CHANDRA TAL, HIMACHAL PRADESH
Did you ever want to kill yourself during geography class? This is a land that takes away the geekness out of geography and makes it magnificent. Spiti is stark and spectacular. Mountains that are impossibly high, roads that hug sheer drops and scenes right out of Mackenna’s Gold will have even make an atheist believe in a supreme presence. Chandra Tal is a highlight of this district. Called the Moon Lake, until recently it was only approachable by a seven-km trek, but today the cart track has been marginally expanded and experienced drivers can drive right up to the lake. However there is no infrastructure or friendly neighbourhood stores. You will have to carry all that you need, including a spirit of adventure.
Want to go?
The best time is summer—May to September. Provisions can be carried from Manali which is 130 km away. Since Chandra Tal is 4,152 mts high, it is advisable to acclimatise in between. A bus runs from Manali to Kaza (which is 83 km ahead of Chandra Tal) but it drops you on the track leading to Chandra Tal and then on, it’s a 13-km hike. Better to take your own transport, not to mention tent, sleeping bag etc. In Kaza, contact Banjara Camps and Retreats (www.banjaracamps.com)

KARSOG VALLEY, HIMACHAL PRADESH
Tourists rush to shimla or to Manali for that Himachali experience, but it the little valleys that lie between the Sutlej and the Kullu Valleys that are the essence of the real Himachal. Karsog is one such valley. Last spring I was trying to get from Narkanda to Manali via the Jalori pass. But a landslide had closed down the road. Acting on some sound advice, I went via Chindi and the Karsog Valley. By the time I got to Chindi, it was dark, but the next morning on the drive along the Karsog Valley, the full impact of the beauty of spring in Himachal hit me. Karsog has some temples that are worth visiting and if you do visit the Mamleshwar Mahadev temple then go to the fields behind it and there is another small temple set amidst the fields. It makes for a perfect Himalayan postcard picture. The Kamaksha Devi Temple is seven kilometers from Karsog along a fantastic road skirting the valley.
Want to go?
The best time to go would be the end of March and the beginning of April. Chindi and Karsog can be approached from Simla via Tattapani. You can also approach from Manali, but for this you need to get off the Manali-Mandi road at Aut. Chindi has a HPTDC property called Hotel Mamleshwar (Ph: 01907-222638). Also look up http://hptdc.nic.in/contact.htm

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