Spiti Valley road trip from Kangra

The Kinnaur route via Shimla, Sarahan and Kalpa is open most of the year and is the one we use going in, because it gains height gradually. The Manali route over Kunzum Pass is only open roughly June to October. Doing the circuit — in via Kinnaur, out via Kunzum and the Atal Tunnel — is the best way round, and it needs that summer window.

Yes. Kaza sits at about 3,800 m and Komic and Chandratal are higher. That is why we go in the long way, so you gain height over days rather than hours, and why the itinerary has rest built in rather than a race to the top. Anyone with a heart or lung condition should speak to a doctor first, and we will restructure the plan around a slower ascent if asked.

Indian nationals need no permit for the main Spiti circuit. Foreign nationals need an Inner Line Permit for the stretch through upper Kinnaur near the border, which is issued at Reckong Peo or Shimla — bring passport copies and photographs. Tell us your nationalities when you book so we can build the stop in.

Mixed, and honestly rough in parts. The old Hindustan–Tibet road through Kinnaur is cut into cliffs with sections of loose surface; beyond Kaza the roads to Chandratal and over Kunzum are unmetalled. This is not a drive to attempt in a hired hatchback, and it is why the trip needs a driver who has done it before.

Guesthouses and homestays — simple, clean and warm, but not hotels. Chandratal is tented camps only, with no permanent structures. Signal is patchy: BSNL and Jio work in Kaza and some villages, and there is none at Chandratal. Tell family at home to expect gaps rather than worry about them.

Seven at an absolute minimum from Kangra, and eight or nine is the honest answer for the full circuit with proper acclimatisation. Anyone offering it in four or five days is either skipping half of it or driving you too high too fast.

Mid-June to mid-October for the full circuit — Kunzum Pass on the Manali side is closed by snow until the BRO clears it, usually around mid-June. Outside that window we run it as an out-and-back from the Shimla and Kinnaur side, which stays open longer. Conditions can shift within a day even in season.

Kaza sits near 3,800 m and Kunzum higher still, so it is a real consideration rather than a formality. The plan gains height deliberately slowly — Sarahan, then Kalpa, then Tabo — and builds in an acclimatisation day at Kaza before the high villages. Tell us about any heart or breathing condition when you book.