Lahaul Spiti By WALK | Day 3 | Chitkul to Reckong Peo |Weather |Roads |...

Brother and sisters, Hold your breath, you are going to see the first view of Chitkul.

Hello there! Good morning and welcome to your very own channel, Cycling Beast. Right now, I'm on a trip in Lahaul Spiti. It's Day 3 of my journey. I've been staying in my tent here. I've packed my bag and put it behind me. And now, I'm going to take you on a trip to Chitkul.

 

Before we head there, let me tell you a few things about Chitkul. Chitkul is the first village of India. Until now, you might have heard about the last village of India, the last Dhaba (roadside eatery) of India, and the last Post Office of India. But my perspective changed after seeing a signboard in Mana Village, Uttarakhand. So now, I'm saying that Chitkul is the first village of India.

 

Today, I'll show you the beauty of Chitkul and its culture. If you want to visit Chitkul, you can come by car or bus. After passing the Karcham Dam, take a right turn. You'll go through Sangla and Rackcham to reach Chitkul. If you're traveling by bus, there are 3-4 buses daily from Reckong Pio. Buses run all day long.

 

Chitkul is surrounded by rocky mountains, and there's not much land for farming. The main sources of income here are tourism and apple farming. It's a part of the Kinnaur district. I reached here by walking, so I can tell you that the whole journey was uphill. The road conditions are quite bad, with many broken parts. You won't find a good road, and you might have to cross water in a couple of places.

 

But when you lift your head and look up at the sky, on the right side, you'll see green mountains and snow-covered peaks. These peaks are so tall that it seems like they're piercing the sky. On the left side of the road, there are large rocky mountains.

Talking about networks, both Airtel and Jio have strong signals here, but Vodafone's network is unavailable. I haven't tried BSNL, so I can't say. However, if you exclude the four-kilometer stretch between Rackcham and Chitkul, Airtel and Jio networks are available throughout with good speed. In Chitkul, Jio has its own mobile tower, so there's proper network coverage.

 

Food along this route is quite expensive. For instance, a plate of momos costs ₹150. I didn't try the dal rice, but I heard it's in the same price range. I had two parathas, each costing ₹80. Although the quality was good, it's expensive compared to other places.

 

Regarding accommodation, you have good options on both sides of the road, so finding a place to stay won't be a problem. Online payment options like UPI, Google Pay, and Paytm work here. As you travel, you'll notice the Baspa River flowing alongside the road. The river's current is so strong that it creates a loud and noisy sound.

 

Chitkul is situated at an altitude of about 11,500 feet above sea level. Despite this, I was feeling quite hot. I was sweating continuously, even though I was wearing a half-sleeve t-shirt. I had another t-shirt of the same style underneath, so I can tell you that it's not very cold. It's June, and you can take a cold water bath.

 

If you look at Prince, he's also wearing a half-sleeve t-shirt. You won't need to carry warm clothes.

According to the signboard, this place is 42 kilometers away from Karcham. And there's another place at a distance of 21 kilometers.

 

Many home stays, guest houses, and restaurants are built here. What a magnificent building that is! Let's explore what's on that side.

 

What you're looking at is a hydraulic mill. The water makes the rotor spin, and you can use it to generate electricity or grind flour. There can be many uses for it. This is the bathroom for the priest. Right next to it is the temple. The place where I am right now is called "Mathi Temple." The temple is entirely constructed from wood, including the roof.

 

If you take these stairs adjacent to Mathi Temple, you'll reach Chithkul Fort, which was built for Naag Devta (Snake God). Initially, the fort's roof used to be flat. Later, it was replaced with wooden planks, similar to the ones you see there. But when those rotted away, the roof was rebuilt with slate, like the one you see now.

 

When you visit Chitkul, there's a riverfront area called Baspa River Front. You'll also find a tricolor point that you can visit. The temple you're seeing is the Matha Mata Temple. And behind me is the Chitkul Fort, also known as the Naga Fort.

After walking a bit further, you'll come across a monastery. So, there are 4-5 places you can visit during your time in Chitkul. I've created a video where I've shared complete information about all these tourist spots. Towards the end of this video, I'm providing a link. You can click on it and watch the entire episode.

 

Throughout the village, you'll notice many such structures. They're designed for storage, especially for special food items. There are several places you can explore within 1 to 2 hours. It's currently 9:30 AM, and I'm planning to grab something to eat. A bus leaves at 11:00 AM from Chitkul, and I'm thinking of catching it to head towards Reckong Pio. Tiranga Point is around 5-7 kilometers from here.

