Kinnaur-Lahaul-Spiti Valley in 12 Days – Day 1
Spiti is every traveler’s dream – this is the closest you could get to Shangri-La. Have you been to the Himalayas? You might have been to Himachal Pradesh to Manali, Shimla, or trekked to Kheerganga. Perhaps, you have visited Uttarakhand, and been to Dehradun, Mussoorie, or trekked in the “Valley of Flowers”. Typical scenery of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand includes vast green pastures, dense jungles, small villages, English houses, and churches. However, Spiti is nothing like this – it is one of the most bizarre and gorgeous places to visit. The word “Spiti” means “The Middle Land”, as it is the land between India and Tibet. Even the lowest part of the valley is at least 4,000 m above sea level, and this high altitude makes Spiti a unique place to live. We managed to explore Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti valleys in 14 days. Our first destination was Shoghi.
Highlights of the Day
- Meeting at Chandigarh Airport
- Chandigarh to Shoghi
- Aamod at Shoghi
Chandigarh Airport – The Meeting Point
Richie and I arrived at the Chandigarh airport from Kolkata airport by early afternoon. Sangitha arrived from Bangalore at the same time. Three more friends – Joy, Neerav, Gaurav – from Delhi and Vinay from Mumbai had already arrived in the morning. Two vehicles – Toyota Innova – were waiting outside the airport – one led by Golu and the other led by Deepak.
Vinay and Richie have plans to cycle at few stretches of the incredible road journey we were heading to. Hence, they brought their bicycles via flight.
Today, we aimed to reach Shoghi, which is around 120 km away from the airport. We left the airport at around 1 PM. However, on the way, we made a brief stopover at Decathlon to pick up suitable high-altitude clothing and shoes we might be needing.
Why Shoghi? Why Not Shimla?
You may head directly to Shimla from Chandigarh airport. However, we find Shimla to be extremely touristy. In other words, it has almost lost the charm it used to hold years back, thanks to over-tourism. Hence, we chose to stay in the ‘Temple town’ of Himachal Pradesh – Shoghi. It is just 15 km before Shimla on NH-22, also known as Shimla-Ambala Highway. This small suburban town located in Solan district is marked with plenty of temples. This hill station is also famous for astonishing view of the snow-capped Himalayas.
We reached Aamod at Shoghi at around 5 PM, just an hour before sunset. As our car stopped, we found ourselves on a gentle hill slope, under a thick cover of oak and rhododendron trees.
Aamod at Shoghi
Aamod at Shoghi is an eco-tourism resort set in pristine virgin forest, on a land provided by Himachal Pradesh Forest Department. The word “Aamod” means ‘joy’ in Sanskrit – this resort undoubtedly lives up to its name. It is primarily spread across mountain slope and mountain tops.
The resort attendant arrived at the parking to take us to the reception by an SUV. Few of us chose to walk up the reception.
After checking in at the reception, the bellboy escorted us to our respective cottages. Accommodation is in cute little cottages, both single and double with enough privacy around. We had the option of staying in cottage clusters as we were in group.
Activities at Aamod at Shoghi
There were little things that delighted us beside the rustic ambiance of our cottage. For example, chilling in the Jacuzzi at the top and enjoying sunset from there. They have a spa that offers a holistic and earthy blend of relaxation, detoxifying, revitalizing and beautifying therapies and treatments from ayurvedic to aromatherapy. There are also hiking trails that you can explore. You can never get bored at Aamod at Shoghi!
Dinner at Dhaba
We planned to go out and explore the village. Shoghi is really small and nothing much was there to see inside the village except few temples. On our way back to Aamod, we stopped by a roadside dhaba to have dinner.
After coming back, we enjoyed some time under the starry sky night. If you are exhausted with concrete jungles in cities and love to stay closer to nature without compromising on quality and comfort, Aamod at Shoghi is the place to be. This was the best beginning of our Kinnaur-Lahaul-Spiti trip. At night, we were bound to sleep well listening to the sounds of the forest.
Total Distance Traveled: 110 km
NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN INR)
Let us have a look at the expenses of Day 1 in India – Chandigarh to Shoghi.
- Taxi rent for Chandigarh-Kinnaur-Lahaul-Spiti-Chandigarh including fuel: 13,000
- Stay at Aamod at Shoghi (1 night): 1,500
- Food and miscellaneous: 150
Total expense (roughly): 14,650 INR
For a more customized itinerary, whether for solo or couple or group of any number of people, feel free to contact me on Contact Us page.
If you are planning for a much-organized, tastefully-curated, stress-free yet exciting vacation, consider booking your holidays at Travel Love Repeat. It is going to be a treat for sure!
