frozen nako lake, winters in spiti valley
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Spiti Valley in Winter | Surviving -30 Degrees

It was a decision that required a lot of courage and planning. I couldn’t have woken up one day and packed my bags and decided to leave, as I often do. I had to go over a list of things I needed over and over again and every time I went through it, it seemed not enough. Winters in Spiti Valley is no joke, after all. A place where summer nights can be painfully cold with dry, cold winds blowing hard and stinging your face like a slap, winters is a different game altogether. And for someone who’s cold bearing threshold is incredibly low (read: me), it was weeks of planning and running errands that finally made me feel ready for the plunge I was about to take. But little did I know, I had signed myself up for some of the most incredibly challenging things to do: survive 10 days where the temperature falls to -30 degree Celsius!

My ten days in Spiti Valley during the last week of December with Trekatribe were no less than an adventure. Here’s all that I learned, and my guide to how you can do it better.

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How to Reach Spiti Valley in Winters

First things first. In simple words, there are two routes through which you can enter Spiti. One via Manali through Rohtang Pass, and the other via Shimla through Kinnaur. Since Rohtang Pass remains buried in snow during winters, the only option to enter Spiti Valley in winters is through Shimla. The Shimla route remains open the entire year, except for unforeseen road blockages due to snow- which gets cleared out in a couple of days.

Things to know about winters in Spiti Valley
Running water is a luxury you will miss

This is not much of a surprise considering I have already mentioned the -30 degrees bit. But for those who need a little more perspective on things, water pipes freeze during winters here. That means about 6 months of no running water to bathe, flush or even wash your hands or your face.

Errr… wait, what? No flushing? So how do you do the big job there? We’ll find out.

frozen nako lake, winters in spiti valley
A frozen Nako Lake that doubles as an ice skating rink for villagers
Everything Freezes. Everything

In continuation to the last point, frozen water is not the only thing that you need to worry about while in Spiti Valley. While I was sitting in the kitchen, observing the cook do his business one day in Kaza, I saw him pick up an onion and dunk it into a pot of hot water. Curious, I questioned him about this and he told me that onions have so much water in them that the entire vegetable freezes and it’s difficult to cut into it or eat it in that form! On top of that, the walls of the kitchen were lined with a considerably thick layer of ice… from the steam that comes from all the cooking. Which ultimately means a light shower in the kitchen when the sun decides to bestow us with its presence and the ice finally melts off.

frozen kaza spiti
Steam frozen on the walls of the kitchen in Kaza

But that’s not it, if you put a wet towel to dry, chances are you’ll find it in a weird twisted position because a wet towel in Spiti Valley freezes faster than it dries! You can expect other mildly wet things around you to freeze to- including your pack of wet wipes and even your hair after a head bath. The moment you step out with those wet hair of yours, it’ll bunch up together and the remaining water on it will… you guessed it- freeze. So unless you have a blow dryer lying around in a place where electricity is intermittent, do not wash your hair!

Frozen water pipes equal dry compost toilets

Have you even heard of a concept like dry compost toilets? I hadn’t either until I saw one of them, and it is not a sight to behold. Compost toilets are essentially large holes dug into the earth, covered with a tin/ cardboard sheet in which you aim and shoot. Toilet jets are replaced with toilet paper and baby wipes and if it’s too cold, soap is replaced with hand sanitizer.

dry compost toilet in spiti valley kaza
Our humble poop hole…
Temperatures range from freezing to freezing throughout the day

The days are usually -15 to -20 degrees. This coupled with cloudy skies and strong winds, well gear up for a day of doing nothing but sitting in your blanket all day long! The nights are usually -25 to -35 degree Celcius and you most definitely need a heater to survive. And I don’t mean your regular electric heaters because they will feel like orange light bulbs in your room and nothing more. The real heaters are the traditional tandoors find in Spitian homes that keep you nice and toasty… and alive.

tandoor in spiti valley
Traditional tandoor found across Spiti that doubles as a room heater and stove!

