Introduction

The trip to Spiti Valley has been my best decision ever in my life. The natural beauty of Himalayas, the adventurous roads, the beautiful authentic culture of Himachal Pradesh, the remote areas and what not. This is completely a Paisa Vasool trip in just 10k with lifetime memories and extraordinary tourist spots. 

Connectivity Issue in Spiti Valley

The major problem which arises when tourists wish to travel to Spiti Valley is the remote location. The flight and rail connectivity is extremely poor. The nearest airports are Shimla and Kullu, which are very small airports having flights only from Alliance Air to Delhi and nearby cities. Also the rail connectivity is to Shimla with toy trains running from Kalka(Chandigarh).

Connectivity with HRTC and private vehicles

So the only option left would be on the road and even luxurious buses operate only till Reckong Peo and then only normal HRTC buses are the option. The only option left is via your own/rental vehicles or HRTC buses, which are even limited and their service is extremely amazing but in very difficult conditions like weather issues or roadblocks they’re helpless.

I have already made a separate blog, which explains in detail about the guide to explore Spiti if you have your own vehicle or taxis(Spiti Trip Plan with your own vehicle). But the main reason why people miss themselves from traveling is cost and after traveling all the states of India at minimal cost, I can assure you that with good planning easily the cost can be reduced to a greater extent, which you can read below the detailed guide to visit entire Spiti in 10k.

I planned this trip from various resources available online, few blogs, videos. Here is the organized plan for your entire trip at minimal cost.

Prerequisites

• Whole trip would be in HRTC buses except renting bike in Kaza and trust me this can be done
• HRTC offers 50% discount for female travelers reducing the entire trip total cost by 20-30% more
• I am assuming two people or even number of people are taking this trip (Double bed rooms and rental bike)
• Stay at monastery is unpredictable and depends on various conditions. If you stay in monastery then the cost would be none or marginal, taking down the total cost.
• This is a round trip, you start from Shimla side and come back from Manali side, or vice versa. If you go from Shimla side and come back on the same route then cost goes up a little bit
• Unless mentioned the cost of the rooms per night would be 800 Rs. We paid around 500-800 Rs everywhere for 2 persons.
• The daily cost of the food I’m assuming is 400 per person, which would be pretty much the same everywhere. It depends on your expenses.

Spiti Valley, Detailed Travel Guide

So, for someone who is planning to visit Spiti Valley, this is the first travel guide assuming you are traveling on your own in rental vehicles or your own vehicles.

Day 0 : Reach Shimla

The best plan to start Spiti Valley is from Shimla. One can reach Shimla from Chandigarh after departing at night and start your journey on the same day or take a day or two off in Shimla and then proceed ahead. The distance is 111 kms on the road.  HRTC buses are frequently available between Chandigarh to Shimla all day. 

Day 1 : Journey on Hindustan-Tibet Highway (Shimla-Kalpa)

I recommend starting as early as possible by around 5-6 AM, even 4AM from Shimla as you need a lot of time due to road diversions and traffic ahead. The total distance is around 216 kms which takes 8-9 hours.

The first bus to Reckong Peo is at 4 AM and direct bus to Kalpa is at 6:10 AM. There are also direct buses to Reckong Peo from Delhi, Haridwar, Chandigarh, Hamirpur, etc. you can make their use as well. Try to reach as early as possible and enjoy the beautiful sunset in Kalpa. There are many hotels available in Kalpa(My experience in Kalpa and Kalpa Detailed Travel Guide). 

Expenses

Food (400) + Bus [Shimla to Kalpa] (555) + Stay (400)

Total = 1355

Day 2 : Explore Kalpa and surrounding places

Stay at Kalpa and explore the surrounding places. Wake up early and try to view the sunrise from the Mountains and Kinnaur Kailash. Staying in Kalpa or even Reckong Peo is a good option. It’s not recommended to travel to Chitkul on the same day as the journey takes too much time and you might be in trouble driving on difficult roads at night.

