Kye Monastery
Kye Monastery
4.5
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4.5
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Vigzi
Karkala, India61 contributions
Sep 2015 • Solo
To have got the opportunity to get spiritual guidance from the lamas and the monks was the best thing about this place. And for meditation lovers, there is no place better than this in whole of spiti valey.
Written January 29, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karam Vir Singh
Agra, India195 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
I traveled here in the month of june.
It is the largest and oldest monastery in the spiti region.
The place is full of positivity.
Located about 20 kms from the city of kaza and it is advisable to visit the monastery before it gets dark n cold in the evening.
You will see mesmerizing views of the valley, a beautiful sunset from the rooftop.
The monks here are very friendly and will give a guided tour of the monastery,along with a cup of complimentary tea!
Many small monks can be found here who have left their families to learn and spread the sayings of budhha.
Overall a must go place in my book,will go again if i can make it to this far again!!
It is the largest and oldest monastery in the spiti region.
The place is full of positivity.
Located about 20 kms from the city of kaza and it is advisable to visit the monastery before it gets dark n cold in the evening.
You will see mesmerizing views of the valley, a beautiful sunset from the rooftop.
The monks here are very friendly and will give a guided tour of the monastery,along with a cup of complimentary tea!
Many small monks can be found here who have left their families to learn and spread the sayings of budhha.
Overall a must go place in my book,will go again if i can make it to this far again!!
Written May 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Namita G
Sydney, Australia31 contributions
Aug 2012
Locared in the midst of mountains at a height of more than 4000m, the monastery stands out for its typical hill architecture. The beautiful Buddha statue and the huge prayer bell are impressive. Close to the Kaza city its a must see along with Langza, Kibber, Comic and Tabo.
Written July 24, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
shashindrak
North Goa District, India1,192 contributions
Mar 2017 • Solo
On 26/03/2017 I was 4th time lucky to visit holy Kye Monastery. This time I planned my trip to see white Spiti & my dream became true.This high altitude (4116 meters) monastery is built on a high hill top 12 kms away from Kaza between Kaza-Kibber.This Tibetan monastery was badly damaged due to attacks, fire & earthquake but every time renovated & glory is maintained..
Spiti valley is a wonder land & Kye monastery is Jewel of Spiti.
Spiti valley is a wonder land & Kye monastery is Jewel of Spiti.
Written April 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VivekTheTraveler
New Delhi, India178 contributions
Jul 2015
This is one of the finest Monastery I have visited, This is well maintained and well preserved Monastery. A must visit place if you are visiting the Lahaul & Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, India.
Written January 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vivekathavale
Mumbai, India54 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
Day 1: 17th May - Chandigarh to Shimla to Narkanda
We caught a 7 am flight from Mumbai and reached Chandigarh by 10.45am. Our driver cum guide (Mingmar) was waiting for us at the Airport.
We then left for Narkanda via Shimla.
We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant called Nikki's Rasoi at Dhattiyar. There are restaurants and small hotels/resorts along the entire road from Chandigarh to Shimla. You will also see Chole Kulchhe stalls all along. Its an uphill climb but not a dangerous one and it gets scenic about half an hour after you leave Chandigarh.
When we reached Shimla it was around 3.30pm and we noticed that almost all the locals wearing woollens. Most of the tourists were in short sleeves. We then realised that our driver had turned off the a/c already and it had indeed become cold. We had a new found respect for Shimla :).
On our way to Narkanda we stopped at the Green Valley View Point in Kufri. It was the first look at the mountains full of Pine Trees. We had tea here, spotted some beautiful birds and took some pics.
We then carried on straight to Narkanda, enjoying the views on the way.
Our hotel in Narkanda was Agyaat Vaas. We had to find our way to the hotel as there were no signboards. The hotel was at a great height and was almost in the jungle. We later learnt that it was on way to the very famous Hatu Mandir. The road to the hotel was very narrow but had some spectacular views of snow peaks. We had to trek a bit to reach to the hotel. It was around 6pm when we got out of our vehicle. As soon as we got out we realised quickly that it was shockingly cold. We had already seen un-melted snow on the road along the way. I quickly got back to the comfort of our vehicle as the cold was too much to bear. We were literally shivering and we gladly accepted the tea which we were offered. The resort was great. There was a bonfire lit up. The resort then arranged for a bonfire for us outside our room. It was great sitting by the bonfire and chatting and gazing at the stars. We had dinner by the bonfire. Great food. The hotel is at 10500 ft and it is in a jungle. It was very cold inside the room.
We were probably not acclimatised and hence could not sleep initially because of the cold. But then hot water bag + heavy blankets + thermals + other woollens did help us sleep a bit. It had been quite a welcome by the mighty Himalayas :).