My experience in a concrete room (as opposed to traditional mud houses that are 3 to 5 degrees warmer) with an electric rod heater was… let’s say horrifying. Throughout the 4 nights I spent in Kaza, my entire focus was on keeping my body warm and quite frankly, I couldn’t enjoy myself even in the company of a bunch of really good friends. But well, that’s just me and my poor threshold for the cold.

Warming up by the heater while sipping on angoori and snacking on dry fruits
Markets are mostly shut

Once the season ends and winters take over everyone’s lives, money doesn’t matter anymore. Apart from a mere 2 to 3 shops selling the bare necessities, Kaza will feel like an abandoned post-apocalyptic town. With shutters on every single shop you lay eyes on, it was quite eery to walk around lanes that were so full of life the last time I saw them. So forget about shopping for souvenirs and dining at fancy cafes and focus on surviving.

spiti riverside at kaza spiti valley
Bumming by the banks of Spiti River at Kaza
Clothes for winter Spiti: Layer up!

Regardless of how many big poofy jackets you buy, you cannot survive such harsh temperatures in just a jacket or two. Begin with a well-insulated base layer and top it off with another one if required. Follow that up with a warm fleece, then a nice comfy sweater and then that poofy jacket we talked about. Similarly for the bottoms, start with a base layer (or two if needed) followed by a pair of warm pants.

winter spiti roadtrip with trekatribe
All layered up!

Your shoes must be waterproof and preferably insulated with a good grip to walk over the ice. Trust me, the waterproof bit is important because fellow travellers came in water-resistant shoes and ended up soaking them wet and having to buy another pair from Kaza market.

My  Reccommendations

 
Weather Gods control public transport

When in Spiti, forget about fixed itineraries and pre-made plans. Snowstorms and blizzards often equal blocked roads which then equal cancelled buses. Depending upon the amount of snow, it can take from several hours to several days for our beloved BRO to clear up said roads. So don’t count on catching that flight back on time because, well, this is Spiti.

sunset drives in spiti valley winters
Drivin’ into the sunset like…

Also read: 13 Reason Why You Shouldn’t Visit Spiti Valley

Now getting on the most important bit of the trip, the planning. Regardless of how spontaneous you are and how unplanned your travels are, you need a checklist. Because you can never be too prepared for winters in the good ol’ Spiti Valley.

Selfies at -20 degrees feel like a task!
Surviving winters in Spiti Valley: A checklist
  • SUNGLASSES to prevent snow blindness- a condition where the eye gets severely damages due to looking at the sun-reflecting snow directly.
  • SUNSCREEN  to prevent sunburns. I recommend Plum Goodness.
  • FACE MASK/ BALACLAVA to protect yourself from those knee-knocking winds.
  • THERMOS FLASK because water will freeze in your plastic bottles.
  • LIP BALM to prevent burnt, chapped lips caused by the winds and the sun.
  • WOOLLEN GLOVES to prevent frostbite.
  • EXTRA PAIR OF WOOLLEN SOCKS in case your pair gets wet by the snow.
  • DRY SHAMPOO for those who can’t bear the dirt and oiliness of unwashed hair.
  • WOOLLEN CAP
  • MUFFLER
  • TOILET PAPER AND BABY WIPES to care for that tush.
  • HAND SANITIZER because sometimes it can get too cold to wash your hands.
  • MOUTH WASH because sometimes it can get too cold to brush your teeth.
  • FACE WIPES because sometimes it can get too cold to wash your face.
  • DIAMOX TABLETS altitude mountain sickness because (AMS) is real.

Pssst… women. Here’s a tip for you. Carry enough fresh underwear to change every day, and consider carrying intimate wipes or foam wash to ensure hygiene down there since taking a shower will be… well, difficult to say the least.

winter snow at chicham spiti valley
A snowed out Chicham

Here’s another tip: If you’re worried about finding accommodation, food and transport in the deserted cold desert of Spiti Valley during winters, you can rely on the frequent group tours organized by Trekatribe. I have been working with them for over a year now and I trust them wholeheartedly to plan a cherishable trip come rain or shine!

