How to Plan a Best Solo Trip to Spiti Valley on a Budget?

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A Solo Trip to Spiti Valley will become more memorable when experienced on a budget. For that, you need to add constraints that prevent it from being entirely comforting.

I embarked from Delhi to Spiti Valley and stayed there for 20 days to work on my Nature Portfolio, and I covered the La-Darcha Fair. Moreover, I was strict on my budget, so I would surely provide the best solution to make that Solo Trip to Spiti Valley inexpensive.

Everything starts with planning; the more researched your plan is, the more feasible the outcome will be.

I have spent almost 5-6 days planning the Delhi to Spiti Valley trip.

Isn’t it packing and leaving straightaway?—That would ultimately leave you spending more than required.

So, what do you look for when planning a road trip to Spiti Valley?

• Accommodations that suit your needs
• A place to consume meals
• Mode of Transportation to reach Spiti
• How to commute in Spiti

I’ll further explain each of the points in detail.

Accommodation

The foremost thing that comes to mind when we think of going someplace is Hostels to stay in. 

However, you must research if there’s any other accommodation providing a stay at a lower cost because the hostel rates are almost becoming equivalent to the hotel prices to an extent.

Nevertheless, research and you never know.

In my case, I researched and found a Hostel offering the most satisfactory bed price, Zostel Spiti. In addition, it was a monsoon season, so it was a comparatively low price. Other stays providing a lower cost are reasonably far from Kaza city; however, my motive remains to make Kaza my base—so I confirmed that.

Hence, I reserved a bunk bed at Zostel Spiti for the first 8 days.

You can directly look at the main website or search on Google, observe other platforms, and compare the prices before reserving.

For example, you can see below that I have searched on Google for places to stay in Kaza. After that, you can open each property, see the prices on the right, compare the websites & then reserve. In Some cases, you’ll see equal prices, but not necessarily every time.

With Accommodation comes the question of hunger satisfaction.

Where to Consume Meals?

A Solo Trip to Spiti Valley, or anywhere in the world, often encourages from within to stay luxurious and bite unique meals, Agreed?

But, when you’re on a budget trip, you have to control your cravings for eating something unique.

I recommend a few places where I went to eat, so you can also try-

1. Sanju Food Corner
2. Hyolmo Food Corner

Both these places are in the Kaza market; when you walk around, you’ll spot them.

Sanju Food Corner

I used to eat Thali from the Sanju Food Corner because I had to roam outside almost all day, so I required a complete meal and had to be reasonable. The special Thali costs Rs. 200, and it’s more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. 

I remember meeting one person on the bus from Reckong Peo to Kaza; he happened to be the Sanju Food Corner staff, which was a good coincidence. He recognized me when I visited their restaurant, and we both smiled!

For almost 5-6 days, I only ate Thali; it was affordable & delicious. Below the Sanju Food corner, there’s a sweet shop where you can try having breakfast and snacks like samosa and chole-puri.

Hyolmo Food Corner

Aloo and Onion Parantha from Hyolmo Food Corner remained my absolute dearest, as it was tasty and inexpensive compared to the other eateries. A family run, it was like a homely food, honestly. Furthermore, the environment made me sit there longer, even after the meal. The cost of Aloo Parantha was Rs. 60.

I understand, straightaway, you won’t find inexpensive plus mouthwatering places to dine; you must always try and proceed. I remember on the initial day at Spiti, I went to a restaurant. The food was satisfactory, but I couldn’t eat from there every day, so I started to find alternatives and came across the above two eateries I mentioned.

Mode of Transport to Reach Spiti

A Solo road trip to Spiti is also a troublesome task but equally rewarding to the sight. Traveling by local buses is the best option to make your Solo Trip to Spiti Valley stay on budget.

Furthermore, I wrote a blog on Spiti routes and expressed how to reach Spiti by HRTC buses.

How to Commute in Spiti

Undoubtedly, you’re in Spiti Valley, the land of adventure, and you must explore wherever possible.

Taxi

Taking a taxi every day to different places would surely make you spend more than when you rent a two-wheeler.

Moreover, if you’re on your Solo Trip to Spiti Valley, for an individual taxi, you would have to pay the entire amount—sharing would be suitable.

Roughly, in a taxi, your spending would start from Rs. 2000 per day and would increase further depending on the location you want to visit. Places like Key, Kibber, Komic, Hikkim, Langza etc.

Two-Wheeler

I enquired and found BD Tours and Travels in the Kaza market, which provides bike and scooter rentals.

I took a two-wheeler—a scooter; since I didn’t know how to ride a bike. First, I stayed worried about whether Scooty would be able to climb the rugged roads of the Valley. But, after undergoing the ride, I felt highly confident; indeed, Scooty could do the job well.

The bike rent depends upon the model you choose, ranging from Rs. 1400-Rs.2400 per day.

Most people prefer driving bikes in the mountains; however, you will also find a few Scooty in working condition. It would help if you go carefully whichever two-wheeler you choose.

The owner of the rental shop, Sunil, kept telling me:

You must drive cautiously, consider the scooty of your property, and don’t rush. Also, there are no bike repair shops here, so be careful in the off-roads. Notably, human safety is the utmost priority.

I rented the Active Scooty for the first 3 days and paid Rs. 2000 advance and Rs. 2000 for 2 days rent. However, we negotiated that after 3 days, if I extended, he would give me a discount and provide it at Rs. 800 per day afterward.

According to my needs, I needed the scooter for 8-9 days. Therefore, I extended it.

Also, most of the places to visit in Spiti are approximately under 50-55km; if you get the tank full, you can easily cover your first day.

Hitch-hiking

Another choice to commute would be Hitch-hiking; I met a few foreign individuals in Kaza who hitch-hike to go from one place to another—A Korean lady hitch-hiked from Key Monastery to Kaza; the distance is almost 11km.

Hitch-hiking would be a lovely experience, but you want to remain dependent upon others; for example, there’s no fixed time for a car coming on the route you’re onto.

Moreover, it requires much luck to succeed in hitch-hiking; however, if you have time and want to travel slowly, you can consider hitch-hiking.

Throughout the day, vehicles operate in between but less. Therefore, you would find most of the road empty & less pollution. Ultimately, at night, you can Stargaze & do Astrophotography effortlessly!

HRTC Buses

You must stay flexible with your schedule if you want to commute in local buses because the HRTC buses operate in the evening to different parts, like Key, Komic, Langza, etc.

Only once a day in the evening, the buses depart and return to Kaza the next day morning. 

Notably, there are two things if you want to travel by bus within Spiti:

1. You have to stay wherever you want to travel indeed. 
2. In addition, more than one night would be needed, because you would be reaching there by bus almost at night, so you require an additional night stay to explore in the morning. Thus, a total 2 nights stay is necessary.

Thus, depending on your time in Spiti and MOTIVE, you can decide your way to commute.

I had enough time in Spiti, and my motive was to complete my Nature Portfolio. So, Scooty was the ideal option for me as I was required to reach a place at an exact time.

Conclusion

I have put the finest methods to make it within budget, which I also followed. A Solo road trip to Spiti Valley is the best decision, but the best comes with limitations you must take care of to proceed.

Besides, from my experience, a Solo trip to Spiti Valley was safe; still, try to remain focused on yourself. Nevertheless, when you plan well, you’ll take pleasure in it.

Everything that I have expressed I have followed, and it turned out to be fantastic. I was able to do everything timely, with focus and dedication.