Expenses

Food (400) + Stay (400)

Total = 800

Day 3 : Travel to Chitkul

Once again start as early as possible in the morning as the journey takes pretty long. Though the distance is less, 63 kms, the narrow and challenging roads make the journey longer. Also you can spend the whole day in Chitkul and go ahead to your next destination. There is a direct bus to Chitkul from Kalpa at 8:15 AM, don’t miss it from Kalpa Main Bus Stand. If you miss, then there are 2 buses to Chitkul from Reckong Peo after this one. Check HRTC detailed bus timetable here .

You can spend the whole day in Chitkul and enjoy the beauty of the Himalayas. There’s nothing much to explore in Chitkul, so one day is enough. There are a few hotels and homestays available(My Experience in Chitkul and Detailed Chitkul Guide). We stayed in Himalayan Tribe Hostel and we paid 300 per person for a decent dormitory, which I recommend for everyone. It is very close to bus stand as well.

Expenses

Food (400) + Stay (300) + Bus [ Kalpa to Chitkul ] (200)

Total = 900

Day 4 : Explore Sangla Valley-Hindustan Tibet Highway, travel to Nako

You have to start from Chitkul as early as possible because the first bus to Peo from Chitkul is at 6:00 AM. If you miss this, then the next bus would be at 12, so then you should go to Peo and then a day halt which is a waste of time and money. So take the first bus at 6AM and tell the driver you wish to go to Nako, he would help you catch Rampur-Kaza bus departing Peo at 9AM. Though the next bus to Nako is at 12:30PM from Peo.

 The distance between Chitkul to Nako is 147 kms and you can reach it by afternoon. (Read my Experience on this Journey here). You can stay there and have a good time exploring monastery, lake and surrounding views.

Expenses

Food(400) + Bus (500) + Stay (400)

Total = 1300

Bonus Tip

You can extend your trip by staying for a day in Sangla and then continuing the same journey the next day.

Day 5: Explore Nako, travel to Tabo

Nako is another lovely village in Spiti Valley. The mud houses, lake and the monastery make it very beautiful. The village is pretty small and doesn’t take much time to cover. One can experience staying at mud houses and have a great experience.(Nako Travel Guide)

One can depart to Tabo by HRTC and reach Tabo by afternoon/evening. Tabo is another lovely village on the way to Kaza with Tabo Monastery, Spiti River and Caves. (My Experience in Tabo and Detailed Travel Guide to Tabo). There are 2 buses from Peo to Kaza, one departing from Peo at 6AM and other at 9AM. Ask the local people about the exact timings which they reach Nako.

Stay at Tabo Monastery Guest House

This is one of the best part of Tabo. One can stay at Monastery guest house in Tabo and the cost is very affordable compared to outside costs. One can experience the life with monks which would be a great experience.

Expenses

Food(400) + Bus (150) + Stay (300)

Total = 950

Bonus Tip

One can visit Gue Mommy on the way to Tabo from Nako. The village name is called Gue Village.

Day 6: Explore Tabo and reach Kaza, HQ of Spiti Valley

After staying at Tabo, you can roam around Tabo in the morning and then pack your bags to explore further. Explore the Tabo Monastery, Meditation Caves, River View Point in Tabo.  Then can take the same Peo-Kaza bus to reach Kaza by evening.

Expenses

Food(400) + Bus (100) + Stay (400)

Total = 900  

Day 7 : Roaming around in Kaza – Chicham Bridge, Key Monastery, Kibber

Welcome to Kaza – The HQ of Spiti Valley. This is the largest town in this area.  One has to rent vehicle for 2 days to explore whole of Spiti Valley. There is an option to book taxi or rent bike for sightseeing. Alto rent for a day costs 3600 for whole day from Spiti Taxi Union, but I’d recommend to rent a bike to travel at your own pace and stop by at various beautiful view points. (Read My Experience in Kaza and Detailed guide to Kaza)

One can rent bike from Kaza market and various kinds of bikes are available, like scooty to various RE bikes including Classic 350, Himalayan and many more. Scooty costs 1000 per day and RE costs more. As its a budget trip, I’d consider traveling with scooty which reduces fuel cost as well. I can assure you that you can easily cover all places with scooty with good riding skills.

