You should also check my article on the best time to visit Ladakh if you are planning a trip to Leh Ladakh and Spiti Valley together. The presence of the moon will wash out the light of the stars, just like light pollution from the cities. Here are ten of the best locations in the United States to see the Milky Way in all her splendor. There is very little humidity in the high-desert. The best time to catch the Milky Way is near midnight from June to early August. The Milky Way visibility is defined by the first columns: In the rightmost column, you can see the angle of the Galactic center in the sky. Spent the next 4 hours or so taking multiple shots and here are the outcomes: Went to bed happy as this is what I came for. We set up the cameras and started the timer. They say the Roads to spiti are worse than those to Leh. Whats it like to sleep in a rooftop tent? We would have early dinner and if weather permitted come back up here for shoot before 9pm. In this whole trip i have to spent 10th of october morning to noon at dalhousie for urgent work .I have seen dalhousie , khajiyar , shimla, dharamshala and chamba a few times , so i m not interested in those places but i need to be in dalhousie on 10th. Sorry for selfish request. Rohtang Pass generally opens after April and further, the route to Kaza over Kunzum Pass opens by the second week of June. Day 9 : 13th June : Kaza to Ki, Gette, Tashigong, Kibber & then to Losar. But I want to explore whole beauty of Himachal and Leh-Ladakh. Any music you love will work wonders, though classical, or ambient is often especially great. if we are going in june will there be snow view? I have gone through your posts and it seems that you have traveled a lot in the spiti and himachal area. Hi Dheeraj Even so, the Milky Way is pretty much out of sight in our Northern Hemisphere sky during . With a long exposure, the camera sensor picks up millions more glittering stars (invisible to naked eye), it picks up the cobalt afterglow of twilight, it captures the nebular gases. Overnight at Hanle, Day 18 | Leh Chumathang Mahe Nyoma Loma Hanle The Milky Way is one of the most spectacular things to view in the night sky. However, this is considered one of the better times to travel over the road to Spiti Valley that is Hindustan Tibet Highway. Fall and winter are the best times to go stargazing in Georgia as temperatures drop, skies become more clear and nights are longer. Thanks Dhiraj for your reply. To the ancient Peruvians and Mayans, the Milky Way was the center of the universe. The Milky Way captured by Juan Carlos Dela Cruz . It was a good night's sleep. Gompo spotted a pair of Ruddy Shelducks nearby a small pond but were quite far away. Usually, driving inland away from a city is your best bet. Hello Dheeraj, Sorry for the extremely long Post. So, even the Spiti Valley weather is somehow becoming unpredictable nowadays. Overnight at Leh, Day 15 | Leh Sham Valley Leh We gathered our equipment and left around 4.15am. While traveling to Spiti Valley in November you go through some hardships of ice on the roads, lack of electricity, winter cold conditions with sub-zero temperatures topped with basic facilities as most of the guesthouses get closed. It appears as a band of light because its the disk-shaped structure that is viewed from earth. Do not forget to check what things and clothes to pack for Spiti trip? Winter Nights It humbles you. Best Spiti Valley Tour Package on Budget $180 per adult on twin sharing View Details 11 Days / 10 Nights Kinnaur Spiti Highland Jeep Safari $343 per adult on twin sharing View Details View All Packages For Spiti Valley View All Packages For Spiti Valley Must Know Before You Visit Spiti Valley And where? These roads including the road to Losar from Kaza and the road to Pin Valley towards Mud, the road to Lhalung Demul, or the roads to Langza Hikkim Komic circuits. Winter Nights If you stay at Kibber then you can travel to Chichcham and further to Chandratal directly and explore a new route too. Me and and my friends planning for a bike trip to Spiti on 16 oct ,I want to know it will be at that time? Day 3 : 7th June : Leave Narkanda early by 8:00 am. Day 08 : Chandratal Manali In June through August, the Milky Way will be high in the night sky, making these the perfect viewing months. By continuing to browse our website, you agree to our use of cookies. enjoy the culture in the Turtuk Village Heres the. Try to confirm the weather conditions before . The Photographers Ephemeris is a pretty impressive site (and app) that will tell you everything you could want to know about light conditions at a particular location, at a particular time. There were loads of ice-formations besides the roads and lots of water streams and can understand why the route is so hard to build and maintain. Late September is the perfect time for that. See our September Sky Watch. The best time to see the milky way is the summer months (June to August) when it will be visible for most of the night. If you have kids, bring them to see the Milky Way and spark their imagination. In order to protect migrating birds, no lights are allowed in this parkwhich also makes for some fantastic stargazing. Varun