You plan a trip to this place and on the way, you find a place that ends up being your favorite place. Has this ever happened to you? It happened to me and I have that story to tell. My trip to Chitkul and Kalpa and a small town called Reckong Peo became my favorite places and this is a detailed guide to Reckong Peo and Kalpa village.
Let’s start with the preparation…
I intended to purchase my bus tickets from Delhi to Shimla first, and then from Shimla to Reckong Peo. But after some research, I learned that taking a bus to Rampur first, then to Reckong Peo, is the best option for me. You will save a lot of time by doing this and arrive in Rampur just in time to freshen up and eat some breakfast. Additionally, it is simple to take a bus from Rampur to Reckong Peo and Chitkul.
A day before the trip, I packed winter essentials like sweatshirts and woolen clothes, and some biscuits and chocolate bars. I like to carry Snickers Chocolate bars with me all the time when I go on trips and it is easily available in my Office Vending machine.
Delhi to Rampur Bushahr
For the last 3 years, I have been staying in Gurgaon, and like all the others in Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida, we headed towards Kashmiri Gate ISBT. Those who are not from Delhi can reach Delhi or Chandigarh by Flight or Train. I never traveled from Chandigarh, but it is on the way to Shimla and most of Himachal Pradesh. Maybe a little research will help you get an idea about how to start the trip from Chandigarh. For those who are from Delhi, you can follow my trip and I won’t let you down.
I booked the overnight HRTC Bus, as they tend to reach the destination earlier than the expected time.
If you have been to the Kashmiri Gate Metro station during the peak times, have you ever wondered how the escalators there can carry this many people? A thought every time I climb those escalators and forget once I am out of the station.
We got into the Bus and as soon as we crossed the garbage mountain of Bhalswa, I slept immediately. The next morning when I opened my eyes, we were climbing another mountain. We were crossing Narkanda and patches of snow were still there, hiding from the sun. My brother was still sleeping in the next seat and I woke him up so that he wouldn’t miss this morning. Narkanda is a small town above Shimla and is famous for winter activities and apple orchards. We could see apple trees in the valley below. They are covered in thin sheets, maybe to protect the buds and young fruits from frosting.
We reached Rampur at around 9:30 in the morning. The bus takes you through small but winding town roads and finally descends in a curve, uncovering this simple bus stand on the bank of the Sutlej river. We could see small mountains behind the bus stand and Sutlej flows through the white marble rocks just below it.
We freshened up at the bus station and had a small breakfast. It was a cup of tea and some samosa.
Travelling from Rampur to Kalpa
If you are in Rampur as a traveler, you either planned your trip to Spiti or you are on a short trip to Reckong Peo or Chitkul. When I said short trip, I meant to compare with the long Spiti Itinerary. If you are planning for a trip to Chitkul, and you have an extra day or two, add Reckong Peo and Kalpa to your Itinerary. You may fall in love with these places just like I did.
If you are planning for Chitkul first, you can get a bus from Rampur, but it is not frequent. There are many buses to Reckong Peo as it is on the way to Spiti and a pit stop for most of the Spiti trips. You can get a better chance of getting buses from Reckong Peo to Chitkul and you can explore that elegant small town. So I took the bus to Reckong Peo as visiting Kalpa was also in the plan.
I knew that I was going to enter the famous Kinnaur route and also go through some of the famous places like Sarahan. I did my homework well and I had a pretty good idea about the places to come. One thing I also cover during my travel planning is to learn a bit about the legends, tales, and the history of the places to cover. For me traveling is something special. I try to grasp the emotions and essence of all those places and paint it in my memories. And when time passes, those memories always show me the same feelings and emotions that I felt during my trips. Because of this reason, I can even travel alone and maybe.. maybe.. some of you can also relate. This is a drug!
The Famous Kinnaur Roads
When I finally entered the Kinnaur roads, all those videos and pictures that I had seen became worthless. It was something beyond words could describe. The roads were made on groves carved in the mountain. This reminds me of the rock-cut temples of Ellora and Ajanta. The roads were well maintained in this part and you could see it winding up the next mountain and to the others beyond. If you are on a bus like me, try to get a seat in the front, and the bus conductor sometimes allows you to sit in his seat in the front. From there you will get an amazing 180 view of the entire trip. I remember the conductor of our bus telling me with a smile
“ You are our guest and if we can’t offer you that seat to enjoy our great Himachal, to whom should we give”
River Satluj accompanies you along the entire tip until you reach Karchham, where river Baspa Joins. Tapri is a small town on the way to Karchham and we had a 5 Minutes halt. There was this shop next to the bus stand and I went there to get some samosa to munch on our remaining journey. I ended up buying some Milk Cakes and they were delicious. We finished the last piece of those milk cakes when we reached Karchham. Karchham is a junction where the road splits into two. One goes to Chitkul and the other to Reckong Peo. From there, it’s one hour more to Reckong and I didn’t want that to be over.
Entering Reckong Peo
Roads were under construction at many places and we had to stop and wait many times for the road to clear. This might have changed by now. We traveled for around 45 to 50 Mins more and suddenly the Bus took a sudden left turn and slowly started climbing a very steep slope.
Roads were narrow and the views were breathtaking. Wildflowers, both white and yellow, blossomed on the roadsides and tall trees on the slopes gave us a feel of the grand entrance that had yet to happen.
Another turn and that beautiful town and the snow-capped mountains got revealed. Like the” hobbit’s arrival to Rivendell” we finally reached Reckong Peo. The evening sun has already given its golden kiss to the small town and in its glow, the mountains were already blushing in gold.
