A Mesh of Culture and Beauty: Photo Story of Spiti Winter Homestay Trail

There are places that you fall in love with and then there are some that leave a permanent imprint on your memory. Spiti Valley is one such place which holds the capacity to fill your heart with warmth despite day temperatures plummeting to -20 degrees in winters, your mind with awe for its barren beauty that’s indescribable, and your soul with a deep sense of humility for witnessing life thriving in these basic yet harsh conditions.

 

 

Spiti Valley Homestay Trail is a one of a kind trail that takes you straight into the homes of the warmest people who survive in the remotest folds of the Himalayas. It entrenches you deep into their life in the high mountains allowing for a rare cultural reconnaissance. While it is more than a trip – it is an experience – we want to start you off on the journey by launching you into this gallery of Spiti to give you a feel of this dreamy, magical civilization built on mud tucked under a protective layer of thick ice.  

 

1) The Other Worldly Land: 

God clearly has his favorites - how else would you explain all the beauty held so gracefully by one tiny patch of land between Tibet and India that goes by the name of Spiti - the middle land! The forestless mountains parched and shriveling under the harsh temperatures of the altitude, their crumbling, cardboard structures, the last remnants of prickly, frozen shrubs being rummaged through by the thriving yet camouflaged wildlife in the area, all lend to the out worldly vibe of the place. Gorges which seem to run as deep as the deep red of the setting sun make the land and all its creatures seem surreal – the vastness and the monotone broken only by the white of the snow spread across the landscape in imaginative patterns.

 

 

2) Some High Delights:

From the highest post office in the world, to the highest village in the world, to a massive 35 feet statue of Buddha that adds color to this desolate land, Spiti is a cauldron of unparalleled experiences. As harsh and extreme as the terrain seems, the people living there are just the opposite – warm and welcoming. Do cold temperatures lend to the making of warmer hearts, we wonder?

 

 

3) High Mountain Living: 

The dry desert of Spiti is a marvel through and through which offers you a host of experiences in the form of local and cultural indulgence, spiritual reconnaissance, getting acquainted to traditional ways and a bucket full of warmth from the local hosts in its spine-freezing temperature. With remote villages and tiny hamlets scattered around its landscape, it is a lesson in the powers of adaptation and simple living!

 

 

 

4) The Colour of Faith: 

In this desolate land where harsh conditions making the simplest things about survival seem strenuous, faith takes on a new meaning. The range of colour that the region lacks in its terrain, it makes up for in the many colours of faith ubiquitous in the valley. Brightly coloured and soaring high religious structures, mani stones stippled across the land, the zealous prayer flags using the winds to carry their colour far and wide and the bustling hues of the local markets with all their spices, souvenirs and the many coloured personalities you witness in these busy streets. Although dominated by shades of brown and white, there is colour to be found in the air of Spiti Valley!

 

 

5) Fifty Shades of Glee: 

The harshness of the terrain and weather and the way people survive in these subzero temperatures is absolutely enthralling to witness first hand. And of course the raw beauty of the valley itself. The dichromatic landscape with shades of white sprinkled across the shades of brown of the barren mountains! The many aspects of life in this high-mountain civilization, the way survival is structured based on the conditions of the land, the realization that geography dictates so much of our collective tradition and individual disposition hits you gently in the face on this trail.

 

 

6) Hamlets: 

On first glance you’d think Spiti is a ghost valley with nothing but barren mountains standing one behind the other. But if you look close enough, you will see camouflaged hamlets sitting on the smallest of plains on these crumbling mountains all through your drive, when you least expect them. Bunched in small groups of 4-5 houses, these hamlets are stippled across the land and the thrill of spotting each one is unparalleled. To wonder how they avail of resources so far out and high up from a place where there are, forget all-weather roads, but barely any roads at all, is a question that is likely to stick!

 

 

7) The Caves: 

Chicham (4,500M) is a tiny hamlet nested high up on the naked mountains of Spiti and holds a lot of the secrets of bygone eras. Trekking to the mysterious caves 4 hours up from Chicham in the winters where temperatures fall to as low as -20 during daytime, is no small feat. This medium difficult trek which takes you to a cave rife with traditional paintings is a time machine to ancient times. A lot of folk tales are associated with the cave. Locals go up there to pray for the spirits of their dead even today!

 

 

8) All That’s Wild About This Trail: 

Spiti, even though arid, is rich in wildlife. Many magnificent species call this dry land their home – including the ghost of the mountains – the snow leopard. Remember to keep an eye out for any kind of movement when you are here – you don’t want to miss anything!