Spiti in 8 days: in and out through Kinnaur

This is the loop I rode through Kinnaur and Spiti in late May 2023: eight days, Delhi to Delhi. At that time of year Kunzum is usually still shut, so you can’t cross from Kaza to Manali. The plan goes in through Kinnaur and comes back out the same way.

Why it’s shaped like this

Narkanda and Chitkul ease you in. Nako and Kaza do the climbing. The day around Key and Kibber is short on purpose, a second night at Kaza’s altitude before turning back. Kalpa breaks the return, and Shimla turns the last day into an ordinary highway run.

The days that need respect

The bookends are long: 450 km on Day 1, then Kalpa to Shimla and Shimla to Delhi back to back. Chitkul to Nako and Nako to Kaza are short on paper and slow in practice. Leave early on both.

If you have twelve days

The plan I first wrote kept going from Kalpa: across to Jibhi and Jalori Pass, then Manali, Sissu, Jispa and back to Manali before Delhi. On this trip we came home from Kalpa through Shimla instead, so that half is a plan, not a ride report. If you have the days, it’s how to turn this into a Spiti and Lahaul loop without waiting for Kunzum.

Before you go

• Check whether Kunzum has opened. If it has, you can close the loop through Batal and Manali instead of retracing Kinnaur.
• Book Chitkul, Nako and Kaza ahead. Late May is when they start filling up again.
• Kaza and Nako are high. Two nights in Kaza helps more than any tablet.

The best plans have detours. In May, the detour is the plan.