Continue towards Manali road and before the bridge catch the diversion towards Kee and visit the lovely Kee Monastery. Then continue ahead on the same road to Chicham and reach the Highest Bridge of Asia – Chicham Bridge. One can also visit Kibber village and enjoy the scenic beauty all around. All these places are nearby, around 15-20 kms from Kaza, so it shouldn’t take much time to travel. Start as early as possible and finish these things by afternoon.

The diversion to all these places is just outside Kaza on Manali road and again it’s around 15-10 kms from Kaza, so won’t take longer time. You’ll first reach Langza, a beautiful Buddha Statue, then Hikkim, the Highest Post Office of the World and Komic, Highest Village of the World Connected by motorable road.

You can stay in Kee Monastery if monks allow you to stay or return back to Kaza and stay there. Also one can stay at Komic for a different kind of experience

Expenses

Food (400) + Stay (400) + Rental Bike & Fuel (650)

Total = 1450

Day 8 : Roaming around Kaza – Dhankar, Pin Valley, Mudd

This would be the second day of exploring Spiti Valley around Kaza. This day one can come towards Tabo road and head towards Dhankar Monastery and then go to Pin Valley, Mudd Village. If you start early then you’ll be back by evening. You have to be back by evening as next morning the bus to Manali would depart sharp at 6.

Expenses

Food (400) + Stay (400) + Rental Bike & Fuel (650)

Total = 1450

If you start early, you can be back to Kaza easily by evening and spend time in Kaza at the Monastery and Himalayan Cafe.

Bonus Tip 

One can stay even at Mudd or Dhankar Monastery, which is a very remote village and at a very high altitude, with too cold weather round the year.

Day 9 : Back to Manali

You need a complete day to reach Manali by the Manali-Kaza Highway. The distance is around 210 kms but the road is terrible and hence takes too much time. Also before Manali you pass through Atal Tunnel as well. (Read My Experience here). The Kaza-Manali bus is seasonal, check the schedule before you plan your journey. You’ll reach Manali by the end of day.

Bonus Tips 

One can extend their stay in Kaza for another day and enjoy the beauty of the town.

Also one can stay in the camps at Chandratal Lake, which is truly a lifetime experience for someone who loves stargazing.

Expenses

Food (400) + Stay (400) + Bus [Kaza to Manali] (500)

Total = 1300

This was the short 9-12 days plan to visit the entire Kinnaur and Spiti Valley. There are many more remote villages to visit all around, but these are the must visit and the popular places. Also here are some things to keep in mind before you plan this trip

Things to Keep in Mind

• Kaza-Manali road is open only for 5-6 months in a year from April, May to November, plan accordingly. Even Chandratal Lake is also open in the same season.
• If you skip the Manali-Kaza road, you need 2 days to come back to Shimla on the same way via Reckong Peo, hence taking another day extra than planned.
• One can extend their stays at any specific village if they need, which extend the trip duration
• Road to Chitkul and even the Shimla Reckong Peo is subject to weather conditions. Please check the road conditions beforehand
• Its recommended to start journey from Shimla side as you gain altitude gradually and don’t fall in the danger of falling sick due to AMS
• Also I am pointing out to start early as no vehicles usually travel after evening and hence to make complete use of the day start early.
• Whole Spiti and Kinnaur Valley is covered with a good network, that shouldn’t be a problem anywhere.
• Read the detailed HRTC Timings in Spiti and Kinnaur Valley here

The individual guide to all the places are mentioned in the same site in some other blogs. I have mentioned the links, please check it out for more information.

Expenses

After adding up all the expenses, it actually comes nearly 10,305.

Which is nearly 1000 per day which is a very great deal to explore the entire Spiti and Kinnaur Valley. As said, female travelers spend almost 1000 less and total cost with HRTC is around 2000. Even if you stay at monasteries the stay would be usually free, which in turn reduces the trip budget.

If you add up the misc. expenses, then the budget would be 12k which is a pretty good deal.

Conclusion

This was a brief guide on planning your trip to Spiti Valley on budget with HRTC which can be finished around 10000. This was specific to the ones who wish to travel on budget. The detailed guide to Budget Travel to Spiti Valley with your own vehicle is here. Also this information is based on my trip to Spiti in October 2023. Comment below if you have any questions or queries, also if there are any modifications to be done.