Day 2: 18th May - Narkanda to Kalpa via Rampur
Got up at our usual time of 6am. We were almost used to the cold now or probably it was less colder that morning. After a hot tea, followed by a hot bath we decided to have breakfast and leave for Kalpa. We left at 8.15am. We had to trek a bit as our driver had parked our vehicle a little further away on account of some security restrictions as the CM was visiting the Hatu Temple.
No sooner did we start our journey back did we see some fantastic views of snow clad mountain peaks at a distance with the sun shining on them. It was a fantastic sight. It always is. On the one side we had the dense pine forest and on the other some great views of the snow clad peaks. Our Spiti trip had well and truly begun!
The crows here are bigger, the eagles are huge and majestic, the dogs are really cute and have a thick fur, the goats have a lot of hair and even the people are good looking :) and well dressed ! Everyone and everything is pretty :).
As we descended from Narkanda to Rampur we had company of the mighty Satluj River along the way. A free slowing mighty river is always a great sight. There were many small streams and waterfalls which were meeting it and adding even more purity to it. The roads were lined with Cherry and Apple Trees ! We feasted on the cherries and they were nice and red and very very juicy :). I would got to the extent of saying that your trip here is incomplete if you don't feast on the cherries!!
Our next stop was the Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan. We had to take a slight detour and reach here. But the route to the temple gives you breath-taking views of snow clad mountains all around. The route is made even prettier by the numerous waterfalls and small streams which abound in the Himalayas.
The temple itself is very very pretty and is made of wood. It has a unique architecture and is definitely worth a visit/darshan.
We then had lunch at a small restaurant in Jeuri. This is on the Shimla District border and after crossing a small bridge we entered Kinnaur District. When we had driven for a few km we saw two great sights. One was this huge waterfall and the other was the road/tunnel through the mountain. These roads where the moutain has been cut to make a road are spectacular and make for great pictures.
We then had to take a slight detour as there was a landslide on the road. We were a little tired by the time we reached our Hotel 'The Golden Apple' in Kalpa. The hotel was surrounded by Apple orchards and most importantly offered breath-taking views of the Kinner Kailash Mountain Range. Despite being tired we decided to step out to see the orchards and take some more pics of the Kinner Kailash. Post 7pm it started getting quite cold and we got a little worried. After dinner we put on even more warm clothes and decided to call it a day. We were well prepared and we now felt a lot warmer. That was the end of Day 2. !
Day 3: 19th May - Kalpa to Tabo via Pooh and Nako
Our room had a view of the Kinner Kailash. The sun was rising and the snow peaks were starting to glow. We had had a good night's sleep. After having breakfast we left for Tabo at 8.15am. Our driver decided to refill the diesel as there was no fuel station till Kaza.
It was going to be a long day on the road again. The roads are bad as widening work is on. Widening work involves blasting which causes landslides which in turn block the road. We encountered a few along the way. The bad roads meant we were making slow progress. The waterfalls, the snow peaks and the sutlej river were failing to enthuse us anymore.
Finally after crossing Pooh we crossed a bridge where we turned towards Nako-Tabo-Spiti. Our road which was along the Sutlej till now, turned towards the cleaner Spiti river. The pine trees were long gone. There were some apple plantations, but the terrain was largely barren now. The snow peaks were even more nearer. The average altitude was around 9500ft and increasing every hour. There are many small villages on the way. We stopped for lunch at Nako, a small village at a great height. After a nice lunch of Thukpa and Chowmein we went to see the Nako Lake. You can give it a miss if you are in a hurry.
We then started our downhill journey from 12000ft to go to Tabo. We stopped at a village which had this suspension bridge with wooden planks. It was a quite thrilling as the bridge was swaying with the wind, the planks were broken at places, the wind was very strong and the river below had a strong current with ice cold water. We also encountered a herd of Himalayan goats and sheep on the road. They are both very pretty and unique as well.
We stopped by one of the numerous cold water streams (the source of which is snow) to freshen up. The water is crystal clear though cold and it really refreshes you. Such a stream where water falls from a small height is called 'chashma' locally :) .
Just before Tabo village we saw the unique desert like landscape of Spiti where the mountains have steep, smooth slopes with no vegetation. They make for a pretty picture as well.
We then had dinner. We happened to look up at the sky after having our dinner and it was lit up and filled with stars. We had never seen so many stars before. It was quite a sight. The sky is so clear and I guess you have to see it to believe it. We then started our ritual of putting on all the warm clothes for the night.
In these parts it takes more time for you to into your night clothes !
The hotel (Trojan Guesthouse) was nice and clean and comfortable, except that the entire village had no electricity since the previous day! That was the end of Day 3.
Day 4: 20th May - Tabo to Kaza via Dankhar
Got up at around 6.30 am as we had slept early. After a quick bath, we had our breakfast and then went to the very old Tabo Monastery. It has those typical Buddhist paintings, colourful and intricate and is over 1000 years old. A monk took us around the monastery and explained the meaning of the paintings.
