Kinnaur Valley

Distance : 200 km from Shimla
Temp : Well below zero in winter
Season :June to October
Clothing : Heavy woollen

¤ The Scenic Splendor At Kinnaur

Kinnaur is a breathtakingly scenic and sparsely populated valley, ideal for vacatiion holidays. It is no wonder that a local legend says that Kinnaur with all its beauty fell from the clouds as a gift from the gods.

This thousand feet deep lower valley of Spiti and the Sutlej gorge is carved out by the icy waters of the Sutlej river.

The Kinner–Kailash massif, considered as the abode of Lord Shiva, dominates the valley. A giant rock lingam on a spur at about 5,000m attracts local pilgrims every year.

Along the Baspa Valley, villages are precariously perched on the higher reaches and the houses cling to the hillsides in rows. Nearby are thin strips of terraced fields. The larger land holdings of the village are at a higher level, where the hillside rolls out to open meadows. Usually during springs people choose Kinanaur for their holidays, when these meadows are filled with iris and other wild flowers alongwith shrubs of rhododendrons in varying hues of pink.


¤ Vegetation

Kinnaur is most suited for growing fruits. Besides its famous chilgozas (pine nut), Kinnaur also produces some of the best apples, almonds, walnut, peaches and apricots in the country. Nevertheless Kinnaur is more famous for its local wine, anguri.


¤ Facilities

Inner Line Permits
The only place to obtain a holiday permit in Kinnaur is Recong Peo. The permit is valid for seven days but can be easily extended right there or at Kaza. This allows you to travel from Recong Peo to Kaza and back. (See Spiti for more details.)


¤ Transport

Direct bus service is available from Shimla and Delhi. All the smaller places in Kinnaur have to be seen by hiring taxis or jeeps from Shimla or Rampur.