5 MUST-DOs on a trip to SPITI

Journey to SPITI is amazingly beautiful but a tough one. High rocky hills kissing the sky, muddy water streams cutting furiously through the hills and small villages popping-up their beautiful face every now and then. All this has a price to pay - bumpy ride, road blocks, no petrol pumps for kilometers and low oxygen levels. But if you are a true traveller you will enjoy every moment of the journey... "Journey is Destination" after-all. 

Journey through treacherous roads

Based on my travel experiences, here are some MUSTs on this trip: 

1. MUST SCHEDULE AROUND - 

Lafarcha Fair, Kaza

Try and plan your trip around local festivals. There is no better way to experience their culture than to be a part of the festivities. Below is the calendar of fair and festivals in the region:

Month	Place	Fair/Festival Name
Jan/Feb	Pattan Valley	Khogla
Jan/Feb	Lahaul Valley	Halda
Febuary	Lahaul	Fagli
Febuary	Bhaga Valley (Lahaul)	Gothsi (Gochi)
June/July	Shashur, Kardang, Gemur, Kyi Gompas in Lahal & Spiti	Tsheshu Fair
August	Kaza (Spiti)	Ladarcha Fair
August	Udaipur (Lahaul)	Pauri Fair
August	Keylong (Lahaul)	Tribal Fair

2. MUST STAY - 
Stay at home-stays in villages like Langza and Kibber. This will give you an opportunity to support the locals and also to understand and feel the culture of the place. The home-stay will be a basic accommodation but hospitality is not about sterile environments, but welcoming ones. Home made traditional meals will be accompanied by great conversations and you will find out and learn about not only places but also people. 

You can comfortably chose to stay in Kaza (that have all the facilities and comforts) and do day trips to these villages but if you have made an effort to do this treacherous journey and reach these remote villages, as an aware citizen and a good human being you must live with them for a night to understand the life of high Himalayas and support the poor villagers in whatever possible way. The villagers have high self respect and will not accept any charity unless you take their services.

3. MUST DO - 

• Post a letter/ post-card from the highest post office of the world, HIKKIM, elevation: 4440mt.;

Posting a letter from 
the highest post office of the world

World's highest post office

• Take a small walk around LANGZA, you might stumble upon some sea fossils;

Picking up fossils while walking around Langza

• Do stay overnight at Dhankar - the clear sky and countless starts will amaze you. And do trek to Dhankar lake... Its an easy trek of 2hrs worth doing. 

Trek to Dhankar lake, monastery and village in the background

4. MUST VISIT: 

• Dhankar monastery dramatically located on a cliff overlooking the confluence of Spiti and Pin Rivers.

• The ancient paintings and stucco images that date back to the 11th century at TABO. You are not allowed to click those paintings.

In TABO caves 

• World's highest village COMIC 

World's Highest Village Comic

5. MUST DRINK -  

• Ghur-ghur tea - It's salted tea with butter in it. Locals believe that you don't feel thirsty frequently if you drink this. 
• Also don't miss masala tea that monks serve generously to visitors of KEE Monastery.  
• Local wine made from apple and apricot. It's not easily available but if you have good PR skills and have made friends with locals, you might be lucky to be offered some.
• The mountain water we get in those high hills is in its purest form. Make it a habit not to buy mineral water when in Himalayas.  

Since it's a tough journey I would suggest to plan it with experts and make the best of your experience. I suggest doing it with INDIAN TERRAINS, they have an itinerary that covers it all.

HAPPY TRAVELLING!

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5 reasons you should trek to Chandrashila Summit in monsoons

#1. Nature at its best.

During the monsoon months, the region is absolutely covered with fresh greens and the meadows are at their best. The greenery of Chopta will welcome you and you can enjoy sipping your cup of tea with simple locals while gazing at the snow capped peaks. 

#2 . One of the easiest and shortest well-paved trek to reach the altitude of 4000 mts.

 The trekking distances are short and first timers with reasonable level of fitness can also complete this trek quite easily. The way is well paved so no monsoon worries.

 Chandrashila peak at an altitude of 4,000 meters. The trek to the peak is 5 km. The trek route that starts from Chopta takes one to Tungnath (highest Shiva temple in the World), from here it is a kilometer long trek.  It can be done on pony if you can't trek for some reason.

#3. It is an impressive vantage point that offers 360 degrees panoramic views of the mighty Himalayas.

From the summit you can see big Himalayan peaks (Nanda Devi, Trishul, Chaukhamba and many more) and surrounding valleys in all directions. one gets wonderful views of the Himalayan giants including Bandarpoonch, Kedar, Chaukhamba peak and many more. 
The hide and seek of sun and clouds during monsoons make it even more interesting. And if you are lucky... you'll get to see multiple rainbows.

#4. Chances of Spotting Monal and Mountain rats increase:

There are high chances you get to spot Monal when they come out in the meadows after rains. Mountain rats also make frequent guest appearances on the way.

#5. The Drive

Driving through thick fog and lush green washed forests will leave you spellbound.

Can't wait to do this trek? Check the trip details here-  http://chaloletsgo.com/hidden-beauty-in-himalayas-chopta/and call me @9999731115 to register

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Making up your mind for LADAKH

You want to go to Ladakh but have some queries? Read on... 

What is the best time for Ladakh?
June to September is the good time to explore Ladakh. 

Whether to fly to Leh or do a road trip? 
In today’s zipping lifestyle, all it takes is to take a flight to Leh, hire a cab, and visit the exotic locations following the established routes. Now that is not the right way to explore Ladakh...

Take time out from your busy schedules and do it on road enjoying the drive through lush green pine forests; passing through numerous old monastic complexes; witnessing drastic scenery changes from green pines to rocky mountains that change color at every turn… grey, blue, pink, purple, violet… it reflects all shades at some point. 
Its once in a lifetime experience so don't settle for anything less than a road trip just because its difficult to take much time off from your busy schedule. The smooth drives gets difficult and then dangerous on the rocky terrains of high Himalayas, but then every second and all the effort will be worth it!

Weather or not my body will be able to sustain high altitude?
We know mountains are not the same as the plains. Temperature, humidity, oxygen content, air pressure etc, all work in various ways on your body; a body that is not acclimatized to these conditions. A condition that, many a times, hits travelers is AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) also known as Altitude Sickness.
This condition can easily be avoided. The key to avoiding AMS is a gradual ascent that gives your body time to acclimatize. Spend at least one night at an intermediate elevation below 3000 meters. At altitudes above 3000 meters, your sleeping elevation should not increase more than 300-500 meters per night. So be very careful while finalizing your itinerary. 
I personally recommend INDIAN TERRAIN'S Himalayan Vogage – An Ultimate road trip to Ladakh .  I am an asthma patient and I did Ladakh in 2012 without any Altitude Sickness.Thanks to their well planned itinerary. 

Things to avoid: Alcohol, Sleeping pills (acetazolamide is the sleeping tablet of choice at altitude) and Narcotic pain medications in more than modest doses. Respiratory depression (the slowing down of breathing) can be caused by various medications, and may be a problem at altitude. 

Take rest for a day (don't involve in anything that exerts you) after reaching Leh.

More tips like what all to pack, how to make the best of the trip etc. in the next post. Keep reading.

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