Kunzum is shut. The valley isn’t.
Winter Spiti expedition
Shimla to Kaza and back on the Kinnaur road. Snow, short days, and the same villages without the summer traffic. Cars do this happily. Bikes, only if you’ve already ridden up here.
Shimla · Sangla · Kalpa · Nako · Tabo · Kaza · and back
The days
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1
Shimla · Arrival
Shimla, and the yard
Bikes are handed over at our Shimla yard, not in a hotel porch. Papers, a short brief, and an honest look at tomorrow’s road. If you land early, the Mall is a walk, not a plan.
Night · Shimla
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2
Shimla → Sangla · About 220 km
Shimla toward the Baspa
Winter daylight is short, so this day starts properly. Chitkul only if the last kilometres aren’t ice. We turn around without a speech when the road says so.
Night · Sangla
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3
Sangla → Kalpa · About 90 km
Sangla to Kalpa
The Kinnaur ridge in winter light. Kinner Kailash, if the sky is clear, is the whole point of sleeping here. Rooms with a heater that works. We check.
Night · Kalpa
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4
Kalpa → Nako → Tabo · About 180 km
Kalpa to Tabo
The cold-desert day. Nako can be frozen at the edges and still the right lunch. Tabo is quiet in winter, which suits it. Kunzum is not part of this plan.
Night · Tabo
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5
Tabo → Kaza · About 110 km
Tabo to Kaza
The valley opens. Kaza in winter is a small town with a large sky and serious cold after four. We are in before dark. That is the whole rule.
Night · Kaza
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6
Key & Kaza · Short
Kaza, as far as the road allows
Key Monastery if the switchbacks are dry. Hikkim and Komic only when they are obviously fine, not when someone is feeling brave. Winter riding is a series of small honest decisions.
Night · Kaza
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7
Kaza → Kalpa · About 250 km
Kaza back toward Kalpa
The long return on the same Kinnaur road. There is no secret shortcut in winter — Kunzum is shut, and we don’t negotiate with it. Kalpa again, gratefully.
Night · Kalpa
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8
Kalpa → Shimla · About 240 km
Kalpa to Shimla
Down to trees, traffic, and a thicker atmosphere. The yard, a cup of something hot, and the bikes checked back in. Winter done properly feels quiet, not conquered.
Night · Shimla
Fits. Winter travellers who want Spiti specifically, in a Thar, Jimny, Scorpio, or on a bike they already trust.
Doesn’t. A first bike tour. And anyone who needs Chandratal — the lake road is a summer fact.
With the keys, included
- The bike or car you picked, serviced, from the Shimla yard
- Toolkit, puncture kit, and straps
- Helmet and basic gloves on the bikes
- A proper handover: where the fuel is, where it isn’t, and where the phone goes quiet
- Roadside assistance only if you added it
- A helmet and a basic pair of gloves
- Toolkit, puncture kit, and luggage straps
- A handover in Shimla: fuel points, the last petrol, where the phone dies
Not included
- Stays, meals, permits, fuel, a backup, a marshal, a mechanic riding with you
- Pick-up outside Shimla, unless we agree it when we talk
- Anything the road does to the plan. That’s the trade for going on your own
This list follows Just the keys above.