Spiti Left Bank Trek
Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh
Opens without signal on this phone, with the map file and checklist. Saved for offline →
- Max altitude
- 4,767 m
- Days
- 7 days
- Distance
- 48 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
A village-to-village walk with no glacier or technical ground, but it starts above 4,300 m at Langza, crosses a 4,767 m pass and stays above about 3,700 m throughout, so altitude is the main difficulty. The descent from the pass to Demul and into the Lingti valley is steep, on scree and loose gravel. Indiahikes and Himalaya Shelter rate it Moderate; Indiahikes asks that you can run 5 km in 35 minutes.
Photos
On the trail
The route
Day by day
Day 1
Manali → Kaza (drive via Atal Tunnel and Kunzum La, about 182 km)
2,050 m → 3,650 m
Day 2
Kaza → Langza (drive, 16 km; acclimatisation day)
3,650 m → 4,330 m
Day 3
Langza → Komic via Hikkim
4,330 m → 4,510 m
Day 4 · highest point
Komic → Demul via the Hikkim-Demul pass
4,510 m → 4,767 m → 4,330 m
Day 5
Demul → Lhalung (down to the Lingti river via Sanglung)
4,330 m → 3,720 m
Day 6
Lhalung → Dhankar, with a side walk to Dhankar Lake
3,720 m → 4,145 m → 3,870 m
Day 7
Dhankar → Manali (drive, about 215 km)
3,870 m → 2,050 m
Ups and downs
Altitude profile
Where it is
Map
Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.
Weather
Next 5 days on the trail
Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.
Trailhead · Langza village (above Kaza)
at 4,330 mLoading forecast…
High point · Hikkim-Demul pass (Demul Pass), between Komic and Demul
at 4,767 mLoading forecast…
Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h
Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.
Plan the trip
How to reach
- Trailhead
- Langza village (above Kaza)
- Nearest railway
- Joginder Nagar (narrow gauge) is nearest; Chandigarh and Kalka for broad-gauge trains
- Nearest airport
- Bhuntar (Kullu-Manali), about 50 km from Manali; Chandigarh has more flights
- By road
- Manali to Kaza about 182 km, 7-8 hours, through the Atal Tunnel and over Kunzum La (open roughly June to October); Kaza to Langza 16 km; Alternative: Shimla to Kaza along the Kinnaur-Spiti road via Reckong Peo and Tabo, two days; Dhankar is a short detour off the Tabo-Kaza road
- Drive
- About 8 h from Manali
Plan the trip
Permits and fees
We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.
Plan the trip
Cost
Self-guided
₹10,000–20,000
With an operator
₹15,500–25,000
Per person, ex-Manali (or ex-Kaza for the shorter programmes). Indiahikes charges ₹18,450 for its 7-day Spiti Monastery Trek, plus ₹2,400 (Manali-Kaza) and ₹2,800 (Dhankar-Manali) transport and 5% GST; Spiti Holiday Adventure charges ₹14,750 + 5% GST for a 5-day Kaza-based homestay trek over the same villages. Self-guided is our estimate: bus or shared taxi Manali-Kaza and back, five nights in village homestays with meals, and a local guide for the pass day and the Demul-Lhalung gorge.
Gear
Top picks for this trek
The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link- Ad · affiliate link
Store buttons open a search on that store, not a product we picked. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Photos show the kind of item, not a specific product. Affiliate disclosure
Packing checklist
Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.
Packed 0 of 31
Nights near 4,767 m can drop close to freezing even in summer. Pack one more warm layer than you think.
Tick each item as it goes in the bag.
Know before you go
Good to know
- Mobile network
- Indiahikes reports intermittent signal on the trail (Jio only); Spiti Holiday Adventure says Demul has no mobile or internet reception. Kaza has signal.
- Last ATM
- Kaza (the last reliable ATMs); none in Langza, Komic, Demul, Lhalung or Dhankar. Carry cash for homestays.
- Nearest hospital
- Community Health Centre, Kaza. Indiahikes says every village on the route is linked by road and Kaza is an hour or two by vehicle from any roadhead.
- Water
- Water comes from village sources and streams; carry two litres for the long pass day. Indiahikes warns that water sources begin to freeze and dry up after mid-September. Treat or filter all water.
Highlights
- A walk between the high farming villages on the left bank of the Spiti river: Langza, Hikkim, Komic, Demul, Lhalung and Dhankar, staying in village homestays
- Langza's marine fossils from the old Tethys Sea and its large Buddha statue facing Chau Chau Kang Nilda (6,303 m)
- Hikkim's post office, promoted as the world's highest, and the fortress-like Tangyud monastery at Komic
- The Hikkim-Demul pass at about 4,767 m, with views of Kanamo and Chau Chau Kang Nilda behind and Kaza far below
- Lhalung's Serkhang monastery, among the oldest in Spiti, and Dhankar's cliff-top monastery above the Spiti-Pin confluence, with a side walk to Dhankar Lake
Risks
- Altitude sickness: the trek starts above 4,300 m at Langza after one acclimatisation day, crosses 4,767 m and spends several nights above 4,300 m. Indiahikes calls it one of the highest average-altitude treks it runs. Descend at once if symptoms worsen.