Our next stop was a shop which sold locally available stuff including jewellery and woollens. We(Sarika) bought a few ear rings. I really liked some of the jewellery available and felt its a must visit even just to window shop.
We then left for Dankhar Monastery situated atop a tall mountain. Its again a very old monastery. Its structure is delicate and its situation is a bit precarious. The view from its terrace is really pretty. Do take pics. Dankhar is probably best viewed from a distance and that is what you would see in those Dhankar Monastery postcards.
We had had enough of monasteries and hence decided to skip LhaLung Monastery, again a very old and revered monastery of Spiti.
We checked into Snow Lion Hotel. It’s a nice, comfortable hotel. Luckily the electric supply had been restored and we took the chance to recharge our batteries.
We knew Spiti is a cold desert and we were told that it doesn't really rain here and when it does its snowfall!! We took a walk in Kaza town and then rested in our room for a while before having one more round of nice hot tea. The weather had changed during the day. It had become windy and clouds had descended on the mountains. It was now typical Himalayan weather which you encounter at these heights (11000+ft). Temperatures in Kaza get as low as -37 Deg Celsius, so were in serious Himalayan territory !
It had become cold and windy and we were not sure we were going to be able to bear the cold. We had a nice dinner which included Thentuk(a local dish) and Momos and then were going to retire early. While we were finishing our dessert when we got the message that it was snowing ! I could not believe it as it had been a dream for me to see snowfall. We went out and saw light snowfall. I was very excited as it was a first for me. I had followed closely the formation of clouds, their descent and I was now watching snow fall. Wow! It also reinforced the fact you just can't predict the weather in the Himalayas. That was the end of Day 4.
Day 5: 21st May - Kaza Khibber Langza Komic
We got up as always at around 6am. I went out to check the snowfall. As expected it had snowed lightly on the nearby mountain and a bit heavily on the mountains further up.
Everyone in the hotel was asleep. So tea was going to be delayed. We were not very active ourselves any way as it was pretty cold.
We had tea and some snacks we were carrying with us and then decided to have a quick bath (a bath here is actually a quick one always!!).
We then went to see Khibber Village and Kye Monastery. Khibber is a typical Spitian village and Kye is a typical Spitian Monastery. You can take some pics here. Kye Monastery is located on a cliff and hence offers some good photo opportunities from a distance. They are very close to Kaza and you can cover both of them in an hour. Having said that another group which was with us spent over 5 hours at these places! We then decided to go to Langza. This is at a huge height and hence had fresh snow from last night at many places and then as we went higher there was a lot of snow - both fresh and old. We spotted a few birds and most interestingly spotted a fox, grazing Yaks and even deer. These sightings made this trip really worthwhile. Both Langza and Komic Monastery are must visit destinations for the views they offer along the way and the height at which they are located.
On the way back we knew we had had enough of 'villages' and 'monasteries' and we decided to skip the Pin Valley tour planned for the next day and head straight to Sangla from Kaza.
We rested a bit after lunch and then after having some nice hot tea, went to see the Kaza Monastery. This is a new monastery constructed on relatively flat & stable land and is very very pretty.
When we came back it had already become cold and windy. By 6pm the clouds had descended on Kaza. Snowfall seemed imminent. It was going to be another cold night in Spiti.
Kaza has severe power outages and that made our life a bit more difficult here. We could hear the cold wind blowing and all we could do was sit in the relative warmth of our room. Only BSNL works here and hence we had no connectivity as well. But then if you want to stay connected Spiti is anyway not the place to be in!
Day 6: 22nd May - Kaza To Sangla
We got up at 5am and left by 5.50am for Sangla. It was going to be a 10-12 hour day on the road. We stopped for breakfast at Tabo (we had stayed here). The main villages then were Hurling, Sumdo(this is on the Tibet/China border and one can see streams flowing in from across the border here), Malling, Nako, Khab(where Spiti meets a river coming from Tibet), Pooh, Spillow, Poari, Karcham
Sumdo is the village before Kaurik which is on the Tibet/China border.
Just when you think that since you have crossed Spiti and it has become a little hot, the snow clad mountains though visible seem distant, Himachal surprises you with a huge slab of snow which has not melted for over a month.
We stopped for lunch at Spillow and then resumed our journey again. The roads are bad and narrow and hence it takes a lot longer than it should. We took a detour at Karcham for Sangla Valley. Our Hotel, Kinner Camps was a little further ahead from Sangla. It is situated amidst the Pine forest and right opposite snow peaks. You could hear the sound of the beautiful Sangla/Baspa river. It was idyllic and serene.
After some hot pakodas and tea we went down to the river. Our primary motive was to see if we could spot some birds and we sure did see quite a few of them.
The views were great, the Baspa river with its turquoise blue water, pine trees lined up on both sides and snow peaks on top !