Wow… I would love to be there… now!
I can feel you.
I have been Shoghi but after read your post i think this place is calling me again
Let this lockdown get over!
It is very informative post! So detailed and inspiring. I think you had an amazing adventure during this road trip. Toy-train looks fantastic. Chilling at a spa with breathtaking views of mountains seems perfect for me. I love this kind of relax!
Even I love this kind of relax.
wow such an informative post. What a beautiful place. The cabin you stayed in looks amazing.. I definitely want to visit here! what amazing views
Let me know when you come to India.
Hi Shreya! I stumbled upon this post while researching for Spiti Valley. We are a group of 3 travellers and unfortunately not very good hikers. Is there any training or experience required for the trek? Do we also need a permit to enter Spiti? Would also love to know about the altitude as I am very bad at it! Thank you so much for your help!
You need any training for the trek, it is basic. You will need a permit for entering Spiti. For the altitude issue, you have to get through the Shimla route instead of Manali route.
A holiday with friends is such an exciting thing to do. The glow on the faces of all of you says it all. Himachal is beautiful but many of us tend to visit the well known places which are now so clogged that there is just no peace that we associate with a memorable holiday. Shoghi hence stands out and it was great to discover it through your lenses. The Dhaba food makes me hungry and nostalgic having stayed and extensively traveled in North India with frequent stops for Dhaba food.
It was a beautiful experience.
I can’t wait to read the rest of your adventures here. Staying at Aamod at Shoghi, the eco friendly resort looks divine. The sunset picture is very beautiful and the glorious food picture makes me want to visit!
You must visit once the borders open.
This was like revisiting my own trip. Shoghi is lovely, especially Aamod. The spa at the highest point and the cottages at different levels are lovely. Its a place to be with nature. The sunset view is amazing from there. Looking forward to reading the next phase of the trip.
Hope you have read it by now, sorry for delay in replying.
I have not been to Spiti and I agree that it is everybody’s dream to go there. I loved your 12 days trip itinerary as it covered all major attractions. Your stay at Aamod cottages look very relaxing as it in between nature. Even the rooms are very cozy with all those wooden interiors. The spa with view of mountains would really spoil me here. Thanks for all tips and detailed information.
I hope you like my onward journey more.
I have never been to the Himalayans and I love your insider’s perspective. How wonderful that Aamod is so committed to blending in with nature. And the view from the hot tub, wow! I’d go just to watch the sunset within it too!
That’s an experience!
I completely agree with your decision to go to the less touristic place. I always try to avoid those and look for a more authentic experience. The eco-resort sounds wonderful, the perfect combination of nature and elegance. And I would love to relax in that spa with such a beautiful view.
It was a much better choice.
Shreya, you have made me really jealous with this blog post. I have not been able to visit Spiti though my friends have and i cannot help but feel FOMO! However, i like the arguments you posted in favor of preferring Shoghi over Simla. Simla has truly lost the charm and has been bombarded with tourists which makes me concerned about the amount of stress its’ natural and cultural resources would bear. I hope that we travelers, understand this issue as COVID 19 lockdown gives us time to sit back and think. Overall, thanks for a beautiful set of photos and i hope you undertake more such trips and plan trips for others once the lockdown is lifted.
I am with you in this.
The road trip with friends always excites me, but due to hectic schedules of us we can’t go together, you could travel Spiti with friends. I am totally agree that Shimla is now over crowded and Shogi looks perfect for stay. Amod at Shogi is lovely specially mountain view spa.The sunset looks magical and being eco friendly resort sounds perfect to go ahead with responsible tourism.I am loving your Spiti series.
Head there with friends and make memories of a lifetime.
Spiti is really very close to our heart and we try to visit the terrain almost every year. But looks in 2020 we will have to skip. We too stay at Aamod Shoghi and totally love their property, food and services. I am gonna open up my pictures now and enjoy the memories there
That’s great to know.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been to this part of the world. I’ve checked a few places you mentioned on Google Maps and all these landscapes seem so exotic to me! We also have Decathlon in Poland, I bought my sea kayak there. 🙂 Sad thing when places lose their charm through over-tourism. Unfortunately, this is a sign of our time. It’s nice that you found places that focus on sustainable tourism. I would love to spend a few days there and of course use this hot tub. It must be wonderful to watch the sunset from this place.
Yes, the sunset was incredible.
In which month did you travel?
August
Beautiful description and beautiful photographs. I traveled to Spiti Valley via Shimla-Reckongpeo.
Oh wow, that’s great to know.