Into Spiti: A Journey Through India's Cold Desert Valley
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Spiti valley sits in a rain shadow high in the Himalaya, its landscape closer to a cold desert than the lush greenery most visitors associate with India. Reaching it typically means a long, high altitude drive from either Manali or Shimla, crossing passes that remain snowbound for much of the year and open only in the warmer months.
Kaza serves as the valley's main town and a natural base for exploring further, with nearby Key monastery rising in tiers up a steep hillside as one of the region's most recognisable landmarks. Founded many centuries ago, the monastery has weathered earthquakes, invasions and fires yet remains an active centre of Buddhist learning today.
Villages such as Langza, Komic and Hikkim sit among the highest inhabited settlements anywhere in the world, their whitewashed homes and prayer flags set against a stark, rocky backdrop. Hikkim's tiny post office, often described as the world's highest, has become something of a landmark in its own right for travellers passing through.
Altitude shapes every part of a Spiti journey, from the pace of acclimatisation required before pushing further into the valley to the thin, clear light that gives the landscape its particular character. Travellers who allow enough time for the altitude are rewarded with some of the starkest, most memorable scenery found anywhere in the Himalaya.