Must-Visit Places in Kaza for a 2 day trip

Kaza is a small yet well-articulated town in Spiti valley. It is one of the most sought out places on the travel list whilst on a spiti road trip. If you are starting your trip from Shimla, then it is at a distance of around 400km via NH5. On the other hand, if you are starting your trip from Manali, it is at a distance of 182km via NH505(distance is measured by google maps). So, The town of Kaza or Kaze is the subdivisional headquarters of the remote Spiti Valley in the western Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti district. Let me brief you about all Places that you must visit and things that you must do while in Kaza.

What you must know about Kaza?

 Kaza is one of the coldest towns in India. The temperature varies greatly in different seasons. January is the coldest month of the year with an average temperature of -25 °C, while July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 10 °C

First things first!

As soon as you reach Kaza, you will see the Spiti river calmly flowing parallelly and a cool breeze striking on your face. Kaza is an extremely well-planned town, It has a market, amazing cafes, a Health care station, Monasteries, and some of the highest villages and post offices in the world. You can easily spend at least 3 days in Kaza.

Places to visit in Kaza

Main Market Kaza

I found the Kaza market to be really a happening and busy place with traders from Kullu/ Lahaul/ Kinnaur selling their specialty items of clothing, souvenirs, food, etc. You can buy Buddhist souvenirs, The famous colorful bike, and car flags, and hemp bags made in Nepal, from this beautiful Main Market in Kaza

Best Cafes to visit and spend chill time in Kaza

Even though there are more than 10 cafes in Kaza, some of them are really famous amongst others. In the Main Market of Kaza, You will find Himalayan Café, Sol Café, Café Zomsa, Taste of Piti, The Alpinist Café and Retreat, Café Milky Way. All of these have a different ambiance and taste of food. But, the one thing that will be common is the View and the Kaza Vibe. Even if you don’t get a seat in any one of the cafes, do not get disheartened, move out and try some other cafes.

FYI: The Himalayan Café is always busier than the rest of the Café, its location being in the center of the Kaza Main Market.

My Personal favorites were The Himalayan Café, The Alpinist Café and Café Piti

 But if you want to eat local food then do not forget to try Yolmo, Deyzor, Café Zomsa, and Kelsangs Kitchen. I am not going to detail about what you should eat and whatnot. I would definitely advise that try out Momos, Thukpa, and chopseys.

Visit the Oldest Monasteries in Kaza

Sakya Tangyud monastery in Kaza Town of Spiti Valley. This is another one of the places that you can visit in Kaza, a monastery built recently in the year 2009. The next monastery that you must visit while in Kaza is Key Monastery. Kye Gompa or  Key is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelugpa sect located on top of a hill at an altitude of 4,166 meters. It is the largest and oldest monastery of the Spiti Valley and a religious training center for lamas. It reportedly had 100 monks in 1855.

Places to Stay in Kaza

You will find ample places to stay in Kaza. But I will recommend to you that a place that has all the basic and mandatory necessities for you. Remember, that Kaza is the place where people drop in to get acclimatized for the road trip/trek ahead. However, it is still possible that you might get breathless while in Kaza. What you must pack for your Ladakh and Spiti Road Trip?

I stayed at Hotel Delek House which was just 10 minutes walk away from the Main Kaza Market. The room had a scenic view of the high ridges and the spiti river. There was a nice lower seating area in the lobby where I could spend hours reading books and sipping a cup of gur-gur chai.

Below is the list of places where you can stay in Kaza

• Blue Mountain Hotel and Café
• Zostels
• Hotel Deyzor
• Wangchuk Homestay
• Solo Yolo Kaza
• The Travellers shed

Nonetheless, you can do a pre-booking if you are traveling with a family or a group. But if you are traveling solo or with just one or two friends, then I would recommend do an on-the-spot booking based on your preference.

Visit the Highest Post Office near Kaza…Vist Hikkim

You might have heard of the very famous Post Office in Himachal Pradesh. Yes, it is located in Spiti at about just 15km from Kaza. Hikkim Post Office is located at a height of 4440m in a beautiful village called Hikkim. This is one of the Spots that you must visit when you are in Kaza

You will find a stall from where you can buy Post Cards and then send it to your Loved ones in India. But expect it to reach in 15 days or 6 months.

Visit Langza village in Kaza which is famous for Ammonite fossils.

Langza is another beautiful village in Spiti and one of the places to visit in Kaza that is known for its Fossils. These fossils are dated back to 66 million years ago. Furthermore, You can find these Ammonite fossils in Langza Village in Kaza It is also known for the famous Buddha statue.

You can spend hours in the Small Cafes that serve you Butter Tea and Maggi along with other Himachali and Tibetan Food. Thus You can admire the landscape of Spiti whilst on your visit to Langza

Kibber Village – The Highest motorable Village in Spiti near Kaza

Kibber is a mere 19km from Kaza, situated at an elevation of 4270m and it comprises just 80 houses. There is Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary that you can visit which is home to several rare species like Red Fox, Blue Sheep Tibetan Wild ass, and Snow Leopard amongst others.

There are spots that you can visit while you are in Kaza

• Chicham Bridge
• Key Monastery
• Chicham Village
• Komik Monastery

Other things to do in Kaza

Walk by the river to connect with nature and yourself

 Since the spiti river is a few minutes’ walk away from anywhere in Kaza town. You can walk along the river and have your own time. The blissful sound of the flowing Spiti river and the warm rays of the sun caressing your skin will take you on a parallel self-journey. 

All in All, Spiti in itself is an extremely beautiful Place. And Kaza is a small town that will leave you surprised. These are some of the Must Visit Places near Kaza and since you will be spending two days. You can easily spend a good amount of time at each of these locations.

For all the Mountain Lovers, you will never get sick of it right? Will you ? And Besides Spiti you can do a Ladakh Road trip which is an absolute beauty in a different way.