Motorcycling through India’s highest villages

At the beginning of last year’s winter, I spent a good amount of time exploring the Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti regions of Himachal Pradesh. And that is when I got a closer look at India’s highest villages. I stayed in some. I trekked a little bit from one to another, but mostly I explored all of them by motorcycle.



The ideal way to explore these high villages is by foot or by bicycle. But, as I had already spent a good 3 weeks exploring, trekking and walking through the other villages and was running a bit low on time, I opted to explore these villages by motorcycle, which isn’t a bad option itself.



I hired a 500 cc Royal Enfield motorcycle at Kaza for INR 1500 per day and explored the villages of Ki, Kibber, Tashigang, Gette, Langza, Hikkim, Dhemul, Lhalung and Dhankar. The weather was pretty cold and the wind chill meant even during the day time, it was below freezing. But, thankfully, the skies remained clear and the sun shone bright. Had the weather not been good, some of the high passes would not have been motorable.

Langza – Marine Fossil Village



Located at about 13,800 feet, lies this beautiful village of Langza at the foot of the mighty snow capped Chau Chau Kang Nilda peak. An hour of riding through cold winding roads brought me to Langza, my first stop from Kaza. This village, home to about 150 people and 35 odd houses is famous for its rich marine fossil reserves. It is said that millions of years ago, Spiti lay submerged under the Tethys sea and thus fossils of sea life can easily be found scattered close to the village. I did not know about its fossil history, but the moment I walked into the village, an elderly lady came to me with the offer of selling some fossils. I didn’t know what to make of it and hence let it go.



I spent a night in this village exploring the Lang temple, the nearby fossil center and basically striking many conversations with the locals. Due to the extremely cold winds and the rarefied atmosphere, I didn’t venture out much, but if you are the hiking type and visit this place during warmer weather, there are a lot of hiking trails nearby. Or else, there is always a hot cup of tea and lots of interesting conversations like how I found out.

Komic – Highest Village in Himachal
   

From Langza, I rode higher on towards Komic. Korzok, located close to the Tso Moriri lake in Ladakh is technically India’s highest village, but Komic is Himachal’s highest village. At 4,587 meters (15,300 feet), this village is home to a small monastery and about 114 people. I didn’t stay overnight here, but spent a good part of the day striking conversations with friendly monks who offered me many glasses of sugary tea to keep myself warm. Also giving me company was this cyclist from Israel who was lying flat out on the floor of the Tangyud monastery trying to regain his breath while he enjoyed the absolute calm.



There is nothing much to do at Komic apart from enjoying the beauty of the snow capped Himalayas, the tranquillity, the fortified castle like Tangyud monastery and the cold winds. Upto Langza, the roads were alright, but post that I had thin ice sheets and rock paths to contend myself with. Hence, do make sure that your brakes are in good condition and that you can handle your motorbike well.

Hikkim – World’s Highest Post Office



From Komic, I headed to Hikkim. This tiny village tucked in the Himalayas at an elevation of 14, 400 feet, holds 2 great records. One, it is the world’s highest post office and second, it is also India’s highest polling station. There was nothing much to do here, but as I had spent a good part of my day at Komic, I decided to cosy up in a simple homestay here chomping on some hot potato momos and drinking butter tea.

Dhemul – Valley in the Mountains



Located midway between Komic and Dhankar is another four-thousander village of Spiti. It was a tough ride to reach this village from Komic as the roads were in terrible condition. I don’t think I ever went higher than second gear as I mostly rode on gravel, mud or ice. But, the good part was that I was descending from Komic and hence the oxygen levels improved a wee bit. This is another gorgeous village that is located in a valley in between the mountains. Although, I had the option of staying here at a homestay, I headed further to Lhlaung where I crashed for the night.

Lhalung – Land of the Gods



Home to one of the earliest Buddhist monasteries founded in the Spiti valley, Lhalung is located right below the Sher Khang Gompa or Golden temple. This temple was founded by Rinchen Zangpo in the late 10th century BC. Not in the league of the other 14,000 something villages, this village stands at 12,001 feet above MSL. The largest of the villages in the fertile Lingti valley, I like Lhalung for its monastery and the lovely view of the Tangmar mountain in the background. Like Tabo, even the Lhalung monastery was designed to be a learning center.

Dhankar – My Favorite Village of Spiti



My next stop on the route was Dhankar. I had already been to Dhankar on this trip (but I was on foot that time) and had stayed a good 4 days here exploring its monastery, lake, village homes and more. Hence, this time, i just rode through this scenic village that is located on a mountain spur overlooking the confluence of the Pin and the Spiti rivers. As I was returning to Kaza from Dhankar, I thought of heading into the Pin valley, but then decided to keep it for my next visit.

Ki – Stunning Monastery overlooking the Spiti River
   

From Dhankar, I rode all along the Spiti river to Kaza and then onwards to Ki monastery. As it had already gotten late, I stayed at the guest house inside the Ki Monastery. This was not my original plan as I wanted to stay at Tashigang or Kibber, but due to my situation, I changed my plans. The Ki (Key) monastery, one of the older monasteries of Spiti valley is famous for its stepped colorful appearance. But, during my stay, I found out that this was not the original look of the monastery. This look that we see today is after 2 major fires that this monastery has seen and the constructions that have happened after these near total wipe-out fires. It is quite a surreal feeling to stand on the balcony of this monastery and look at the lovely landscape of the Spiti river, the snow capped mountains and the barren agricultural land. I was lucky to have got to see this view both a sunset and at sunrise.

Kibber –  Famous for its Wildlife



About 7 kilometers from Ki Monastery lies another gorgeous high village of the Spiti Valley. Situated at 14, 200 feet, Kibber is famous for its Kibber wildlife sanctuary and for its ancient trading trail over Parang La to Ladakh. The local buses go here and hence this area has slightly better connectivity when compared to the other villages. Go here to see horses, yaks and may be even the elusive snow leopard. The Kibber monastery is also worth a visit.

