Tour Overview
A 10-day group circuit through Spiti — Himachal's cold-desert valley.
Spiti — the "middle land" between Tibet and India — is a stretch of high-altitude cold desert tucked away in Himachal Pradesh. Whitewashed monasteries cling to cliffs, villages perched above 14,000 feet, a turquoise moon-shaped lake, and roads that climb over passes most people only see from aeroplanes. This 10-day group tour takes you through all of it, starting and ending in Delhi.
You travel by Tempo Traveler with the group — Delhi-Shimla and Manali-Delhi are covered by overnight Volvo. Everything else — accommodation, daily breakfast and dinner, sightseeing, permits, driver and parking — is taken care of. Just bring your bag and your camera.
Tour Highlights
Eight reasons this trip ends up in everyone's top three.
Tabo Monastery · 1000+ Years Old
The "Ajanta of the Himalayas" — mud-walled monastery with stunning fresco-painted prayer halls.
Key Monastery
Spiti's iconic hilltop fortress-monastery — 1,000 years of monastic life clinging to a ridge.
Chandratal · Moon Lake
Camp at 14,100 ft beside a high-altitude lake shaped like a crescent moon.
Hikkim · World's Highest Post Office
Post a card home from 15,500 ft — the highest letterbox on the planet.
Kinner Kailash from Kalpa
Wake up to the sacred 21,778 ft peak glowing pink at sunrise across the valley.
Komic, Langza & Kibber
Visit three of the world's highest inhabited villages, all above 14,000 ft.
Khab Sangam
The dramatic confluence where the Sutlej and Spiti rivers meet in cold desert canyons.
Atal Tunnel
Cross the 9 km Atal Tunnel under Rohtang — one of the world's longest high-altitude tunnels.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Ten days through the Spiti cold desert — every drive, every village, every monastery.
Your Spiti journey starts with a comfortable overnight Volvo from Delhi to Shimla. Reporting point and timing are shared a few days before departure — usually a central pickup point in Delhi around 8 PM. Settle in, sleep through the plains, and wake up in the Himalayan foothills with cool mountain air pouring through the window. Our team meets you at Shimla in the morning.
⏰ Today's Plan
Arrive at the pickup point (shared by WhatsApp 48 hrs before). Light dinner before boarding recommended.
Reclining-seat Volvo coach. The road climbs slowly through Haryana into Himachal.
Highway dhaba break (own expense). Bathroom, stretch, hot tea.
Arrive at Shimla bus stand. Our team meets you here for the onward journey.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
After reaching Shimla, meet your trip representative and head out on a scenic 65 km drive towards Narkanda — a quiet hill town surrounded by deodar forests and apple orchards. The route winds through Kufri and Fagu with cool pine air and views of distant snow peaks. Easy first day to acclimatize and settle into Himalayan pace.
⏰ Today's Plan
Meet the trip representative at Shimla bus stand. Freshen up at a nearby café.
Hot Himachali breakfast — sidu, parathas, eggs, masala chai.
Roll out from Shimla towards Narkanda by Tempo Traveler.
Photo stops at the pine forests. Cool mountain air and Himalayan panoramas.
Check into Hotel Ranveer Palace or similar. Lunch on own.
Optional leisurely walk through Narkanda's famous apple orchards.
Home-style dinner. Early night to adjust to altitude.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
After breakfast, begin the long drive into the Sangla Valley through the dramatic Kinnaur region. The road follows the Sutlej River through deep gorges and clings to cliff-cut roads — some of the most photogenic stretches in Himachal. As you climb into Kinnaur, the landscape shifts: pine forests give way to barren rock faces, apple orchards line the riverbed, and snow peaks loom above.
⏰ Today's Plan
Hot breakfast at the hotel. Heavy meal — long drive ahead.
Drive towards Rampur and onwards along the Sutlej.
Quick stop at this historic Sutlej riverside town.
Roadside dhaba lunch near Tapri (own expense). Try local rajma chawal.
Cross into Kinnaur valley. Cliff-cut roads, dramatic mountain faces.
Turn off towards Sangla along the Baspa River.
Check into Royal Castle or similar. Hot dinner.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
A day with two faces. First, drive deeper into the Baspa Valley to Chitkul — the last Indian village on the old Indo-Tibetan trade route. Walk by the Baspa River, photograph the wooden Kinnauri homes and the snow-fed meadows. After lunch, retrace your steps and continue to Kalpa, a small village famous for its head-on view of the sacred Kinner Kailash range (21,778 ft) — one of the five sacred Kailash peaks. End the day waiting for the magic moment when the peak turns pink at sunset.
⏰ Today's Plan
Hot breakfast at the hotel — start early today to fit in Chitkul.
