Your six-day Spiti Valley Tour begins as you leave the urban scape for the Himalayan town of Manali, where you get your first taste of the Himalayas. Manali today is an attractive blend of a hill town and holiday resorts. As there is no sightseeing scheduled for this day, you are free to rest at the hotel or you can explore the town on your own.

Overnight at a hotel in Manali.

We begin our journey on the 200-kilometre (125 mile) road from Manali to Kaza in Spiti. As we pass through the popular Atal Tunnel, we experience a dramatic change in the landscape around us, from dense forested Hills to Rocky barren plains and peaks. This road is a scenic rollercoaster, into the desolate and stunning brown landscape approaching Chattru and Batal. At 14,931 feet, we are welcomed by the chilly air at Kunzum Pass, descending into Losar Village, the first in Spiti Valley.

We reach Kaza by evening, and enjoy our night at a comfortable hotel.

Overnight at a hotel in Kaza.

Today, we continue our Spiti Valley Tour, and drive towards the ancient, 1020-year-old - Tabo Monastery. The UNSECO world heritage site, famous for its intricate portraits of gods and demons, along with ancient paintings depicting the life of Buddha, is a fusion of western, Indian and Kashmiri style.

After walking around Tabo, we drive words the Tiny hamlet of Dhankar. Perched high above the confluence of the Spiti and Pin River, the former capital of the Royals of Spiti Valley also known as the Nono, who ruled the dust-coloured badlands of Spiti Valley is a historic delight. Walk back in time, as you explore the 1200-year-old Dhankar Gompa which perches precariously between eroded rocky pinnacles on the edge of a cliff. If time permits, do take an hour’s climb above the village to visit the stunning turquoise Dhankar Tso or Dhankar Lake.

With a stunning sunset at Dhankar, it's time to end the South Spiti excursion and head back to Kaza.

Overnight accommodation in Kaza.

On the fourth day of our Spiti Valley Tour, we drive to some of the highest inhabited regions of the world.

We begin our day by heading to Komik, which literally translates to “eye of a snow cock”, the highest village in Asia situated at the height of 14,806 feet. With the tiny population of 84 people, this isolated farm village is surrounded by soft brown pastures and snow-white mountain peaks.

We further drive to the world’s highest post office in the world in Hikkim, where you may even meet the post-master and hear his stories.

After sending a postcard out, we drive to the picturesque village of Langza. As you walk back to the prehistoric era when Spiti was submerged by the Tethys Sea, as you explore a land very rich with fossils of Marine animals and plants which were here millions of years ago.

Today, we also visit the world-famous Ki Monastery, situated at a height of 13,668 feet. With over 1000 years’ worth stories to tell, Ki Monastery was founded by the discipline of the famous Atisha in the 11th century CE. Before making our way to the monastery, the we’ll make a quick stop at the base of the monastery hill for the ultimate photo-opportunity of this remarkable structure. Belonging to the Yellow Hat or Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, this monastery is famous as a prominent centre of learning.

A monk guides us through the monastery as we overlook the endless plains, seeking peace and calm.

We then head to the second biggest village of Spiti, Kibber and its sister village of Chicham to visit the world's highest suspended bridge.

Overnight stay in a homestay at Kibber / Chicham

This day, we commence our journey back home and trace our steps back on the Kaza – Manali road.

However, we take a stop at the picturesque village of Losar, before heading to another Spitian wonder – Chandratal Lake. Located at a height of 4,205 meters and 18 km from Kaza, Kunzum Pass is also a popular base camp to embark on adventure and treks to adjoining mountains of high altitude. The expanses of beautiful landscapes and immeasurable beauty of the snow-tipped mountains make the place a haven for nature-lovers and photographers alike.

From Kunzum Pass, we make our way to the mystical and beautiful Chandratal Lake, which translates to Moon Lake, located at a height of 14,100 feet. The Chandra Bhaga mountain range forms a striking backdrop for the lake, which changes appearance according to the pictures painted in the sky. After capturing the colours of the beautiful Chandratal Lake, we drive to our camping site where a hot supper under the gaze of a million stars and the Milky Way awaits us.

The camps at the campsite which is almost 3 km from the lake, are Swiss Tents with attached washrooms.

With visuals of the stunning Chandratal Lake captured in our minds and cameras, we continue driving on the Kaza – Manali road. After a few hours of driving and some more stunning landscapes, we pass through the famous Atal Tunnel and reach Manali. We bid goodbye to our driver to end our breath-taking Spiti Valley sojourn.