Our next grand tour is to the mountain lands and the Buddhist monasteries of Lahaul and Spiti. I will be leading this tour to see and photograph the most beautiful places you can ever see in the Himalayas and to Buddhist monastic centers that are nearly a millennium old.
Introduction
One of the still unexplored and insanely beautiful stretch of the Indian Himalayas, Lahaul and Spiti is a valley of stark landscapes and high snowy peaks stretching to the sky. Gurgling rivers and crystal clear lakes dot the highlands of Lahaul, while an ancient civilization has survived for nearly thousand years and has preserved its culture against the onslaught of modernity in Spiti. The faraway valley connected only through a narrow road that traverses through mountains over 10,000 feet high, this region offers vistas and heritage that can keep a travel photographer in a click-frenzy for months together.
This photography tour is a unique combination of short & easy treks, keeping photography in mind. The treks require only half a day’s walking unlike usual trekking itineraries where one keeps walking non-stop for the whole day. This allows participants to walk in a leisurely pace without hurrying to reach the next settlement, stopping at will to shoot and explore. The trek spans for only three days of the itinerary, while we move around in vehicles in the remaining days. This offers an excellent option for photography enthusiasts to see many beautiful places, and at the same time visit exciting location that are not easily approached by road.
Scroll down to see the day-by-day itinerary to know more details and get a glimpse of incredibleness of Lahaul and Spiti Region.
Dates
July 14th to 21st, 2012
Tour Highlights
- Easy, short duration treks specifically helpful for photography
- Camping in the heart of the mountains, near the clear blue expanse of Chandratal Lake surrounded by high peaks.
- Drive through some of the most amazing landscapes in one of the remotest regions in the Indian Himalayas.
- See and photograph the views from high passes of Rohtang and Kunzum La
- Visit the Buddhist monasteries more than 800 years old that have followed an ancient tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
- Visit to sights specifically chosen keeping photography opportunities in mind
- Expert help and advice with photographing culture and landscapes of Lahaul and Spiti
- Constant interaction and assistance on field by photography experts with an experience of travelling in Lahaul and Spiti
- Insights to nuances of travel and outdoor photography during the tour
- Image reviews by photography experts
Tour Itinerary
Also see detailed day-by-day itinerary at the end of this page.
- July 14 - Saturday - Arrive at Manali, briefing and photography sessions, short walks around the town. Stay at Manali.
- July 15 - Sunday - Manali to Chandratal via Rohtang Pass. Camping near Chandratal.
- July 16 - Monday - Drive through Kunzum Pass from Chandratal to Kaza. Stay at Kaza
- July 17 - Tuesday - Trek Day 1 – Komic to Dhemul.
- July 18 - Wednesday - Trek Day 2 – Dhemul to Lalung.
- July 19 - Thursday - Trek Day 3 – Lanung to Dhankar. Trek ends at Dhankar. Stay Kaza.
- July 20 - Friday - Drive to Manali from Kaza. Stay at Manali.
- July 21 – Saturday - Check out in the afternoon.
Tour Cost
Rs.33,500 per person.
The cost includes
- Accommodation on twin sharing basis
- Transportation on all days of the tour
- All meals during the tour except in Manali
- Permits and all entry fees
- Photography sessions, expert advice and assistance, image reviews and critiques on all days
The cost does not include
- Travel to Manali and return travel from Manali to your location.
- All meals on Day 1 and Day 8; dinner on Day 7 (all meals in Manali)
- Additional food or beverages ordered
Accompanying Photography Experts: Arun Bhat
Accomplished travel and landscape photographer Arun Bhat’s works have been used by publications in India and across the world, all the way from Japan to USA. He is a professional photographer who has extensively travelled across India creating some of the finest imagery of India’s landscapes and has spent years capturing the essence of India’s cultural diversity. Having travelled the country many times over and being used to waking up at 5am in bitter cold winter days, he has seen and captured finest landscapes all the way from Himalayas to the peninsular India and has mastered the art of travel, outdoor and landscape photography. Some of his very popular travel images were photographed from Lahaul and Spiti Region.
Book this tour
Contact us to book the tour. Like all our tours, Magic of Spiti tour will have a limited number of participants. We recommend booking early, which also helps you get cheaper flight tickets.
email: register@darter.in
Ph: 9880006460 (Arun) / 97400 83260 (Shreeram)
Alternately, use the contact form below.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 01. Saturday. Arrival in Manali, photography sessions and walks in Cedar Groves.
We will arrive at Manali this morning and check-in to our comfortable hotel. In the afternoon, your photography expert will brief you on the exciting days ahead in the heart of the Himalayas and take you through an elaborate session on photographing the landscapes, people and culture of the region, also describing photography opportunities waiting for you for the whole of next week. In the evening, we will go on long walks in the cedar groves of Manali – our first hours of exercising the cameras as well as our legs in the mighty Himalayas.
