| Places to visit in Spiti Valley |
The mesmerizing Spiti valley attracts visitors from all over the world. The barren landscape, ancient monasteries and beautiful scenery in Lahaul & Spiti is simply irresistible. Therefore, in order to help the fellow travellers explore Spiti valley easily, we have curated a list of some places to visit in Spiti valley. Although Lahaul & Spiti are different valleys, the list below has places from Lahau & Spiti district as whole. Hope you’ll enjoy reading and share this article with fellow travellers too!
- Rohtang Pass – Rohtang Pass or Rohtang La, which means “Pile of Corpses” is one of the two entrances of the Spiti valley. The other route is through Kinnaur. Rohtang Pass is most famous among tourists coming to Manali, because of the natural beauty of the place. It is located at an height of 13,051 ft. Distance from Manali to Rohtang pass is 51 Kms approx.
- Tabo Caves – The Tabo caves were used by the Monks from the past 1000 years as dwellings to survive the harsh weather conditions of the valley. These caves are situated above the Tabo monastery. The Tabo caves were used for meditation and as assembly halls for monks.
- Kibber – Kibber village also known as the Kibber khas is surrounded by lush green fields. It it home to the famous Kibber Monastery & Kibber Wildlife monastery.
- Kaza – Kaza is the subdivisional headquarter of Spiti valley. Kaza is treated like the base camp for most popular tourist places in Spiti valley. The town of Kaza is divided into two parts i.e Kaza Khas & Kaza soma. Kaza Khas is the old Kaza town and Kaza Soma is the new Kaza town.
- Chandra Tal Lake – One of the most famous places to visit in Spiti valley is the Chandra Tal lake. Chandra Tal is an high altitude lake which has enchanting natural beauty. It is famous among travellers and photgraphy lovers from all over the world.
- Bara – Lacha La or Bara Lacha Pass. – The Barlachala pass is situated on the Leh Manali highway. It connects the Lahaul & Spiti valley with Ladakh. Situated on the Zanskar range, Baralacha Pass has been an ancient trade route. This high altitude pass used to connect the Lahaul, Spiti, Leh & Zanskar.
- Kunzum Pass – The Kunzum pass connects the Lahaul valley with the Spiti valley. Thus it also happens to connect Manali with Spiti valley. It falls enroute to the famous town of Kaza.
- Hikim Village – Hikkim village is one of the villages with the highest post offices in Asia. It is situated at an height of 4,440 m. Hikkim village is near to the famous fossil village Langza.
- Pin Valley National Park – Pin valley national park is popular among trekkers as most of the places in this National park are reachable by trek only. The last village in the Pin valley national park is Mud.
- Sissu Waterfall – This beautiful waterfall is located in the Sissu village in Lahaul. Sissu is a small village which acts as a center point for nearby villages. There is a campsite near the waterfall which is open mostly during summers only.
- Darcha – Darcha (elevation 3,360 m or 11,020 ft) is a village on the Bhaga River in Lahaul region in Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is the northernmost permanent settlement in Himachal Pradesh along the Manali-Leh Highway. This village is the basecamp for the popular Darcha – Padum trek, that ends in the Zanskar valley in Ladakh. (Source: wikipedia)
- Losar – Losar is one of the tiny villages in spiti valley that has lush green fields. The Losar monastery is the main attraction of this village. It is also the last inhabited village on the Indian side of the Indo China border line. The famous Chandra tal lake is around 43 kms from Losar. Therefore Losar is often used for resting enroute Chandra Tal lake.
- Suraj Tal – Suraj tal is the 3rd highest lake in India and 21st highest lake in the world. It lies below the Bara lacha pass. It is a sacred lake and its name means the lake of the Sun god. It is one of the lesser known places to visit in Spiti valley.
- Komic Village – Komic village holds the title of the highest village connected with a motorable road. You can read more details about Komic village here. It is home to the famous Tangyud monastery. Below is a picture of a monk with an old stuffed snow leopard hung in the monastery.
- Langza Village – The Langza village is also known as the Fossil village of India. It is one of the only places in this height where Fossils are found. This village is also one of the most popular places to visit in Spiti valley. Read the complete details about Langza village here.
- Mudh Village – Mudh or Mud is a beautifully situated village in the Pin valley. It is one of the last villages in the Pin Valley national park. It is popular among trekkers coming to Pin valley National Park.
Places of Worship in Lahaul & Spiti Valley
- Kye Monastery – This is one of the most important monasteries of the valley. Read more details about Key monastery in this article: The Biggest monastery of Spiti valley – Key Monastery
- Tabo Monastery – Tabo monastery is situated in the Tabo village. It is one of the popular places to visit in Spiti valley. Above the Tabo monastery are the famous Tabo caves. These caves are used by the Monks for meditation & mainly to survive the harsh weather conditions of Spiti valley.
- Kardang Monastery – The Kardang monastery is a famous Drukpa monastery and is situated in the Kardang village in Lahaul. This village was once the capital of Lahaul kingdom.
- Dhankar Gompa – The Dhankar monastery is situated in the Dhankar village which lies on the way to Kaza from Tabo. Dhankar means a cliff and you will realize why the place is named like this once you see the location in person.
- Lhalung Monastery – Lhalung is said to be one of the oldest monasteries founded by the great translator Richen Zangpo. The diety of this Gompa i.e Lhalung Devta is the head of all the devtas of the valley. Therefore this gompa holds a very sacred place in the hearts of the residents of Lahaul & Spiti valley.
- Giu Monastery – The Giu monastery in the Giu village is famous for the 500 year old mummy that is kept safe here. The mummy is the main attraction of the place. It has not been wrapped in any protective clothing or bandages like other mummies. It is naturally mummified and thus is one of a kind.
- Shashur Monastery – The Shashur monastery is situated near the town of Keylong and is easily accessible. It is a popular place of worship for nearby villages.
- Gandhola Monastery – Gandhola monastery is located on a hill above Tupchiling village and is said to be founded by Padmasambhava.
- Tayul Monastery – The Tayul monastery is situated near the Satingri village in the Bhaga valley. The monastery is around 6 kms from Keylong.
- Tangyud Monastery – This ancient monastery is situated in the Komic village. The Tangyud or Tangyuth monastery is one of only two monasteries in Spiti valley, belonging to the Sakya sect. Tangyud monastery is one of the highest monasteries in India.
- Kungri Monastery – Kungri monastery belong to the Nyingma sect of Tibetian budhism. It is situated in the Pin valley around 10 kms from Attargo and is said to be built around 1330.
- Trilokinath Temple – The Trilokinath temple is situated at a distance of 9 kms from the town of Udaipur in Lahaul valley. This temple is sacred to both the Budhists & Hindus. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
High Altitude Treks in Spiti
- Parangla Pass – Spiti valley to Ladakh
- Pin Parvati Pass – Kullu to Spiti valley
- Bhabha Pass – Kafnu (Kinnaur) to Mudh village(Spiti)
- Hampta Pass – Kullu to Spiti valley
- Spiti Left Bank Trek – Kaza to Dhankar
Small Hiking Trails in Spiti
- Kaza – Langza – Hikkim – Komic – Kaza.
- Kaza – Kibber – Gete – Kaza.
- Kaza – Losar – Kunzum La.
- Kaza – Tabo – Sumdo – Kaza.
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