“World’s Highest!” Don’t Let Your Bucket List Ruin Your Himalayan Adventure

Spiti valley in India’s high-altitude Himalayas has many sights and activities that travellers like to tick off their “bucket list” – but don’t let that dominate your visit! Dr. Orton has been travelling to Spiti as a researcher for a decade and she has seen it change immeasurably as the region opens up to tourists. Here, she explores the area’s most remarkable attractions and hears from locals about the real magic of Spiti.

Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh is one of the most remote regions on the planet, with many of its villages lying 14,000 ft above sea level. Home to the elusive snow leopard, the majestic ibex and some of the most specular mountain scenery in the world, Spiti is quickly becoming a must-see destination for travellers in search of remoteness and adventure.

Spiti has some of the world’s most notable landmarks. Chicham Bridge is the world’s highest bridge in terms of altitude (as opposed to structural height or deck height). At 4,150m (13,596 ft) above sea level, the bridge itself situated above a 1,000 ft gorge. Hikkim Post Office is the world’s highest post office at 4,440m (14,567 ft) above sea level and Komic monastery is India's highest motorable monastery at 4,587m (15,049 ft). Tabo Monastery - founded in 996 – is the oldest continuously operating Buddhist monastery in the world.

Spiti is also rich in marine fossils from when the Himalayas were at the bottom of the ocean. Spiti’s ancient petroglyphs – rock art – dates back to the Late Bronze Age (1500–800 B.C.) of prehistory.

Journey to the Middle Land

Spiti is known (partly due to a mistranslation of its name) as the Middle Land between India and Tibet and is notoriously difficult to access. A summer journey might mean an overnight bus from Delhi, an overnight stay in Manali and a day-long minivan journey through the Rohtang Pass, often delayed for hours by avalanches. In winter, this road is closed, so travellers must go through Kinnaur, which, for foreign nationals, means obtaining a special permit at Rekong Peo as the route is so close to the Tibetan border. Roads in winter are often impassable and travellers might find themselves stranded for days or even weeks at a time.

Beautiful Spiti Valley

These obstacles remain, but improvements in the road conditions are making the area more accessible, with plans to further widen the Manali road within the next two years. In addition, Indian tourists have can now access ‘circuit tourism’: for as little as 19,000 rupees, tourists can travel to Spiti from Shimla and back within a week. This makes Wednesdays and Thursdays very busy days in Spiti’s capital, Kaza, and means a whistle-stop tour around Spiti’s more famous sights for the tourists.

“World’s Highest!”

On my first trip to Spiti in 2015, there was no internet in most of the region, and only very patchy mobile phone signal. In Kibber, there was a single window in the village that was so placed as to catch a faint signal from the telephone tower at Rangrik. If you angled your mobile phone in exactly the right way, it was sometimes possible to send a text message.

Now, mobile phones with internet are ubiquitous. A friend of mine pointed out that this has shaped the nature and volume of tourism in Spiti: if someone posts a picture on Facebook of the “world’s highest post office,” all their friends want to go and take a similar picture.

He’s right that the idea of sending a postcard from the “world’s highest post office” appeals to tourists. I spoke to one tourist from Calcutta who explained to me, “Hearing that there is the highest post office; we had to come; it’s a wonderful experience.” She added that she had already visited India's highest monastery at Komic and the “the world’s highest bridge” at Chicham.

Chicham Bridge connects the villages of Kibber and Chicham. I have good reason to love this bridge: during my first two visits (in 2015 and 2016), the journey to Chicham involved crossing the gorge via a terrifying ropeway-and-basket-pulley combination. Not only could you see the 300m drop through the gaps in the bottom of the basket, but there was also the unsettling sight of a tractor that had gone over the side of the cliff and smashed on the valley floor below.

The old basket and pulley system from Kibber to Chicham

I loved doing fieldwork in Chicham, but I was frankly a coward about dangling precariously over the gorge in the basket. Now, there is a sturdy bridge, cheerfully decorated in prayer flags that offers stunning views across the mountains. Tourists have flocked to the bridge to have their photograph taken there, and to tick off their bucket list a visit to the world’s highest bridge.

Chicham Bridge

So what’s the problem with this “bucket list” mentality? Local people have told me that they value and welcome tourists, but often it seems that people want to rush in, take a quick photo for social media (sometimes taking pictures of locals such as monks and posting on social media without their permission) and leave again without properly experiencing Spiti. One homestay owner in Kaza said to me, “They want to make memories for themselves, but they don’t want to make memories with us.”

If you do visit some of these record-breaking landmarks, why not explore some of the other wonderful things in these places? Komic monastery has an excellent museum where you can learn about Spiti’s culture, traditional food, music, iron work, agriculture, jewellery, religion and festivals. If you do cross the bridge to Chicham, why not speak to locals about how their village used to be a biyul (hidden land) or about their lha (deity) who protects the village?

As residents have pointed out to me, villages which do not have record-breaking landmarks are dismissed as having “nothing there,” whereas in fact, “there is something there – there is a village with people living in it.” Why not take an interest in that?

In any village in Spiti, you can see traditional mud brick buildings, which are earthquake-proof, sustainable and naturally temperature-regulating (click the link to get a local’s insight into Spiti’s traditional architecture)! In recent years, there has been a trend of building with non-traditional reinforced concrete, but now vernacular architecture is having a revival as locals realise the sustainability and thermal comfort of Spiti’s traditional design.

