Shimla-Kaza is a long road trip that you can’t complete in a single daylight drive. This tour is not for faint-hearted. The Kaza road is considered one of the most dangerous courses in India. So, being an adventure freak, I couldn’t resist myself to hit the roads with friends for this one. I’d been planning this trip from about a year ago. No doubt, it was an incredible decision to take a little break from my daily home-office-home routine. The whole excursion gave us a lot of chills!
Day 1: Shimla to Narkanda
The exciting trip commenced from Shimla to drive towards Narkanda, a serene small village. The distance between Narkanda and Shimla is around 60 km. The road today was good, and we rode all the way, enjoying the beautiful scenes. We reached Narkanda in about 3 hours and spend overnight there itself.
Day 2: Narkanda to Sangla Valley
We left early morning for Sangla valley via Chitkul. Today we drove at the dirt trail that had several bad and narrow patches with steep slopes. En-route we stopped at a roadside Dhaba to restore ourselves for the drive ahead. On reaching Sangla, we visited the famous Kamru Fort and Nages god temple.
Day 3: Sangla Valley to Kalpa
Today we left early morning to cover the whole route, which is a 4 to 5 hours trail. The road again was terrible throughout the course. First, we stopped at ReckongPeo, where get the chance to recharge our tank fuel. Further, magnificent Kinner Kailash mountain views in Kalpa treated us for the rough journey. The rest of the day we spent at leisure, wandering in the fruit orchards, and interacted with the farmers. We spent overnight at Kalpa.
Day 4: Kalpa to Tabo
This day was a long one, as we traveled via Hindustan Tibet Highway that blessed us with the surreal panorama of Himalayas. We halted for a while to click stunning pictures of the surrounding. We registered ourselves at Pooh check post to proceed towards Nako. Further, the route offered us many mesmerizing view options, such as Spiti and Satluj rivers confluence at Khab.
Additionally, we got bowled by the lovely landscape of Leo Purygal Peak at the bridge in Khab. While proceeding towards Tabo, the road was a mix of good and bad patches. At Tabo, we visited a thousand years old Tabo Monastery.
Day 5: Tabo to Kaza
The next day, we head to our final destination, Kaza. It’s about 60 from Tabo. The condition of the road was average that you can complete conveniently in approximately 4 to 5 hours. En-route we stopped for a while to relax at the Dhankar village. 1200 years old Dhankar monasteries was a primary attraction at this village. We also trekked for a few hours to reach a lake near Dhankar. I enjoyed the enchanting sights and rejuvenating moment at the lake. Continuing to Kaza, we transverse via many small villages, vertical rocks, and cliffs. Kaza is a headquarter of Spiti Valley. Here we roam around an old market, devoured yummy momos, and bought some Tibetan souvenirs.
Some Tips:
- The route for Shimla to Kaza is solely for adventurous souls as you may encounter narrow and rocky trails. Also, some areas experience landslides, so it’s better to drive during the daytime and spend overnight at the hotels.
- There are not many petrol pumps and ATMs on this route.
- You will find many small mechanic workshops located in almost every village.
- Do not forget to carry a basic repair kit and first aid box.
- In some places, there will be weak or no network.
-Travelrasoi
