While Spiti valley is all about beautiful rugged mountains, eccentric tribal culture, rustic villages, ancient monasteries, Pin valley is simply all of this combined with even more grander and prettier landscapes. Therefore an Itinerary for Pin valley will be apt for those looking to experience the beauty of Pin valley.
Even though most I travelers just make a day-trip or stay for a night, You at least need 2-3 days to explore Pin valley in a true sense. Therefore, I have curated a quirky itinerary for Pin valley that I am sure you’ll love.
Itinerary for Pin valley
When I first stepped into the otherworldly valley back in 2018 I was simply blown away. So much so that I promised myself that I would return and explore Pin valley at my own pace.
Cut to 2021 I returned to Pin valley. I hiked to beautiful villages, stayed with local families, visited ancient monastery. All in all it was just a surreal experience to be honest.
So here is not your usual pin valley itinerary for those who wish to experience the celestial beauty of Pin valley in a true sense. By the way, here is detailed 7-day Spiti itinerary for first time travelers. I am sure it will be quite helpful.
| Day 1
Reach Sagnam village in Pin valley. Explore the village of Sagnam today. |
| Day 2
Head to the Pristine settlements of Kaa, Phukchung, Minsar today which is just around 5-7 km away from Sagnam. Overnight at Sagnam village. |
| Day 3
Today Explore the Beautiful villages of Todnum and Tailing. Overnight at Sagnam village |
| Day 4
Head to the least frequented villages Tangti Yogma and Tangti Gogma. Overnight at Kungri. |
| Day 5
Head to Mudh village. Explore the only touristy village of Pin valley. Stay at Mudh for night. |
Day 1
To kickstart your Pin valley adventure, today you’ll be heading to the biggest and one of the prettiest villages of Pin valley, Sagnam village.
Surrounded by rugged mountains, lofty peaks this typical Spitian village is the biggest village of Pin valley. Unlike Lahaul where traditional mud-house have perished, this village boasts a sea of them.
There is nothing touristy to do in this rustic village. You can take a stroll in the lanes of the village. Chat with the local folks, observe their day to day to life.
Due to lesser tourist footfall, there are not many homestays in Sagnam like Mudh. I personally happened to stay at Dharma homestay. The rooms were very basic but it was a comfortable stay. The host Vidya Sagar Ji and his family are quite welcoming. And I am sure you’ll love your time here.
So you can reach Sagnam as per your convenience either from Shimla side or Manali side. The lone bus to Pin valley leaves Kaza at around 4-4.30 pm in the evening. The bus goes to Mudh village via Kungri and Sagnam.
Overnight stay in Sagnam. By here awesome reasons why you should definitely visit Pin valley at least once in a lifetime
Beautiful village of Sagnam was my base for my Pin valley Trip. And it really turned out a wonderful experience, I was able to explore several lesser Frequented villages of Pin valley.
Day 2
How does the idea of hiking to pristine settlements surrounded by rugged mountains with incredible scenic vistas sound to you ? Amazing right ?
If it does sound like an interesting prospect, then today you’ll be heading to the temporary settlements of Kaa, Phukchung and Minsar.
Unlike permanent villages of Pin valley like Sagnam, Kungri, Mudh and others, these primarily just function as temporary settlements and people migrate to their villages once farming activities come to rest.
The locals from villages like Guling own lands here. They usually come here during the sowing season in April and return back in August when the pea harvest is finished.
I’m quite certain that travelers seldom venture to these settlements. But if you yearn for such authentic experiences with impeccable otherworldly landscapes, then you should certainly pay them a visit.
As these are not big permanent villages, most of the houses are either in ruins or are just meant for temporary living. I learned this as I spoke to one of the local woman.
To reach here cross the main Sagnam bridge and go towards Guling by road. As soon as you cross the bridge you’ll see a link going to Kaa and Phukchung. Just stay on that road for 5 km and you’ll reach Phukchung.
Minsar is further inside the valley and will take a lot of time and effort. I personally returned half way through the road to Minsar as I realized it was too far.
You can also visit them by vehicle of course but I would recommend hiking as per your own pace and soaking in the views. Please note that the road is a dirt track.
So all in all the total distance from Sagnam and back should not exceed 25 km. Have a good night’s rest at Sagnam after a beautiful hiking day.
By the way, if you are planning to explore other parts of Spiti, here is a detailed blog on how to reach Kibber village. I am sure this will be quite helpful.
On the way to Minsar, which ultimately I could not reach as it was too far and I started out late. But I was in complete awe when I saw such beautiful vistas.
Day 3
After an adventure-filled trip to Kaa and Phukchung, get ready for yet another wonderful sojourn. Today you’ll be marveling at the impeccable beauty of Todnum and Tailing villages.
Villages of Todnum and Tailing are my personal favourties. The beauty of these villages is beyond comprehension. I literally could not believe my eyes when I first caught a glimpse of them.
Surrounded by impressive looking lofty peaks, villages of Todnum and Tailing don shades of green during the summers all thanks to the vast fields of Peas bringing life to the otherwise barren landscape.
Although a road goes all the way to the village of Tailing, I would strongly recommend to put your body to work and hike to them.
When hiking from Sagnam, first go on the road towards Mudh, after 4 odd km you’ll find a link road going to the villages of Todnum and Tailing.
From the main Mudh road, the road first descends to a bridge. Then a gradual climb will lead you to the picturesque small locale of Todnum. Tailing is just a 1km further on the same road.
