Manali-Spiti Circuit

The Manali-Spiti Circuit is where serious overlanders separate from weekend warriors. Starting from Manali’s tourist chaos, the route climbs through Rohtang Pass before dropping into the Spiti Valley’s lunar landscape via Kunzum Pass at 15,060 feet. The return leg via Kinnaur crosses multiple river fords, navigates the infamous Hindustan-Tibet Highway’s cliff-hanging sections, and threads through villages where road width equals vehicle width plus six inches on a good day.

This is expert-level territory requiring full 4WD capability, underbody protection, and genuine technical driving skills. Multiple river crossings, rockfall zones, and weather that can trap you for days make this unforgiving. The circuit is only passable June through September, and even then, carry recovery gear, satellite communication, and supplies for a week. What you get is access to some of the planet’s most remote Buddhist monasteries, unfiltered Himalayan immensity, and bragging rights among Asia’s hardcore overlanding community.