Visiting Kaza & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India

Hi Guys, this is my first post ever. This Blog/Story is being posted after the fact, and I hope it helps people who are planning to visit this part of india. 

I was treated by my wife for my 40th to go to Spiti Valley in the Himalayas, (India side not Nepal).

I sadly, was not able to do a whole bike tour, as my wife and partner in crime is very nervous on the bikes. But i did manage to at least enjoy a 1 day rental of a Royal Enfield "Bullet", while we there. 

We had decided to go to Delhi in India, and then from there move North to Manali and Spiti Valley, which Manali is in the foothills of the Himalayas, at around 6,300 feet. 

If you are riding from delhi, keep in mind that this is 14 hour drive by car. So plan a good sleep and a few days to get there. We had hired a driver and Car. This guy had slept all day and drove through out the night, so we could reach there the next morning. 

In Manali there are a lot of things to do from Quad biking, normal bike rentals to so that you can explore, to hotair ballon and whitewater rafting. (alot of this is subject to the season). 

We sent a day there to rest and recover, and early the next morning we had another 8 hour drive to the sleepy village of Kaza in the Spiti Valley, 13,000 ft up. 

This is where i wish I was riding, for the adventure and experiance, but at the same time was glad for my partner that we didnt. 

the roads had hairpins and switchbacks every 100m or so and was stunning. At least till we reached the top.  

After that we found that the roads were not all tarmac, and where it was not a muddy slush from the glacial waters and the trucks it was stony with long drops. Also the roads were wide enough for 1 vehicle but as in India, it was 2-way traffic.

You will need previous experiance and I highly recomend you do this tour in a group if you are riding all the way. Alot of the riders told me that they wished they shipped their bikes in, as the Enfields didnt have the comfort or that extra horsepower when needed. 

When we reached Kaza, we had decided that this was where we would base out of, to see around, and this was where we rented the bike for the day. (by the way there are LOADS of places to service or bike your ride if needed). 

I will not post alot of the pics as i am not sure how many i can post on here. 

From Kaza, we were able to see quite a few monastery's as well as the worlds highest village connected with a motorable road at 4587M or 15,000ft. 

Guys if you are planning this trip, check your seasons and weather, as it went from 15c in the day to -3c at night (in places). Also they have a habbit of closing roads due to the weather there. 

I have a lot more to tell and and show. But not sure whats the limit. 

The views are breathtaking, the Glacial lakes mind blowing, and the ride adventerous. If I was to go with my friends I would plan it slightly differently. 

Feel free to ask questions and i will be happy to assist you all. 

Neil.