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A twenty-something solo adventurer, Avantika finds comfort in learning about various cultures, its people and listening to age-old folk tales. When not on the road, she can be found cuddled up with her dog in her room, with a book in her hand.

30 Comments

  • Vikram katoch

    Avantika is an awesome solo traveller. She is full of life. I respect her courge of exploring places solo. Keep it up avantika. ???

  • Jabez Philip

    Please don’t write false facts ! Spiti does not go below minus 20, including wind-chill. Also now imagine the army deployed in kargil and drass tin winter ! In minus thirty even your nose and eyelids freeze ! I know cause I have lived !

    • Avantika

      good to know you’ve lived wherever you have lived. and major respect to the indian army for surviving harsh conditions even at Siachen but that’s not the point of this post, firstly. secondly, request you to google kaza and kibber temperatures on accuweather as of today. night drops to -26 and when i was there, it was -28. maybe do a little more research before spewing hate on people’s work yeah? 🙂

  • Debjani lahiri

    I tell ya reading this post in the sweltering heat of kolkata right now made me feel like packikng my bags and leave for Spiti right away ..and feeling the wind chill on my face would be my wish so now .. but honestly ya bracing cold in winters that too in -30 is unimaginable.. I wonder about the locals and their tenacity .

    • Avantika

      i feel you, Debjani! even delhi is burning up these days. but -30 definitely feels like an otherworldly experience! it must take a lot of grit for the locals to spend their entire lives this way!

  • Arnav Mathur

    After experiencing Ladakh in the Winters, i so want to experience Spiti Now. I can totally relate to your experience, as i had similar one during the Chadar Trek. At least you had legit pakka rooms, with bukharis to stay, we stayed in tents, in freezing temperatures. And what an experience it was.

    • Avantika

      I can’t even imagine camping in such temperatures, Arnav! what a bone-chilling experience it must’ve been! but I do want to try it one day- to test my perseverance hahaha!

  • The Exploring Eyes

    Winter Spiti is a long time wishlist for us. The surreal layer of ice all over the place is just magnificent. Your recommendations will be really handy for us. Bdw can you do Chandratal in winter?

    • Avantika

      I’m glad you found it useful! hopefully, you’ll get to experience it soon. and no, one can’t visit Chandra Tal in winters since kunzum pass is shut during the winters

    • Nitin jain

      While reading this whole blog, I am feeling chilling winds, I can’t make it to -30 it’s a nut job, though wanted to see the beauty of Spiti, hats off to you, would like to read more about your chilling experiences.

      • Avantika

        haha thanks, nitin. spiti is beautiful and warm from May to August (though pretty cold during the nights regardless). but winters in spiti is a charm in itself!

  • VIDur

    Can’t wait to get to spiti. Love this place. Thanks for sharing. It was good to see ur pics and memories from spiti

  • Ramya

    I heard about the harsh winters of Spiti, but before this post was unaware about the realities of it. I believe it is an adventure to cherish lifetime.

  • Raksha Nagaraj

    That is my biggest concern whenever I plan Spiti or any parts of the north during Dec and Jan. It is cold and I hate cold :D. I cannot even imagine what -30 feels like, when I dont even like something around -5. But this article is so tempting, the pictures during winters are absolutely stunning.

    • DoiBedouin

      Wow. Seriously I crumbled in the -2 degrees of Sikkim’s winter. And you are saying -30degrees. And I loved the way you put it all. The compost toilet, the poophole as you referred. Every word prepares the readers fir their trip to the Narnian winter.

  • Lancelot Quadras

    I just had a visual treat reading about your journey. Best being the minute details on living, bathing, pooping and being ready for wearing multiple layers. Thanks for all the suggestions along with their links.

  • delhifundos2014

    Thank you for the detailed experience. We appreciate the depth of information you’ve included here. It really helped us for a lot planning our trip to spiti valley.

  • pamela

    Wow Avantika, Loved this post and the pictures. Spiti is in my list from long long time and this year I wanted to visit but due to this pandemic could not make it. Hopefully next year….

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