Spiti · Christmas & New Year (Affordable)
Chitkul / Sangla · Tabo · Kaza · Kalpa · On the bus
- Pickup
- Delhi
- Drop
- Delhi
- Next departures
- 19 Dec · 23 Dec · 26 Dec
What you are signing up for
Swap the usual Christmas and New Year plans for snow, stars and a bonfire in the Himalaya. Ride up overnight from Delhi, cross into Kinnaur at Chitkul, stop at Nako Lake on the way to Tabo, then spend three nights in a Kaza homestay for Dhankar, Key and the high villages of Hikkim, Komic and Langza. We sort the stays, permits, meals and every drive. You just pack warm and show up.
Highlights
- Chitkul in the snow
- Nako Lake
- Tabo and Dhankar
- The high villages
- Key and Chicham
- A bonfire under the stars
All 7 days
Chitkul / Sangla— 1 night
Delhi → Shimla
Switch to a Tempo Traveller in Shimla and drive past Kufri and Narkanda on the old Hindustan–Tibet road.
Pass through the Kinnaur Gate, a tunnel cut through the rock, into the Kinnaur valley.
Reach Chitkul, the last village before the border, deep in winter snow. Night in Chitkul or Sangla.
On to Tabo
Tabo— 1 night
Part Two · Into Spiti
An early breakfast, then into Spiti over the Ka Loops.
Stop at Nako Lake, a little lake in a high Kinnaur village.
Reach Tabo by evening and visit Tabo Monastery, the oldest in Spiti.
On to Kaza
Kaza— 3 nights
Part Two · Into Spiti
Breakfast, then up to Dhankar village.
Visit Dhankar Monastery, set on a cliff above where the Spiti and Pin rivers meet.
Reach Kaza by evening for three nights in a homestay.
Send a postcard home from Hikkim, one of the highest post offices in the world.
Warm up at a café in Komic, one of the highest villages you can drive to.
See the big Buddha at Langza and look for marine fossils on its slopes, then back to Kaza.
Visit Key Monastery, the largest in Spiti, stacked on its hill above the valley.
Cross Chicham Bridge, hanging high above a deep gorge.
A last evening in Kaza, with dinner back at the stay.
Drive to Kalpa
Kalpa— 1 night
Part Four · Homeward
Check out of Kaza after breakfast.
A long, scenic drive back down through Kinnaur.
Reach Kalpa by night for dinner and a warm bed.
One last breakfast with mountain views before the long drive out.
Drive back to Shimla, about 10–11 hours on the road.
Board the overnight Volvo to Delhi.
Reach Delhi in the morning.
Say goodbye to the crew, with a phone full of snow photos.
Book onward trains or flights for after 2 PM.
6 nights, town by town
Chitkul / Sangla
Hotel, twin sharing
Tabo
Hotel, twin sharing
Kaza
Hotel, twin sharing
Kalpa
Hotel, twin sharing
What is and is not included
Included
- Volvo, Delhi ⇄ Shimla
- Tempo Traveller for all sightseeing and transfers
- 6 nights: Chitkul/Sangla 1, Tabo 1, Kaza 3 (homestays), Kalpa 1
- 12 meals: dinner on Day 1, breakfast & dinner Days 2-6, breakfast Day 7
- Experienced Trip Captain throughout
- All inner line permits
- Driver night charges, tolls and parking
- Oxygen cylinder on standby for emergencies
- One bonfire night
- 24×7 support from our operations team
Not included
- 5% GST
- Lunches, meals in transit, drinks and any meals not listed
- Personal expenses and tips
- Guides and porters
- Shimla sightseeing, and anything outside the itinerary
- A 4x4, if heavy snow closes the road to larger vehicles
- Costs from weather, road closures, medical emergencies or other unforeseen events
- Anything not listed under inclusions
Other information
Built for solo travellers after a crew, friends who hate planning, and couples who'd rather not hold the itinerary.
Pack this
- A down jacket, thermals, gloves and a beanie
- Snow boots or waterproof shoes with grip
- Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm
- Motion-sickness tablets for mountain roads
- Regular medicines and a small first- aid kit
- Cash: ATMs and networks are patchy
Plans can move Weather, roads and closures can change a day. We carry an alternative for each one rather than cancelling it.
What to eat in Spiti
Momos
Steamed dumplings.
Thukpa
Noodle soup.
Tingmo
Steamed bread.
Seabuckthorn juice
Sharp, orange, everywhere up here.
Thentuk
Pulled noodle soup.
When to go
Every town on this route has its own weather. Pick a month to see the real numbers for each one.
Dec on this route
Spiti averages -3° by day and -13° after dark, with rain on 6 days of the month.
Typical conditions, not a forecast — weather models only run about a fortnight ahead. Daily records averaged per calendar month (Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis). Temperature bars scaled 15 °C to 35 °C, rain bars to 30 days.
Real stories, real escapes.
-
The route sold it — Chitkul / Sangla, Tabo, Kaza in 8 days without me planning a thing. Kaza to Kalpa was the day everyone had come for, and it delivered. Already looking at their Manali, Kasol & Tirthan trip.
Faiza Menon, Vadodara
-
6 nights was exactly right — long enough to settle, short enough to take off work. The pace was honest — a couple of early starts, and they told us in advance rather than springing them. Already looking at their Manali, Kasol & Tirthan trip.
Meera Pillai, Delhi
-
Paid, packed, turned up. That was genuinely the whole job. Transfers and check-ins were sorted before we arrived anywhere, which I had not expected at this price. Worth every rupee, and I am not easy to please on that.
Rhea Gupta, Jaipur
-
Booked this one fairly late and still got a seat on the December batch. Stays were simple rather than fancy, clean, and always where they said they would be. Would book with them again without checking anywhere else first.
Imran Mehta, Coimbatore
-
First group trip for me, and Kufri on day one took the nerves out of it. Ka Loops is the bit I keep describing to people who did not go. Would book with them again without checking anywhere else first.
Rohan Khanna, Ahmedabad
Not sure it is your group?
Tell us who is coming and when you are free. We will say honestly whether this departure fits, or build a private one that does.
Chat on WhatsAppOne message. A person replies, usually within the hour.