Jibhi to Kinnaur and Spiti: the long way east, over Jalori Pass

Planning to go on from Jibhi to Kinnaur or Spiti? We host guests in Chhet, a few minutes past Jibhi, and the road east over Jalori Pass is the shortest way from here to the Sutlej and the Hindustan–Tibet road. Here is the route, the road distances we measured to Narkanda, Rampur, Sangla, Chitkul, Reckong Peo, Kalpa, Nako and Kaza, the heights, the seasons, the paperwork and how to pace the climb.

• Jibhi to Jalori Pass: about 13 km up NH-305 through Shoja to the pass at about 3,120 m. See our Jalori Pass guide for the climb itself.
• Jalori to Ani: down the far side through Khanag to Ani, about 44 km from Jibhi. The road is narrow with tight bends near the top, so take it slowly and in daylight.
• Ani to Luhri: the road keeps dropping to the Sutlej at Luhri, about 64 km from Jibhi and only about 790 m above sea level. That makes it the lowest point of the whole trip, roughly 2,350 m below the pass.
• Luhri to Sainj: a few kilometres on, NH-305 meets NH-5 at Sainj. NH-5 is the old NH-22, the Hindustan–Tibet road; District Kinnaur's own 2026 traffic order calls it NH-05 (District Kinnaur order on NH-05 at Nathpa (Sept 2026)).
• At Sainj, choose: climb NH-5 to Narkanda (about 87 km from Jibhi) and on to Shimla, or follow the Sutlej upstream to Rampur Bushahr (about 98 km) and into Kinnaur.
• Fuel: fill up at Banjar before you climb. There is no fuel at the pass or above Khanag on the far side; Ani is the next place to fill up.

Coming the other way, from Shimla, is covered in our Shimla to Jibhi via Jalori road-trip guide.

Road distances from Jibhi, measured on OpenStreetMap and rounded. Heights marked "district" are the official District Kinnaur or District Shimla figure; the rest are our reading of elevation models (Copernicus GLO-90 and SRTM). Signboards and older official pages can differ: District Kinnaur gives Reckong Peo as 235 km from Shimla (District Kinnaur: how to reach), while the same route measures about 220 km on today's map.

We do not quote drive times. They depend on road work, weather and how often you stop, and this is mountain driving almost all the way. As a planning guide, treat Jibhi to Rampur as a morning, and Jibhi to Sangla or Kalpa as a full, early-start day.

• Sangla sits on the right bank of the Baspa river at 2,621 m, about 17 km up from Karchham, where the Sangla road leaves NH-5 (District Kinnaur: Sangla). About 193 km from Jibhi.
• Chitkul (3,450 m) is "the last and highest village in the Baspa valley", in District Kinnaur's words, with temples of the local goddess Mathi (District Kinnaur: Chhitkul). It is about 23 km beyond Sangla, about 216 km from Jibhi.
• Reckong Peo is the district headquarters, a short climb above the highway from Powari, with a panoramic view of Kinner Kailash (District Kinnaur: Reckong Peo; Himachal Tourism: Kinnaur). The district page gives its height as 2,670 m; elevation models put the town nearer 2,300 m, so treat the figure loosely. About 195 km from Jibhi.
• Kalpa (2,759 m), the former district headquarters on the old Hindustan–Tibet road, lies close to the foot of the 6,050 m Kinner Kailash, with the Narayan-Nagani temple and the Hu-Bu-lan-Kar gompa (District Kinnaur: Kalpa). Himachal Tourism lists it 13 km from Reckong Peo (Himachal Tourism: Kinnaur). About 205 km from Jibhi.
• Himachal Tourism says the Tribal Festival is held at Reckong Peo every year from the last week of October into the first week of November (Himachal Tourism: Kinnaur). Check this year's dates with the district before you plan around it.

• Khab: about 255 km from Jibhi, the Spiti river "flows eastward to join the Sutlej at Khab in Kinnaur" (District Lahaul and Spiti: places in Spiti). Beyond Khab the road climbs towards Nako and Spiti (mapped as NH-505).
• Nako (3,663 m), about 280 km from Jibhi, is a village with a small lake above the highway (District Kinnaur: Nako). Our elevation profile of the road puts its highest point, about 3,760 m, near Nako.
• Tabo, about 345 km, and Kaza, about 390 km from Jibhi, are in the Spiti valley. Kaza is the sub-division headquarters, at about 3,640 m by elevation models.
• How long: District Lahaul and Spiti gives Shimla to Kaza through Kinnaur as about 412 km and about 20 hours of travel, excluding an overnight halt, and calls it an "almost all-weather road connection to Kaza, subject to prevailing weather and road conditions" (District Lahaul and Spiti: how to reach). From Jibhi, that means at least two days on the road, with a night or more in Kinnaur.