We then returned to our tent and sat outside to soak in the views of the Baspa Valley. It wasn't as cold as Spiti which was a relief :). We could not enjoy the evenings in Spiti as they were very cold and windy.
There was a bon fire at the hotel. We chatted with a few other guests at the hotel, had dinner and then went off to sleep. There are no late nights in Himachal and certainly none when you are in a tent (however luxurious it might be) ! That was the end of Day 6 :).
Day 7: 23rd May - Sangla Chitkul
Bed Tea. A bit of bird watching, followed by breakfast and one more round of tea and we were off to Chhitkul. Chhitkul is at a even greater height and has snow and also has great views.
When we reached Chitkul we saw a few clouds over the mountains and it was a lot colder than we had thought it would be. There is an old Chitkul Devi Mandir there and its worth a look because of its woodwork and Himachali architecture. The mandir/temple was closed and hence we could not take darshan. We then decided to go by the beautiful river side. It was cold and then it started to rain. The rain seemed like it was there to stay and we decided to come back to our hotel. When we reached our hotel we saw that it was drizzling and there were a lot of clouds on the mountains. In a few minutes the scene changed and huge clouds appeared, the wind started blowing and it started to rain very heavily. The rain was turning into ice in some places either before or after landing. It was a bit scary and rather unexpected. Our Sangla plans had gone for a toss and we were staying in a tent ! After a nice lunch we returned to the comfort our room/tent and decided to wait and watch.
The weather cleared a bit in the evening and we took the chance to go to the river side again. The views were outstanding again, the clean & clear water of Baspa river, the dense Pine forest, snow peaks on top and the chirping +sighting of some cute birds :). We returned back by 7pm and there were signs that it would rain again and it did. It rained all through the evening and even the night. It was a bit disappointing and even scary to be stuck in tent with lightning, thunder, strong winds and rains. It had also become very cold and though the minimum temperature was only 4 degree Celsius, the feel was a lot colder than that. When it used to clear for a while, the views used to be spectacular because of the clouds floating/flying over the mountains. It was a great experience but one we would not want to repeat :).
That was the end of Day 7 for us.
Day 8: 24th May - Sangla to Shimla
We got up at 6am. We had not slept well on account of all the rain and cold made worse by thunder and lightning. We wanted to go to the relative warmth and comforts of a city like Shimla. The sun had come out today and the views were breath-taking again. Fresh snow on the peaks and white clouds in the pine forest below made for quite a scene. We started our journey through the clouds. The presence of the sun was reassuring. We had a long way to go and the roads along the Satluj were bad and landslide prone.
One road block which was a result of Jaypee Group tunnel for their Hydel Power Project had not been cleared yet. Jaypee has one of their main offices and residential quarters in Sholtu/Tapri for their mega Power Project, the Karcham Wangtoo Power Prject. The road from Tapri to is terrible :(. The roads get better after that. After the roads we experienced in Spiti this was a welcome relief. We stopped at Rampur for lunch and then proceeded first to Mashobra. We picked up fresh and juicy cherries and apricots on the way :).
We stopped by at Naldehra and Mashobra and then checked into our Hotel, The Landmark on Mall Road, Shimla. Shimla has traffic jams, major traffic issues and a lot of people ! Having said that Shimla's Mall Road is quite an interesting road and all the British Heritage Buildings make it really grand. We took a small walk here after freshening up and it lived up to my expectations for sure.
For dinner we stopped by Indian Coffee House on Mall road, primarily for nostalgia's stake. It is probably the busiest restaurant on Mall Road. The place is not so great, the service is bad, the food is not great but the filter coffee is very very good :).
That was the end of Day 8 for us.
Day 9: 25th May - Shimla
Got up as always around 6.30am after a good night's sleep at a proper city hotel :). Had a leisurly breakfast and then finally left for sightseeing at 10.
We went for a walk again on the Mall Road. Of particular interest to us were the heritage sights which showcase the British architecture and quality. Post lunch at this nice little restaurant Tara Bhojanalay (oddly named but good food) we went to the historic Shimla station and saw the Delhi Kalka railway line. We took it easy and then post a nice afternoon nap decided to visit the Mall Road again. But the Hills had other plans. It was that hilly weather again. It started to rain ! We decided to stay in our room and watch some TV for a change.
We then went to Mall Road and this time took a different route and really loved window shopping there. The shops are really old and you have the new age shops of Benetton, Levis, Tommy Hilfiger,etc. and then you have the other shops like Gendamal Hemraj, Baljee's, Sher-e-punjab,etc. Some of these shops have been here since 19th Century. We loved this old world charm of Shimla. After dinner at Baljee's we started our longish walk back home and retired for the day. Shimla meanwhile had become quite cold and we liked that :). Shimla is not such a bad place at all was our conclusion. That was the end of Day 9.
