Winter Spiti Trip

Day 1 – Delhi to Shimla

• We’ll all gather at Kashmere Gate around 10:00 PM, and that’s where you’ll meet your fellow travellers and your Driftmates trip captain for the very first time.
• Your captain will walk you through everything, the route, the weather, and what to expect on the road ahead. So bring all your questions.
• We all board the overnight bus to Shimla and say bye-bye to Delhi for the next nine days.

Sleep if you can. Tomorrow morning, you’ll wake up to mountains outside your window, and everything begins.

Day 2 – Shimla to Sarahan

• You’ll step out in Shimla early in the morning with cool air blowing on your face to check if your excitement is on point or not!
• Enroute we stop at Naharkanda for a quick break. Step out, stretch, and take in your first real Himalayan view. 
• We arrive in Sarahan and check in, a small quiet town sitting in the Sutlej Valley with mountains watching from every side.
• We visit the famous Bhimakali Temple, an 800-year-old temple that is as beautiful as it is sacred. 
• After the temple, explore the local market, grab something warm to eat, relax, and get to know each other a little more.

Day 2 done and Sarahan already feels like a different world. Rest well tonight because tomorrow the real drive begins.

Day 3 – Sarahan to Sangla / Chitkul

• After having breakfast, pack your bags. Today’s drive is one for the books, so don’t forget to check if your excitement is still on point.
• We drive the famous Hindustan-Tibet Highway, one of the most thrilling mountain roads in the world, cut straight into the cliffs with the valley falling away below.
• You’ll pass through Kinnaur Gate, a dramatic cliffhanger route that makes you realise this is unlike any road you’ve driven before.
• We drive alongside the roaring Baspa River the whole way, loud, fast, and absolutely wild next to us all through the valley.
• We reach Chitkul, the last village before the India-Tibet border. Old wooden houses, a frozen river, and a silence you’ve genuinely never heard before.
• If heavy snow blocks the road, we will be staying in Sangla Valley instead.

Step outside after dinner and look up at the sky. Stars in the mountains hit differently. Trust us on this one.

Day 4 – Chitkul to Tabo

• We have breakfast in the valley before we head out. It’s going to be a long and beautiful drive, so start the day well.
• As we move through Kinnaur, watch the scenery quietly change around you, less green, more rock, and a whole lot more open sky.
• We stop at Khab Sangam, where the Sutlej and Spiti rivers crash into each other right between massive cliffs. 
• We make a stop at Nako Lake sitting at 3,660M, often half frozen in winter and surrounded by complete stillness. 
• We arrive at Tabo Monastery (996 AD), one of the oldest monasteries in the world still in use today. The paintings on these walls have been there for over a thousand years. 
• Night stay in Tabo village, small, peaceful, and genuinely one of the quietest nights of the entire trip.

Dinner, some chai, and a sky full of stars above Tabo. Tomorrow gets even more interesting, so rest up.

Day 5 – Tabo to Kaza

• After a tummyful breakfast, we leave for our next stop at Dhankar Monastery, perched right on the edge of a cliff above the Spiti River with the ruins of Dhankar Fort beside it. This used to be the capital of Spiti, and one look tells you why.
• We stop at Lingti Falls, frozen completely solid in winter into a towering wall of ice.
• By evening we reach Kaza at 3,800M, the main town in Spiti and our home for the next two nights. Check in, get warm, and eat something really good.

You’re in the heart of Spiti now. Tomorrow is the day everyone actually comes here for, so get a good night’s rest.

Day 6 – Kaza Sightseeing

Big breakfast, bigger day. Today we head to some of the highest places on Earth.

• We visit Key Monastery, the biggest in Spiti, sitting on a hill with colourful prayer flags and a view of the whole valley stretching out below.
• We walk across Chicham Bridge, the highest suspension bridge in Asia. Walk to the middle, look down, and take a slow breath. Yes, it is worth it.
• We stop at Hikkim Post Office at 4,440M, one of the highest post offices in the world. Write a postcard to someone back home, they will love getting it.
• We drive up to Komic Village at 4,587M, one of the highest villages on Earth where people actually live. A few homes, some horses, and sky as far as you can see.
• Lastly, we visit Langza Village, where real sea fossils sit right in the rocks and a giant Buddha watches quietly over the valley below.

