Thereafter, crossing the amazing Shila Nulla, you ascend further up the arid hills and drive all alone over the rugged terrain for over 3 hours; you then reach your next destination–Langza.
At the height of 4400mts above sea level, Langza is a small village and, like Mudh, does not have any hotels to stay. Home-stay therefore is the only option for visitors who desire to spend a night or two here.
Langza is a delightful place for photographers, particularly those interested and found in Astro-photography. Such enthusiasts come here in an endeavour to capture milky-way or Akash Ganga as known in India and also startling star-trailing pictures.
So Lara’s Home-Stay is where you shall stay for the following two nights. It’s a minute walk from Langza’s iconic Buddha Statue and has half a dozen semi-furnished rooms for visitors. The hospitable wife of its owner ensures they kept you well during the stay.
Before sunset, you walk up to the Buddha statue and scan the area to help complete search of a propitious point conducive to shoot later during dark.
It is dark now. You stuff the camera equipment in the car and instead of walking, drive to the decided spot. After assiduously setting the camera on the tripod, you are then ready to press the click button.
The temperature has dropped precipitously. The chill is unbearable. So, quickly putting the camera in motion, you promptly get back in the warmer climate of the car.
Honestly, capturing ‘Star Trails’ is a fascinating but time-consuming process. We need nearly two hours to accomplish this aim. Now, as the camera does its job, you extract the bottle of rum from the bag; make your drink without losing an eye from the camera.
Two hours have passed. You then come out, swiftly dismantle the camera and rush back in the car. The dinner is ready at Lara’s, after which you are back in the room for a good sleep.
The following morning, the 8th day of this captivating tour, you are ready, this time to visit the village of Komic – know to be world’s highest motorable village.
At an altitude of 15,500 ft., the peaks of Snow Clan Mountains around Komic seem nearly at the same height as where you stand.
The14th century Lundup Tsemo Gompa Buddhist Monastery, reputedly the highest motorable Buddhist Monastery in the world and famous for its Maitreya Buddha, is right there. After paying your obeisance, you then order coffee from the restaurant nearby that too proudly claims to be ‘World’s Highest Restaurant’. You are on high now!! literally!
You then drive towards Hikkim, not too far from Komic. Hikkim at the altitude of 4,400ft is the village that prides itself for having ‘World’s Highest Post Office’ – PIN No. 172114. Unsurprisingly, therefore, during elections, this quaint Himalayan village also claims to have planet’s highest pooling booth.
So, post parking the car, you purchase a few postal cards from the local shop and walk down into the village and towards the post office. At the Post-office, you purchase necessary stamps; stick them on the cards and drop them in the post-box hanging on the wall right there.
On this second night at Lanza, you once again indulge in Astro-photography, this time albeit from a different location and different direction. A similar two hour exercise then ensues.
On the 9th day, you are presently driving towards the very last destination within the Spiti Valley- the beautiful Chandra Tal on the Samudra Tapu Plateau via Losar and Kunzum Pass.
During this 6 hour, driving through the rugged roads, you stop by a small temple amidst serene mountains. It’s the revered ‘Kunzum Mata Temple’. Interestingly, according to believers, if you place a coin on the black stone inside and pray with devotion, the coin shall stick.
I tried. And it has stuck. Thankfully!! You then leave.
By the time you reach Parasol Camps at Chandra Tal, one of the few camping sites constructed of canvas tents, it is 2 pm.
The inhospitable cold arid climate sadly inhibits visitors from staying here longer. You therefore book yourself here only for a night stay.
These temporary tent accommodations are available for just a few months across the year. During winters, the owners dismantle them and take them away, only to come back after the snow has melted.
So, after lunch, with your camera gears, you are now off to visit the iconic and exceptionally delightful, the blue sacred Chandra Tal Lake, (Lake of the Moon also called Tso Chigma).
Located few kilometers away from the camp, on reaching there you park the car and then walk the final 1Km. In the next fifteen minutes, you are now face to face with this mesmerizing creation of the nature. This outstanding aqua color crescent shaped water body surrounded by vast mountains is waiting to be admired by each one present.
Excitedly, you capture its images from as many angles as possible before returning.
Walking over the hill, on the other side you can see a couple of lagoons or small lakes that form the part of this grandeur.
Like Langza, Chandra Tal too is a place fabled for shooting the sky. Finding an appropriate place to picture Milky Way and Star Trails is therefore imperative.
Serendipitously, the owner of the Camp, Bishan, comes as a welcome panacea. He, with amazing alacrity, guides you to a secluded space from where you accomplish your task unhindered. So, there you go, once again following the SoP’s (Standard operating Procedures) of Astro-photography.
The following morning, you are finally on your way back. This time towards the popular Hill Station Manali.
Passing through scenic but rugged terrains and hard roads, eerie where enormous boulders and stones piled up on either side, you reach the famous ‘Atal Tunnel’.
Atal Tunnel, also known as Rohtang Tunnel, is an incredible 9 km long tunnel built under Rohtang pass on the Leh-Manali Highway. This tunnel arguably is a bane to those travelling to Leh from Manali, and vice versa. It has reduced the travelling time between these two places by over 3 hours and several kms.
Down the road you check-in at a hotel in Solan, close to Manali .
The following morning, after a quick round visit to Manali driving along the Mall Road and visiting a couple of holy temples, including the Hidemba Temple, you leave for Jibhi. Jibhi in the Banjar Valley is located amidst Great Himalayan National Park.
On the way, you break for lunch at this amazing Naggar Castle. This Heritage Hotel, once the palace of 14th Century Raja Sidh Singh, is now acquired by the Himachal’s Tourism department and converted into a hotel.
The breath-taking view of the valley below and mountains around looks wonderful. The quality of the food, too, has stood up to its reputation.
Once satiated, you get back to the car and continue the drive towards Jibhi. Passing through motorable albeit narrow roads, you take nearly 4 hours to reach this picturesque hotel on the bank of a river.
After spending the last night of this tour here, you are finally on your way back to Chandigarh, crossing Mandi
Once at Chandigarh, you thank driver Rajnish for his commendable driving skills, particularly while negotiating challenging terrain along the way. Not forgetting times when you have crossed your fingers, closed your eyes and prayed while crossing dangerous zones.
Undoubtedly, an unforgettable experience has now ended. The surreal landscapes of Spiti have touched your heart, images of which shall without doubt stay embedded in your mind for a long time.
Soon you are back at your home in Mumbai. Aamchi Mumbai.