you can get the permits for Rohtang Pass by following the details mentioned in the article: Permit for Rohtang Pass Updates 2017. ), Vikas, the roads are open but you should read: 10 Tips for a Trip to Spiti Valley in Monsoons. You should not expect much from facilities in Spiti valley in these months. Moon: In the first columns, you can see the moonrise/moonset and the . Getting There: Located on West I-70 just past the Morrison Exit 259. View on a new Moon or within a few days of the new Moon. The calendar is divided into three different colors depending on the number of hours that the Milky Way core is visible: Also, while creating the Calendars, I used all the Saturdays of the year as a reference. Like the sun, the stars rise in the east and set in the west, due to Earth's rotation or spin on its axis. Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik), Day 17 | Pangong Tso Lake Shey Thicksey Leh I assume the route is exceptionally beautiful and regret I could have enjoyed it if had stayed at Chandratal. Fulfil your stargazing dreams with unparalleled views of the night sky at Nubra Valley, Ladakh. However, the most photogenic area, also known as the Galactic bulge/center, is only visible during a few specific months depending on your location. Sham Valley include Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib It demands travel to remote locales, long prayers to the weather-gods for a clear sky, buying expensive lens and DSLR cameras and lastly bodily endurance for those long nights in freezing temperatures; but when you get that click, its all worth it. Looking toward the dark skies at the right time of year, the naked human eye should see a whitish glow stretching in a huge arc. Sourav, it is possible to make Spiti Valley trip in winters but only from Shimla Kinnaur side. Thanks. The roads aren't great with worse parts yet to come tonight. Mayoor, it is wonderful to see you back here !! Still to be better prepared I got one of the cut trye patched up to be able to work as tubeless along with the space-saver of the car. The sky above me is black a deep inky black seen only in the edges of the civilisation. Reach Chitkul in evening (Want to avoid staying in Sangla or Kalpa as have already visited both previously) O/n Chitkul. Nako is a village in the Himalayas of northern India, located near the Indo-China border in the. DO NOT miss to taste them or buy them if possible; I am sure you would not have tasted such an apple before . Last year the road was opened all the way up to December , i am planning to visit spiti by the end of july around 22nd july. Day 31 | Sangla/Chitkul Narkanda If you are looking for the Milky Way on a night when the moon is shining bright, you will not be able to see it. The Moon is absent, so rural places away from city lights provide perfectly dark conditions, while Septembers typical crisp, dry air affords the kind of transparency that allows the countless subtle details of the Milky Way to emerge in all itsglory. Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Preserve, New Mexico. The food will be pretty basic as available in the homestay. It was quite cold around 5 and uncle went to sleep inside the car. The road conditions in winters on the Hindustan Tibet highway are quite challenging and tough. Captured between 10PM and 3AM in June. Sharing a profound moment with others brings you closer and creates bonds that can last a lifetime. But thinking 25-30 days as of now. Once you reach Kaza, check the weather and then make a call to drive from Kaza to Manali because getting stuck in between Kaza and Manali due to weather will not be pleasant, Thanks for your suggestions. It was in full view for less than 30 seconds before it went down behind a crevice. Kaza Langza Komic Hikkim Kaza road remains also closed during peak these winter months. In the Eastern U.S., dark skies are pretty hard to come by, but in the west, they are quite abundant. Im planning to complete the spiti circuit from shimla to manali with my Bike Honda Hornet CBS 160cc. Yes September is a good time to travel to Spiti Valley. Regards, Harish sir, It starts to get cold during that time of the year in Spiti valley and there can be occasional snowfall as well. Its a vault where star clusters and nebulae and 30,000 additional faint stars spring into view for anyone slowly sweeping its path with ordinarybinoculars. Go to Settings (that's the gear icon) and toggle to "Save RAW copies." Is there any possibility of the kunzum pass being closed during that time? It a barred spiral type of galaxy with giant spiral arms that make it look like a spinning pinwheel. Are you looking for the CUSTOMIZED TOURS?? The best for stargazers is the Nayara Alto Atacama, which has a 16-inch telescope on a hill above the hotel for nightly stargazing sessions. Sorry I didnt mentioned Ill be completely free for a year precisely. Hello and thanks for a wonderful article! Sonmarg, Jammu & Kashmir 10. