स्पीति - Spiti | The Middle Land - Little Tibet

Spiti Valley | Land of Adventure

The name "Spiti" means "The middle land", the land between Tibet and India.

Spiti incorporates mainly the valley of the Spiti River.

Some of the prominent side-valleys in Spiti are the Pin valley and the Lingti valley. Spiti has a cold desert environment.

The Bhoti-speaking local population follows Tibetan Buddhism.

The Spiti River originates from the base of the 6,118 m (20,073 ft) K-111 peak.

Spiti valley is arid as it is situated in the monsoon rain shadow of the Himalayas. The average annual rainfall is about 50 mm (2.0 in) with snowfall less than 200 cm (6.6 ft).

The extreme temperatures are −25 °C (−13 °F) in winter and 15 °C (59 °F) in summer.

Spiti valley is accessible throughout the year via Kinnaur from Shimla on a difficult 412 km-long (256 mi) road.

In summer Spiti can be reached via Manali through the Atal tunnel and Kunzum Pass.

The road joining Manali to Spiti is treacherous and in bad condition as compared to the Shimla to Spiti road. Due to the high altitude one is likely to feel altitude sickness in Spiti. The Shimla to Spiti route is advised for travelers coming from lower altitudes as it gives them enough time to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

Some significant local festivities in Spiti include the Guitor at Kyi Gonpa (July), Ladarcha fair (mid-August), Spiti Losar (around November), Thuckchu (winter solstice in December), Dachang (around February), and Sia Mentok (around February).

The best time to visit Spiti Valley is May to October. During this summer season, Spiti is accessible from Manali and from Shimla. In winters the road from Manali is closed for almost 6 months due to heavy snowfall. Spiti is accessible during most of the winter from Shimla. Besides tourists, many film-makers visit Spiti in winter for shooting.

Some of the popular treks in Spiti include the following:

The Kanamo peak is a popular 5,960 m (19,550 ft) high mountain above Kibber village, whose summit people can trek to.

The Parang La trek is a well-known trek for crossing from Spiti valley into Rupshu plains of Ladakh.
The Bhaba Pass trek in the Pin valley is a popular summer trek.
The Pin-Parvati pass trek, from Spiti into Kullu or the other way round, is considered a more challenging trek.
The trek from Reckong Peo in the Satluj valley to Nako in the Spiti valley climbs steeply to the Hango Pass, then descends to Leo (Liyo) on the south bank of the Spiti. The trail crosses the Spiti river and climbs up to Nako.
Note: Above informations are sourced from Wikipedia. Thanks to Wikipedia.