The second road into Spiti comes from the Manali side, through the Atal Tunnel, Batal and over Kunzum Pass (about 4,590 m by the district, about 4,540 m by elevation models) down to Losar and Kaza (District Lahaul and Spiti: places in Spiti). From Jibhi it is shorter on the map, about 280 km to Kaza, but it is a seasonal road.

• District Lahaul and Spiti says the route over Kunzum "generally remains closed during the winter season, approximately from October/November to June/July, depending on weather and snow conditions" (District Lahaul and Spiti: how to reach). District Kinnaur says the Manali–Kaza–Reckong Peo route "remains closed in most part of the winters and springs" (District Kinnaur: how to reach).
• News, for context only: the district disaster management authority closed the Gramphu–Losar stretch over Kunzum from 25 November 2025 "until further orders" (The Tribune, Nov 2025), and in 2025 the road reopened for 4x4 vehicles only in late May, after about seven months (The Tribune, 24 May 2025).
• If both roads are open, a loop is possible: in through Kinnaur, out over Kunzum. Check both before you commit; we cannot tell you from Jibhi whether either is open on a given day.

Himachal Tourism calls April to October a good time to visit Kinnaur, and says temperatures drop well below freezing in December and January (Himachal Tourism: Kinnaur). District Kinnaur warns that buses run regularly "except in winter and early spring", and that in winter and the rainy season you should get information about the road before you start (District Kinnaur: how to reach).

Approximate average daily high and low by month, worked out from 2016–2025 reanalysis data at each place's height and rounded:

How we worked these out: daily ERA5 reanalysis data from Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5) for 2016–2025, corrected to the height of each place. These are models of a wide area, not weather stations; the Chitkul figures come from a model cell some distance from the village, so compare loosely. For the days you travel, check a live forecast.

• October is one of the driest months in all three places in the data, but nights are already below freezing on about 85% of October nights at Chitkul and 65% at Kaza.
• November brings freezing nights at Kaza on about 95% of nights in the data, and the Kunzum road usually shuts for the winter.
• July is the wettest month at Reckong Peo and Chitkul in the data, and the district asks you to check the road in the rainy season.
• Pack proper winter layers from October onwards; our winter packing list is a good start.

• Jalori Pass has no fixed closing date. The road shuts after heavy snow and opens again when it is cleared. In the 2024–25 winter, news reports said the bus service over the pass resumed only after 36 days of closure, and was then interrupted again by fresh snow (The Tribune, 9 Feb 2025).
• If Jalori is shut, the way round from Jibhi is down the valley through Banjar and Aut, which makes the trip to Rampur and Kinnaur far longer. Plan that on a map on the day.
• WhatsApp us the evening before and we will tell you what we are hearing locally about the pass, but do check official updates too. Read more in Jibhi snowfall and staying near Jalori Pass.

Jibhi is about 1,800 m. Sangla and Kalpa are around 2,600–2,800 m, Chitkul about 3,450 m, Nako about 3,660 m and Kaza about 3,640 m. The CDC's travel-health guidance says to ascend gradually: avoid going straight from low altitude to a sleeping altitude above 2,750 m in one day, and once above 3,000 m, raise your sleeping altitude by no more than 500 m a day, with an extra day for every 1,000 m gained (CDC Yellow Book: high-altitude travel).

• One way to follow that through Kinnaur: a first night at Sangla or Reckong Peo, a second night in Kinnaur, then visit Nako by day but sleep lower at Tabo (about 3,280 m), then go on to Kaza (about 3,640 m). That keeps each night's rise within the guideline.
• Over Kunzum, you cross about 4,550 m in a single day of driving, and the first villages beyond are already high: Losar is 4,085 m by the district's figure (District Lahaul and Spiti: places in Spiti). Going in through Kinnaur makes the climb far more gradual.
• The CDC notes that children are as susceptible as adults, that symptoms feel like a hangover (headache, nausea, tiredness), and that going down 300 m or more usually helps (CDC Yellow Book: high-altitude travel). If anyone in your group has a heart or lung condition, or you are travelling with small children or older parents, ask a doctor before you plan nights above 3,000 m.