Day 10: 26th May - Shimla to Chandigarh to Mumbai
Post breakfast we took a short walk to see the Vidhan Sabha, Gorton Castle (now AG Office) and returned back to our room for the final packing. We left for Chandigarh at 11.30am and reached Chandigarh Airport by 3.30pm. We had stopped for lunch at Dharampur. We boarded the 5.55pm flight back to Mumbai. Our Spiti Valley Trip had come to an end :)
We caught a 7 am flight from Mumbai and reached Chandigarh by 10.45am. Our driver cum guide (Mingmar) was waiting for us at the Airport.
We then left for Narkanda via Shimla.
We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant called Nikki's Rasoi at Dhattiyar. There are restaurants and small hotels/resorts along the entire road from Chandigarh to Shimla. You will also see Chole Kulchhe stalls all along. Its an uphill climb but not a dangerous one and it gets scenic about half an hour after you leave Chandigarh.
When we reached Shimla it was around 3.30pm and we noticed that almost all the locals wearing woollens. Most of the tourists were in short sleeves. We then realised that our driver had turned off the a/c already and it had indeed become cold. We had a new found respect for Shimla :).
On our way to Narkanda we stopped at the Green Valley View Point in Kufri. It was the first look at the mountains full of Pine Trees. We had tea here, spotted some beautiful birds and took some pics.
We then carried on straight to Narkanda, enjoying the views on the way.
Our hotel in Narkanda was Agyaat Vaas. We had to find our way to the hotel as there were no signboards. The hotel was at a great height and was almost in the jungle. We later learnt that it was on way to the very famous Hatu Mandir. The road to the hotel was very narrow but had some spectacular views of snow peaks. We had to trek a bit to reach to the hotel. It was around 6pm when we got out of our vehicle. As soon as we got out we realised quickly that it was shockingly cold. We had already seen un-melted snow on the road along the way. I quickly got back to the comfort of our vehicle as the cold was too much to bear. We were literally shivering and we gladly accepted the tea which we were offered. The resort was great. There was a bonfire lit up. The resort then arranged for a bonfire for us outside our room. It was great sitting by the bonfire and chatting and gazing at the stars. We had dinner by the bonfire. Great food. The hotel is at 10500 ft and it is in a jungle. It was very cold inside the room.
We were probably not acclimatised and hence could not sleep initially because of the cold. But then hot water bag + heavy blankets + thermals + other woollens did help us sleep a bit. It had been quite a welcome by the mighty Himalayas :).
Day 2: 18th May - Narkanda to Kalpa via Rampur
Got up at our usual time of 6am. We were almost used to the cold now or probably it was less colder that morning. After a hot tea, followed by a hot bath we decided to have breakfast and leave for Kalpa. We left at 8.15am. We had to trek a bit as our driver had parked our vehicle a little further away on account of some security restrictions as the CM was visiting the Hatu Temple.
No sooner did we start our journey back did we see some fantastic views of snow clad mountain peaks at a distance with the sun shining on them. It was a fantastic sight. It always is. On the one side we had the dense pine forest and on the other some great views of the snow clad peaks. Our Spiti trip had well and truly begun!
The crows here are bigger, the eagles are huge and majestic, the dogs are really cute and have a thick fur, the goats have a lot of hair and even the people are good looking :) and well dressed ! Everyone and everything is pretty :).
As we descended from Narkanda to Rampur we had company of the mighty Satluj River along the way. A free slowing mighty river is always a great sight. There were many small streams and waterfalls which were meeting it and adding even more purity to it. The roads were lined with Cherry and Apple Trees ! We feasted on the cherries and they were nice and red and very very juicy :). I would got to the extent of saying that your trip here is incomplete if you don't feast on the cherries!!
Our next stop was the Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan. We had to take a slight detour and reach here. But the route to the temple gives you breath-taking views of snow clad mountains all around. The route is made even prettier by the numerous waterfalls and small streams which abound in the Himalayas.
The temple itself is very very pretty and is made of wood. It has a unique architecture and is definitely worth a visit/darshan.
We then had lunch at a small restaurant in Jeuri. This is on the Shimla District border and after crossing a small bridge we entered Kinnaur District. When we had driven for a few km we saw two great sights. One was this huge waterfall and the other was the road/tunnel through the mountain. These roads where the moutain has been cut to make a road are spectacular and make for great pictures.
We then had to take a slight detour as there was a landslide on the road. We were a little tired by the time we reached our Hotel 'The Golden Apple' in Kalpa. The hotel was surrounded by Apple orchards and most importantly offered breath-taking views of the Kinner Kailash Mountain Range. Despite being tired we decided to step out to see the orchards and take some more pics of the Kinner Kailash. Post 7pm it started getting quite cold and we got a little worried. After dinner we put on even more warm clothes and decided to call it a day. We were well prepared and we now felt a lot warmer. That was the end of Day 2. !
