A geology & ecology field trip to spiti & lahaul India
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- A geology & ecology field trip to spiti & lahaul India
enquires@indusdiscoveries.com
+1-(765)-586-1210
+44-2030-2689-44
+91 124 4361906Highlights
Don’t miss sightseeing of Delhi
Delhi – Manali on train and jeep
Naggar Castle & Nicholas Roerich Museum
Drive to kaza and study geology of Spiti valley
Visit Key monastery, Kibber village and Wildlife Sanctuary
Study rocks and geology of Mane
Observing lakes and habitats
Toy train from Shimla to Kalka
Best from March to September
Delhi – Manali – Kaza – Mane – Nako – Kalpa – Shimla – Delhi
itinerary
People with a sense of adventure, who would like to explore this little-known part of the high Himalayas close to the border with Tibet. We will see some dramatic geology, look at some of the plants and animals which make their homes in this mountain desert and visit ancient Buddhist monasteries. The area is remote, the roads are rough and the driving slow. Accommodation will generally be in basic hotels and homestays though the hotels in Delhi and Shimla, at the beginning and end of our trip, will offer a touch of luxury.
Day 1 – To Delhi
Departure from your home country.
Day 2 – Delhi
Arrival Delhi and then on transfer to Hotel Shangrila Eros. An afternoon sighseeing of important historical monuments of Delhi.
Day 3 – Manali
Travel Delhi to Manali – train to Chandigarh then jeep to Manali (1926 m). We will travel across a series of boundary thrusts from the Sub-Himalaya foothills, through the Lesser Himalaya Sedimentary and Crystalline series into the Greater Himalayan sequence. Two nights in Mayflower hotel.
Day 4 – Manali
Arrive Manali, visit Naggar Castle and Nicholas Roerich museum. Afternoon free to explore Manali. Introduction to some of the main themes of the tour late afternoon.
Day 5 – Kaza
Manali to Kaza (3600 m). An early start for the long drive over the Rohtang pass (3978 m), up the Chandra valley and over Kunzum La pass (4500 m) into the Spiti valley, looking at the structural geology en route. Today we will cross from the Greater Himalayan sequence, through a band of Cambrian-Ordovician Granite and into the Tethyan Himlayas. Four nights in Hotel Deyzor.
Day 6 – Kaza
Kaza. Drive back up towards Kunzum La for a closer look at the geology of the Tethyan Himalayas in which the Spiti valley lies. These mountains formed from the thick pile of marine sediments deposited on the Northern margin of the Indian continental plate as it collided with the Eurasian plate. This will also allow us time to acclimatise to the altitude.
Day 7 – Kaza
Kaza. Visit Key monastery, the largest in Spiti, and Kibber village and Wildlife Sanctuary (4270 m). The wildlife sanctuary’s cold desert climate provides a home for snow leopards, wolves, ibex and blue sheep as well as rare medicinal plants.
Day 8 – Kaza
Kaza. Visit the high-altitude villages of Hikkim, Komik and Langza (4600 m) and their monasteries, driving through spectacularly-folded (Triassic) sediments. Walk from Langza to cave where marine fossils have been found.
Day 9 – Mane
Kaza to Mane. Drive down the Spiti river then up the Pin Valley taking in its dramatic structural geology – highly folded, mostly Triassic sediments with inliers of Permian and Carboniferous rock. Head on to Mane for two nights at a homestay.
Day 10 – Mane
Mane. Walk to Sepona Lake beneath the Manirang mountain near Mane Village looking at geology, ecology and geomorphology. Wetter land round the lake provides habitats for a wider range of plants and animals than elsewhere in this desert region.
Day 11 – Nakor
Mane to Nako. Drive down the Spiti valley, stopping to visit the ancient monastery and caves at Tabo en route. The Chos Khor Gompa is the oldest monastery in the region. Visit nearby Nako lake, if time permits. Stay in tented camps.
Day 12 – Kalpa
Nako to Kalpa. Carry on down the Spiti valley to where it joins the Sutlej at Puh, and follow this to Kalpa (2960 m). Journeying from Spiti towards Shimla we traverse the boundary thrusts in reverse, from the Tethyan to the Sub-Himalaya. Stay at Hotel Grand Shambala.
Day 13 – Kalpa
Kalpa. Day at leisure to rest and relax.
Day 14 – To Shimla
Kalpa to Shimla via Sarahan. Carry on down the Sutlej valley towards Shimla, breaking the journey overnight in the old regional capital and market town of Sarahan. Visit the palace complex and temple, time permitting.
Three nights stay at Hotel Clarkes Shimla.
Day 15 – Shimla
Shimla. Walking tour of the old British hill station then free time in the afternoon.
Day 16 – Shimla
Day at leisure in Shimla.
Day 17 – To Delhi
Shimla to Delhi. Take the Toy train to Kalka then the express to Delhi. Stay overnight at Hotel Ibis near International airport.
Day 18 – On the final day
Departure for your home country.
Each of our programs can be customised to our client’s desires.
Accommodation
- Luxury hotels.
- Homestay
- Tented Camp Accommodation
- Can be customized according to requirement.
Tour Inclusions
- Assistance upon arrival and departure at airports and railways stations
- Accommodation
- English Speaking Guide and entrance charges as indicated in the itinerary
- All domestic transfers within the country
- Complimentary drinking water
our membership
- is recognised by the Ministry of Tourism - Government of india
- We are registered with Jammu and Kashmir Tourism.
- We are an active member of the indian association of tour operators
- We are a global member of the educational travel consortium
- We are supplier of services member to the United States Tour Operators association.
our promise
- We consider it our responsibility to make your tour special through best coordinated expertise on customising your travel just as you want it. Making detailed assessments of the destinations and being sure we qualify to provide the best services possible is our ultimate aim.
+1-(765)-586-1210
+44-2030-2689-44
