Undiscovered splendour
CHANDAN SEN
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The biological diversity and the rich cultural heritage of the Spiti valley is amazing.
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Photo: Chandan Sen
A taste of heaven : (Clockwise) The Spiti, Tabo Valley, Nako Lake, Pong Dam
Beyond the picturesque locations of Himachal Pradesh lies the lesser known cold desert of the Spiti valley in the Lahoul-Spiti region. This region is a treasure of biological diversity as well as cultural heritage.
Leaving Shimla at dawn, the first stop over was at Kalpa. It was a long journey along the Sutlej. Kalpa is an attractive small satellite town of Recong Peo, the district headquarters of Kinnaur. You get a panoramic view of Kinner Kailash amid the mighty Himalayas and the luscious apple orchards. Recong Peo is the gateway to the cold desert zone of the Kinnaur and Spiti valley.
Adventure country
Puh, a small township, is the starting node to the cold desert. The first impression was of rather barren hills sparsely covered with bush with a few apple orchards. But proceeding higher we see a variety of high altitude birds like the Chukar, Pied Wheatear, White capped bunting, Rock bunting and Grandala.
Chango, the next stop after Puh. The apple orchards on both sides have transformed it into a lush green oasis. From Chango, we move on to Tabo. The drive along the river fills us with joy. At Samdo, Parchhu and Spiti meet forming the Sutlej.
We were now heading for the most treacherous stretch of the journey. The deep rocky gorges of the Spiti and the geological formations are magical. They look like art on the gigantic canvas of the mountains.
The narrow road passing below the overhanging cliffs and running through a few kilometers of this hair-raising stretch finally lead us to the Spiti valley. The valley is so enchanting that we did not realise that we had reached Tabo, a small town, famous for its historic monastery (more than 1000 years old). It has nine ancient temples on its premises. Besides this there is a natural cave shrine with old murals called “The Ajanta of Himalayas”. The Himalayan blue sheep ‘Tabo’ makes it even more special.
We then moved to Kungri in Pin Valley National Park. It was an adventurous drive along the Spiti. We were often welcomed by flocks of Himalayan cattle. We spot a herd of Ibex on a rocky slope. Kungri, is our destination.
Kungri, is located on the banks of the Pin, and is a small village known for a monastery. It is also the base point for treks and explorations. There are many places like the National Park, and the Mud village to visit. Mud village is famous for its Choumurthy, an exotic breed of horse from Tibet.
The incredible charm and grandeur of the magnificent cold desert lingers in our minds as undiscovered splendour.
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