Day 3: 19th May - Kalpa to Tabo via Pooh and Nako
Our room had a view of the Kinner Kailash. The sun was rising and the snow peaks were starting to glow. We had had a good night's sleep. After having breakfast we left for Tabo at 8.15am. Our driver decided to refill the diesel as there was no fuel station till Kaza.
It was going to be a long day on the road again. The roads are bad as widening work is on. Widening work involves blasting which causes landslides which in turn block the road. We encountered a few along the way. The bad roads meant we were making slow progress. The waterfalls, the snow peaks and the sutlej river were failing to enthuse us anymore.
Finally after crossing Pooh we crossed a bridge where we turned towards Nako-Tabo-Spiti. Our road which was along the Sutlej till now, turned towards the cleaner Spiti river. The pine trees were long gone. There were some apple plantations, but the terrain was largely barren now. The snow peaks were even more nearer. The average altitude was around 9500ft and increasing every hour. There are many small villages on the way. We stopped for lunch at Nako, a small village at a great height. After a nice lunch of Thukpa and Chowmein we went to see the Nako Lake. You can give it a miss if you are in a hurry.
We then started our downhill journey from 12000ft to go to Tabo. We stopped at a village which had this suspension bridge with wooden planks. It was a quite thrilling as the bridge was swaying with the wind, the planks were broken at places, the wind was very strong and the river below had a strong current with ice cold water. We also encountered a herd of Himalayan goats and sheep on the road. They are both very pretty and unique as well.
We stopped by one of the numerous cold water streams (the source of which is snow) to freshen up. The water is crystal clear though cold and it really refreshes you. Such a stream where water falls from a small height is called 'chashma' locally :) .
Just before Tabo village we saw the unique desert like landscape of Spiti where the mountains have steep, smooth slopes with no vegetation. They make for a pretty picture as well.
We then had dinner. We happened to look up at the sky after having our dinner and it was lit up and filled with stars. We had never seen so many stars before. It was quite a sight. The sky is so clear and I guess you have to see it to believe it. We then started our ritual of putting on all the warm clothes for the night.
In these parts it takes more time for you to into your night clothes !
The hotel (Trojan Guesthouse) was nice and clean and comfortable, except that the entire village had no electricity since the previous day! That was the end of Day 3.
Day 4: 20th May - Tabo to Kaza via Dankhar
Got up at around 6.30 am as we had slept early. After a quick bath, we had our breakfast and then went to the very old Tabo Monastery. It has those typical Buddhist paintings, colourful and intricate and is over 1000 years old. A monk took us around the monastery and explained the meaning of the paintings.
Our next stop was a shop which sold locally available stuff including jewellery and woollens. We(Sarika) bought a few ear rings. I really liked some of the jewellery available and felt its a must visit even just to window shop.
We then left for Dankhar Monastery situated atop a tall mountain. Its again a very old monastery. Its structure is delicate and its situation is a bit precarious. The view from its terrace is really pretty. Do take pics. Dankhar is probably best viewed from a distance and that is what you would see in those Dhankar Monastery postcards.
We had had enough of monasteries and hence decided to skip LhaLung Monastery, again a very old and revered monastery of Spiti.
We checked into Snow Lion Hotel. It’s a nice, comfortable hotel. Luckily the electric supply had been restored and we took the chance to recharge our batteries.
We knew Spiti is a cold desert and we were told that it doesn't really rain here and when it does its snowfall!! We took a walk in Kaza town and then rested in our room for a while before having one more round of nice hot tea. The weather had changed during the day. It had become windy and clouds had descended on the mountains. It was now typical Himalayan weather which you encounter at these heights (11000+ft). Temperatures in Kaza get as low as -37 Deg Celsius, so were in serious Himalayan territory !
It had become cold and windy and we were not sure we were going to be able to bear the cold. We had a nice dinner which included Thentuk(a local dish) and Momos and then were going to retire early. While we were finishing our dessert when we got the message that it was snowing ! I could not believe it as it had been a dream for me to see snowfall. We went out and saw light snowfall. I was very excited as it was a first for me. I had followed closely the formation of clouds, their descent and I was now watching snow fall. Wow! It also reinforced the fact you just can't predict the weather in the Himalayas. That was the end of Day 4.
Day 5: 21st May - Kaza Khibber Langza Komic
We got up as always at around 6am. I went out to check the snowfall. As expected it had snowed lightly on the nearby mountain and a bit heavily on the mountains further up.
Everyone in the hotel was asleep. So tea was going to be delayed. We were not very active ourselves any way as it was pretty cold.
We had tea and some snacks we were carrying with us and then decided to have a quick bath (a bath here is actually a quick one always!!).
