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Kinnaur

International > Asia > India > Northern India & the…

Description

Kinnaur is a somewhat remote district in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The Sutlej river valley cuts through the Himalayas here, and there are lots of granite cliffs. Unfortunately a lot of it is no good for climbing, but there are also a lot of decent cliffs. The area is just beginning to be developed, in two sub-areas: Kalpa and the Sangla Valley. The crags described here are accessible from roads with maximum of 20 minutes hiking.

Kinnaur is right in the middle of the Himalayas, so it gets a "modified monsoon season". This means that it's not as dry as Ladakh or Spiti, but also doesn't get drenched for 1-2 months in the summer. The climbing season here begins in early May, once it's warm enough, and goes until late October, once it's too cold. (Although this is whimsical; snow might not arrive until mid-December.) Expect some rain in July and August, but not enough to ruin a climbing trip. We were there from May-June 2014 and September-November 2013, and at no point during the day was it too hot or too cold to climb.

Getting There

Step one: fly to Delhi. Step two: take an overnight bus (or the train) to Shimla. Step three: take a bus or jeep up the Sutlej valley to either Rekong Peo or Sangla.

The Delhi-Shimla bus will take a night and cost around Rs1600 ($27 in 2014, at Rs60=$1) for a nice AC bus. Shimla is a big city with lots of hotels, worth visiting for a day.

The Shimla-Rekong Peo, or Shimla-Sangla bus is about Rs350 (~$6), and both take about ten hours. But it's a scenic and dramatic ride up the valley.

See the Kalpa and Sangla Valley area descriptions for more details once there. Feel free to contact Luke at: luke [dot] wolcott [at] gmail [dot] com, for any more information about the routes or logistics.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

view from a 17000ft pass.  lots of trekking and mountaineering opportunities in Kinnaur, FYI.
[Hide Photo] view from a 17000ft pass. lots of trekking and mountaineering opportunities in Kinnaur, FYI.
rest day trek to 17000ft pass.  Hindu trishula and Buddhist prayer flags.  Tibet is on the horizon.
[Hide Photo] rest day trek to 17000ft pass. Hindu trishula and Buddhist prayer flags. Tibet is on the horizon.
fall colors on 3-day trek in Kinnaur.  No climbing, just scenic.
[Hide Photo] fall colors on 3-day trek in Kinnaur. No climbing, just scenic.
another view of the Sutlej gorge, this time with Buddhist stupa.
[Hide Photo] another view of the Sutlej gorge, this time with Buddhist stupa.
view down to Sutlej river (at 6000ft) and up to Jorkanden (21000ft)
[Hide Photo] view down to Sutlej river (at 6000ft) and up to Jorkanden (21000ft)
Kalpa village and view of Kinner Kailash range (18000-21000ft).
[Hide Photo] Kalpa village and view of Kinner Kailash range (18000-21000ft).
traditional-style Kinnauri house. (in Chitkul)
[Hide Photo] traditional-style Kinnauri house. (in Chitkul)