By road
~223-267 km from Shimla
North India · Himachal Pradesh
Kalpa & Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
Apple orchards facing Kinner Kailash · ~223-267 km from Shimla
Getting there
By rail
Shimla, ~218-267 km, on the narrow-gauge line; Kalka/Chandigarh (~300-340 km) is the nearest broad-gauge option
By air
Shimla (Jubbarhatti) Airport, ~234-275 km, with limited flights
Best time to visit
April to June and September to November; apple harvest in September
Don't miss
Kinner Kailash views
Chitkul (last village before Tibet)
Sangla Valley
Bering Nag temple
Things to do
Orchard walks
Kinner Kailash sunrise watching
Chitkul village trip
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Goutam1962 · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Warm layers, sturdy shoes, motion-sickness tabs for cliff roads
A quieter corner
Roghi village and the 'suicide point' cliff road beyond Kalpa
About Kalpa & Kinnaur
- Mountains
Where it is
Kinnaur is a mountain district in the east of Himachal Pradesh, along the deep gorge of the Sutlej river, and Kalpa is a village above the district headquarters of Reckong Peo, facing the Kinner Kailash range.
History
Kinnaur lay on the old trade route between India and Tibet and was long part of the princely state of Bushahr, whose rulers had their seats at Rampur and Sarahan. Kalpa was the district's headquarters before Reckong Peo, and the old Hindustan–Tibet Road still threads through the Sutlej gorge.
People
Kinnauras speak Kinnauri and related languages as well as Hindi, and their traditions blend Hindu and Buddhist practice. Their velvet-banded caps and wooden temples are distinctive, and apple growing is the main livelihood.
Known for
- Views of Kinner Kailash
- Apple orchards
- Sangla Valley and Chitkul village
- Carved wooden temples and monasteries
- Traditional Kinnauri caps
Did you know?
The Kinner Kailash peak is sacred to both Hindu and Buddhist Kinnauras, and a rock pillar on the mountain at about 4,800 m is revered as a Shiva lingam.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.