Settled in the lap of trans-Himalayan range, Spiti Valley is home to some of the highest, remotest, and most beautiful villages like Key, Kibber, Langza, Komik, and Hikkim. All these are high altitude cold dessert villages. You can visit them as day-trips from Kaza – subdivisional headquarter of Spiti. So we sheltered in Kaza for 3 days. We started our travel scenes from Chandigarh to Shoghi, then took the route of Jeori-Sarahan, Sangla-Chitkul, Kalpa-Nako, Gue-Tabo, Dhankar-Mud, before coming down to Kaza. On both days 8 and 9, Golu and Deepak took us to explore fascinating villages of Spiti. Stay included breakfast. We had our lunch in various villages and on coming back to Kaza, we used to snack in at one of the popular cafes there. Then at night, dinner would be served in the homestays. So, travel, stay, and food was sorted in Kaza!
Highlights of Day 8
- Key Village
- Key Monastery
- Chicham Bridge
- Kibber Village
- Gette & Tashigong
Key Village
Our first destination was Key village and the famous Key Monastery. Key village is also known as Ki or Kee. It is the nearest village to Kaza, located on the left bank of Spiti river. The village houses maybe around 70 families whose livelihood is mainly agriculture. The village is famous for one of the oldest monasteries in Spiti Valley – Key Monastery.
Key Monastery
It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on top of a hill at an altitude of 4,166 m above sea level. We took around 2 h to explore this fascinating monastery.
Note: There is a defined trail upward from the backside of the monastery for 10-15 min to get a bird’s eye view of the monastery with the beautiful Spiti river and mountains in the backdrop. Locals say that it is the best view of Key Monastery you will get here.
Chicham Bridge
Our next destination was Chicham Bridge. The drive from Key Monastery to Chicham Bridge is extremely breath-taking with Spiti river flowing on one side and magnificent views of Mount Kanamo on the other. The village is around 9.5 km away from Key Monastery but the bridge is 3 km before the village. We are just heading to the bridge because it is pretty unique. How? Well, Chicham Bridge is Asia’s highest suspension bridge hanging at an altitude of 4,144 m above sea level. We spent around half an hour there.
Kibber
Kibber is as one of the highest well-inhabited villages of the world, located at an altitude of 4,270 m above sea level.
The village of Kibber is just 3 km from Chicham Bridge. The village is a paradise for nature lovers, photographers, and wildlife enthusiasts. In winters, Kibber becomes a base for travelers and wildlife photographers who are interested in spotting the rare snow leopard. It is also a base camp for treks to adjoining high-altitude peaks, such as Parang La and Kanamo Peak treks. Kibber has a beautiful monastery called Kibber monastery, which was established by Serkong Rinpoche, the teacher of Dalai Lama. Kibber is widely known for its panoramic beautiful landscapes and immeasurable beauty of Kibber wildlife sanctuary. We took around 2 h to explore Kibber.
Gette & Tashigang
If you drive around 10 km from Kibber to east, you will find a gravel road going up to Gette village. Another 5 km of the same dirt road leads to Tashigang, located at an altitude of 4,650 m above sea level. Tashigang has the world’s highest polling booth. You will find many ancient chortens at the entrance of the village. It is the most secluded yet captivating places to visit in Spiti.
Back to Kaza
We took an hour to get back to Kaza. I managed to absorb myself in great views on the way. At Kaza, we headed to The Himalayan Cafe for some evening snacks. When we got back to our guesthouse, our hosts offered super delicious vegan dinner. The night was cold but warm blankets helped us sleep better.
Total Distance Traveled: 80 km
Highlights of Day 9
- Langza
- Hikkim
- Komic
- Demul
On the Way to Langza Village
We left at 9 AM. Our first destination was Langza. The road from Kaza to Langza is picturesque. We took around an hour to reach including few photostops.
Langza Village
Located at an altitude of 4,420 m above sea level, Langza village is popularly known as the Fossil Village. You can actually dig up fossils of marine creatures in plenty under the sedimentary rocks in and around Langza. Although possession and collection of fossils are illegal in India, the local kids in the village sell these collectibles to the travelers visiting their village. It is recommended not to encourage such activity though.
After an hour of exploring Langza village, we headed to Hikkim, which is around 8 km away.
Hikkim Village
We reached Hikkim village close to noon. Located at an altitude of 4,450 m above sea level, Hikkim houses the highest post office in the world. Because of the high altitude of Hikkim, it does not have any cell phone signals of internet connectivity. This is why the post office is the only source of communication for the villagers with the outside world. However, the post-office is closed for half a year when it snows.
