Spiti Valley – Not a Usual Travel Destination 

Introduction – 

Spiti is a high altitude region in the north eastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In bhoti language the place is pronounced as “piti”. It incorporates the valleys of Spiti river. Spiti can be defined as “The Middle Land” i.e the land between India and Tibet. The valley and its military regions are among the least populated regions of India. 

The 2011 census states that the population of Spiti is 12,455 persons. Its one tiny village consists of 35 to 200 individuals. By the government of India, the entire population of Spiti Valley is categorized as Scheduled Tribe.

Spiti has a cold desert environment and despite being so, Spiti has a wide range of animals and medicinal and aromatic plants. Spiti is also known as the home of two protected areas, the Pin Valley National Park and the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary.

Geography – 

Floor Elevation	2950 – 4100 meters (9680 – 13450 ft)
Location	Lahaul and Spiti District
State/ Province	Himachal Pradesh, India
Population Centers	Losar, Kaza, Tabo, Sumdo and Chango

Places to visit – 

Spiti Valley is a destination which one never stops talking about after visiting. A gateway for those looking for peace in the earthy glory of nature. A cold deserted valley filled with pine timberlands, meadows, monasteries and tiny villages. 

Wherever one goes, will witness the beauty of monasteries, fluttering prayer flags and end number of Buddhist monks praying. Every village has a small temple or “Lhakhang” in Spiti. One can also have a glimpse of awe-struck Dhadkan and Chandratal Lake. 

The list is mentioned below with more famous places one should visit 

• Chicham Bridge
• Chandra Taal Lake
• Dhankar Lake and Dhankar Monastery 
• Hikkim Village 
• Demul Village
• Kaza
• Gue Monastery
• Key Monastery 
• Kibber wildlife Sanctuary 
• Komic Village 
• Kunzum Pass
• Buddha Statue 
• Mud Village
• Pin Valley National Park
• Tabo caves and Tabo Monastery
• Langza Village 
• Buddha Statue
• Losar
• Serkhang Monastery
• Mane Gogma and Mane Yogma Village 

And the never ending list just goes on.

The Culture

Apart from visiting these places one should consider experiencing the local festivals of Spiti. Guitor at Kyi Gonpa in July, Ladarch Fair in mid of August, Spiti Losar in November, Thuckchu in December, Dachang and Mentok in February. 

All these traditional festivals are related to Spitis’ agriculture and seasonal shifts. The famous alcoholic beverages chhaang and Arak are prepared for festivals and other occasions like marriage, birth, success celebrations or death.

Activities – 

Visitors can choose to take a natural walk from here to experience and watch rare species and the beauty of nature. One can also participate in adventurous activities like hiking, rappelling and camping. 

Many camping sites in Spiti provide winter sports like ice skating, skiing and ice climbing. Trekking on Kanamo peak – 5960m high, Parang La Trek, Bhaba Pass Trek and Pin Parvati Pass Trek. 

Mountaineering in Gya peak ( highest peak in Himachal Pradesh), Manirang Peak,  Shilla Peak and Chocho Kang Nilda.

Cycling and running is also done by some visitors. People consider driving cars and bikes as adventurous activities. 

Weather – 

One can only experience extreme cold weather here, but in summers it is quite pleasant as temperature rises upto 0 to 15 degree celsius. People usually avoid coming here in winters due to spine chilling weather conditions and in monsoons due to risk of landslides. October is the right time to visit Spiti Valley.

Transport – 

Spiti is reachable through Manali and Shimla in summer season. Roads from Manali are closed in winters for 6 months due to heavy snowfall. One can visit Spiti in winters through Shimla. Many film makers visit Spiti Valley in Winters.

Culture – 

Social organization consists of a hierarchy of 3 customs i.e Nonos at the top, Chhazang in the middle and pyi – pa at the bottom. The rule is these groups can marry only among their own status. 

Custom –

 By custom of Spiti, inheritance is acquired by the first born child, the eldest son will inherit the estate and younger sons will become monks. If the eldest son dies, the younger brother marries the widowed wife after leaving the monastery.

 Similarly, among women, the eldest daughter will get married first and younger daughters will either become nuns or stay with their parents or eldest brother at home. 

Achievements –

• Bollywood movies like Kesari, Highway and Paap were shot in Spiti Valley.
• The National Geographic issues of July 2020 issued a long story on snow leopards of Spiti Valley.