Drive 25 km deeper into the Baspa Valley to Chitkul, the last Indian village on the old Indo-Tibetan trade route.
Walk along the Baspa River, photograph the iconic wooden houses, visit the ancient Mathi Devi temple. Hot maggi from a riverside café.
Drive back to Sangla and continue on the main Kinnaur road towards Kalpa.
Check into Hotel Him Palace or similar. Late lunch on own.
Stroll through narrow lanes, prayer wheels, the century-old Buddhist temple, and traditional Kinnauri homes.
Watch the sacred 21,778 ft peak turn pink and gold from the hotel terrace.
Home-cooked dinner. Early night — tomorrow is a long drive into Spiti.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
The day the landscape changes completely. As you cross from Kinnaur into Spiti, green pine forests give way to barren brown cliffs, the air thins, and the rivers run grey with glacial silt. Stop at the dramatic Khab Sangam where the Sutlej and Spiti rivers meet, then climb to the picturesque Nako village before descending to Tabo for the night — your first stop in the cold desert.
⏰ Today's Plan
Catch Kinner Kailash at sunrise. Heavy breakfast at the hotel.
Drive towards Pooh and the Spiti border.
Photo stop at the confluence of the Sutlej and Spiti rivers — dramatic gorges.
Lunch stop at Nako. Walk to the small high-altitude lake and 11th-century monastery.
Cross Sumdo — the official Spiti border. Landscape opens up into cold desert.
Check into Hotel Tabo Inn or similar. Quick walk around the village.
Hot Spitian dinner — thukpa, momos, butter tea. Early sleep.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
A short drive day, but rich with stops. Begin with the highlight of the trip — the Tabo Monastery, often called the "Ajanta of the Himalayas" for its 1,000-year-old fresco-painted prayer halls. Continue to the dramatic viewpoint of Dhankar, where an old monastery clings to a knife-edge cliff. Reach Kaza — Spiti's largest town — by afternoon.
⏰ Today's Plan
Hot breakfast at Tabo Inn.
Walk through the 996 CE monastery complex. Murals, statues, prayer halls. Photos restricted inside.
Onward drive towards Kaza along the Spiti River.
Short detour to view the dramatic cliff-perched Dhankar Monastery.
Check into Hotel Himalayan Café or similar. Lunch in town (own expense).
Explore Kaza market — Tibetan handicrafts, prayer flags, café culture.
Group dinner at the hotel. Briefing for tomorrow's high-altitude village run.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
The marquee day. A full circuit around Kaza's high-altitude villages — every one of them above 14,000 feet, several among the highest inhabited places on Earth. Visit the iconic Key Monastery, post a card from the world's highest post office at Hikkim, photograph the fossils of Langza, and reach Komic — one of the highest motorable villages on the planet at 15,050 ft. End the day with a quiet butter tea session at the Kaza monastery.
⏰ Today's Plan
Heavy breakfast — you'll be at 15,000 ft by lunch.
Spiti's most iconic monastery — 1,000-year-old hilltop fortress with prayer halls and stunning valley views.
Once the world's highest motorable village (14,200 ft). Snow leopards live in these hills.
Photo stop at the giant Buddha statue overlooking the valley. Fossil-rich land.
Send a postcard home from 15,500 ft. Stamps, ink, hand-cancelled. Iconic souvenir.
Among the highest motorable villages on Earth. Visit the small monastery, walk slowly.
Special arranged session — sit with monks, sip Tibetan butter tea, learn about monastic life.
Hot dinner back at the hotel. Rest well — tomorrow is Chandratal.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
Today you cross the legendary Kunzum Pass at 14,931 ft and descend to the crescent-shaped Chandratal Lake — known as "Moon Lake" in Sanskrit. The road is dramatic, the air thin, and the lake — sitting in a vast green bowl surrounded by snow peaks — is among the most beautiful campsites in the Indian Himalayas. Sub-zero nights, no electricity, brilliant stars.
⏰ Today's Plan
Hot breakfast at Kaza. Last proper kitchen for the next 24 hours.
Drive west along the Spiti River towards Losar.
Last village of Spiti. Quick tea stop. Petrol top-up.
Cross the sacred pass. Stop at the Kunzum Devi temple — circle clockwise for safe passage.
Check into UC Camps or similar. Hot lunch (own expense). Rest in tent.
30-min walk to Chandratal — sunset over the lake, crescent shape visible from the rim.
Hot dinner around the bonfire. Stars come out by 9 PM — Milky Way visible.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
An adventurous drive day. Leave Chandratal early and head down towards Manali via the famous Atal Tunnel — a 9.02 km engineering feat under the Rohtang massif that opened in 2020. The route involves river crossings, rocky stretches and ever-changing Himalayan scenery. Arrive at Manali by evening — warm air, soft beds, the first proper café in days.
