The short answer. Manali to Kaza is roughly 200 kilometres and takes a long day — eight to ten hours if the road is behaving. It crosses the Atal Tunnel and then Kunzum La at about 4,590 metres, and it is only open for the summer, usually from June until the first heavy snow somewhere between late October and mid-November. In winter it is shut and the only way in is from Shimla.
The two roads into Spiti
Spiti has two road entrances and they could hardly be less alike.
From Shimla, the road runs up the Sutlej through Kinnaur — Narkanda, Rampur, Rekong Peo, Sangla, Nako — and enters Spiti near Tabo. It is longer, lower and open almost all year, and it climbs so gradually that your body has days to adjust.
From Manali, the road goes north through the Atal Tunnel into Lahaul, turns east at Gramphu and runs up the Chandra valley past Chhatru and Batal to Kunzum La, then drops into Spiti at Losar. It is shorter, higher, rougher and far more dramatic — and it is a summer road only.
Manali to Kaza, stage by stage
Reckon on a full day with an early start, and do not plan anything for the evening you arrive.
- Manali to the Atal Tunnel. Up the valley past Solang. The tunnel runs about nine kilometres under the Rohtang ridge and comes out in Lahaul. Before it was built, this leg meant the Rohtang pass and its traffic; it is now the easiest part of the day.
- Gramphu to Batal. Where the drive changes character. The tarmac gives out, the road narrows onto the shoulder of the Chandra valley, and there are stream crossings that are ankle-deep in the morning and axle-deep by afternoon when the glaciers above have been melting all day. This is the stretch that decides what kind of vehicle you should be in.
- Batal to Kunzum La. Switchbacks up to the pass at about 4,590 metres, with the Chandrabhaga range across the valley behind you. The turning for Chandratal lies just over the top.
- Kunzum La to Losar and Kaza. Down into Spiti proper, and onto a good surface for most of the last stretch. Losar is the first village; Kaza is around two hours further.
When the road opens, and when it shuts
There is no published calendar. The Border Roads Organisation clears Kunzum La when the snow lets them, and the pass usually opens in June, sometimes late May after a light winter, sometimes not until early July after a heavy one. It closes with the first serious snowfall, most years between late October and mid-November. Neither date is announced in advance, and the closing one can arrive overnight.
The practical consequence: if your trip is in June or in late October, do not build a plan that only works if the pass is open. Ask locally the week before, and have the Shimla road as your alternative.
Chandratal
The lake sits at around 4,300 metres, a short drive and a walk from the Kunzum La road, and it is the single best reason to come in over the Manali side. It is reachable only while the pass is — roughly June to October — and the camps beside it run for the same short season. If Chandratal is on your list, that alone fixes your month.
Which of ours use which road
We are based in Manali, so the Kunzum road is our local road. Four of our five expeditions start on this side; one does not, and the reason is the season.
- Winter Spiti runs from Shimla, and has to. Between November and June there is no Manali road: Kunzum La is under snow. The Sutlej road through Kinnaur is the only way in, and it is also the gentler one — three days of climbing rather than one.
- Summer Spiti runs from Manali as a loop. Out over the Jalori side to Jibhi, down into Kinnaur for Kalpa, then Nako, Tabo and Kaza — and back north over Kunzum La into Lahaul. In eight days you never drive the same road twice, which is the whole argument for coming in summer.
- Zanskar and both Ladakh expeditions start in Manali too, up the Bhaga valley through the Atal Tunnel rather than over Kunzum La.
The one rule behind all of it: gain height slowly. Manali to Kaza in a day takes you from 2,000 metres to 3,800, over a 4,590-metre pass on the way. Our summer loop goes the other way round, up through Kinnaur first and out over Kunzum La at the end, by which time everyone is acclimatised. Most of what goes wrong for people in Spiti is altitude, and the order you drive it in is the cheapest way to avoid it.
The loop: in one way, out the other
The classic independent Spiti trip goes in from Shimla and out over Kunzum La to Manali, or the reverse, so you never drive the same road twice. It is a genuinely good plan in summer, and it is what we would tell a friend with their own car and ten days. Go up from Shimla rather than down from Manali: the gradual climb is the whole point, and coming the other way you cross the highest pass on day one.
What vehicle the Manali road needs
The Gramphu–Batal stretch is not a road you want to meet in a low car. Ground clearance matters more than four-wheel drive on most of it, but the water crossings in the afternoon, the loose rock and the gradients up to the pass are why we run high-clearance 4x4s with low range. If you are driving yourself, cross the streams early in the day, and see driving Spiti in your own car for what we ask of a guest vehicle.
Permits on the Manali side
The Inner Line Permit is for the border stretch in Kinnaur, not for the Manali road. An overseas guest coming in over Kunzum La and leaving the same way does not need one; anyone travelling the Sutlej road between Rekong Peo and Tabo does. Our winter circuit and the Kinnaur half of the summer loop both use that stretch, so every guest on them needs one — arranged by us. The detail is in Inner Line Permits for Spiti.
Questions we are asked
How long does it take to drive from Manali to Kaza?
About 200 kilometres and eight to ten hours in good conditions, crossing the Atal Tunnel and Kunzum La at roughly 4,590 metres. It is a full day: start early and plan nothing for the evening you arrive.
When does the Manali to Spiti road open?
Kunzum La usually opens in June, occasionally late May or early July depending on the winter, and closes with the first heavy snow between late October and mid-November. The dates change every year and are not announced in advance.
Can you go from Manali to Spiti in winter?
No. Kunzum La is closed by snow for more than half the year. In winter the only road into Spiti is from Shimla, up the Sutlej through Kinnaur, which is the road our winter circuit uses.
Which way round should I drive the Spiti loop?
Up from Shimla through Kinnaur and out over Kunzum La to Manali, rather than the reverse. Going that way you gain height over three days instead of crossing the highest pass on day one. Our summer circuit is built around exactly that order.
Do I need a 4x4 for the Manali to Spiti road?
Ground clearance matters most, but the stream crossings between Gramphu and Batal, the loose rock and the climb to the pass are why we use high-clearance 4x4s with low range. Cross the streams early in the day, before the afternoon melt.
Come in the gentle way
Six days from Shimla up through Kinnaur into Spiti, summer or winter, with a local driver-guide, a medic and a mechanic, and every permit and night arranged.