Destinations Highlights: Shimla Town – Sarhan – Sangla valley – Kalpa Kinnar Kailash – Nako The Last Village in the east – Tabo – Pin Valley – Kaza – Rohtang Pass – Manali Town.
Remarks: This jeep safari can be customized and total no of days can be reduced. You may expect a span of around 10 days to complete the same program
Your highlights may start from your first ride to toy Train from kalka to Shimla. Worth visiting this beautiful hill station – Shimla and capital of Himachal Pradesh. Your second encounter would be driving towards east Bhima Kali temple at Sarhan. Beautiful landscape and Himalayan panorama will attract your cameras.
Sangla valley is famous for its greenery and beautiful landscapes and rich flaura and fauna. Kalpa situated on bit high altitude offers an incredible view of Kinnar Kailash Peak on an aerial distance. Full of apple orchards and kamru fort would be another attraction at this location.
Kalpa onwards by following Satluj river originating from Tibet your vegetation will get change and arrive Nako the last village of this border area. Nako has a beautiful lake which freezes in the wnter and villagers play ice hockey during this period and seeing the temple of Padamsambhava, the second incarnation of lord Buddha who made Buddhism popular in the Trans Himalayas is worht seeing where we can see the foot prints of the Padamsambhava.
Further drive will take you to one of the major monastery called Tabo.
Spread over an area of almost 3000 sq. m, surrounded by a thick mud wall, Tabo gompa is divided into three buildings with the middle structure being most interesting and important. Tabo (also spelt as Ta-pho) was established a thousand years ago and was a part of Western Tibet school which originally designed different mandalas in the form of statues hanging on the walls of the gompa to meditate upon. However 800 years ago with the arrival of Guru Padmasambhava in Tibet, and with the introduction of his new sect - Gelugpa - the old philosophy of Western Tibet schools was lost and their unique philosophical practices almost died. Now Tabo is the only living monastery outside Tibet depicting similar mandalas on the walls of the Dukhang.
Tabo is also the home of the incarnated H.H. The Dalai Lama's junior tutor.
From the bridge of Attargu, cross the Spiti river by a pucca bridge and follow the Pin - one of the major tributaries of the Spiti - upstream. Drive through the villages of Chidang and Gyuling. Arrive at the tri-junction of Spiti, Pin and Khamengar valleys with the villages of Pokchung, Khar and Sangam on the three sides. Drive a little further up the Parachio Nalla, cross it over the bridge to reach the village of Sangam, situated on the true left bank of Pin river. Camp near the village.
The Pin Valley is known to be full of wildlife - ibex, khangral, marmot, bharal, are commonly seen on the high slopes with the elusive snow leopard occasionally visible looking for prey. In the afternoon walk around and explore the Pin valley.
Visit the monastery at Ghungri which is the main centre of the Nyingma pa sect in Spiti. The monastery is believed to have been founded by Guru Padmasambhava.
Dhankar, a most incredibly-situated gompa, perched high on barren rocky mountain slopes. As you progress, the whole Dhankar village opens up in front of you like something artificial crops up from nowhere. Park your vehicles at the beginning of the village and walk for about half an hour past mud houses on to your right and fields to the left with the Spiti river flowing down below.
Kaza, the sub-divisional headquarters of Spiti. It boasts of a P.W.D. Rest House, a couple of small private guest houses, a branch of the State Bank of India, a school, a dry cleaners, post and telegraph office and a helipad. three kms from Kaza is the Rong Ting Hydel Project which generates electricity for most of the villages in Spiti. Also visit the new Sa-kya-pa monastery.
Manali is circled by beautiful glades of deodars and flowering horse chestnuts, tiny leveled fields and fruit orchards with the Beas River meandering through the town. It is an ideal place for walks, climbs, treks and picnics.
Visit Dhoongri Temple, also known as the Hadimba Temple, believed to be a thousand years old, It is dedicated to the goddess Hadimba, wife of Bhima, the Pandava of Mahabharata fame. Set in tranquil surroundings, The Vashisht Springs are located in the small village of Vashisht on the left bank of the Beas. The hot water sulphur springs have been made into Turkish-style baths with shower rooms and temperature controlled water piped in. The nearby temple dedicated to Vashista Muni is well worth a visit.
Jagatsukh, originally known as Nast, is located 6 km from Manali on the left bank of the Beas on the Manali-Naggar Road. It was the ancient capital of Kulu for some ten generations and is famous for its temples, particularly the shikara-style Shiva temple and the interesting Devi Sharvali temple.
Some 12 km from Jagatsukh and halfway between Manali and Kulu, is the small town of Naggar. The capital of the Kulu Raja for some 1,400 years, where the medieval world still survives, Naggar is untouched by time. It is situated on a wooded slope and commands an extensive view, especially of the north west of the Kulu Valley. The town has been made famous by the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich, whose works are displayed in a gallery. The Naggar Castle, with its tales of love and chivalry, is now converted into a hotel. There are several ancient temples in and around the town including the Vishnu, Tripur-Sundari Devi and Krishna temples.