Kalpa, Chitkul, and Sangla - Slow Travel
Visited probably one of the most beautiful parts of Himachal during the 2nd half of June. It was around April when I got the thought of exploring these places. It was kind of a dream come true for me because a couple of years back I planned to do the Spiti circuit, and obviously I couldn't because some friends backed out.
So I planned the whole trip within a week and made reservations. (For context, I'm from Bengal. So I had to plan things beforehand).
Day 0: Kolkata - New Delhi
Day 1: Reached Delhi. Took an HRTC Volvo from Kashmere Gate ISBT (19:35) to ISBT Tutikandi-Shimla (04:50).
Day 2: Shimla - Kalpa: Took another HRTC bus from ISBT Tutikandi (06:10) to Kalpa (04:10). Stayed in Zostel.
Note:
There's only 1 Govt. bus that goes to Kalpa directly from Shimla (the one I took). All the other buses drop you off at Reckong Peo. But you can take local private buses from Reckong Peo to Kalpa, which takes around 30 mins. The first bus from Kalpa leaves at 7:30, and the last bus from r/Peo leaves at 6:45. If you're in luck, you can also get an HRTC going towards Roghi (twice a day), but it'll drop you off at the outskirts of Kalpa.
Fare: ₹25/-.
Day 3: Explored Kalpa.
Suggestions:
- Please have Siddu! It's a local dish available in both Sweet and Spicy variants.
- Visit the fort. It doesn't have any dedicated entry, so to reach there, you've to enter a primary school.
- Could hike to Chaka Meadows. It's a really beautiful kind of valley with a 180-degree view of Kinnaur Kailash.
- And if you want to feel some adrenaline, you could also hike or take a bus to Rolla Cliff. The same HRTC bus that goes towards Roghi passes over the same Rolla Cliff.
Day 4: Kalpa - Chitkul: Took another HRTC bus from Reckong Peo (09:30) to Chitkul (12:30).
2 Govt. buses run on this route (09:30 and 12:30) with a couple of private buses too. The road from Kalpa to Sangla is more like butter. But till Chitkul, you might get a feeling that the chances of seeing God are much more than the chances of getting back home. Jk! ;). We stayed in Zostel there too. Try to stay there during the visit. They've the best views.
Chitkul gets a bit crowded on weekends, so I would suggest you visit on weekdays. Could stay a day or two, if you want.
Day 5: Explored Chitkul.
There's a beautiful temple, a fort, and a Buddha temple that you can explore. The riverside is just mind-blowing. Can enjoy the sunsets there. Could also visit the ITBP post. Can or cannot have lunch at India's last dhaba cuz all the dhabas in Chitkul are India's last dhabas, and you can have much better meals in other restaurants there.
Day 6: Rest Day
Day 7: Chitkul - Sangla:
Took a private bus from Chitkul (12:30) to Sangla (13:30).
4 buses run between Chitkul and Sangla in a day: 2 Govt. and 2 private. Stayed in Zostel here too. They also have a very top-notch view! Actually, we had a booking for 2 days, but the Zostel there is a bit outside the city, and by then I was so bored that I decided to leave early.
Day 8: Sangla - r/Peo - Shimla:
Initially, my plan was to take a bus on the morning of the 9th day and reach Shimla by evening. Stay there for the night and leave the next day for Kalka. But instead of that, we took a random private bus to Karchham (12:45), then surprisingly we got an HRTC from Karchham (14:30) to r/Peo (15:00).
Note:
Frequent buses (both private and Govt.) are available between Sangla and Karchham, Reckong Peo, Chitkul, Bhabanagar, Rampur, etc.
I took the last HRTC bus from r/Peo (16:30) and reached Shimla (02:30) at midnight.
Day 9: Shimla:
Stayed at the ISBT for 4-5 hrs and explored the Mall Road a bit. Later I checked in to my Airbnb and slept the whole afternoon. Explored Shimla in the evening, had some drinks with some friends I made at the BNB, and slept again! Lmao!
Note:
Frequent govt. buses and private buses are available between ISBT Tutikandi (New Bus Stand) and the Old Bus Stand. It passes over the Shimla station too and drops you off at the Old Bus Stand. And from there you can hike till the Mall Road.
Day 10: Shimla - Kalka:
Took the toy train from Shimla (14:15) to Kalka (07:30). Had this on my bucket list for the longest time. Got a ticket in the Shivalik Deluxe Exp., and the best part was they served lunch and evening snacks.
Took the train from Kalka (23:55) the same day to Kolkata.
Commutation expenses:
- Kolkata - New Delhi: ₹2,952/-
- ISBT Kashmere Gate - ISBT Tutikandi: ₹1,135/- (Online booking available)
- ISBT Tutikandi - Kalpa: ₹647/- (Online booking available)
- Kalpa - r/Peo: ₹25/-
- r/Peo - Chitkul: ₹193/-
- Chitkul - Sangla: ₹60/-
- Sangla - Karchham: ₹50/-
- Karchham - r/Peo: ₹57/-
- r/Peo - Shimla: ₹617/- (Online booking available)
- Shimla - Kalka: ₹775/-
- Kalka - Kolkata: ₹2,737/-
Total: ₹9,248/-
Note:
You can book tickets directly through HRTC's website or 3rd party aggregators.
Stays:
- Zostel Kalpa (2N): ₹1,888/-
- Zostel Chitkul (3N): ₹2,340/-
- Zostel Sangla (2N): ₹1,678/-
- Shimla AirBNB (1N): ₹900/-
Total: ₹6,810/- (Approx.)
Food depends on what's available and your preferences, but you can consider spending 500-700 per day.
P.S. You can text me for any further information.