Valley, the only national park in Himachal Pradesh in cold desert country, deserves a day to itself.