Manali to Kaza Road & Kunzum Pass Closed

by Vargis.Khan

After recent snowfall at Kunzum Pass top, the stretch from Batal to Losar has been declared closed by officials for year 2016. Civilian traffic is now no longer allowed to travel on this stretch of the road. Even though the state run bus service from Manali to Kaza is now no longer operational, local cab drivers are still commuting on the road. This too however will stop after the snow at the top of the pass increases.

If you were planning a trip to Spiti, It is advised to travel from Shimla to Kaza and return via the same route. Do not risk travelling on Manali to Kaza stretch as it is quite risky right now. The road leading to Chandratal too is snowed out and there is no accommodation available at the lake anymore.

In my opinion, now is not really an ideal time to visit Spiti valley. If you are interested in catching some snow, then give it another couple of months and go in the month of January or February because at that time, the entire valley will be under a thick cover of snow. Right now, snow is only limited to the peaks like Kunzum Pass. The weather however has already gotten way too cold already.

Road from Manali to Keylong however is still open as Rohtang Pass has not yet been declared closed. Do not however plan anything as Rohtang too will close any day now.

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16 comments

Pawan September 13, 2018 - 7:31 am

Hi virgis
I m planning to visit in octOcto 29 to 5 november can I go via Manali to Spiti
Suggest me

And give me yr cont no
I

Reply
Vargis.Khan September 13, 2018 - 12:44 pm

No you cannot go via Manali. Roads will be closed.

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kuntal sarkar June 11, 2017 - 4:18 am

hi , vargis..we from kolkata planned to visit lahaul spiti in october,we start from shimla and cross kunzum pass on 17/18 oct..and go to manali…will kunzum pass remaim opened at that time?

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Vargis.Khan June 12, 2017 - 7:38 pm

Hello Kuntal, Chances are that yes it should remain open by October but it all depends on the weather brother, hard to predict right now.

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Shreyas Mangalgi April 17, 2017 - 3:27 am

Hi Vargis ! We are planning a trip to Spiti Valley from June4th to June 12th. Will the road from Kunzum Pass to Manali be open during that time or do we need to return back from Kaza to Shimla ?

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Vargis.Khan April 17, 2017 - 9:19 pm

Hi Shreyas – Yes it should be open. Expected date of reopening as of now is towards end of May. Start from Shimla and by the time you reach Kaza, the road will be open and even Chandratal camps will be all set up.

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Arif March 8, 2017 - 3:06 pm

Hi Vargis, I am planning a trip (By HRTC Bus) to Spiti valley in 2nd/3rd June to 5th June. Is there any possibilities to do the trip in that time? When bus service towards kaza will resume. please guide me

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Vargis.Khan March 8, 2017 - 10:33 pm

Hi Arif – You can definitely go in June, no problem at all. The entire valley is open at that time and chances are that Kunzum Pass will be open too. You will have no trouble finding a bus in Spiti in June.

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Shan Shan December 23, 2016 - 11:04 am

Hi Vargis,

What is the road status between Shimla- KAZA, I am planning to visit Spiti on 2nd Week of Jan 2017

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Vargis.Khan December 24, 2016 - 3:52 am

Hi Shan – Shimla to Kaza remains open through out the year

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Mihir Ajgaonkar December 23, 2016 - 9:49 am

Hi Vargis, I found your website very informative. I am planning a road trip to Spiti from Mumbai. After reading your blogs, I have decided to travel from Shimla to Kaza and return to Manali. What would be the ideal time for us to take this route? Can we plan for June 2nd week to July 1?

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Vargis.Khan December 24, 2016 - 3:58 am

Hi Mihir, Yes you can plan at that time. Roads will be open and Kunzum pass too in all probability will be open by June 2nd week.

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Ramesh Rao November 23, 2016 - 9:32 am

Thanks Vargis. This is very useful. And I assume Mid May to end June is a good time with roads open. We are planning to start from Chandigarh 13th/14th May. Doing the Shimla – Spiti – Manali circuit. Now that you have mentioned that there is no need for reservations upfront, we can just spend 10-12 days on the circuit. I will reach out for additional details.

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Vargis.Khan November 24, 2016 - 1:20 am

You are welcome Ramesh. And yes, Mid May to end June is a good time to visit Spiti. You are most welcome to reach out to me for any help in planning your trip.

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Ramesh Rao November 22, 2016 - 4:42 am

Hi Vargis, thanks for the update. I am planning a road trip (from Bangalore) to Spiti valley in mid May. I have checked your earlier blogs and they have been very helpful in planning. I wanted to check if I need to book hotels starting now or can do in around Mar/Apr next year.

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Vargis.Khan November 22, 2016 - 4:56 am

Hi Ramesh – There is no need at all to book any hotels actually. If you book in advance, you will end up paying more in all probability. Spiti is well populated and there is ample amount of hotels to chose from. My honest opinion would be to just reach the destination, find a hotel of your liking, negotiate and check in.

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