Category: Travel & Tourism
Spiti Valley is open in winter — but only from one side. The Manali–Kaza road over Kunzum Pass is not a dependable winter entry, so the only reliable way in is the long Shimla–Kinnaur road on NH-5 and NH-505.
Kunzum Pass was closed to all vehicles on 15 October 2026 after heavy snow, and the Manali side shut with it. The pass reopened within days — the district road report of 19 October showed the Gramphu–Batal stretch open again — but the road usually shuts for the winter in November, and it has already closed once this autumn. Do not plan a winter trip that depends on it.
The winter route
Shimla → Narkanda → Rampur → Reckong Peo and Kalpa → Nako → Tabo → Kaza, on NH-5 to Khab, then NH-505. Shimla to Kaza is about 468 km via Kinnaur — plan two days, with a night at Reckong Peo or Kalpa. The Kinnaur route stays open all year apart from short closures for landslides or heavy snow.
Kaza sits at about 3,650 m. The valley’s high villages are lived in through the winter, and Kaza, Key Monastery, Kibber, Tabo and Nako stay reachable. The high villages of Langza, Komic and Hikkim are reachable only when conditions allow. Chandratal and everything on the Manali side are closed in winter.
How cold does it get?
- November: nights about −5 to −12°C, days about 2–10°C. The easiest winter month; the first snow usually comes in mid-November.
- December: days about −2 to 6°C, nights about −10 to −20°C.
- January: deep winter — nights can reach −20 to −30°C.
Snow is most likely from late December to February, but it is never guaranteed on a given date. The snow-leopard season runs mainly from December to February, based around Kibber.
Permits and practical advice
Indian citizens need no permit. Foreigners need an Inner Line Permit for the Kinnaur–Spiti border stretch, including Nako, Khab, Sumdo, Tabo and Dhankar — the fee is ₹200 per person at an e-governance centre.
Hazards on the winter road include black ice on shaded bends, frozen runoff, and temporary closures, especially on the Nako and Spillow stretches. Travel in a 4×4 with a local driver, keep spare days in the plan, and check the live road status before setting out. There is no fixed date for a formal winter-closure order for 2026-27.
Sources: dharamshalastay, checked 26 October 2026; himalayanlocals, October 2026; travelhimalayas, updated 5 November 2026.
