Spiti Valley Circuit

Arrive by afternoon and settle into the hotel. Evening briefing with your trip leader over dinner — route, altitude plan and introductions.

A long, beautiful drive along the Sutlej gorge as the hills turn from pine green to bare rock. Evening walk to Kalpa's viewpoint for the Kinner Kailash range at dusk.

Cross into Spiti proper. Stop at Nako's lakeside monastery, then descend to Tabo — home to a monastery founded in 996 AD, its murals still glowing in the dark.

Morning at Dhankar monastery, perched on a crumbling spur a thousand feet above the river confluence. Then into Pin Valley — snow leopard country — for a night in a mud-brick village.

A short drive to Kaza, Spiti's small capital. Rest, explore the market, and let the altitude settle in. Evening at leisure — the cafe scene here punches above its weight.

Morning at Key, Spiti's iconic stacked monastery, then to Kibber village and the dizzying Chicham bridge — Asia's highest suspension bridge over a 1,000-ft gorge.

Fossil hunting beneath Langza's giant Buddha, a postcard from Hikkim — the world's highest post office — and lunch in Komic, among the highest inhabited villages on Earth.

Cross the prayer-flagged Kunzum La (4,551m) into the Chandrabhaga range and reach Chandratal — the Moon Lake — by afternoon. A night of tents, soup and more stars than sky.

One last look at the lake, then the long descent through the Chandra valley and the Atal Tunnel to Manali. Drop by evening; hugs, addresses, promises.