My friends and I had been planning to take a trip to the mountains for quite some time, and this winter offered the opportune moment. Having a tight budget, we spent several weeks scouring for a package that would be both within our means and fairly comprehensive, and some encouraging Thrillophilia reviews on the internet led us to the Spiti Valley tour package. None of us had visited Spiti before, so we were rather excited by the prospect of it. The tour started from Manali. We reached the location quite early in the morning, and were met by our representative at the railway station. There was a car waiting to take us to our pre-appointed hotel. Tired, we decided to rest a while and take lunch at the hotel. Our tour for the day started in the late afternoon, as we left for a sightseeing trip around Manali. We visited some temples and markets, and even stopped for snacks at a local market. That night, we retired early to start early the next morning.
The second day marked our journey to Kaza. Our driver and guide was waiting by 7 am, and we hit the road right after breakfast. The journey was long, but breathtaking. We passed through the Rohtang Pass, the highest Pass in India. We didn’t stop for long, but we did take some truly beautiful pictures here. Traveling onward, we made our second stop at Losar Village, a typical Spiti Village with not much to do, but plenty to admire. We ate a little at the local canteen there, and continued our journey onward to Kaza. We reached Kaza by late evening and spent the rest of the day in our hotel room. The next day constituted our sightseeing trip around Kaza. One of the highest inhabited villages in the world, the points of attraction in Kaza were truly some of the most memorable ones I have ever witnessed. Our first stop was Komik, the highest village in Asia. Next, we traveled to Hikkim, the highest post office in the world. Luckily, we were able to meet the postmaster as well, who did have some very interesting anecdotes as well. Our next stop was the ancient temple of Langza, following which we descended back to Kaza for lunch. After a simple traditional lunch of rice, we headed back to our sightseeing trip. We visited the Ki Monastery, along with the villages of Kibber and Gette, which made for wonderful photo stops as well. Besides, we caught an absolutely resplendent subset in Gette. We retired back to our hotel by late evening, and had an early night.
The next day was a personal highlight for me. To start with, we visited a 1,000 plus year old Monastery in Tabo, which has also earned the recognition of a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its stunning medieval paintings. We spent about an hour here on a guided tour, and then proceeded towards the Dhanker village. Our guide asked us whether we’d like to trek to a lake nearby, and upon all of us consenting, we took a short one hour hike to the Dhankar Tso lake. The glittering blue lake was worth all of the effort. We stopped for some photography, then headed back down to where our car was. Next, we traveled to Pin village, home to the Pin National Park. Our first stop here was the Kungri Monastery, followed by Mudh, which is the last motorable village in the area. Thankfully, we had read up on the Thrillophilia reviews online, and now just what to expect from Pin- the natural beauty in the village is bountiful, and if you’re quiet and patient enough to wait, you might catch a glimpse of several beautiful birds and animals. We ended our day at Pin, and headed back to Kaza. The next day was a rather interesting one. It was a day we camped by the Chandratal Lake. We traced our road back towards Manali, but took a short detour to this Himalayan wonder. Set against the backdrop of the Chandrabhaga mountains, the lake appears absolutely mystical in the afternoon sun. The group were all appointed tents for camping, which were quite clean and well equipped. We even conducted a bonfire in the evening, which provided a welcome respite in the low temperature.
Overall, the 6 day tour was very well conducted, and I’m thrilled that my first experience with Thrillophilia has been this rewarding. Despite being a long holiday, everything went off without a hitch. Our appointed guide cum driver was truly commendable- I cannot stress enough how comfortable he made us throughout our long winding journeys through the mountain roads. True to the Thrillophilia reviews, all the hotels and camps we were kept at were extremely well maintained and comfortable as well. Truly amazed at the conduct of the trip, and cannot wait for my next experience with the team!