Spiti Valley Expedition

Arrive in Manali. Check into your hotel. In the afternoon, we allocate the bikes and take a ride up the Solang Valley to test gear ratios and front fork suspension. Mandatory group briefing in the evening.

We ride south from Manali, following the Beas River, before taking a detour into the Tirthan Valley. We wind through narrow roads lined with cedar forests, ending at Jibhi—a beautiful wooden hamlet.

Today we tackle Jalori Pass (3,120m / 10,236 ft), featuring steep dirt inclines. We drop down to join the Sutlej River valley, riding along the Hindustan-Tibet highway carved out of vertical cliffs to reach Kalpa. We enjoy views of Kinner Kailash peak from our hotel.

We ride past the Khab confluence where the Spiti and Sutlej rivers meet. The terrain turns completely barren as we enter Spiti Valley. We stop at the Sumdo checkpost to submit permits, riding through dust to reach Tabo village—famous for its 1,000-year-old mud monastery.

A short but spectacular ride. We take a steep dirt track up to Dhankar Monastery, which sits precariously on a crumbling clay cliff overlooking the river basin. We explore the ruins and ride into Kaza, the administrative capital of Spiti.

A highlight day. We ride to the Key Monastery—a massive, fort-like structure built on a conical hill. We then cross Chicham Bridge (the highest bridge in Asia) and ride to Hikkim to send postcards from the highest post office in the world (4,400m) before returning to Kaza.

We take a detour into Pin Valley National Park, famous for its unique flora, fauna (including snow leopards), and green shale formations. We ride to the last village, Mudh, and explore the dry, cold landscape.

We ride north from Kaza, climbing the steep, gravel switchbacks of Kunzum Pass (4,590m / 15,059 ft). From the pass, we take a narrow, unpaved off-road trail to Chandratal—the sacred crescent Moon Lake. We sleep in luxury wilderness tents at 14,000 feet.

Our final and toughest riding day. We tackle the unpaved, boulder-strewn road from Chandratal through Batal and Chattru. We negotiate several deep, icy stream crossings. We then enter the Atal Tunnel to return to the green valley of Manali, returning the bikes.

The expedition concludes. After breakfast, we assist you in booking local buses or private cabs to Chandigarh or Delhi for your onward journeys.