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Kunzum Pass starts getting snowfall by September end and it can be very tricky and risky crossing over it in no mans land in late October or November. I enjoyed the scenery and sunset past 7pm. From above, its that enormous spiral which spans 100,000 light years.) I am planning on a bike trip going from manali to Key gompa and back during end of september beginning of october. Where: Bickley, 35 kilometres (22 miles) east of Perth. This is the place where knowledge can safely be putaside. Head straight to Padum, Day 5 | Padum Local Sightseeing I with 2 of my friends planning to start my trip on 23rd June from Shimla and end on 30th June at Manali on bike . In the following part of the article, lets check in detail, how the whole year month-by-month looks like in terms of traveling on the road to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Includes a slender crescent phase, too. CEF_Beasts, digitalnirvana, Dr.AD, Evyas, graaja, GTO, haisaikat, InControl, Kashish, mak.prasada, PetroNerd, Rehaan, Samba, Samfromindia, supertinu, veloce.95, Venkygupta, YanTra Makto. In such a case, it will be better to visit from Manali side only. Spiti Must places to visit. Theres something about viewing the grandness of the cosmos that can make us want to connect with other people. Bike of 160cc should be fine. Weather wise it shall be fine and like Ladakh Spiti Valley is also a rain shadow region, so it does not rain much there. The road at Nako is closed due to a massive landslide at Malling Nala. In April you can make individual trips to these places like flying into Leh for Ladakh trip and going coming back form Shimla Kinnaur side for Spiti Valley trip. for more details. Vertical 75, Vertical -75), it means that the Milky Way moves from 75 up to a completely vertical position (90), and then descends. Yes Mayoor, I will go with Chitkul on Day 4 but then again it depends if you are really interested to ease out, go for it and skip Kalpa altogether and move on further towards upper Kinnaur and Spiti. These cookies do not store any personal information. A lonely street lamp illuminates a monastery on the crest of the low hill. You MUST understand that Kinnaur is not a place to be in rains with its history of massive landslides and the live landslide zone of Malling Nalla ahead of Nako. The lunatic riot of stars tumbling downward toward the south and the twisted texture of the background glow surely belongs in our lives at least once ayear. The best time to catch the stars is during one of Red Rocks' summer concerts or Film on the Rocks. There's a shortcut as you leave and I had to take it. Start back and stay at Rangdum, Day 7 | Rangdum Panikhar Sankoo Kargil do mention Turtuk on the permits, Day 11 | Turtuk Hunder Doing this added around 35kms overall. i m planning a trip to himachal . Its a beautiful sunset. I am travelling to Spiti on 1 week of August(is it open via manali? Dates: 28th September to 7th October (+1 Day buffer) i.e. Credit:NPS/ChrisWonderly. Have a travel question?? And even in our Space Telescope age, its still the heart of oursour resident galaxy, observed not from the outside but from our worms-eye viewpoint within its pinwheelmotif. The western interior national parks are probably the very best places to view the Milky Way. Having said all that, it does not mean that it is not a season to travel to Spiti Valley. A portable chair that you can recline back in, like a beach chair, is a great way to enhance the experience. I was able to click a couple of shots. Keep in mind that more than 30% . We left Batal at 9.45pm and worst roads I have ever seen had just started. If you plan to come down to South (Tamilnadu), please do call me Ill be happy to host you. Couple of times had to reverse around as it was hard to figure out the right path at night. The Milky Way neatly splits the sky and passes directly overhead. CEF_Beasts, digitalnirvana, Dr.AD, graaja, GTO, haisaikat, InControl, Kashish, kiranknair, Omkar, PetroNerd, Rehaan, Samba, thirugata, trippytragopan, troika, UD17, veloce.95, vredesbyrd. Yes, the roads especially Manali Kaza is worse than Ladakh roads. Would it be feasible if we start somewhere around 25thmay from Chandigarh thru kinnaur and exit via kunzum pass somewhere around 8th to 10th june. Traveling to Spiti Valley via Manali side, by and large, depends first upon the opening of Rohtang Pass and then opening of the route from Gramphu to Kunzum Pass and Kunzum Pass in itself. Its humbling and, for many, spiritual. The Best Places To See Wildlife In The U.S. Road Tripping with Pets: What You Should Know. To fine-tune your planning, I also recommend taking a look at the following: I hope these calendars help with your planning so you can take fascinating images of the Milky Way this season. NPS/Brad Sutton. One mystery we didn't want to solve. It takes around 240 million years to go around once. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. But, BRO definitely is pretty close to Chatru, I am travelling to Spiti on 1 week of may( is it open via manali?) You can Planet sightings, supermoons, eclipses, and meteor showersstargazing is arguably one of the best parts of spending time outside. I will request that you please refer the following articles for planning a trip to Spiti Valley: Spiti Valley via Manali | How to Plan Your Journey AND Spiti Valley via Kinnaur | How to Plan Your Journey, They have all the details.