Komik Village
Located at an altitude of 4,587 m above sea level, Komik village is considered to be the world’s highest village connected with a motorable road. However, the village is more famous for the its monastery. It is the Tangyud monastery, which houses a statue of Maitreya Buddha or future Buddha. The Buddha is considered to look after the well-being of the people in Spiti Valley. This is why it is considered to be of great religious significance by the locals.
Demul & Balari Top
If you drive around 26 km from Komik to east, you will reach Demul village located at an altitude of 4,319 m above sea level. This unspoilt village, which houses around 40-50 houses, is an example of a strong community-based enterprise that supports sustainable tourism in a unique way. So basically, you cannot choose a homestay. The village coordinator allots them turn by turn so that every homestay gets a chance to host the travelers. You cannot stay in one house for more than a night as you have to keep shifting every day during the period of your stay. It sounds weird but it is interesting.
If you are staying in Demul, then you must trek to Balari Top, which may take around 3-4 h. It is the highest view-point in Spiti valley from where you can get an incredible panoramic view of the entire valley. The gradient is non-technical but strenuous for non-trekkers. The elevation gain from Demul to Balari Top is around 600 m, but is it worthy? Well, from here, you can view the confluence of Spiti, Pin and Lingti rivers, also have a glimpse of 18 villages of Spiti Valley, and Dhankar Gompa as well. It is a view that you will never forget, so get your trekking shoes on and head up there.
Back to Kaza
We reached back to our guesthouse at around 6 PM. We were welcomed with hot, delicious treats by our hosts, which was shortly followed by dinner.
The charm of Spiti Valley lies in its isolated villages, which may seem like tiny specks, but are full of life, tradition, culture, and hospitality. On your trip to Spiti, do not miss out on Spiti’s most famous monasteries in Key and Komik, Asia’s highest bridge at Chicham, giant Buddha statue at Langza, world’s highest post office at Hikkim, and world’s highest and second highest motorable villages at Komik & Kibber, respectively. Hope you fall in love with these little quaint villages of Spiti Valley just like we did.
Total Distance Traveled: 85 km
NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN INR)
Let us have a look at the expenses of Days 8-9 in India – In & Around Kaza.
- Food and miscellaneous: 300
Total expense (roughly): 300 INR
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These pictures are absolutely fantastic. Ladakh is one of my favorite places in the world and a must-see for me one day. Key monastery reminds me of the Buddhist monasteries I visited in Nepal, while Komik village is wonderful, such a stunning location. Is it possible to rent a car there or I have to rent a car directly with the driver?
It is possible to rent a car there, but due to the complexity of the roads, it s highly advisable to rent one with a driver who is an expertise in driving on such roads.
This must be one of the most beautiful road trips in the world. Your photos are incredible, and Key Monastery is truly breathtaking. I’ve always loved all the colors in this part of the world, and matched with the incredible valley scenery you must have had an amazing trip.
In love with Key Monastery!
I love when we find a place to use as a base like Kaza with interesting day trips. I can see why you stopped to catch that view of the Monastery on the hill. We do love to visit things that are the biggest, longest, highest – so we too would plan a day trip to the Chicham Bridge. The landscape all around on your day trips looks stunning. I am sure just a few days was not enough.
Yes, even I wished there were more days in hand.
This area of the world is absolutely spectacular! I envy every pictures of you. Haha… The air also looks clean, and I can picture how the lungs felt relief. 🙂 The windows’ frame is uniquely theirs. It’s easy to tell where the location is just by looking at the pictures.
I know Umiko, it’s beautiful on a completely different level.
This looks like an amazing road trip. I’ve seen a few videos of road trips to Ladakh, and it always wows me every time. It would be cool to experience the world’s highest restaurant and Asia’s highest suspension bridge. I think I would have to take a few days to acclimatize to that altitude. And those momos..yum!
The road trip is such that you get acclimatize on the way, slowly and gradually with multiple stops on the way.
I’m impressed by your detailed itinerary to Spiti Valley. The next part of your road trip is amazing. Key village and the famous Key Monastery looks fabulous! I love your photo on Chicham Bridge, an engineering wonder built over a 100-m-deep gorge. It looks impressive. You had an amazing adventure!
Oh yes, I had an amazing adventure indeed.
Shreya, I hereby grant you the title and hereafter, you shall be called ‘the Queen of Himalayan Villages’!!! Lolz….
