An unforgettable journey to the Himalayas
In October/November 2000, I undertook a trip to the grand Himalayan Spiti valley in the north-east Indo-Tibetan border of Himachal Pradesh, India. This was my fourth trip to Northern India. On three earlier occasions, I had been on trips to Jammu & Kashmir, Badrinath / Kedarnath, and Nepal. However, never did I experience anything of the sort I did in this trip, because Lahaul and Spiti are a different world altogether.
We were a group of 10 – Vidisha, my ex-wife, my friends Dhananjay and Bhavana, Geetlekha and Madhukar and George and I. We also had two kids and their grandmother with us. Madhukar, who is an avid trekker, and visits the Himalayas frequently, masterminded the trip.
Our earlier planned route to approach Spiti was via the southeast from Shimla, along the Sutlej River. The planned way back was the more treacherous route via the Kunzam and Rohtang passes to Manali. While booking our jeeps, we discovered that because of the Sutlej floods, the Shimla route was closed. The possibility of snowfall also threatened to close the Rohtang-Kunzam route, hence we departed with uncertainty of reaching our destination, and remaining stuck in Manali. At the time however, this did not mean much to Vidisha and I, since we were blissfully unaware of what we might miss.
Next: Day 1: We begin from Pune
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Dear Mahendra,
It’s a nicely scripted document, friend!
Flow has rythm in same sychronization of bounties of nature in Lahul and Spiti.
Chandra is one of my most favoured spot for trek. To me Kunzum bears mystical values. I like its backdrop and approach. I always love to enjoy Batal in early morning.
You have reignited my hidden desire to revisit the route.
Snaps are great and nicely blended with the sequence.
Only one point of suggestion–you could have arranged the travelogue day-wise, i.e., from Day 1 to end. Just take it friendly!
Thanks and hope more two come soon on your blog.
Warm wishes,
Saibal
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u must visit ladakh someday and not miss high altitude national park off the highest motorable pass in the world
i hope to do lahaul and spiti someday
Prax: Yes, Leh-Ladakh is on my to-visit list for years! Thanks for the tip…do visit Lahaul/Spiti…I hope my travelogue entices you enough!
ur travelogue is somewhat similar to my ladakh experience
ladakh is very similar to l and s
but a lot higher and more scenic, rugged and way higher altitude.
i also saw most of ur pics on flikr