• District Kinnaur says the area between the Inner Line and the international border is a protected area, and that foreign nationals need a permit to enter or stay there. The places it lists include Nako, Khab and Pooh in Kinnaur and Tabo and Dhankar in Spiti (District Kinnaur: tourist guidelines).
• Everyone moving in the notified area must carry a valid identity card, and roads leading to the Shipki La and Kaurik areas are closed to visitors, according to the same page (District Kinnaur: tourist guidelines). Indian citizens: keep your ID with you.
• Rules change. Check the district pages, or ask at the SDM office in Reckong Peo, before you go.

• Himachal Tourism says mobile coverage is good at Reckong Peo, Kalpa and Sangla, weaker for internet elsewhere, and may be absent on trek routes (Himachal Tourism: Kinnaur). Download offline maps before you leave Jibhi.
• For a serious emergency, Himachal Tourism points to the regional hospitals at Reckong Peo and Rampur Bushahr (Himachal Tourism: Kinnaur). Dial 112 in an emergency; District Kinnaur also lists 1077 for rescue and relief.
• Roads here are regulated when work is under way. In August and September 2026, for example, District Kinnaur ran daily opening and closing windows on NH-5 at Nathpa for slope work (District Kinnaur order on NH-05 at Nathpa (Sept 2026)). Look for current notices on the District Kinnaur and District Lahaul and Spiti sites before you set off.

• Day 1: leave Chhet early, cross Jalori, drop to the Sutlej and drive up NH-5 to Sangla or Reckong Peo (about 195 km). A long day; stop for lunch on the way.
• Day 2: Chitkul and back from Sangla, or Kalpa and the Kinner Kailash view from Reckong Peo. Sleep in Kinnaur again.
• Day 3: on past Khab to Nako, then down to Tabo for the night.
• Day 4: Tabo to Kaza.
• Going home: back the same way through Kinnaur, or over Kunzum if it is open. With parents or small children, Kinnaur alone (Sangla, Chitkul, Kalpa) makes a gentler trip than pushing on to Spiti.

For other next stops from here, see places near Jibhi within 50 km and Jibhi to Bir, Barot, Kasol or Manali.

For a couple, the glass house in Jibhi is for up to 2 guests: the bed sits right beside the glass and the cottage has a glass roof, and it has its own private hot tub facing the mountains, which is a good way to end a long day on the road. Room decoration, a cake and a candlelight dinner are available on request with 1 day's advance notice.

For a family, the mud house cottages in Chhet take up to 3 guests each or 6 with both, side by side with a shared patio and garden, a fire pit and a loft in each. You can drive right up to the door, which helps with parents and small children, and our local chefs cook home-style meals from a menu. For a bigger group, the whole property sleeps 10 comfortably, and when you book all three cottages there are no other guests on site.

All three have a room heater, hot water runs 24x7 and there is power backup. A bonfire can be arranged on request at an extra charge, pets are welcome, and we can help arrange a taxi from Banjar or further down the valley (fares vary). Send your dates on WhatsApp and we will tell you what is free.

Sources: District Kinnaur: how to reach; District Kinnaur: Reckong Peo; District Kinnaur: Sangla; District Kinnaur: Chhitkul; District Kinnaur: Kalpa; District Kinnaur: Nako; District Kinnaur: tourist guidelines; District Kinnaur order on NH-05 at Nathpa (Sept 2026); Himachal Tourism: Kinnaur; District Lahaul and Spiti: how to reach; District Lahaul and Spiti: places in Spiti; District Shimla: Narkanda; CDC Yellow Book: high-altitude travel; news: The Tribune, 9 Feb 2025, The Tribune, Nov 2025, The Tribune, 24 May 2025; road distances from OpenStreetMap (OSRM routing, rounded); heights from Copernicus GLO-90 and SRTM elevation data where no official figure exists; weather from Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5). Roads, passes and rules change, so check before you go.

Heading east over Jalori? Peaks N Valley Stays is in Chhet (PIN 175123), a few minutes past Jibhi. Every cottage has a room heater, hot water runs 24x7 and there is power backup if the valley supply drops. You can drive right up to the door and park free, our local chefs cook home-style meals, and pets are welcome.

Couples usually pick the glass house in Jibhi: the bed sits right beside the glass and the cottage has a glass roof, with a private hot tub and the valley beside you, for up to 2 guests. Families and friends take the mud house cottages in Chhet, up to 3 guests each or 6 with both, side by side with a shared patio. Room decoration, a cake and a candlelight dinner are available on request with 1 day's advance notice. A bonfire can be arranged on request at an extra charge.

Check dates on WhatsApp