From Tailing Village, there exists a trail which descends downwards. You’ll spot a bridge from here you’ll have to cross a bridge to reach the main road and go towards Sagnam. The total hike is around 16 km but it is all by road.
Spend the night at Sagnam. By the way, here is how you can reach Key monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in the region.
Chorten at the sizeable village of Tailing with such beautiful looking peaks in the backdrop. Who would not want to spend some time in such tranquil villages of Pin valley.
Day 4
Sticking to our theme exploring the lesser-frequented gems of Pin valley, today you’ll be heading to the untouched villages of Tangti Yogma and Tangti Gogma via Sagnam.
The villages are Tangti Yogma and Tangti are your typical rustic villages with traditional mud houses. The hike via Sagnam is just an adventure filled one.
First you cross a rickety bridge to head to the other side of Pin river. Then you follow a trace going towards Tangti Yogma and Tangti Gogma.
At one point in the hike you are literally walking on the river bed. The villages of Guling, Kungri, Sailing can be seen on the other side across the Pin River.
Picturesque vistas and Pin River will be your constant companions on this surreal hike. From Tangti Gogma there exists a motorable bridge which will take you to the main Attargo-Mudh road.
Go towards Guling after crossing the bridge and you should reach after some 4 km or so. From Guling, Kungri is just another a couple of km. The total hike should not exceed more 18 km.
If you don’t wish hike completely you can hitch hike. Else you can hire a taxi and go by the main Pin valley road and then taking the link road to Tangti Gogma and Tangti Yogma.
Kungri is one of the biggest villages and is home to the only Gompa of Pin valley which is said to be quiet ancient. As far as homestays are concerned, there are no proper homestays in Kungri.
But you can contact
By the way, here is detailed blog 27 Super Useful travel tips to Spiti that will surely be helpful to you as a first time traveler to Spiti.
Village of Tangti Yogma and the barren yet beautiful landscapes of Pin valley.
Day 5
After days of wandering across the remote yet insanely pretty locales of Spiti, now is the time to visit the most famous place in Pin valley, Mudh village.
I personally really have aversion for touristy and popular places, but Mudh village is straight out of a fairytale.
Surrounded by impressive looking rugged mountains and high peaks in the distance, this village of Pin valley is the base village for Pin Parvati or Pin Bhabha treks.
There is nothing much to do in this village except for relaxing and admiring the scenic landscapes of Pin valley.
You can saunter across the village and indulge in conversations with the local and learn about the eccentric tribal culture. If you visit during pea harvest season, you can help locals in harvesting the pea.
Also there is a dirt track going further beyond Mudh. The landscapes that you get to witness while on this dirt track are simply crazy. Vibrant colored mountains, Pin river meandering across the valley will surely make your jaw drop in awe.
There are plenty of homestays in Mudh since it is frequented by a lot of tourists and travelers. So stay should not be a problem like in the other parts of Pin valley.
By the way, here is how to tackle AMS in high altitude valleys like Pin valley. I am quite sure that this will be quite helpful to first time travelers to high altitude places.
Surreal Landscapes Near Mudh village.
How To Reach Pin Valley ?
Reaching Pin valley is quite simply these days. Whether you are coming from Manali side via Kunzum La or you are coming from Shimla side via Kinnaur, you have to take a diversion from a place called Attargo bridge.
From Attargo Bridge basically the Pin valley starts. Sagnam village is around km from Attargo while Mudh village, the last motorable point in the valley is around from Attargo.
The distance between Kaza and Attargo is around km. While the distance between Tabo and Attargo is around km.
If you need more details on how to reach Pin valley, please check out my detailed blog on how to reach Pin valley as a first time traveler.
Cost of Pin Valley Trip
A trip to Pin valley will certainly be very light on pocket. Due to absence of fancy hostels, hotels, guesthouses your only options of stay are usually budget homestays.
These budget homestays will cost you around INR 500 – 600 including meals. If you travel by local bus within Pin valley it will hardly cost you any money.
So your trip to valley should just cost you around INR 2-3 k including stay, meals, and transport if you stay for 3-4 days. Of course you cost will go up if you hire cabs.
By the way, here is a detailed blog on how to visit Spiti on a budget.
Public Transport in Pin valley
There is a lone bus to Pin valley in the evening which starts from Kaza and goes till Mudh via Guling, Kungri, Sagnam.
This bus starts at around 4 – 4.30 in the evening from Kaza bus stand. So if you are relying this bus will be your best bet. Of course, if you are coming from some other place in Spiti, you can board the bus from Attargo bridge.
The bus to Kaza from Mudh village departs from Mudh at around 6 – 6.30 in the morning. So make sure you are on time if you want to exit Pin valley via this HRTC bus.
To visit the other villages of Pin valley like Tailing, Todnum, Tangti Yogma, Tangti Gogma, you have to either hire cabs or hitch a ride.
How Is the Mobile Network in Pin valley ?
Well except for BSNL no other mobile network works in Pin valley. Even BSNL is quite unreliable at times. You can just forget about internet connectivity.
So make sure you either carry a BSNL sim if you cannot stay without calls for 3-4 days. Else you can just borrow your homestay hosts phone to inform about well-being to the loved ones.
By the way, here is a detailed blog about internet connectivity and mobile network in Spiti valley.
To conclude, I hope that my not so usual itinerary for Pin valley will help you explore Pin valley to the fullest. Trust me Pin valley will surely leave you mesmerized with its pretty villages, eccentric culture and heavenly landscapes.
In case you have any queries on traveling to Pin valley or itinerary for Pin valley, do reach out to me the comments. I’ll make sure to address all your queries.