The Spiti Valley Private Trip With Chandratal (9D/8N) – (JUNE to OCT)

• We shall board our private tourist vehicle at Shimla Bus stop, and stop by at a restaurant to freshen up, have breakfast. Note that there is no shower facility as of now. After getting briefed on important aspects of the road trip, we will formally begin the road trip on Hindustan Tibet Road towards  Kalpa, a town in Kinner Kailash range.
• Shimla to Kalpa is one of the most adventurous roads in India. We will pass by famous places like Kufri, Narkanda, and Rampur, drive through a famous tunnel between Wangtu and Karcham. The Sutlej River, Kalpa Monastery.
• Kalpa: We will reach Kalpa, which is the base of Kinner Kailash mountain range, by early evening. This magical place tends to change colors based on reflections of light throughout the day. There are plenty of Apple Orchards in Kalpa. Along with its Apples, Kalpa is also famous for its almonds, Chilgoza, Ogla, Apricots as well as Grapes. It’s a great shopping destination too for shawls, handicrafts, etc, but since it’s the beginning of a road trip, we may have to control ourselves.

• Today we will witness jaw-dropping Sunrise at Kalpa with gigantic Kinner Kailash mountain – an abode of Lord Shiva – as a backdrop. This location is called  “Land of Gods” and is the district headquarters of Kinnaur. Pine trees, Apple Orchards and Deodars fill-up the slopes around. We will start the day early, explore the village, meet locals who are quite humble and helpful.
• Chitkul: We will then go on a drive to Chitkul which is called “The Last Village of India”, about a 3-hour drive one way. The drive to Chitkul is an adventure in itself, with a narrow, steep road gaining high altitude in less time. This route doesn’t have a mobile network. On our way, we will make a pit stop at Sangla valley, visit Kamru fort that has beautiful architecture. Chitkul village is located right at the footsteps of snow-capped mountains. We will take a stroll around the village dotted with wooden houses, visit a pretty temple, breathe the cleanest air, enjoy the sight of the beautiful Baspa river, tall trees and the hues of nature.

• Today we will drive towards Tabo, in the heart of the cold desert region of Lahaul and Spiti valley, on the banks of the Spiti River. On our way, we will make a pit stop at Khab, the confluence of Satluj and Spiti rivers. One can clearly see the difference in the color of the water as the rivers meet.
• Tabo: The Tabo monastery which is the second oldest monastery after Patola Palace in the capital city of Tibet Lhasa. There is a tradition of serving Tea to the people visiting this place. After sipping a hot cup of tea, we will interact with Lamas with is a great spiritual experience. Buddhists consider Tabo monastery to be one of the holiest, so Dalai Lama actually wishes to retire here. We will also give a visit to the golden temple which is part of the complex.
• We will take a small hike to Tabo meditation caves where monks meditate during winter. From here one can get a birds-eye view of Tabo village and surrounding valley.
• Taking a stroll through the Pea plantations, soaking some sun and chilling out by the free-flowing Spiti river make way for another magnificent sunset. 
• We will take a night’s rest at our guesthouse in Tabo. If we are lucky to have a clear night, this is the place to gaze at millions of stars in the Milky way galaxy. How about a time-lapse?

• Dhankhar Monastery: Dhankhar means fort in the local language. It exists in a unique location almost hanging on the tip of a peak and overlooking beautiful valleys. One wonders how monks chose such places to build such monasteries. The view of the confluence of Spiti and Pin rivers from the small windows that are located right above the cliff is simply spectacular.
• Dhankar Lake: From the monastery we will go on a 2 Km trek to Dhankar Lake on the other side of the mountain, situated at a higher altitude than the monastery. We will easily spend a couple of hours at this tranquil, bluish lake. We can clearly notice the change in colors and reflections on the crystal-like lake as the sky changes its hue, making it more spellbinding.
• Kaza: By evening we shall reach Kaza, a serene little place on the plains of Spiti valley, which is also the capital. We will head straight to the most famous hilltop “Key” monastery which is easily the biggest and most picturesque one in Spiti valley. The monastery complex has lots of prayer wheels lined up. These wheels are always spun clockwise so the mantra ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ is written on them. One can try the famous Butter Tea here.
• The cold desert, crystal clear lakes and rivers, majestic snow-capped mountains, monasteries, all have made mark another dream destination on our road trip.
• Overnight stay at our Kaza guesthouse.
  
