By road
~25 km from Sangla
North India · Himachal Pradesh
Chitkul, Himachal Pradesh
The last village on the old road to Tibet · ~25 km from Sangla
Getting there
By rail
Shimla, ~240km
By air
Shimla Airport, ~240km, limited flights
Best time to visit
May to October — before the snow closes the road
Don't miss
The Mathi Devi temple
The Baspa river
Rakchham
The Sangla valley
Things to do
Village walks
Riverside walks
Short treks
Drives through the Sangla valley
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Sapna Sony · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Warm layers, sunglasses, trekking shoes
A quieter corner
The riverside meadows along the Baspa below the village
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Chitkul?
May to October — before the snow closes the road. What to pack: Warm layers, sunglasses, trekking shoes.
How do I get to Chitkul?
The nearest airport is Shimla Airport, ~240km, limited flights. The nearest railway station is Shimla, ~240km.
What is there to do in Chitkul?
Village walks, riverside walks, short treks, drives through the Sangla valley. A quieter find: The riverside meadows along the Baspa below the village.
What should I eat in Chitkul?
Kinnauri dishes, apples and local red rice.
About Chitkul
- Mountains
- Riverside
Where it is
Chitkul is a village in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, India, at the head of the Sangla valley on the Baspa River, the last inhabited village on this road towards the Tibet border.
History
Chitkul lay on an old trade route across the high passes and its wooden temple to the goddess Mathi is centuries old; the road to the village opened the valley to visitors in recent decades.
People
Chitkul's people are Kinnauri and speak Kinnauri dialects as well as Hindi; in winter, when snow covers the village, most families move down to lower ground.
Known for
- Its high Himalayan setting
- The wooden Mathi Devi temple
- The clear Baspa River
- Some of the cleanest air in India
Did you know?
A study by IIT Delhi found Chitkul to have the cleanest air in India.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.