Guides · Itinerary
Winter Spiti in 6 days: the plan and the kit list
March, a Jimny and a buffer day. Spiti in winter is a different valley, and the plan has to know that.
Ridden · Maruti Jimny
6 days, day by day.
Delhi – Chail – Jeori – Nako – Tabo – Kaza – Fagu – Delhi
- Days
- 6
- Distance
- ~1,560km
- Season
- March
-
Day 1 · 18 Mar 2025
Delhi → Chail or Kufri
- Distance~340 km
- Riding8–9 hrs
Delhi – Chandigarh – Solan – Chail or Kufri
- Sunset at Kali Ka Tibba in Chail
- A warm-up drive through pine forests
- Stay
- Theog, Kufri or Chail. Quieter than Shimla
-
Day 2
Chail → Jeori or Badhal
- Distance~240 km
- Riding7–8 hrs
Kufri – Narkanda – Rampur – Jeori
- Bhimakali temple at Sarahan, as a detour
- An evening by the Sutlej
- Stay
- HPTDC Sarai or a local homestay
-
Day 3
Jeori → Tabo or Kaza
- Distance~260 km
- Riding10–12 hrs
Jeori – Karcham – Pooh – Nako – Tabo – Kaza
- Tabo monastery, around a thousand years old
- Kaza's night sky, if you make it that far
- Stay
- Tabo guesthouses, or Kaza if the weather allows
Push to Kaza only if the weather says yes. Otherwise Tabo is the plan, not the fallback.
-
Day 4
Kaza: exploring, and the buffer
- Key monastery
- Hikkim, billed as the highest post office in the world
- Komic
- Langza, for fossils and the Buddha statue
This day exists for road closures. If the roads are open, it's a bonus day in the valley.
-
Day 5
Kaza → Fagu
- Distance~340 km
- Riding10–12 hrs
Kaza – Tabo – Nako – Rampur – Fagu
- Stay
- Fagu, HPTDC Apple Blossom or a homestay
-
Day 6 · 23 Mar 2025
Fagu → Delhi
- Distance~380 km
- Riding8–9 hrs
Fagu – Shimla – Solan – Delhi
From the road
Shot on the way.
In winter, Spiti is reached through Kinnaur. The Kunzum side stays shut, and the valley gets quiet in a way it never is in summer. This is the six-day plan we drove in March 2025, in a Maruti Jimny.
Why it’s shaped like this
The first two days are deliberately easy: Chail, then Jeori on the Sutlej. The cold and the altitude both build slowly. Day 3 is the long one, through Kinnaur and up to Nako and Tabo. Kaza is a target, not a promise. Day 4 is the buffer, and in winter that’s not optional.
The winter vehicle kit
This is the bit people underpack.
- Snow chains. Must-have on ice.
- Winter or all-terrain tyres for grip on snow.
- Towing and recovery gear: rope, shackles, traction boards.
- Ice scraper and snow brush for the windscreen.
- Jump cables. Cold drains batteries.
- A shovel, in case you need to dig yourself out.
- A jerry can. Pumps are few and far between.
What else went in the bag
Layers, mostly: thermals, two fleeces, two or three jackets, winter gloves with liners, winter socks and a face cover. Add a medical kit (talk to a doctor about altitude medication before you go), sunscreen and sunglasses, because the snow glare is real. Pack a heating bag, a pocket knife, sleeping bags and a deck of Uno for the evenings when the power goes.
Before you go
- Check the Hindustan–Tibet road status through Kinnaur before each day. Closures after snowfall are normal.
- Start early every day. Winter daylight in the valley is short.
- Book Tabo and Kaza ahead. A lot of places shut for winter.
Tomorrow should begin with breakfast, not a hunt for the charging cable. In winter, it should also begin with checking the road.
See you somewhere on the road.
Shubham
