The classic circuit
Shimla to Manali
Kinnaur first, Spiti in the middle, Manali at the end. The order that lets you climb in steps instead of in one proud, foolish day.
Shimla · Kinnaur · Spiti · Manali
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 / Chitkul · About 220 km
Into the Baspa valley
The day the hills change. Narkanda if the light is good, then the Sutlej, then Sangla. Chitkul — the last inhabited village up this valley — if the final stretch is open and the group isn’t already cooked.
Night · Chitkul or Sangla
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3
Sangla → Kalpa · About 90 km
Sangla to Kalpa
A shorter ride on purpose. Reckong Peo, then up to Kalpa. Kinner Kailash sits in front of the rooms when the cloud allows. This is the night people start sleeping properly.
Night · Kalpa
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4
Kalpa → Nako → Tabo · About 180 km
Across the Ka loops
The Sutlej falls away, the mountain goes brown, and Spiti starts before the sign says so. Nako’s lake is the lunch that matters. Tabo’s monastery is a thousand years old and still a working one — shoes off, voices down.
Night · Tabo
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5
Tabo → Dhankar → Kaza · About 110 km
Tabo to Kaza
Dhankar on the cliff if the spur road is behaving, then the open valley into Kaza. Fuel before you wander. The town is small, the sky is not.
Night · Kaza
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6
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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7
Kaza → Kunzum → Chandratal · About 90 km
Kaza to Chandratal
Losar, then Kunzum La, then the lake road — narrow, slow, and worth the patience. Camps sit back from the water, as they should. It will be cold. The morning makes up for it.
Night · Chandratal camp
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8
Chandratal → Manali · About 160 km
Lake to Manali
Batal, the water crossings if they’re up, Gramphu, then the Atal Tunnel and a different climate. Manali feels loud after Kaza. That’s how you know the valley worked.
Night · Manali
Fits. Riders and small car groups who want the full summer circuit with the kinder climb.
Doesn’t. Anyone hoping to ‘do Spiti’ in a long weekend, or a winter plan — Kunzum is shut then.
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.