Spiti & Kinnaur Motorcycle Tour – Himalaya

This India motorcycle tour starts on arrival day: the flight takes you to Delhi, the starting point for the entire Himalaya motorcycle journey. The anticipation for 15 days between the Kullu Valley, Kinnaur, and Spiti begins already on board.

This Spiti and Kinnaur motorcycle tour begins with half a day of sightseeing in Old and New Delhi by metro and rickshaw. In the afternoon the air-conditioned Volvo night bus to Manali departs – roughly 14 hours before the actual motorcycle tour begins the next morning.

Arriving in Manali at 2,050 m, you check in and receive your Enfield. On a short test ride into Solang Valley you get to know your motorcycle – the opening chapter of this guided India motorcycle tour through the Kullu Valley.

From Manali the Royal Enfield motorcycle journey runs through the Kullu Valley to the small mountain village of Jhibi, visited by few tourists. Here you find quiet and time to relax far from the usual travel routes.

This Himachal Pradesh motorcycle tour stage leads to Sarahan in the Sutlej Valley, surrounded by apple orchards and dominated by Shrikhand Mahadev peak at 5,777 m. The Bhimkali Temple with its six silver gates combines Hindu and Buddhist elements.

The route enters Sangla Valley, one of the finest valleys on this Kinnaur motorcycle tour: green pastures, fruit trees, and snow-capped ridges accompany the 95-km stretch to Chitkul, the last inhabited village in the valley.

In Recong Peo, the capital of Kinnaur, you collect your official onward permit. Kalpa, 51 km from Sangla, is known for traditional shawls and Kinnaur caps – a quiet stopover on this Enfield Himalaya tour.

Nako at 3,662 m in the Hingrang Valley is the largest village in the area. Yaks, horses, and donkeys graze peacefully side by side. The track becomes increasingly rough and remote, typical of this offroad motorcycle tour at altitude in India.

On the bank of the Spiti River lies ancient Tabo, flanked by high mountains. This Buddhist monasteries motorcycle tour leads to the thousand-year-old Tabo Gompa with its well-preserved frescoes and stucco statues.

A detour into the narrow Pin Valley leads to the 14th-century Kungri Monastery. Dhankar, the ancient capital of the Spiti kingdom, perches dramatically between high cliffs. Kaza is a central stop on every Spiti Valley motorcycle tour.

Ki Monastery is the largest in Spiti – attending morning prayers and drinking butter tea are part of the experience on this North India motorcycle tour. Kibber was long the world's highest road-connected village; Komik houses the Thangyud Monastery.

Over Losar, Spiti's last inhabited village, and up to Kunzum Pass at 4,551 m. The Chandratal Lake motorcycle tour continues on rough tracks to the crescent-shaped high-altitude lake – one of the most compelling destinations on the entire route.

Along the wild Chandra River, this high-altitude India motorcycle tour passes through dry mountain desert past the Shigri Glacier. Rohtang Pass at 3,950 m marks the gateway back into the green Kullu Valley and down to Manali.

After a relaxed day in Manali you board the night bus back to Delhi in the afternoon – roughly 14 hours. This stage brings the active motorcycle riding days to a close and lets the last impressions settle.

Early in the morning you reach Delhi. Until your flight you have a hotel room available for a final round of sightseeing or shopping – a calm ending to this India motorcycle tour through the Himalaya.