Over Kunzum, home via Kinnaur
Manali to Shimla
The other direction. Lahaul and the pass first, the high villages, then the long exhale through Kinnaur back to Shimla.
Manali · Spiti · Kinnaur · Shimla
The days
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1
Manali · None
Manali, on purpose
Coming straight from the plains, you do not ride Kunzum tomorrow. Old Manali, a walk, sleep. Acclimatisation is the work, even when it looks like a day off.
Night · Manali
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2
Manali → Jispa · About 140 km
Manali to Jispa
Atal Tunnel, then the Lahaul side: Sissu, Keylong, Jispa. The day is a climb without being a stunt. Fuel in Tandi if the plan says so — we will not be poetic about petrol.
Night · Jispa
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3
Jispa → Kunzum → Kaza · About 180 km
Jispa to Kaza
Batal, Kunzum La, a look at Chandratal if the side road is open and the clock agrees, then Losar and down to Kaza. Refuel before the market. This is the long day of the Manali entry.
Night · Kaza
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4
Key, Kibber, Chicham, Langza · About 70 km
The high villages
Key on its cliff, Kibber, the Chicham bridge if the wind is kind, then Hikkim and Komic — sold as the world’s highest, and either way very high. Langza’s Buddha if there’s light left. Back to Kaza before the cold sits down. We don’t stack a pass on top of this day.
Night · Kaza
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5
Kaza & around · As you like
A second day in Kaza
Pin Valley or the Gue mummy road only if everyone woke up well. Otherwise the market, seabuckthorn, and an early night. Longer plans exist so this day can be quiet.
Night · Kaza
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6
Kaza → Tabo → Nako · About 160 km
Leaving Spiti slowly
Dhankar if we didn’t stop on the way in. Tabo for the monastery, then up to Nako. The valley goes green again somewhere after Pooh, which is always a small shock.
Night · Nako
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7
Nako → Kalpa · About 140 km
Nako to Kalpa
The Ka loops in the other direction, then Kinnaur’s orchards. Kalpa again, which feels luxurious after Kaza, and is.
Night · Kalpa
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8
Kalpa → Shimla · About 240 km
Kalpa to Shimla
The long tarmac day home. Sangla is a glimpse, not a night. Fair on a brisk plan, stingy on a classic one — which is why the longer trips sleep in the Baspa.
Night · Shimla
Fits. People already in Manali, or flying into Bhuntar, who want to finish in Shimla.
Doesn’t. First-time riders who want the softest acclimatisation — start from Shimla if you can.
Guided, included
- The bike or vehicle on your plan, for every day it shows in the price
- A backup vehicle — even if you are the only guest
- A ride marshal who has done this road in a bad week, not just a good one
- A mechanic, and a box of the parts that actually fail up there
- Oxygen and a basic medical kit in the backup, not as a photograph
- Help with permits and check-posts where the district still asks
- Stays for every night in the day plan: guesthouses, homestays, and a camp at Chandratal when that night is on the route
- Breakfast and dinner on those nights. Lunch is the road’s business
- A helmet and a simple pair of gloves with every bike
- Twin share in the price you see first. Single and triple are on the same page, not a surprise later
Not included
- Fuel, and the odd top-up of oil. Budget roughly ₹2,500–4,500 a bike for a circuit, paid as you go
- Lunch, chai, bottled water, snacks
- Monastery tickets and camera fees
- Flights. A Delhi Volvo is included only when your plan says Delhi
- A single room, unless you picked one
- Riding kit beyond the helmet and gloves, unless you add it
- Travel and medical insurance. Buy it. This is a high, remote road
- Anything a slide, a snowfall, or a closed pass adds: extra nights and extra vehicle days at cost
- Alcohol, tips, shopping, the woollen cap you will buy in Kaza anyway
- GST at 5% where it applies, on top of the figure
- A pillion, unless you chose a shared ride
This list follows Guided above.