You might like to visit Dhankar, the former royal seat of Spiti, which boasts a monastery dramatically set on the cliffs above the valley. There is also Kee monastery and village, with its dramatic views over the valley.

Don’t dismiss the villages like Rangrik, which has a festival celebrating the special ibex that circumnambulated the village temple, or the peaceful village of Lalung with its ancient, sacred tree. Tashigang is one of the oldest villages in Spiti and is known for being an especially holy place; locals have told me of several miracles associated with the village.

Barley growing in Pin Valley

Finally, Pin Valley (with villages such as Sagnam, Kungri, Mudh, Khar and Bur) has a very distinct culture and is associated with buchen (performing lamas) and the renowned Kungri monastery. 

Ghost of the Mountains

The possibility of snow leopard sightings in Spiti is part of its appeal. Snow leopards are so elusive that the quest to see a snow leopard is the central theme of Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard.  Written in the 1970s, when not much was known about the animals,  Matthiessen’s journey was partly a quest to see a snow leopard in the Himalayan peaks of Nepal. Matthiessen never encounters a real snow leopard and likens his expedition to a quest to find the mythical Yeti. 

It was recommended that I read The Snow Leopard before I volunteered on my first snow leopard conservation expedition in the Altai Republic in the Russian Federation in 2004. I think the lead scientist wanted to make it clear that the chances of seeing a snow leopard were very slim and although we saw plenty of snow leopard sign on the expedition, we had no actual snow leopard sighting. The same was true when I returned to the Altai in 2006, and I had been travelling to the Himalayas for many years before I saw my first wild snow leopard in 2024.

Today, though, snow leopard sightings are big business in Spiti. As I’ve described in a previous post, residents offer their services as snow leopard “spotters,” going out into the mountains in the winter months to find snow leopards while tourists – who are often professional photographers – remain in the villages.

Once a sighting occurs, perhaps near a kill site, the spotters will call to alert the guests and the leopard will rest for much of the day. The guest will be taken near to the snow leopard (happily, locals are respectful of snow leopards and ensure that an appropriate distance is maintained), perhaps even with a porter, another Spiti local who will carry photography equipment. Now, whenever I see a professional photograph of a snow leopard in Spiti, I think of the local people who are likely to have made the shot possible.

Seeing wild snow leopards was a big thrill for me, but I advise you not to miss out on the other wildlife in the area. You might also see the charismatic ibex or the blue sheep (which is also the animal most commonly depicted on Spiti’s rock art). Spiti also has red fox, Himalayan wolf, Lammergeier, Golden Eagle, mountain weasel, rosefinch, pika and Himalayan Griffon.

Responsible Travel in Spiti

Here are a few tips I’ve gathered from Spiti locals about how to enjoy your visit responsibly:

WATER: Remember that Spiti is a desert, relying on winter snowfall for water to last throughout the year (in recent years, there has been less snow than ever). For hundreds of years, water has been managed carefully, with the use of dry toilets ensuring sustainability. Of late, residents feel under pressure to install flushing toilets in their homes due to the perception that it will attract tourists to the village homestays, but a flushing toilet requires a bucket full of water (ten to fifteen litres to flush and wash hands). To put that into perspective, a meal could be prepared for ten people with fifteen litres of water. I use a dry toilet whenever I can when I’m there.

I also try to be economical with water for washing. Dry shampoo is an excellent idea, especially in winter when the temperature can be minus thirty degrees Celsius. Remember that, if you are staying in a homestay, your host is likely having to carry water to their home for you. In winter, buckets must be filled before 2pm, particularly in villages like Hikkim, Komic and Demul which, unlike Kaza and Rangrik, are not by the riverbanks.

WASTE AND RECYCLING: Managing waste is difficult in Spiti because of the logistics of getting rubbish and recycling down the mountain. In theory, entry to Spiti at Samdo raises Rs.200 per car for waste management, but locals have told me that they are still waiting to see the benefits of this. It would really help if you bring a water bottle with you and refill it – then take the waste home. For women, period underwear can be good idea – then there’s no issue with sanitary product disposal.

RESPECTFUL BEHAVIOUR: When visiting monasteries, remember that you are asked to remove shoes and exhibit decorum on your visit. Prayer wheels should be turned clockwise in Buddhist monasteries; likewise, religious monuments should be circumnambulated in a clockwise direction.

GREETINGS: The traditional greeting in Spiti is “Julley!” – locals will appreciate you using this!

Finally, engage with the locals and enjoy! Hopefully this post has inspired you to ditch the bucket list and appreciate Spiti for all it has to offer!

Find Out More

To learn more about Dr. Orton’s research in the Himalayas, click the link to read her blog posts in our People and wildlife in South Asia series! Dr. Orton has posts on the snow leopards of Spiti, legends of Spiti’s hidden lands, Spiti’s evolving folk stories and Spiti’s history in the Tibetan Empire.

There are also academic lectures on Dr. Orton’s fieldwork in the Himalayas on our Research Page.

If you’re interested in tutorials with Dr. Orton, she offers online, one-on-one tutorials that are based around your learning or research needs. This ranges from ad hoc tutorials to gain an understanding of the academic literature, research proposal feedback and development, or regular, ongoing support. To find out more about the anthropology and folklore of the Himalayas, take a look at our Anthropology courses on Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, Himalayan Folklore and Religion of the Himalayas. Our interdisciplinary course on Culture and Conservation will give you an insight into the link between wildlife and anthropology.

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