We then went to see Khibber Village and Kye Monastery. Khibber is a typical Spitian village and Kye is a typical Spitian Monastery. You can take some pics here. Kye Monastery is located on a cliff and hence offers some good photo opportunities from a distance. They are very close to Kaza and you can cover both of them in an hour. Having said that another group which was with us spent over 5 hours at these places! We then decided to go to Langza. This is at a huge height and hence had fresh snow from last night at many places and then as we went higher there was a lot of snow - both fresh and old. We spotted a few birds and most interestingly spotted a fox, grazing Yaks and even deer. These sightings made this trip really worthwhile. Both Langza and Komic Monastery are must visit destinations for the views they offer along the way and the height at which they are located.
On the way back we knew we had had enough of 'villages' and 'monasteries' and we decided to skip the Pin Valley tour planned for the next day and head straight to Sangla from Kaza.
We rested a bit after lunch and then after having some nice hot tea, went to see the Kaza Monastery. This is a new monastery constructed on relatively flat & stable land and is very very pretty.
When we came back it had already become cold and windy. By 6pm the clouds had descended on Kaza. Snowfall seemed imminent. It was going to be another cold night in Spiti.
Kaza has severe power outages and that made our life a bit more difficult here. We could hear the cold wind blowing and all we could do was sit in the relative warmth of our room. Only BSNL works here and hence we had no connectivity as well. But then if you want to stay connected Spiti is anyway not the place to be in!
Day 6: 22nd May - Kaza To Sangla
We got up at 5am and left by 5.50am for Sangla. It was going to be a 10-12 hour day on the road. We stopped for breakfast at Tabo (we had stayed here). The main villages then were Hurling, Sumdo(this is on the Tibet/China border and one can see streams flowing in from across the border here), Malling, Nako, Khab(where Spiti meets a river coming from Tibet), Pooh, Spillow, Poari, Karcham
Sumdo is the village before Kaurik which is on the Tibet/China border.
Just when you think that since you have crossed Spiti and it has become a little hot, the snow clad mountains though visible seem distant, Himachal surprises you with a huge slab of snow which has not melted for over a month.
We stopped for lunch at Spillow and then resumed our journey again. The roads are bad and narrow and hence it takes a lot longer than it should. We took a detour at Karcham for Sangla Valley. Our Hotel, Kinner Camps was a little further ahead from Sangla. It is situated amidst the Pine forest and right opposite snow peaks. You could hear the sound of the beautiful Sangla/Baspa river. It was idyllic and serene.
After some hot pakodas and tea we went down to the river. Our primary motive was to see if we could spot some birds and we sure did see quite a few of them.
The views were great, the Baspa river with its turquoise blue water, pine trees lined up on both sides and snow peaks on top !
We then returned to our tent and sat outside to soak in the views of the Baspa Valley. It wasn't as cold as Spiti which was a relief :). We could not enjoy the evenings in Spiti as they were very cold and windy.
There was a bon fire at the hotel. We chatted with a few other guests at the hotel, had dinner and then went off to sleep. There are no late nights in Himachal and certainly none when you are in a tent (however luxurious it might be) ! That was the end of Day 6 :).
Day 7: 23rd May - Sangla Chitkul
Bed Tea. A bit of bird watching, followed by breakfast and one more round of tea and we were off to Chhitkul. Chhitkul is at a even greater height and has snow and also has great views.
When we reached Chitkul we saw a few clouds over the mountains and it was a lot colder than we had thought it would be. There is an old Chitkul Devi Mandir there and its worth a look because of its woodwork and Himachali architecture. The mandir/temple was closed and hence we could not take darshan. We then decided to go by the beautiful river side. It was cold and then it started to rain. The rain seemed like it was there to stay and we decided to come back to our hotel. When we reached our hotel we saw that it was drizzling and there were a lot of clouds on the mountains. In a few minutes the scene changed and huge clouds appeared, the wind started blowing and it started to rain very heavily. The rain was turning into ice in some places either before or after landing. It was a bit scary and rather unexpected. Our Sangla plans had gone for a toss and we were staying in a tent ! After a nice lunch we returned to the comfort our room/tent and decided to wait and watch.
The weather cleared a bit in the evening and we took the chance to go to the river side again. The views were outstanding again, the clean & clear water of Baspa river, the dense Pine forest, snow peaks on top and the chirping +sighting of some cute birds :). We returned back by 7pm and there were signs that it would rain again and it did. It rained all through the evening and even the night. It was a bit disappointing and even scary to be stuck in tent with lightning, thunder, strong winds and rains. It had also become very cold and though the minimum temperature was only 4 degree Celsius, the feel was a lot colder than that. When it used to clear for a while, the views used to be spectacular because of the clouds floating/flying over the mountains. It was a great experience but one we would not want to repeat :).
That was the end of Day 7 for us.
Day 8: 24th May - Sangla to Shimla
We got up at 6am. We had not slept well on account of all the rain and cold made worse by thunder and lightning. We wanted to go to the relative warmth and comforts of a city like Shimla. The sun had come out today and the views were breath-taking again. Fresh snow on the peaks and white clouds in the pine forest below made for quite a scene. We started our journey through the clouds. The presence of the sun was reassuring. We had a long way to go and the roads along the Satluj were bad and landslide prone.
