My 1,500 km Spiti Valley adventure with a Mahindra Thar: Experience

This Spiti drive was going to be my very first time driving a Thar!

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Prologue

” It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” ~ Sir Edmund Hillary

Exactly 5 years ago, we were on what was one of the most epic journeys of our lives, a 1500 km bike ride through the Himalayas (An adventure honeymoon: 1500 km bike ride through the Himalayas!). Since then, we have been on numerous trips, including visits to Malaysia, Oman, and even a 1500 km drive across the southernmost coast of India. While each one of them was unique in its own way and gave us spectacular views and unforgettable memories, our Ladakh ride always remained our favourite. The wild, rugged, raw beauty of the roof of the world cannot be compared with anything else. So as our 5th anniversary drew closer, we started to look for destinations that could come close to our first Himalayan experience. Very soon, we realized that the only thing that could compare to the majestic Himalayas was... well, the majestic Himalayas. With the Ladakh circuit already done, we chose to do the Spiti circuit this time.

I started searching for tour organizers who operated in the region and narrowed it down to a few. Most of them were bike convoys, similar to our Ladakh ride. But after having braved the blistering sun, bone-chilling rain, hail stones that hit like bullets, an accident that nearly took us out, and very nearly passing out while climbing the Gata loops, we weren't too keen on another bike trip. The team from Thrillophilia responded to our query and informed us that they were offering a "jeep drive" convoy through Spiti. They would be providing a Mahindra Thar 4x4, and we could drive it ourselves as a part of the convoy.

Now one might say that there is a time and a place for trying something new. But we disagree. My very first time on a Bullet (or an Enfield of any kind) was on our Ladakh ride. Keeping up with the tradition, this Spiti drive was going to be my very first time driving a Thar! And why haven't I driven a Thar before? Well, because I hate it! (*bracing for the collective gasp!*) No hate the Thar in particular, I just hate SUVs in general. As a hardcore sedan-ist, I keep my distance from SUVs. A drive through Spiti seemed like the perfect opportunity to drive a proper, true blood SUV in its natural habitat

Route Plan

The route and itinerary were shared with us well in advance by the Thrillophilia team. It was a 9-day trip, starting and ending in Chandigarh. The plan was to spend one night in each of the following locations, with one extra day in Kaza for the local sightseeing. All accommodation arrangements would be taken care of by them.

• Chandigarh
• Narkanda
• Chitkul
• Nako
• Kaza
• Chandra Taal Lake
• Manali

To get to Chandigarh, we booked flights to and from Coimbatore. Both ways, we stayed well away from Air India and booked only on Indigo, even if it had longer layovers and was slightly more expensive.

Places visited

Along with the itinerary, they also gave us a list of places that would be covered along the way. While the list was quite inclusive, they also gave us the option of exploring on our own, though it was always preferable to stick with the convoy. We visited the following places during the trip:

• Sukhna Lake
• Garden of Silence
• Chandigarh Rock Garden
• Zakir Hussain Rose Garden
• Shimla Mall Road
• Hatu Peak
• Kinnaur Rock Tunnel
• Taranda Mata Temple
• Karcham Bridge
• Sangla Market
• Chitkul Indo-Tibetan Check-post
• Chitkul Temple
• Kalpa
• Khab Sangam Bridge
• Nako Monastery
• Nako Lake
• Nako Buddhist Stupa
• Gue Monastery
• Tabo Monastery
• Dhankar Monastery
• Kee Monastery
• Langza Stupa
• Komik Monastery
• Hikkim Post Office
• Chicham Bridge
• Kunzum La
• Chandra Taal Lake
• Atal Tunnel
• Manali Mall Road

The Rides

While I really wanted to take my Rapid all the way to the Himalayas, I knew she probably wouldn’t make it out alive. She’s pushing 13, and a 13-year-old Skoda doesn’t give you the same confidence as a 13-year-old Suzuki or a 30-year-old Toyota in terms of reliability. Plus, with this package, I could make acquaintance with the legendary Thar, and maybe even have my mind changed about SUVs.

Since we arrived a day early, we booked a Santro AMT via Revv. The tiny hatch had run more than 1.1 lakh kms and the brakes were very spongy. Coming from the Rapid, the tiny 1086cc engine felt very lethargic, and the AMT box took around 2-3 business days for every shift. However, it was sufficient to potter around in the city.

The star of the trip was the Thar LX Hard Top Diesel MT 4WD. It had run around 59k kms but was in good shape. With new tires, clean interiors, and recently serviced, it was raring to get to the hills. We thought about taking a convertible top, but this turned out to be a better decision. We would not only have been toasted by the blistering sun but also would have returned with silicosis after inhaling all that Himalayan rock dust. We ended up thoroughly impressed with the way it performed over the course of our trip, especially the section around Chandra Taal, where the roads were non-existent.

PS: Our sincerest gratitude to God Almighty for getting us back safely. While we were in Kaza, we heard the news about a cloudburst in Manali and Solang Valley, which completely blocked several roads with boulders, and some roads were even washed away. Thankfully, by the time we reached Manali, the weather was calm. The other incident is happening as I type this. On 1st August, multiple cloudbursts occurred in Manali, Shimla, and Mandi, resulting in Manali being isolated. Several casualties are also being reported. It's nothing but a huge blessing that we made it across safely.

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