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Kolkatta to Cold Desert Valley (Spiti) in my Maruti Suzuki Jimny MT

3rd July 2024, 17:28 by Kanad Kalasur

My intention here will be to share my experience. No point in mentioning any achievements, as nothing here is new to us, nothing that has not been done before.

BHPian shourya_lahiri recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Almost a year after my acquisition of ‘Hachiko’ my Jimny MT, this was by far it’s first proper exposure. 6 months out of which it had to spend locked up in a garage with it’s battery terminals disconnected. Price a car pays for being owned by a shippie.

Well, as always, I will again keep it short and precise. My intention here will be to share my experience. No point in mentioning any achievements, as nothing here is new to us, nothing that has not been done before. All familiar routes here. What I really aspire from sharing all this below is that if this inspires even one single reader, even if by a tiny bit, that would make the effort worthwhile.

So This is how the trip was planned for me –

Kolkata>> Aurangabad>> Agra>> Zirakpur>> Narkanda>> Chitkul>> Kalpa>> Tabo>> Kaza>> Chandratal>> Sissu>> Manali>> Chandigarh>> Varanasi>> Kolkata.

I didn't have to break my head over hotel bookings, a close friend took take of that.

One addition here is that my elderly Mom joined us in Manali, where she flew from Kokata. The rest of the journey was made by the three of us.

Kolkata -> Aurangabad

Clean straightforward route. Not so clean Hotel. Later someone suggested a better stay, which is apparently the only sane choice there. Perhaps would choose that next time.

I know the regulars down this route usually stretch it further to somewhere like Lucknow for the first leg, But I chose a shorter target. Primarily because the car is new to me. Its behavior on extended highway attendance was yet to be discovered.

Aurangabad -> Agra

Next day left for Agra early. Took the Durganti detour to avail Purvanchal Expressway. I decided there itself that I will not take this route on the return leg, as the stretch from Durganti to Purvanchal had to be dealt with in the late hours then, and I was not very comfortable with that.

Stopped at Lucknow for lunch at the place recommended by Dbhpian Abhi_1512. And as always is the case with his recommendations, this was a fabulous decision as well.

Hachiko actually surprised me with its matured highway manners here.

Agra -> Zirakpur

Next day, off to Zirakpur. Stopped on the way in Delhi to meet a friend. Had lunch there and reached Zirakpur leisurely in the evening. I am particularly not very much at home with driving after dark, but the Delhi to Chandigarh highway was well lit and quite a breeze. Nothing great about the stay though, just a layover too so nothing much to expect either.

Zirakpur -> Narkanda

Slowly and gradually the terrain changes and we are greeted to the first glimpse of the Himalayan foothills. Enough of highways now, time for business.. The stay at Narkanda was breath of fresh air for us.

A very neat cafe just adjacent to our stay...

Narkanda ->Chitkul

As we headed to Chitkul, after Karcham, the road turned real ugly. And from what I learnt from the locals after I reached our camp, the road’s current state is a recent development. Hopefully things will get better soon. Made it a point to start early in the morning the next day, much before the first HRTC bus left the Reckongpeo Depot, to avoid sharing that narrow road with the buses.

Another thing Chitkul taught me is that, I am not a camp person.

Chitkul -> Kalpa

Kalpa reminded me of the likes of Darjeeling / Kalimpong. Beautiful lush forests and apple trees. And a fantastic view of the Kinnaur Kailash range.. Its a nice place for a weekend kind of stay. With a wide range of choices for hotels and cuisines.