Some days you just know this is the one you will talk about for years. Tonight let it all sink in over a warm meal in Kaza.

Day 7 – Kaza to Kalpa

• After breakfast we start the long drive back. Trees slowly return, the air gets a little warmer, and Spiti quietly fades behind us.
• We visit Gue Monastery, home to a 500-year-old naturally mummified monk, one of the most unique and unexpected sights of the entire trip.
• We drive back through Kinnaur Valley, the same roads we came on, but you will notice very different things on the way out.
• We reach Kalpa by evening, and Kinnaur Kailash is right there catching the last light of the day, looking like an old friend now.

Day 8 – Kalpa to Shimla

• Pack your bags slowly this morning. Take one last proper look at Kinnaur Kailash, same mountain, but today it hits just a little differently.
• We stop at Suicide Point, where the valley drops away into what looks like infinite mountains. • We drive back on the Hindustan-Tibet Highway, and this time you will catch all the things you were too excited to notice on Day 2.
• We reach Shimla by evening. Hot meal, warm room, and a whole head full of memories from the last seven days.
• We board the overnight bus back to Delhi. The mountains slowly disappear in the rearview mirror and you realise you are not quite ready to leave.

Eight days of mountains, cold air, and good people.

Day 9 – Delhi Arrival

• We reach Delhi in the early morning.

The trip ends here but what you saw and felt stays with you.

Inclusions

✔ Volvo / AC Semi-Sleeper Bus Tickets for Delhi–Shimla and Shimla–Delhi (as per itinerary).

✔ All Internal Transfers in Tempo Traveler (Shimla to Shimla) for the entire road journey including sightseeing mentioned in the itinerary.

✔ Accommodation for 6 Nights (Sangla/Chitkul → Kalpa → Nako → Kaza → Kalpa as per itinerary) on triple sharing basis.

Double sharing available at additional cost (subject to availability).

✔ Meals as per MAP plan: Day 2 – Dinner; Day 3 to Day 7 – Breakfast & Dinner; Day 8 – Breakfast only.

✔ Experienced Driftmates Trip Leader / Captain throughout the journey.

✔ All Sightseeing & Transfers mentioned in the day-wise itinerary (subject to weather and road conditions).

✔ Driver Allowance, Toll Taxes, Parking Charges & State Permits.

✔ Basic First Aid Kit carried by the trip leader.

Exclusions

✘ Any meals not specifically mentioned in the inclusions (Lunches are excluded).

✘ Personal expenses such as snacks, tea/coffee, bottled water, shopping, laundry, tips, etc.

✘ Entry tickets to monuments, monasteries, museums, camera/video charges (if applicable).

✘ Any adventure activities not mentioned in the itinerary.

✘ Travel insurance (strongly recommended for winter travel).

✘ Medical expenses, evacuation costs, or hospitalization in case of emergency.

✘ Costs arising due to natural calamities, landslides, snowfall blockages, road closures, political disturbances, or any unforeseen circumstances beyond control.

✘ Heater charges at hotels (if applicable and payable directly at the property).

✘ Any additional accommodation or transport required due to weather delays.

✘ Anything not explicitly mentioned in the “Inclusions” section.

Payment Policy

✔ To confirm your booking, a minimum of 30% of the total trip cost must be paid at the time of booking.

✔ The remaining 70% of the total amount must be cleared at least 30 days prior to the departure date.

✔ In case the booking is made within 30 days of departure, 100% payment is required at the time of booking.

✔ Failure to adhere to the payment schedule may result in automatic cancellation of the booking without prior notice, and applicable cancellation charges will apply.

Cancellation Policy

✔ The booking amount (30%) is non-refundable under all circumstances.

✔ Cancellations made 30 days or more prior to the departure date will attract a cancellation charge of 20% of the total trip cost.

✔ Cancellations made within 30 days of departure will attract 100% cancellation charges (no refund).

✔ If the remaining balance payment is not cleared within the specified timeline, the booking will stand cancelled automatically and the amount paid will be forfeited without refund.

✔ No refund will be provided for unused services, no-shows, or early exit from the trip.