One road block which was a result of Jaypee Group tunnel for their Hydel Power Project had not been cleared yet. Jaypee has one of their main offices and residential quarters in Sholtu/Tapri for their mega Power Project, the Karcham Wangtoo Power Prject. The road from Tapri to is terrible :(. The roads get better after that. After the roads we experienced in Spiti this was a welcome relief. We stopped at Rampur for lunch and then proceeded first to Mashobra. We picked up fresh and juicy cherries and apricots on the way :).
We stopped by at Naldehra and Mashobra and then checked into our Hotel, The Landmark on Mall Road, Shimla. Shimla has traffic jams, major traffic issues and a lot of people ! Having said that Shimla's Mall Road is quite an interesting road and all the British Heritage Buildings make it really grand. We took a small walk here after freshening up and it lived up to my expectations for sure.
For dinner we stopped by Indian Coffee House on Mall road, primarily for nostalgia's stake. It is probably the busiest restaurant on Mall Road. The place is not so great, the service is bad, the food is not great but the filter coffee is very very good :).
That was the end of Day 8 for us.
Day 9: 25th May - Shimla
Got up as always around 6.30am after a good night's sleep at a proper city hotel :). Had a leisurly breakfast and then finally left for sightseeing at 10.
We went for a walk again on the Mall Road. Of particular interest to us were the heritage sights which showcase the British architecture and quality. Post lunch at this nice little restaurant Tara Bhojanalay (oddly named but good food) we went to the historic Shimla station and saw the Delhi Kalka railway line. We took it easy and then post a nice afternoon nap decided to visit the Mall Road again. But the Hills had other plans. It was that hilly weather again. It started to rain ! We decided to stay in our room and watch some TV for a change.
We then went to Mall Road and this time took a different route and really loved window shopping there. The shops are really old and you have the new age shops of Benetton, Levis, Tommy Hilfiger,etc. and then you have the other shops like Gendamal Hemraj, Baljee's, Sher-e-punjab,etc. Some of these shops have been here since 19th Century. We loved this old world charm of Shimla. After dinner at Baljee's we started our longish walk back home and retired for the day. Shimla meanwhile had become quite cold and we liked that :). Shimla is not such a bad place at all was our conclusion. That was the end of Day 9.
Day 10: 26th May - Shimla to Chandigarh to Mumbai
Post breakfast we took a short walk to see the Vidhan Sabha, Gorton Castle (now AG Office) and returned back to our room for the final packing. We left for Chandigarh at 11.30am and reached Chandigarh Airport by 3.30pm. We had stopped for lunch at Dharampur. We boarded the 5.55pm flight back to Mumbai. Our Spiti Valley Trip had come to an end :)
Written June 16, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
subrat2710
Gurugram (Gurgaon), India13 contributions
Jul 2019
Visited Key monsatery in July 2019 duirng the bike ride to Spiti valley.. From Kaza, we planned a day for sightseeing to Kibber, Langza and Key Monsatery + Komic and Hikkim... all of these can be easily done in a day..
Key monsatery provides a very good view of the river and snow capped peaks in the background.. we were fortunate that the monks there let us go inside the dark caves meant for meditation; that was like a complete different feeling, to imagine monks sitting there in peace for hours and probably days/ months.
Key monsatery provides a very good view of the river and snow capped peaks in the background.. we were fortunate that the monks there let us go inside the dark caves meant for meditation; that was like a complete different feeling, to imagine monks sitting there in peace for hours and probably days/ months.
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gautamroy2000
New Delhi, India78 contributions
Jul 2019
Key Monastery is a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist monastery situated right on top of hill at an altitude of 13,500 ft. The monastery has some really beautiful scriptures & paintings of Lord Buddha and other Gods. The Key gompa is also famous for its priceless collection of ancient thangkas including Tibetan silk thangkas upto 800 years old and frescoes depicting the life of Padmasambhaba. Key village comes just before the key monastery.
Written August 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sharatchandrahc
Bengaluru, India310 contributions
Jul 2019 • Friends
The place provides a lovely scape for landscape photographers. Said to be about 800 year old. Also runs a small school for young monks. Nice old structure. Friendly monks offering you a good tea.
Written August 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sunny Chauhan
Shimla, India186 contributions
Sep 2018 • Solo
The first time i visited this place it was outright peaceful but now its flocked with travelers .one of the most popular monastery in tribal route,still an awesome place to visit and take your family along,had a privilege to visit the place on a cold ,wet day which believe me is a rare day in Spiti as its always dry here ,was offered a butter tea which was awesome.Best time to visit July to mid October. Travel happy respect mountains
Written May 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
755nat
Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hello! I would also like to stay for the night in the monastery. How can I do? Where can I find out availability? Is there any pagina com? Thank you!
Written November 10, 2017
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