Kinnaur with a Backpack

A Week long Trip to the Himalayas is something most of us look forward too , the plan was quite simple , to leave the touristic hordes of Shimla behind us , and explore the relatively unknown Sangla Valley ,

We Started of early morning from Chandigarh , being the monsoon season ,  hills were full of mist & rain which added an ethereal sort of beauty to the atmosphere . After being stuck in the Landslide for the 1st night , we managed to reach the picturesque hamlet of Kalpa on 03rd Aug , getting here is an ordeal & perhaps why most people are unable to reach here , the Jaypee dam construction had altered the very geography of the area , and the roads are a mess to drive on , hats - off to the HRTC drivers , who are doing a commendable job of transporting people and goods along these roads , the experience and agility with which they drive must be experienced to be believed. Particularly treacherous is the road from Karcham to Reckong Pea via Urni , the road here gains dizzying heights with swift switchbacks  and descends equally rapidly over a course of a 20 Km run , sitting on the left side of the bus and looking at it negotiating the hairpin bends & narrow ledges , mere inches away from a steep drop to the valley below is a nerve wracking experience , definitely not for the fainthearted. Once you cross over this section , you come upon the Satluj river that ambles alongside the road right uptil Powari , from here on the Satluj river is at its wildest stretch till Wangtoo , the mere sight of the muddy river roaring past with no concern for the massive rocks or huge mountains along it course , in some of the roughest rapids ever seen , is sure to send a chill down your spine. The journey to Kalpa took up a better part of the day , and we settled in for a comfortable evening in Chini Bungalow near the Kalpa market , the next 02 Days were spent talking long walks around the area , photographing birds & valley , interacting with local people & unwinding with the local Apple Rum.

Later on we moved by another bus to Rakcham - this village sits in the middle of the Baspa River Valley - also known as Sangla Valley , this is where Kinnaur is at is best , with meandering rivers , glacial waterfalls , picturesque villages , flower laden trees & hospitable kinnauri people , we ended up spending the better part of our trip here , with many places to explore , long walks to take , visiting glaciers & not to mention the last inhabitable village on the indo tibet border - Chitkul our time flew by , and before we knew it our trip was coming to a close , we spend approximately 04 days here and each day is etched in our memory for the intimate & beautiful moments that we were lucky enough to be a part of.

At the end of our week ,we took the bus back to Shimla from where the trappings of civilization bought us back home .

Hoping for another endeavour with the mountains soon

Cheers ,

Whosane

P.S - Write to me at indianjourneys01@gmail.com if you need any details for travel to this area.