• Come the night, as far as the number of stars is concerned, the sky’s the limit!

• Today we will explore the famous village circuit of Spiti – Koumik, Hikkim, and Langza. 
• Each village offers something unique.
• Komic: Komic is a very high altitude village in Spiti valley and therefore very few people live there. It is also one of the oldest monasteries in the valley. This monastery is situated on the edge of a canyon and therefore has a really unique look.
  
• Hikkim: As we make our way to the world’s highest post office, we will see a few young guys and girls from Spiti set up tables with colorful markers, pens, and postcards. Make sure you get postal addresses of near and dear ones who will feel really special when they receive postcards from the world’s highest post office!
• Langza: This place is famous for its Buddha statue located at a place from where it seems like he’s taking a view of a  breathtaking spectacle of an infinite valley. There are few cafes here where we can sip a hot tea
• Overnight stay at our Kaza guesthouse.

• After Breakfast we will head to the most beautiful Key Monastery. Explore length and breath of this peaceful heaven and meditate in the serenity.
• The most famous landmark Chicham Bridge
• Continue our journey to Chandratal Lake, after having a pit stop at Chandratal view point.
• Overnight stay at a Homestay or a Camp in Chandratal.

• We will witness the most beautiful sunrise of our Spiti Valley road trip at Chandratal Lake.
• On the last day of our road trip we will drive back towards Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. On our way, we will stop by at Narkanda.
• Manali: Coming from the remotest locations, we will suddenly find lots of people everywhere in Manali. We will take a stroll on the famous Mall Road, indulge in some shopping. Manali has options for all kinds of food, so this is a perfect time to taste what you missed in the past 7 days.
• Finally, by late evening, we shall board our return Bus back to Delhi.

• The Bus drops us at Kashmir gate. You may book a cab to the airport to catch your flight.
• You are safe to book flights after 1 PM (afternoon).

New Delhi

• Starting Point/Time: Majnu Ka Tilla, Saturday 9 PM
• Ending Point/Time: Kashmiri Gate, Sunday 9 AM

Note: Timings are approximate. Exact timings shall be shared in the trip Whatsapp group.

• Operations Manager will get in touch with you close to the trip dates.
• A Whatsapp group will be created few days before to coordinate everything.
• Instructions about itinerary, places, stays, timings, any special scenarios etc., will be given in the same group during the trip.

• The itinerary is fixed. No special requests to change itinerary/schedule shall be entertained. Guests are not allowed to ask Driver to change the itinerary.
• Guests are expected to respect & follow instructions of Driver & the Operations Manager in order to smoothly cover places in the itinerary.
• Every guest is responsible for his/her for your own safety. Don’t indulge in any illegal or silly activity that causes harm to self or locals.
• No alcohol & smoking during journey and outdoor activities. You may consume liquor or smoke at the stay (night time) in a responsible & moderate way.
• Using foul or abusive language, threatening, and/or involving in a physical assault will not be accepted and will stand a chance of complaint at the local Police Station.
• Unexpected situations: In rare scenarios, we cannot cover all the places mentioned in the itinerary because of unpredictable reasons like bad weather, landslides, wild animal presence, abrupt blocking of sites by the local authorities, traffic conditions, etc. In most cases, if the time permits, the Operations Manager will suggest alternate places. But in some cases, we may not have any choice. No refund is applicable in such scenarios.
• Every guest is expected to sign a liability/waiver form given by the Operations Manager online. This liability form will discharge Muddie Trails of any unexpected incident like injury/death/theft etc.

Cancellation by Guests

• 80% refund if a cancellation request is sent 30 days before the trip start date.
• 50% refund if a cancellation request is sent between 30 to 15 days before the trip start date.
• An email has to be sent to muddietrails@gmail.com to raise a cancellation request.
• No refund within 15 days of the event start time whatever is the reason (Health, COVID, Accident, Family crisis, Office issue, or anything else).
• No refund during/after the event.
• No refund on the partial payment (advance) done to block your seat for the trip.

Cancellation due to external factors

If the event has to be cancelled due to external factors that are beyond our control like – Natural Disasters, Extreme Weather Conditions, Red Alerts, Political Disturbances, War, Bandh/Curfews, Local Issues, Covid-19 or any other disease outbreaks etc..

In such scenarios:

• No Refund is applicable.
• 100% trip amount can be used for future dates.