Author: Ullekh Tandon

The best places to visit in Kinnaur Valley: The old Hindustan–Tibet Hwy – built by the British as a sneaky invasion route into Tibet – runs northeast from Shimla through the Kinnaur Valley, providing access to mountain villages with slate-roofed temples, the vast apple orchards, and some of Eastern Himachal’s grandest views. The Kinnauris, or Kinners, are proud Aryan people who mainly survive from farming and apple growing. You can recognize Kinners all over India by their green felt basheri hats. To truly appreciate Kinnaur, you have to leave the main road, much of which currently feels like an endless construction zone due to the multiple dam projects that are turning the powerful Sutlej River into a massive generator. With an easy-to-obtain inner line permit, you can travel onwards to the mountain deserts of the Spiti Valley. For much of the year, Kinnaur is a relaxing rural retreat, but that all changes in September October when Bengali holidaymakers flood into Kinnaur from the plains. Simultaneously, the annual apple harvest lures hundreds of fruit wholesalers from right across India. At this time it can be impossible to find a room anywhere in Kinnaur, especially in popular spots such as Kalpa and the Sangla Valley. SANGLA: The Sangla, or Baspa, Valley is a deeply carved cleft between burly mountain slopes, where evergreen forests rise to alpine meadows crowned by snowy summits. It is one of the most beautiful villages in Himachal Pradesh. Down below churns the frothy Sangla River. Villages here, especially further up the valley, feature houses and temples built in traditional Kinnauri wood-and-stone-style. The area is best avoided during the busy Dussehra (Durga Puja) season when it’s overrun by Indian vacationers. The hair-raising road to the valley begins at Karcham on the Rekong Peo–Shimla Hwy, passing the gushing outflow pipes from