 

This board here reads "Hindustan Ka Akhiri Dhaba" (Last Dhaba of India). You don't need to go to the end of the village for this; it's right at the beginning. There's a welcome board that says "Welcome to Chitkul." If you go down these stairs, you'll reach this spot.

 

"How are you, sir?" "Fine." "How much for one plate?" "₹100 per plate." There's rice, curry, chole (chickpeas), and aloo bhaji (potato dish).

 

"I won't be able to eat much. I won't be able to walk after eating so much."

 

"Don't worry. Just let out some air. You'll be fine." [laughing] "Rightly said!"

 

"Oh wow, my favorite item is here!"

 

"Look at how the seating arrangement has been done."

 

"From here, you can see this view. Look at how the Baspa River is flowing."

 

"If you raise your head, you can see the hills and the snow-covered mountain peak on that side."

 

"For ₹100 a plate, you get rajma (kidney beans), rice, chapati (flatbread), chane (chickpeas), aaloo ki sabji (potato dish), and onions. There's also a fried chili."

 

"Let's eat and see how it is?"

First and foremost, I'm trying the Rajmah (kidney beans). They've added "Desi Ghee" separately. It's amazing because the flavor that came from the Rajma is really good. When my friend suggested that I try this food if I'm staying here, I agreed to give it a shot. Pranav, you were right.

 

Now, I'm moving on to the Kadhi. Classic! It has a tangy flavor, much like the taste back in my village. A bit sour, a bit spicy. It's quite enjoyable.

 

I'm now trying the "kale Chane" (black gram) dish. Wow, the black gram vegetable looks really tasty.

 

Eating this kind of food brings back memories. Now, I'll taste another vegetable, aloo ki sabji (potato dish). It's neither exceptionally good nor bad. Let's give it a try.

 

And what's with this fiery chili? I'll take 2-4 of these with me for the road.

 

I wholeheartedly recommend this food. Getting so much to eat for just ₹100 is truly worth it. If you're coming here, you must try it. People used to say that, and now that I've experienced it, I'm completely convinced.

 

Is online payment available? And if cash isn't a problem, can I pay online here?

 

Om Prakash? (Name of the shopkeeper?)

 

Yes, right in front of you.

 

How long has this shop been here?

 

Since 1999.

 

The food is really good, I've enjoyed it a lot. I'll definitely have to come back again.

 

Thank you, that was Om Prakash bhai. Now, about the food, I've truly relished it.

 

Oh yes, something unexpected happened. Let me share what happened. I took my wallet out from my pocket, and my mobile slipped out along with it. I didn't realize it, and it fell somewhere. When I noticed my phone was missing, I checked the back of my mobile and there it was, lying right there. Someone had seen it and left it there for me. If they hadn't seen it, I would have lost my phone.

 

Paratha is also available here. How much is the price?

 

Can you please pack this Paratha?

 

Yes, of course! Did you find your phone?

 

Yes, thank God. I managed to find it. It was behind a car where nobody could spot it. That's why I was able to retrieve it.

 

I'm heading to Reckong Pio now. It's around 7:00 in the evening. I've just reached after traveling to Reckong Pio as they directed.

 

I'll get ₹100. Let me check and I'll tell you shortly.

 

I'm currently staying here. This is Gokul, and this is Shoum. We've taken this place on a sharing basis, costing ₹500.

 

This is Abhishek Homestay, right in front of the Reckong Pio bus stand.

 

I think we'll be staying here together. Where are you headed tomorrow?

 

Nako.

 

I'm also going to the same destination, but I'll be walking. It's the same destination but approached in different ways. Like religion, all paths lead to the same god. [laughing]

 

And so, the 3rd day of my Lahaul Spiti trip by foot comes to an end. Today, I traveled by bus from Chitkul. I've shown you everything about Chitkul - places to visit, stay options, how to get there, and where to stay. With this, I'm wrapping up today's episode.

 

So, today's total expense includes the food I had. In India, you can get a plate of food for ₹100. I also packed a paratha. At the hostel where I stayed, the food cost me ₹150. The bus ticket to Reckong Pio was ₹150, making it a total of ₹300. Additionally, the room I'm staying in costs around ₹170, but it's shared among three people, so it amounts to ₹170. If you get your own room, it's ₹500, but if shared, it's ₹170.

So, the separate room turned out to be great. We took it and there are three of us here. My day has come to an end. Tomorrow morning, I'll begin from here and walk around 17-18 kilometers to reach Ribba Khas Waterfall. If you join me on this journey, you're sure to have a good time. Let's meet again tomorrow. Take care in the morning. Thank you so much for watching the video. Until then, good night!