No kidding. Every time I come to your blog, I am so amazed by the little villages that you find and travel to, in our mighty Himalayas. Cycling uphill? Wow, Vinay! Hats off. The monastery look so mesmerizing. Good that you added the tip about not photographing without consent. Often forgotten! I didn’t know Asia’s highest suspension bridge was here. Thanks for that info.
Btw, your crochet top looks so cute. Where did you get that?
Thanks for the title, Bhushavali. I got the crochet top from Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand.
The Spiti Valley looks like such an adventurous place to do a road trip, I’m getting massive travel envy reading through you adventures. The village of Key looks beautiful, but I’d love to stay at Kibber and try my chances spotting a snow leopard – that would be an amazing experience. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it Paul.
Spiti seems so surreal every time I see a picture of the place or read about it! Love how detailed this itinerary is, one can easily plan their trip in no time thank to your post! I didn’t know Komik monastery is the highest motorable Buddhist monastery in the world! It truly looks like a super peaceful and stunning place. The red brick buildings of the villages in the whole valley look so peaceful. Loved the post and absolutely stunning pics 😀
Glad to know that you found my post helpful.
Oh my god! I so want to go to the Spiti Valley. With scenery like that, and as a hiker, this is going on my list. It looks amazing! And the monastery with their decors looks so beautiful. You have given me a lot of thought of what to do there so I have bookmarked this page and seriously considering a visit here in the next year or two (just need to get myself fit again as I got a bit lazy during Covid).
Come down to Spiti, soon!
What a wonderful experience to visit Spiti Valley especially the opportunity to closely interact with the monks. Love your photos at the Chicham bridge. Looks like you really had fun in this trip.
Oh yes, loads of fun!
This place looks like paradise. So quiet and peaceful with only the mountains and monasteries, and perhaps more animals than people — although I’d love to get to know the people too. It’s a perfect place for those who seek peace and solitude.
So agree with you, Ummi. Just a perfect place for meditation as well.
This entire trip of yours is so fascinating that I would probably follow the same when I plan for our travel starting from Chandigarh to Kinnaur, Lahaul & Spiti valley. The pictures look amazing and helps to visualize the places so well. Love the local flavor of the post.
Glad you liked it Subhashish.
Your whole trip looks perfect with full of nature, meeting with locals, trying out some local food and some religious sites visit. Great capture of local kids of Langza village and they all look very innocent. Great you even reached to world’s highest post office. Thanks for all tips and information.
All villages there some or the other highest or tallest, hahha, but actually true!
Hey Shreya! I really love this series. I’ve been to Spiti Valley and never thought to write blog posts in this format (like a series). I think it gives people a clear view of what’s going to happen if they do this trip as it is divided in different segments. I never had a guide to follow when I did this and was lost many times. This is certainly a great step-by-step guide and everything is very clear. Thank you for sharing!
Hope my following series also helps.
Those monasteries looked amazing – all the architectural details. Love how the colors stand out against the mountain. Too bad they limit what you can photograph. Great job on the backhand. Those vegan momos looked tasty!
Thanks Debra!
Spiti Valley looks like such a beautifully idyllic place to visit! Key village was especially charming, especially to see it on approach, and the views were surreally gorgeous. And really enjoyed the bits and stories from the locals, meeting them and learning more about the region is something I’d love to do. Hikkim also caught my imagination, what an unusual and beautiful site to behold in the photos you’ve shared.
Hikkim and all the other villages there are really eye-catching.
Looks amazing….did I miss where you tell us what country this is in? Looks like India, or Nepal, or Tibet…sorry if I missed it somewhere. Either way, we are adding this place to our bucket list, thanks!
This is India!
Hey Shreya! I enjoyed reading your blog post, and I like how you did it in long form. Your pictures are so good, and made me feel like being there as well. With the help of your blog, I’ve been exploring the other parts of the world virtually. Where will be your next destination?
No clue Blair, I really wanna go out somewhere soon.
So interesting! I love their claim to fame as the highest village in the world. The monastery is so lovely, and the spinning wheels remind me of my time in Nepal. I like that they have easy to read, handwritten (yet lovely!) signage so that you can learn more about the history of the location. Such a great place!
Yes, it’s located at a very high altitude.
This region is one of my favorites in India. Each meter has something so unique to see. Key is something that I still have to do. Have heard so much about the divine vibes here. Kaza looks amazing too. Loved your pics.
Yes Ami, Kaza is actually very pretty.
I have never been to India and had never heard of this place so was so intrigued to read all about it. What a fascinating history it has. I loved your photos of the young buddhist monks and your trip to this remote part of the world.
Glad you liked them.