A late lunch and the bus to Kalpa
It was around 4 PM and we were at the Bus Stop trying to find something to eat. We easily found a small restaurant that sells Tibetan food. We ordered Thukpa and Momo( Dumplings). The shop was on the first floor and from there we could see a small elevated ground and a huge Indian Flag, just like the one in the Central Part, New Delhi. He quickly had our Momos and Thukpa and came out. I will talk about “ Thukpa “ a little later. We walked to the bus stand, enjoying every bit of that place.
Kalpa is very near to the main town and there is a shortcut. But it was an uphill climb and we were a little tired. So we took the bus and headed towards Kalpa. Sun was still up and we walked to the rooms that we had booked.
A day in Kalpa
Let me share how I found this place to stay. Even one week before the trip, I started my research and I was going through some blogs and youtube videos. In one of those videos, the YouTuber was taking us through the village roads in Kalpa, I found a small board with a phone number of some homestay. I paused the video, dialed the number, and guess what, I found my best and affordable stay at Kalpa. It was the way he talked over the phone that interested me. The way he talked was very humble and even more humble when I met that person.
He was already there, waiting and smiling when I reached Kalpa and after asking about my journey, he took us to the room. He was the one who recommended the small shop that sells paratha and apple pickles and I still remember the taste of those apple pickles. Something worth going back to.
After keeping our bags in the room, we rushed out to explore the village.
Kalpa is a small village above Reckong Peo, famous for its serene beauty. You will find apple orchards everywhere. Walking through those narrow roads, between the apple trees, is a magical experience. There is a small temple on the way from the room to the village center. From there, we took a small short road and the majestic Kinnaur Kailash range slowly revealed itself to us. The mountains turned to gold in the evening sun and that was a view that I will never forget.
After a short photo session, we went to explore deeper. It was already dark and we walked through the village roads passing countless homestays and houses. It was the off-season and visitors were very few. Winding roads take us deeper into the apple trees and after that, the entire place looks deserted. A perfect setting straight from the pages of Edgar Allen Poe’s horror stories.
As it was getting darker, we decided to walk back to the village. Roads were empty except for a few villagers walking home back from their work in the orchards. The small shop in the village center was not so crowded. We were hungry and ordered Paratha and Chai ( Tea).
Partha was served with dried apple pickle. It was a treat that I never expected and I still could remember the taste of those apple pickles. The next day before going to Roghi Village and Suicide Point, we again went to the same shop for breakfast and had the same Paratha and the Apple Pickle.
Also Read: Things to do in Kasol on a short visit
A Long Walk to Roghi Village and Suicide Point
There are two options to reach Roghi Village, by walking long 4 KMs or taking a bus, which is not so frequent. It was early morning and our Bus to Chitkul is after 1 PM, so we decided to walk. We took the same road that we covered yesterday night and this time it was alive with a lot of villagers and their lives. You will also be able to find more homestays and hotels in the upper village side away from the village center.
After a few curves and up climbs, the roads opened into the majestic view of the mountains and the Sutlej river below. It is very scary to look down the river as it brings chills through your spine.
I forgot to tell you. We found a friend on the way. He came to us waving his tail and started walking with us. He was friendly at first sight and didn’t even show the awkwardness of meeting strangers for the first time. Most of the time he was silent except for barking at the children going to school.
There was snow on the grounds and sometimes we could hear water flowing below the snow. It’s April and snow has started melting. Sometimes we needed to cross the water and the road was muddy with water from the melting snow.
Suicide Point
After crossing the canopies of the deodar trees, we reached the suicide point. The time I visited, it was open and there was no protective railing. We sat there for some time, enjoying the view, which is beautiful and scary at the same time.
Roghi Village and Suicide Point
After that is the Roghi Village and you could see it from a suicide point. It is famous for Orchards and is similar to Kalpa in lifestyle. The road to Roghi from Kalpa is not for the faint-hearted. If you are driving, make sure you are well experienced in these types of terrains. The roads claimed to have taken a lot of lives. If you have time, I would suggest a walk to enjoy the rugged and fiery beauty of these places.
By the time we reached Kalpa, it was almost noon. We Packed our bags and started walking downhill towards the Reckong Peo Bus stand. The way was mostly made out of stone. Flowing water during the rainy seasons eroded and demarcated into a well-defined path.
Have you seen the pictures of Sakura flowers in Japan?
The Cherry Blossoms here are much like those and walking between those trees full of flowers is another memory to keep close to the heart.
We reached the Bus Stand and our bus to Chitkul was already there.
We reached Chitkul in the evening and spent the next day there. My trip to Chitkul is a story for another time.
Before concluding our journey, we decided to go back to Reckong Peo town again, to explore more. We already had developed a connection with this town and we didn’t think twice before getting into the bus to Peo.
Back in Peo
When we reached the town, we got a room in a hotel near the bus stop. That evening we explored more of the town and focused mainly on the food. We found a small shop, hidden from the main road, that sells Tibetan food. There was only one woman. It was a one-room shop. There is a small kitchen inside and she goes inside to make food after taking orders. We were surprised when she came to us with two bowls of steamy hot soup before we even ordered anything. That was complimentary and it was very delicious. We ordered Thukpa and Momo again. She offered us more soup and it was very much tempting not to say No. Thukpa is a noodle soup and is famous among the Tibetans. The way it is made differs from place to place.
We went back to the room and later in the evening we again came out. This time on the roadside, we found a small shop with a lot of crowds. From the look of it, we can easily say that this place is something famous in this area. And this is how we found Chacha’s Chicken Corner. The ‘Uncle‘ was busy making Chicken Tikka, Fry, Kadai Chicken, and many more. There is no option of eating there and we need to pack it to room. The Chicken fry and Tawa Chicken that we ordered is still now one of the best I ever tried.
The next day we got the bus in the early morning and reached Shimla by 4 PM. We had our overnight bus booked from there and reached Delhi in the morning. Back to reality, back to the rat race, but with a ton load of memories.