After visiting Kibber, I headed further on a dirt track to Tashigang, another beautiful village. I didn’t stay here for long. All I managed here were 2 cups of hot tea and I was back on my way to Kaza after a short roundabout.

A lot of people explore these high villages as part of a homestay trek, which is quite popular during the summer months. The daredevils opt for bicycling. And lesser daredevils opt for motorbiking. Whatever mode you choose, these high villages of Spiti valley are sure to leave you spell bound. This time, I explored them on motorcycle. The next time, I want to cover them on foot and that too in the cold month of January when there is ice everywhere. I hope that day comes soon!

Continue Reading...

Dhankar: Prettiest Village of Spiti

Visualize that you are at an altitude of 3,800 m. You are looking at the confluence of two of the prettiest rivers in the Western Himalayas and staring into one of the remotest and most beautiful valleys of Himachal Pradesh. There is a nip in the air as you are surrounded by eight snow capped mighty Himalayan peaks that resemble the petals of the lotus flower. If you are visualizing this, I have to let you know that you are standing on the top of Dhankar Monastery, one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in India. And you are looking at the confluence of the Spiti and the Pin rivers. And the valley straight ahead of you is the gorgeous Pin valley.



Dhankar monastery is one of the highlights of Dhankar, my favorite village in Himachal’s Spiti valley. Located on a mountain spur, this ancient village is home to monks, cattle herders and agriculturalists. It is tucked a bit away from the highway connecting Shimla to Kaza and hence remains fairly untouched by mainstream tourists. There is no public transport to Dhankar. Either you take your own vehicle, hitchhike on a tractor or walk to Dhankar from the highway down below.



Me and my friend opted for a combination of hitchhiking and walking. We walked for 4 kms from Sichling before getting a lift on a tractor filled with construction workers and bags of cement. I was sitting on a tractor after may be 20 years and I absolutely loved chatting up with these two construction workers who hailed from Nepal and Bihar respectively. Those 30 minutes of slowly chugging those steep, winding roads to the village, jumping up and down to the moves of the tractor and chatting with these lovely people set the right tone for my Dhankar visit.



But, if you opt to walk to this village, you need to be prepared to walk steep paths more or less all the time. And I realized it the hard way as I was lugging my fully loaded backpack in this thin mountain air. The good thing is that once you settle into this kind of every day walk, your body adjusts pretty rapidly.



Once it does, you can enjoy the smiles on the wrinkled faces of the locals, the beauty of the Dhankar monastery, the various trails that lead to the neighbouring villages, the smell of the donkeys, sheep, horses, cows and goats and the spectacular Dhankar lake that is in pristine condition.



My first day here was pretty relaxed. Or rather, we were pretty tired from our long strenuous walk and hence we opted to relax. All we did was bask in the winter sun, drink some hot and sweet mint tea and catch up on some much needed rest. This rest and acclimatization also augured well for our treks the next couple of days.



The next day saw us exploring the Buddhist monastery. While, the monastery does not have a huge area, it offers immense history and learning. Luckily for us, we were the only visitors and hence the lama happily shared interesting stories about the history of this place. And we also had the company of two lovely local girls who were volunteering in the temple during their university break. It was great fun chatting with the girls over a hot cup of tea on the roof of the Buddhist monastery. There were jokes, there was learning and then there was the stunning Himalayan panorama that kept following me all around the village.



Most of the tourists to Dhankar just visit the monastery and then make their way on to their next destination. But, if you do have the comfort of time, I would recommend you to strike conversations with the locals, see how they go about their buck wheat farming and cattle herding, cook momos with them and share stories from your city over a hot cup of butter tea in the evening. These interactions were one of my best experiences in the Spiti valley. Or may be, it is because, I can’t see traveling without experiencing the true local flavor.



To keep the explorer in you interested, you always have the monastery steeped in rich culture and the high altitude Dhankar lake that is considered holy by the people of this village. Dhankar lake is located about 45 to 60 minutes away by walk from the village. While the village is located at a height of 3,800m, the lake is located at 4,100m. The walk is steep and the air does get thinner as you ascend. Hence, it is recommended that you have acclimatized well. If you happen to visit the lake around noon time, you will notice the famous Spiti horses grazing here. There is nothing much to see here apart from a small peace pagoda. It is the hike, the rapidly beating heart and insane views that offer you the thrill you seek. And if and when you do visit this place, place help in keeping the lake and its surroundings clean.



If you are traveling by foot or on your own transport, you can walk over the mountains to another high village called Llalung and further away from it to Sherkhang Gompa, possibly the remotest gompa in the region. I walked this trail and absolutely loved the sparse population and vegetation and the rich landscapes. Nomads, cattle and villagers came few and far between. That is how remote this area is.



I have been all over Spiti valley. All these places are gorgeous and a treat to the eyes. But, for some reason, I find Dhankar, the prettiest of all villages. May be, it was the personal connection that I made here. I hope you too make a connection when you visit this high village in the Western Himalayas of India.



Place where I stayed at: Asha Homestay (Located higher and at about a 5 minute walk from the Dhankar monastery). Recommended by my travel friend Mridula Dwivedi of Travel Tales from India, this place enjoys a gorgeous view of the entire river confluence and the valley below. They charge INR 500 per person. This includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner. You stay with a local family, you live in their home and eat with them. Everything about this place is a great experience for all kinds of travelers.

Nearest Town: The 2 closest large towns are Kaza and Tabo.

Nearest Airport: Kullu Airport

Best Season to visit Dhankar: March to November, though if you are prepared to handle the cold, it is open all year round.

Continue Reading...