- Steep descent of about 1,000 m on scree and loose gravel from the pass to Demul and into the Lingti valley; landslides can force a detour onto the motorable road.
- Strong, cold wind on open ground near the Hikkim-Demul pass; nights are freezing after mid-September.
- Spiti: since June 2026 the Lahaul-Spiti DDMA requires trekkers to register with an authorised officer before setting out and check out on return; solo trekking is discouraged. A winter trekking ban was imposed in the district on 27 November 2024 'until further orders'.
- Since June 2025 the Forest Department (Kaza) charges a daily entry fee in Spiti's eco-sensitive areas (reported as ₹150 per Indian and ₹500 per foreigner per day) plus tent fees; whether it applies to these village trails is not stated, so confirm at the Kaza forest office.
- A September 2022 Himachal disaster-management advisory asked districts to restrict treks above 15,000 ft (about 4,570 m) outside 1 May-15 September; the pass is above that height, so a late-season crossing may not be allowed.
- The Manali-Kaza road crosses Kunzum La and is often blocked by snow early and late in the season; the Shimla-Kinnaur route is the fallback.
Know before you go
Questions
What is the Spiti Left Bank trek and which villages does it cover?
It is a village-to-village walk along the high left (east) bank of the Spiti river near Kaza. Operators link Langza, Hikkim, Komic, Demul and Lhalung and finish at Dhankar (some run it in reverse), staying in village homestays. Indiahikes sells it as the Spiti Monastery Trek because each village has an old monastery.
How high and how long is the trek?
The highest point is the Hikkim-Demul pass between Komic and Demul, about 4,767 m (Indiahikes 15,640 ft; Himalaya Shelter 4,770 m; White Magic 4,700 m). Indiahikes runs 7 days from Manali with four walking days covering about 48 km; Kaza-based homestay versions take 5 days.
When is the best time for the Spiti Left Bank trek?
Roughly May to September. Himalaya Shelter gives May to September, Spiti Holiday Adventure runs May to October, and Indiahikes prefers July to mid-September, when Spiti is dry in the monsoon and the villages are green with barley and peas. After mid-September nights turn bitterly cold, and winter treks have been banned in Lahaul-Spiti since November 2024.
Is the Spiti Left Bank trek suitable for beginners?
Fit beginners can do it, but altitude is the challenge. Indiahikes rates it Moderate and suitable for fit beginners who can run 5 km in 35 minutes; Himalaya Shelter says it is not for novices because you spend days above 4,200 m. Arrive acclimatised and walk slowly.
Do I need a permit for the Spiti Left Bank trek?
Check locally. Since June 2026 the Lahaul-Spiti DDMA requires trekkers to register before setting out, and the Kaza forest division charges eco-sensitive-zone entry fees in parts of Spiti. We found no official fee list for this route; guided operators include forest charges for Indian nationals.
In an emergency
Save these numbers before you lose signal. Tap to call.
- 112All emergenciesIndia’s single emergency number — works in every state
- 108Ambulance
- 1077District disaster control room
You are in
District: Lahaul and SpitiHimachal Pradesh
- Nearest hospital
- Community Health Centre, Kaza. Indiahikes says every village on the route is linked by road and Kaza is an hour or two by vehicle from any roadhead.
- Last ATM
- Kaza (the last reliable ATMs); none in Langza, Komic, Demul, Lhalung or Dhankar. Carry cash for homestays.
- Phone network
- Indiahikes reports intermittent signal on the trail (Jio only); Spiti Holiday Adventure says Demul has no mobile or internet reception. Kaza has signal.
Before you set off
- Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
- Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
- Download an offline map of the route.
- Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
Questions about Spiti Left Bank
No questions yet. Ask something and trekkers who have done it can answer.
Share your trek photo with #TreksAndTrails
I trekked this
Did Spiti Left Bank look different from this page? Tell us what changed and we will check it.
Where this comes from
Sources
Last reviewed:
- Spiti Monastery Trek 2027 — Indiahikes
- Spiti Left Bank Trek – Route, Itinerary, Difficulty & Best Time — Himalaya Shelter
- Spiti Homestay Trek (5 Day Trek) — Spiti Holiday Adventure
- Spiti Village Trek — White Magic Adventure
- Langza to Hikkim to Komic to Demul to Lhalung to Kaza — Vargis Khan (travel blog)
- Trekkers must register before hitting Lahaul-Spiti trails now (25 Jun 2026) — The Tribune
- Winter sets in, trekking, climbing banned in Lahaul-Spiti dist (27 Nov 2024) — The Tribune
- Forest dept imposes entry, activity fee in Spiti's eco-sensitive zones (10 Jun 2025) — The Tribune
- Himachal government restricts trekking in high-altitude tracks from September 15 — The Tribune
Photos: Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0; Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0; Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0; Arup1981, CC BY-SA 4.0
