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THE COLD DESERT OF SPITI (9 nights 10 days)
Let Banjara lead you into a world full of mysteries and
unknown places where time has
stood still for thousands of years untouched by man.
Your journey starts from a beautiful hilltop known as
Chail. This is your first destination from where you will
be entering into the unknown world free from all the daily
routine of our city life. Explore the forest full of
rhododendron trees in Chail and go on to the amazing
valley in Sangla where we get some of the most beautiful
apples in the country and probably the world. Sangla at a
height of 2700m is a place, which only opens for 6 months
before going into hibernation for the winter beneath
layers of snow. The place boasts some of the most
beautiful flora and fauna and a simply breathtaking
setting beside the Baspa River and with views of towering
snow capped mountains.
Revel in the lush green beauty of the valley before moving
onto the barren landscape of Spiti known as a forbidden
country a few years back. Visit the 1008 years old
monastery in Tabo or drive to the highest village Gete
near Kaza. Experience the feeling of being on top of the
world, literally, before descending to the Orchard town of
Thanedar, home to the first apple in the country, which was
brought down by a Mr. Stokes, a social worker from
Philadelphia. His orchard can be viewed from Banjara
Orchard Retreat where you can unwind in the luxurious
comforts and hospitality before getting ready to face the
world back home.
| Kilometers covered: |
1900 kms |
| Maximum altitude: |
Gete village (4320M) |
| Best time to visit: |
End- April- September |
Day 01: Delhi - Chail 355km/9hr
Leave Delhi after an early breakfast. Spend the night at
Hotel Chail Palace.
Day 02: Chail - Sangla 219km/9hr
Drive to Banjara Camp, Sangla. Overnight stay at the camp.
Day 03: Sangla Rock climb, rappell, river cross or angle
for trout. Bonfire in the evening.
Day 04: Sangla Visit Chitkul (3,450M) - 20kms from the
camp.
This is the last village on the old Indo-Tibetan trade
route. Lunch along the glacier fed mountain stream.
Day 05: Sangla – Kaza - 229 km / 9 hr
After an early breakfast we start the fascinating drive to Kaza. We leave behind verdant, forest clad mountains as we go over the tree line towards the Spiti region. After driving for about 5 hrs on NH 22, just short of Yangthang, we take a detour, to visit the picturesque Nako Lake and have a picnic lunch by the lakeside. Post –lunch we drive on through breath taking, mountain desert terrain to reach the Banjara Retreat in Kaza.
Day 06: Kaza – Ki Gompa – Kibber – Gete – Kaza
After breakfast, visit Ki monastery and Kibber village. Ki gompa is a Gelugpa sect monastery. Its hilltop position points to a post-thirteenth century construction. The three storied structure consists largely of storage rooms at the bottom level, while the middle floor houses the Dukhang- the assembly hall- and the uppermost floor has another temple and the head Lama’s quarters, on one side of an open terrace. The greatest wealth of Ki Gompa lies in its collection of ‘Thangkas’ salvaged with difficulty from the devastating raids of the Dogars and the Sikhs in the 19th century.
From here a scenic drive takes you into the pasture country of Kibber. The pastures are spread over hundreds of square kilometers. Kibber is small village and is the take off point for the popular trek to Tso Moriri in Ladakh. Further up six kilometers from Kibber, we drive up to a still smaller village of Gete. Consisting of just six houses, it boasts of being the highest village in Asia connected by road. Drive back to the retreat for a late lunch and spend rest of the day at leisure.
Day 07: Kaza – Dhankar – Tabo - Kalpa - 210 km / 7 hrs
Post-breakfast drive down to Dhankar Monastery. Dhankar, the traditional capital of Spiti, sits pretty on a hilltop. The fort here overlooks the Spiti valley and it was used as a jail in olden days. Today, more than 160 lamas reside here. A statue of Dhyan Buddha where four complete figures of Buddha sit back to back is the main attraction of this more than seven-century old monastery. Move on to visit the glorious Tabo Gompa; reputed to be the oldest (an inscription on a wall here indicates, it was founded in AD 996) continuously functioning Buddhist monastery in India and the Himalayas, with its original decoration and iconographic program intact. Finish off with your packed lunch and drive on to reach Kalpa late in the evening. Famous for its apple and chilgoza plantations, this place also offers the best panoramic view of the 6,000m high Kinner-Kailash range. Night stay in Kalpa.
Day 08: Kalpa – Thanedar - 155 kms / 6 hrs
Drive to Banjara Orchard Retreat, Thanedar. Overnight stay at the retreat.
Day 09: Thanedar Visit Paramjyotir temple and Tani Jubbar
Lake.
Day 10: Thanedar - Delhi 440km/10hr
Leave after early breakfast. Lunch enroute.
Please contact us for bookings and further details.
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