5 Days
Kinnaur Apple Trail
Sangla, Chitkul (India's last village), Kalpa: harvest-season orchards above the gorge, far from the tourist circuit.
From ₹14,000 per person
Himachal Pradesh · Kinnaur District · 2,320–3,450m
Far from the tourist circuit, on purpose.
Apple orchards above the Baspa gorge, Chitkul (India's last inhabited village toward the Tibet border), and ancient temples most visitors never see. Best in September, when the harvest is on and the crowds are elsewhere.
All Himachal Districts
Kinnaur,
Kinnaur,
District Guide
Kinnaur runs along NH5, roughly 235km east of Shimla (8–9 hours on a road that's spectacular and slow by design). Villages sit between 2,320m (Kalpa) and 3,450m (Chitkul), with the Kinnaur Kailash range visible from most of the valley. It's quieter than Kullu or Manali by a wide margin: fewer hotels, fewer tour buses, and a Hindu-Buddhist culture found nowhere else in Himachal. September is harvest season for the valley's famous apples; that's also our preferred travel window.
Chitkul
The last inhabited village on the Indo-Tibet trade route, at 3,450m. Beyond it, the road is restricted; this is as far as most travelers go.
Kalpa & Kinnaur Kailash
A village facing the Kinnaur Kailash range head-on: sunrise here turns the peaks gold before the valley below even wakes up.
Sangla Valley & the Baspa
A wide, green valley along the Baspa river, lined with apple orchards: the softer counterpoint to Kinnaur's high, dry upper reaches.
Nako & Ancient Temples
A high-altitude lake village near the Tibet border, and centuries-old wood-and-stone temples found in nearly every Kinnauri village.
Kinnaur
Packages
From a focused Sangla–Chitkul weekend to a combined route into Spiti.
5 Days
4 Days
Sangla–Chitkul Weekend
A shorter, focused version of the Apple Trail for travelers with less time: Sangla valley and Chitkul only.
From ₹11,500 per person
9 Days
Kinnaur–Spiti Combined
The full Kinnaur route continuing over Nako into Spiti: one long circuit instead of two separate trips.
From ₹26,000 per person