Day 02. Sunday. Manali to Chandratal via Rohtang Pass
We leave Manali early in the morning and drive up slowly towards Rohtang Pass – perhaps the most well-known pass and most easily accessible of the high passes in the Himalayas. The drive to the pass is a steep climb and offers views of some of the most dramtic vistas of rocky cliffs and green slopes.
Driving over Rohtang pass at over 13,000 feet, we are suddenly led into no man’s land as we enter into the valley of Lahaul. Civilization and hustle bustle of the everyday world is left behind and completely forgotten in its silence. There are no houses, no people, no vehicles to give way to, or anything to remind of the world we have left behind. A narrow road that splits the mountains reminds that we are still connected with the world, and also gives us access to the terrain that almost feels uncharted. Lahaul and Spiti region is a desert in the higher ranges of Indian Himalayas, where nothing more than tiny grass a few inches tall grows. Stark mountain slopes stretch as far as the eyes can see, and the peaks keep growing taller and taller as we look ahead.
We drive along the valley of Chandra River, passing through the heart of the Himalayas and stopping frequently to gawk at unbelievable views and capture images that would keep you excited about the upcoming journey.
We will camp in the evening near the calm blue waters of Chandratal Lake. The conditions of the road to Chandratal are unpredictable and changes frequently. If the roads are open, we camp very close to Chandratal. If not, we camp on the bank of Chandra River at Batal, the nearest place on the main road. In the event that the roads are closed, it will be a short drive followed by an hour’s walk to Chandratal.
Day 03 Chandratal, Kunzum Pass and Kaza.
Chadratal is so beautiful that you will find it difficult to move on from here. But we have many more beautiful places to explore in Spiti. Today, we will continue towards Kaza, passing through the higiest point in our journey – Kunzum La. The pass is nearly 15,000 feet high, and needless to say, offers amazing views on the way up and down. Descending from Kunzum, we will leave Lahaul Region and enter Spiti Valley. Lahaul is stark, rugged, uninhabited and has its own beauty, while in Spiti, you will suddenly see patches of greenery, plateaud lands and sparse habitation. In some time, you will see Losar, the first village since we crossed Rohtang two days ago. Now the road will course along Spiti River, with some interesting formation on the slopes along the way and beautiful views of highlands. In Spiti, besides the breathtaking landscapes under clear sky, we will also visit ancient monasateries and photograph beautiful people of the valley. Tonight’s stay will be at Kaza where your room’s windows will open to the bed of Spiti River and the tall mountains beyond.
Day 04 to 06. Visit to Ki Monastery and Langza Village; trek from Komic to Dhemul to Dhankar
By now we would have a good idea about the terrain, the landscape and the photography opportunities available. We will make the best of what Spiti Valley can offer us in the next few days.
The morning of Day 04 begins with a visit to the 800 year old Ki Monastery, where we witness the monastic Buddhist culture of Spiti Region. A friendly monk from the monastery will show us around the monastery and explain the significance of everything we see inside. We will continue further, passing via the green expanse of Langza Village and its sweet-pea fields. The mountain scenery that unfolds along the way changes with every turn and you can never stop ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ as we drive.
The trek begins from Komic Village, from where we make a slow and easy walk to our day’s destination – Dhemul. While we spend time walking and photographing the mountain scenery, our luggage will be transported by road and would have reached the other end much earlier. Our night halts will be in villages at home-stays or campsites that can be accessed by remote mountain roads, so we are never too faraway from comfort despite being able to see and experience the deepest interiors of the Himalayas.
On the second day of the trek, another day of slow and easy walking with lot of time for photography, we leave Dhemul for our next destination – Lalung.
On the third day of the trek, when we leave Lalung for Dhankar, we see a magnificent mountain lake at the end of our trek where we will have a lot of time to spend. Dhankar Village is also home to a monastery tucked away at the edge of a steep crag. It is so faraway and so amazing, you will wonder how the monastery has survived the centuries without ever falling off the cliff! A truly magnificent place.
The trek ends at Dhankar and tonight, we are back to our comfortable hotel in Kaza with river view from the window.
Day 07. Friday. Drive to Manali.
We have now seen the very best of what Spiti can offer. Our photographer would have spent a lot of time with you ensuring that each one of us has the best images of the beautiful landscapes and people of Spiti. We are loaded with memories that will last for a life time, both in our minds as well as in the cameras. We will begin our slow drive back to Manali today, stopping by at many places and photographing the valleys of Spiti and Chandra through the day before we climb up Rohtang Pass and arrive at Manali.
Day 08. Saturday. A relaxed easy morning. Tour ends by noon
By now the group would have bonded so well, if our experiences in the past trips are to go by, we would already be making next travel plans. We spend the morning hours sharing our experiences and pouring over an awesome collection of images over breakfast. We will spend the morning hours together seeing images and happily reminiscing the days in Spiti before checking out in the afternoon.
Book this tour
Contact us to book the tour. Like all our tours, Magic of Spiti tour will have a limited number of participants. We recommend booking early, which also helps you get cheaper flight tickets.
email: register@darter.in
Ph: 9880006460 (Arun) / 97400 83260 (Shreeram)
Alternately, use the contact form below.
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