⏰ Today's Plan
Walk back to the lake for sunrise photos. Cold but worth it.
Hot breakfast at camp. Pack up. Refill water.
Drive towards Batal — rocky descent, river crossings.
Multiple water crossings — photogenic, occasionally challenging.
Roadside dhaba lunch (own expense). Hot momos, paratha, chai.
Cross the 9.02 km Atal Tunnel — emerge into the Manali side of the mountains.
Check into New Harmony Inn or similar. Hot shower. The first one in days feels great.
Group dinner at the hotel or on Mall Road (own expense).
🗺️ Route Breakdown
A leisurely final morning in Manali — sleep in, walk through Old Manali's cafés, pick up souvenirs on Mall Road. By evening, board the overnight Volvo back to Delhi. The trip ends with sunrise in Delhi the next morning, full of Spiti memories. Most goodbyes turn into "where next?".
⏰ Today's Plan
Slow breakfast at the hotel. Late check-out arrangement included.
Explore Mall Road, Old Manali cafés, Hadimba Temple, or souvenir shopping.
On your own — many great cafés in Old Manali. Israeli, Tibetan, café fare.
Our team drops you at the Volvo terminal. Check in your luggage.
Goodbyes to the group. Comfortable reclining-seat coach to Delhi.
Arrive Delhi morning. Trip ends. Forever-friends and a thousand photos.
🗺️ Route Breakdown
🎁 You Take Home
Every photo & video shot during the week, uploaded to a private cloud folder.
The hand-cancelled postcard you sent yourself from the world's highest post office.
Detailed Spiti circuit map with every village, monastery and pass marked.
Private WhatsApp group with all the travellers. Most goodbyes become next trips.
Manali-Delhi Volvo covers ~540 km in 12-14 hrs overnight — a popular ride to wrap any Himachal trip.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Everything you get — and what you'll need to handle on your own.
✅ What's Included
- 9 nights of well-appointed accommodation on double / triple sharing basis
- Daily breakfast & dinner at the hotels
- Comfortable Tempo Traveler for the entire Spiti circuit
- Delhi → Shimla Volvo ticket (Day 0)
- Manali → Delhi Volvo ticket (Day 9)
- Special tea & butter session at Kaza Monastery
- All sightseeing as per the day-by-day itinerary
- Experienced driver allowance & vehicle expenses
- Toll taxes and parking charges throughout
- Inner-line permit assistance for restricted regions
- On-trip coordinator & group support
❌ What's Not Included
- Air / train tickets other than the Volvo tickets mentioned above
- Lunch throughout the trip
- Personal expenses of any nature — laundry, calls, tips, room service
- Monument entry fees / camera fees where applicable
- Adventure activity charges (e.g. trekking, river crossings)
- Alcohol, soft drinks, mineral water, beverages
- Any additional sightseeing not mentioned in the itinerary
- Expenses due to weather, road blockages, landslides or any unforeseen circumstances
- Travel & medical insurance (strongly recommended)
- 5% GST applicable on the package amount
- Anything not specifically mentioned under inclusions
Departure Dates 2026
Fourteen Saturday departures across summer. Each is a 9N/10D group tour by Tempo Traveler — reserve a seat on the date that fits you.
June 2026
July 2026
August 2026
Things To Carry
Spiti is a high-altitude destination — pack warm, pack smart.
Pricing — Choose Your Room Sharing
Two simple options. Same itinerary, same vehicle, same inclusions — different room layout.
Triple Sharing
Share a triple-occupancy room with two co-travellers. Best price, same comfort.
- Triple-occupancy room at every property
- Daily breakfast & dinner included
- Delhi-Shimla & Manali-Delhi Volvo tickets
- Tempo Traveler for the Spiti circuit
- All sightseeing, permits, driver allowance, tolls
- Special tea & butter session at Kaza Monastery
Double Sharing
More privacy. Ideal for couples or two friends who'd rather share with just one.
- Double-occupancy room at every property
- Daily breakfast & dinner included
- Delhi-Shimla & Manali-Delhi Volvo tickets
- Tempo Traveler for the Spiti circuit
- All sightseeing, permits, driver allowance, tolls
- Special tea & butter session at Kaza Monastery
Cancellation Policy
- 45+ days before departure: 90% refund of paid amount
- 30 – 44 days before departure: 50% refund of paid amount
- 15 – 29 days before departure: 25% refund of paid amount
- Less than 15 days: No refund will be processed
- Cancellations due to weather, landslides or natural events follow our force-majeure clause — credit notes are issued valid for 12 months.