Road journey from delhi to kaza

Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh is one of the least developed region in India in terms of the public transport. Although the population density of this district is the lowest( 2 person per sq.km.) in India, but still due to its huge tourism potential there is a requirement of a decent public transport system in this area. If you travel by your own car or a hired cab, you do not face any problems, but if you want to travel this region by using public transport, then be prepare to wake up early in the morning to reach bus stand at right time or else be prepare to spend one more day at your present place. This post will give you a lot of information on the public transport while travelling in the Spiti Valley.

A view of 500 years old key monestry in kaza.

• Since Delhi is the major hub for all tourists in India, I consider Delhi as the starting point of your trip and since Kaza is the largest town in the Spiti Valley, I consider Kaza as the first destination of your trip in the Spiti Valley.In this post, I talk in terms of hour rather than kilometers, because in the hills, I believe the hours are more important than the kilometers to plan your trip.Delhi ISBT refers to Delhi Maharana Pratap ISBT in this post, which is close to Delhi Metro Kashmiri Gate Station.

• There are two main routes to reach Kaza from Delhi: either to travel via Shimla and Reckong Peo or to travel via Manali. During my trip Manai-Kaza route was closed due to the snow at Kunzum Pass , I took Shimla route in the onwards as well as in the return journey. Now I explain each route one by one.
  

 Please Note: These information are gathered during my trip in the Last  week of April 2017. Public buses frequencies may increase in the month of June-September, during the peak travel season to Spiti Valley. You may also find some shared jeeps/taxis plying on the route in that season

A village in spiti

Delhi-Shimla-Reckong Peo-Kaza Route:

This route is an all-weather route open throughout the year, but subjed to weather and road conditions after Reckong Peo onwards. According to the Google Maps, this route is 755 Kms long and required 13 hours and 10 mins to travel by your own car. But in reality, It takes upto 27 hours to complete this route if you travel by your own car and upto 32 hours if you travel using the public buses, that too without a long break, which is highly recommended on this route. In this long journey, you indeed pass through the numerous historical and natural attractions, tourist places etc, but I assume that your intention is to reach Kaza first, so no description of en-route places is here. Now,let us start our journey from Delhi. 

1. Take Himsuta Volvo  from ISBT Delhi  in morning 8:00AM for Shimla you will reach around 5:30-6:00 PM.
   


2.  After reaching Shimla take ordinary  bus  for Recongpeo by ISBT Shimla tutikandi  in evening 6;30PM as at that time there was no Volvo buses ply between Shimla to reconpeo till kaza , bus for recongpeo will reach next morning at 5:30 AM at Recongpeo bus stand.
   


3. Next bus for kaza will leave  from Recongpeo same day in morning 7:00AM, so you will have atleast one hour for breakfast or brush up  yourself. Bus for kaza will arrive in kaza bus stand around 4:30 PM.

NOTE:-After 6:30PM Recong peo bus there are two buses goes to recongpeo from Shimla isbt tutikandi after 9:00PM.

There was a huge rush in the bus from Shimla to recong peo, As I didn't had the booking. I didn't got the seat and till Rampur  I travelled on sitting on my backpack, It was a nice experience, for online booking of bus below is the link http://www.hrtchp.com/hrtctickets/ 

Where to stay:-

1. For backpackers there is a perfect place to stay called as Zostel. I stood there for two nights and cost per day was  approx 530 INR. It has a beautiful atmosphere and there was a incharge named Aasish  is doing a great job, this guy helped me a lot. They serve very delicious food, also I was having a roommate Nino , he was from Switzerland and came to india on his bicycle and travelling country to country on his bicycle from last 7 years. I highly recommend for backpackers to stay at Zostel. http://www.zostel.com/ is a link for online booking at zostel.
   

2. For families or group of more then four people there are some hotels in main market which will cost you around 700-1200 in peak time. Red rock café is a good hotel in main market with suitable rates.

How to wander in kaza:-

• you can hire motorcycle like bullet in 1000 INR/ day or you can hire taxi/jeep as well which will cost you more.

Places to explore:-

1. Kibber:-  Kibber is a village high in the Spiti Valley in the Himalayas at 4270 metres or 14,200 ft in Himachal Pradesh in northern India. It contains a monastery and the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary. Kibber lies in a narrow valley on the summit of a limestone rock. It is located 16 kilometres from Kaza and a bus service connects them in the milder summer months
   

2. key monastery:-  Kye Gompa  is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on top of a hill at an altitude of 4,166 metres (13,668 ft) above sea level, close to the Spiti River, in the Spiti Valley.

3. Dhankar:- Dhankar Gompa is a village and also a Gompa, a Buddhist temple in the district of Lahaul and Spiti in India. It is situated at an elevation of 3,894 metres (12,774 feet) in the Spiti Valley above Dhankar Village, between the towns of Kaza and Tabo.Dhangkar means fort on a cliff.

4. Nako lake:-  Nako Lake is a high altitude lake in the Pooh sub-division of the Kinnaur district. It forms part of the boundary of Nako village and seems that the village is half buried in the lake's border. It is about 3,662 metres (12,014 ft) above sea level.

5. Langza:-  Langza village situated at an altitude of 4400 meters is divided into 2 sections, namely Langza Yongma (Lower) and Langza Gongma (upper). This Homogeneous Buddhist village belongs to the Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Langza houses a population of 137 in 33 households.

6. Night view of kaza:- With sky full of stars and its vastness can make you feel in a different world

Note:- there are many other places in spiti to explore if have much time, so plan accordingly.

How to en-route from Kaza- Recong peo- Shimla - Delhi

• Take bus from kaza  bus stand  early morning 7 AM for Recong peo.
• From Recong peon take bus at 7PM for Shimla.
• you will reach Shimla next morning around 5 AM from ISBT Shimla you can take any Volvo/ ordinary bus to Delhi.
• you are back from where you started
• I hope you have a wonderful journey.

Note:-These views are completely personal, opinions and perceptions can vary. some pictures is taken from google for the reference Thank you for your time. I hope everyone gets what they want.

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