Travelogue: Sarahan & Sangla-IV

Day 3: 17th June

After a goodnight sleep tucked in quilts, we got up all charged up. After breakfast, we went around exploring the small town. It was a bright sunny morning.

We decided to trek up 2 kms to the village of Kamru. We could see our destination up on the hill, with the local temple being the highest point. The trek was through a narrow path amidst apple and walnut orchards. The last 500m was too steep and I was out of breath! But the view from temple was worth all the breaths lost. The temple, like all others in the area, had a Buddhist monastery and the Hindu temple in the same complex. Also, through the complex there is the route to the old palace of Bushahr dynasty. It is a seven storey wooden structure, and only the temple committee can enter it. general public is forbidden. In this complex also, leather goods are forbidden and you have to cover your head and remove your shoes. The temple caretaker patiently explained the history and the local customs. He also happily posed for us !

The caretaker told us that in a certain month in the summers, the locals go for a pilgrimage of Kinner Kailash. They do a parikrama on foot, and the entire trek lasts for seven days. I was impressed.


After spending half an hour there, we trekked down and enquired about the bus to Chhitkul. Chhitkul is about 26kms from Sangla, and it is the last Indian village on the old Hindustan Tibet Road. The bus from Reckong Peo to Chhitkul leaves Sangla at around 12pm. It is a 2 hour journey through Batseri and Rakcham villages. The view of the valley is heavenly. It can not be expressed in words and you have to experience it.


The bus stays in Chhitkul for 10 minutes and returns back. There is a dhaba there, that proudly calls itself as 'Hindustan ka aakhri dhaba'. There are old houses of wood and stones, and you can experience the Kinnauri culture to its core. The Indo- Chinese border is 60 kms from there.

Another bus for to Chhitkul leaves Sangla at 4pm and stays overnight at Chhitkul to return next morning at 6am.

We reached back Sangla at 3.30pm and after lunch at "Tast of Tibet", a Tibetan eatery serving Veg thalis as well, we headed for our siesta. The momos at this place were yummy. We returned in the evening for a cup of coffee and were rewarded with creamy home-style coffee with loads of milk. The Punjabi in me just loved it. You can enjoy the hustle-bustle of the town sitting in the balcony of the restaurant, sipping coffee, feasting on momos and thukpa and reading a book.

The dinners were at Baspa Guest House. Home cooked food for us. We were loving this place, and dreaming of settling to a peaceful life here.


Day 4: 18th June

We planned to trek to Batseri village, which was 5 kms from Sangla. We trekked down to the riverside. There is Sangla Nag temple in the village downside. After crossing the Baspa river, there is a small hydel power project. You reach a small village named Azaad Kashmir, after crossing the hydel project. There is river on one side, and pine forests on the towering mountains on the other side. It was definitely an adventure.



The locals kept guiding us and we crossed the Government Trout Fish Farm. Suddenly, we encountered a stretch full of stones and rocks. Actually, there had been a landslide a couple of weeks earlier and the normal path was blocked. Our hotel person was not aware and he had encouraged us to go for the trek. The original path is supposed to be a straight one along the river side. We crossed this stretch and were exhausted. There was some relief in terms of a stretch of green grass. But another 100 metres and we encountered another rocky stretch. Fearing that we would be lost in the wild, we took a u-turn. We came across some locals who asked us to follow them to Batseri, but we regretfully declined. We still needed some energy to trek back up to Sangla.

Finally after 3 hours, with water and cereal bars devoured for energy, we were back in the main street of Sangla. We were tired and we were hungry. And we barged into Tast of Tibet. All we could think of was FOOD.

After a short nap, we were back for our coffee and momos. I also tried the pan cakes at the neighbouring Sonu Cafe, a favourite of foreign tourists, but was disappointed. We decided to retire early as we planned to catch an early morning bus next day. We were on our journey back.


Bus fare to Chhitkul: Rs 15 per person
Meal for two at Tast of Tibet: Rs 100- Rs 150
Stay at Baspa Guest House: Rs 550 - Rs 850 per night
A hospitable host and great customer service: Free