Himachal Diaries: Part Five

Day Four (04.07.2024): Road trip from Sangla to Chitkul via Rakcham

Good morning from Sangla! I woke up at 6am as usual, the atmosphere was foggy. We were served room tea at 7am. Sipping tea in the cold has its joy! I had paratha breakfast at 8am, kept luggage outside the room. We left the hotel at 9am and drove to Chitkul. We passed by Rakcham village and reached Chitkul at 11am. 

Rakcham 

It is a picturesque village nestled in the Sangla valley, at an elevation of 10000ft above sea level. It's known for its stunning natural beauty, with snow-capped mountains, lush green valleys, and the meandering Baspa river.

Chitkul

Surrounded by towering mountains, lush green valleys, and the crystal-clear Baspa river, at an elevation of 11320ft above sea level, this village boasts breathtaking vistas that will leave you spellbound. Its proximity to the Indo-Tibetan border adds to its allure, making it India's Last Village.

We went trekking to the river base, with the water stream flowing parallelly. 

We clicked a few photos, admired the beauty of nature and were back to base by 12pm. 

While all were busy relishing hot momos and juice, I visited the local temple alongwith Meeta and Mehul Gala. They have joined the tour with their daughter Bhumi. 

Shiromani Mata

Popularly known as Mathi temple, it is dedicated to the goddess Mathi, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. The temple's architecture is in the traditional kath-kuni style, and it is made of wood. The temple houses an ark that is made of walnut wood and is covered with clothes and a tuft of yak tail.

We were back to Hotel Prakash Regency for lunch at 1:45pm. 

We started our journey to Kalpa at 2:30pm and reached Hotel Kinner Villa at 4:30pm. My room was 605.

It felt like we were at the top of Kalpa. We rested for a while and then assembled at the terrace at 6pm for tea. We sipped hot tea watching the view of Kinnaur Kailas ranges in the chilling cold. 

Sanket organized a few games like chota fish and bada fish. Rain interrupted the game, so we rushed to the dining area. Here we played some questions and answers followed by dumb charades. The epic movie was Rickshawwali Dilruba. We played for an hour or so. We had dinner at 9pm. 

Then I strolled on the terrace with Sanjeev and Anjali Kulkarni. I got the bag ready for tomorrow and then dozed off in order to wake up early for the Kinnaur Kailas peak view.

Read next: Himachal Diaries: Part Six