2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 2: Neat Narkanda To Serene Sangla

Day 2

The convoy had to be on the move at 8 am and hence, to meet my standard operating timelines, I was up at 6. However, the irksome alarm was accompanied by an unpleasant surprise – no electricity. Not that I didn’t want to enjoy the early morning’s whiff of crispness but after a tiring first day, I really didn’t want to get out of my room to hunt for electricity. Actually, hunt for someone who can bring life to the water geyser. After an uninvited stroll in the cold, I finally spotted some help who could understand Hindi and fuel up the generator.

Breakfast over. Prayers done. As we drove out of Narkanda, I noticed a sea of commercial Mahindra pickups. When poked with the question, the Mahindra team told us that this Himachal belt is where the company sells the highest number of Bolero pickups per head. Interesting. Another noteworthy aspect was how the population density was getting thinner by the hour.

A place called Sutlej Café in Rampur welcomed us with some hot beverages and a place for relieving ourselves. The facial expressions of many revealed how avoidable the tea was. Never mind, I was busy absorbing the sheer beauty of the place. Located on one of the hills, the cafe’s outside seating overlooked the Sutlej river. The calmness of the hills backed by the soothing sounds of the river was immensely relaxing. 

While absorbing the beauty of the place I was also gearing up for the next leg of the journey. To reinvigorate some old memories, I swapped the Scorpio for a Thar. But before I could reconnect with the pocket-friendly boy toy, our cars went straight to a fuelling station. After the most organised fuel fill-up I’ve ever seen outside motorsports, the convoy hit the road hard to reach our lunch halt in Sarahan on time.

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Unfortunately, the strip of tarmac that connected the village to the main highway was recently struck by a heavy landslide. But since we had rugged 4x4s to deploy, we took a dauntless detour that had everything but tarmac. The spine-shattering climb to The Srikhand, managed my HPTDC, was where we got our first real teaser of what’s in store for us over the next few days.

At the lunch halt, I learnt about a certain peak which requires a 4-day trek to reach. Called the Srikhand Mahadev, locals believe that it is the only peak in the vicinity that doesn’t get covered in snow while the surrounding ones do. As intriguing as it sounded, we couldn’t even see the peak.

Munching on lunch was quick as many wanted to visit the famous Bhimakali temple, walking distance away. Soon after we got our blessings-tank filled up again, we dropped back to the banks of the river Sutlej and drove along it towards a place called Karcham. It is home to a 1,000 MW run-of-the-river hydroelectric power project. The plant, although a welcome addition to the residents of the belt, has taken its toll on the natural beauty.

From Karcham, we left the Sutlej’s company and climbed further up the Baspa river, which is famous for trout fishing, towards the Sangla Valley. A little after Sangla came a village called Basteri, home to Banjara Camps and us for two nights. Dead tired after a long day, we all met up for a bonfire dinner before calling it a night.

Day 3 – Day spent in Chitkul Village

Thankfully, the third day was scheduled to start at 10 am and no, there was no electricity problem. After the breakfast and morning prayer, I took control of the Scorpio again. During our 13-km drive towards Chitkul Village, I could weigh over the positives and negatives about the Thar I drove. Positives for the Thar in tricky conditions? The shorter wheelbase helps in cutting sharp turns better. The steeper approach and departure angles help in hitting sudden ups and downs on the track without wetting ourselves. And lastly, the modified Thar had fatter off-roading tyres which delivered better grip than the standard set of rubber on the Scorpio.

Negatives? Well, the suspension on the Thar isn’t as bum-, spine- or neck-friendly as the Scorpio’s. Additionally, the Scorpio is a well-thought out family car, whereas the Thar is a toy for two at max. The rear benches, facing each other, makes it feel like a police car. Suddenly I realised that this in-head comparison means I’ve started missing my daily routine. ‘Nope. This is not happening!’

Soon, we creeped into the Chitkul village. The place was beautiful and at over 11,000 feet, it had many different colours accompanying it. Farming is the main source of income in this part of the world and apart from the apples and orchids which were surrounding our hotel, the locals grow a domesticated pink/red colour wheat. Look around and almost all shades of green are checked by the mountains. Look beyond and the grey/black-coloured hills with snow tiaras bring in more contrast. This is where the Indian road ends and is also the last point in the country that can be travelled to without a permit. 

The lunch by the river was a good experience, except for one person from the support team. The keys to the other Thar were misplaced. Since we had people from Mahindra travelling with us, a change of locks and remapping of the locking/unlocking software was arranged for the next morning. Sorting it out in such a remote place was simply astonishing.

To ensure no one goes back without a proper rejigging of their internal organs and a proper food digest, an off-roading track was carved out. It had everything from marshy patches, rocky river beds, loose sand and gravel. For many, withstanding the constant quakes and coming out of the car without breaking anything was the main highlight of the day. For me, who was acting all smug about the Mahindra Off-Road Training Academy in Igatpuri that I experienced last year, it was the sheer beauty of the place that moved me.

We drove back and reached the hotel with the evening still young. For the strong and daring, there were other activities at the hotel like rappelling, wall climbing, fishing and trekking on a paid basis. Since I was neither of the two, I poured myself a nice cup of tea and relaxed. Next day’s schedule was shared during the dinner by the bonfire and while that was being conveyed, I suddenly found myself sad to be leaving Sangla. Not only will it be the last stop before the private telecom networks lose track of us, but also the comfort of absolute quiet was intoxicating. It turned out, my emotions were premature!

Part 1: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 1: Cheerful Chandigarh To Neat Narkanda

Part 3: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 3: Serene Sangla To Nippy Nako

Part 4: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 4: Nippy Nako To Killer Kaza

Part 5: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 5: Spiti Valley Explored

Part 6: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 6: Killer Kaza To Majestic Manali

Part 7: 2017 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape Part 7: A Day In Manali And Then Back To Chandigarh