Best Time to visit Kibber Village: Detailed Travel Guide for Kibber

Spiti Valley tour packages take you to the spellbound places of Spiti Valley at a time when you can explore and rejoice in the place at its magnificent beauty. 

Summers are the most ideal, appropriate, and best time to visit Kibber Village. The summers are also considered the safest time to visit Kibber Village keeping in mind that Spiti Valley goes through harsh conditions in winter. 

Spiti Valley in May to September experiences temperatures in the range of 20-25 degrees Celsius. This temperature range is ideal for exploring the villages and for outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and Snow Leopard watching. All the trek routes and camping facilities are available for visitors during this time of the year.

During Summer, it is quite convenient to set up an itinerary as all the regions of the valley are accessible and tourists can cover most of the places to visit in Kibber Village and Nearby areas.  All the hotels, guesthouses, and homestays are available for booking. During summer, the sun is brighter at higher altitudes, and carrying summer essentials is a must. All the must-visit places near Kibber Village and other villages are at altitudes that would require trekking a lot so keep in mind to carry comfortable footwear to keep you going throughout the day. Nights are chilly even in winter which may necessitate woolen clothes. 

The Gustar festival is held in Spiti Valley in July, with much grandeur and enthusiasm. This festival is held in Key Monastery and represents the triumph of good over evil and it is a celebration of peace and prosperity. It is considered the ideal time to visit Kibber Village in Spiti Valley to witness the fanfare at Spiti Valley. The primary attraction of this festival is the Cham Dance. Monks from monasteries dress up in colorful dresses and animal and deity masks and perform the Cham dance while reciting mantras and prayers. This dance performance has immense religious significance. People pay huge respect to the performances and bow to the deity and they believe that the dancers transform into deities during the procession. 

During the summer, all routes leading to Spiti Valley are accessible. There are two paths to Kibber Village. One is via Shimla, while the other is via Manali. Shimla’s path is accessible all year and located at a lower height. However, the Manali route, which runs across Rohtang and Kunzum Pass, is only available for a few months. This route is closed for half of the year during the winter months. Kunzum Pass opens in the first week of June and remains open until September, after which it is closed to the public. 

So, if you’re planning a holiday to Kibber Village, try visiting between May and September. Also, because Spiti has been an increasingly popular vacation spot over the years, do not assume that hotels will be readily accessible; all reservations are made two to three months in advance, so plan your trip appropriately for an enjoyable and relaxing time.

Kibber is a village for winters, not just because of the white beauty that the village converts to but because this time to visit Kibber Village is ideal for Snow Leopard sightseeing. Snow Leopards are the pride of Spiti Valley as they are exclusive to the valley. Catching even a glimpse of snow leopards is a wildlife photographer and enthusiast’s dream come true. During winter snow Leopards move down to the lower altitudes in search of prey and hence their movement within the region is quite predictable.  Even though they are hard to spot because of their camouflage capabilities, with the help of professionals and locals one can track their movements. 

In February and March, Losar celebrations are held throughout the Spiti Valley in winter  to rejoice in the Tibetan New Year. This festival marks the victory of good over evil and the end of challenging winters. This is the best time to visit Kibber Village in Spiti Valley because this festival is celebrated with great zeal as people welcome the Spring and pray for a good season of cultivation and prosperity. This is the festival when people after the months of hibernation meet their neighbors and fellow villagers and greet them with gifts and feast. The festivities began with the prayers at Monastery followed by dance performances and a grand feast. The Losar celebrations are the best time to visit Kibber Village to experience the tradition of Spiti Valley.

Spiti Valley is a winter wonderland but this is not a judicious time to visit Kibber Village. October to December marks the beginning of Winter with occasional snowfall and hence the weather conditions are unpredictable. Inhabitants of Spiti Valley began to prepare themselves from September for the winter season. They pile up a stock of food for themselves and their cattle as the entire region goes into hibernation. During this time it is difficult to get even the basic amenities in the valley. Carry your high-rating sleeping bag for your stay in winter.

Hotels, restaurants, cafes, and homestays in Spiti Valley are completely shut down during the winter. Tourists may find one or two homestays but spending a night in the severe cold is itself a challenge.

Until tourists are well acquainted with the area and can acclimatize to weather conditions, do not consider this time to visit Kibber Village. 

Kibber Village in Spiti Valley does not receive much rainfall. Spiti Valley has semi-arid conditions and hence monsoons are usually dry with few showers. Even though the Monsoon converts the barren valley into grasslands and is a sublime sight to behold this is not considered the best time to visit Kibber Village.

The routes leading to Kibber Village in Spiti Valley are at the receiving end of the fury of monsoon. Monsoon in Kinnaur Valley creates havoc leading to the road and bridges completely vanishing with severe landslides.  Year to year there has been news of Himachal Pradesh suffering during the monsoon with the loss of property and people. So before you plan a trip to Kibber Village in Spiti Valley consider the road conditions and closures leading to indefinite delays during this time to visit in Kibber Village.

• Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary

Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary is the only wildlife place in Spiti Valley that is the home of endangered high-altitude wildlife species. Snow Leopard is the show stopper of Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary. Wildlife photographers and wildlife enthusiasts dream of being here in winter to catch a glimpse of this exclusive species. The best time to visit Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary is during the winter.  During winter months Snow leopards move down to lower altitudes in search of prey and hence it is quite easy to predict their movement in the area. Himachal government in association with the local people are working to preserve the endangered species. 

Guided tours are organized during this time to capture the Snow Leopard behind the lenses. The sanctuary is also home to other wildlife animals like red fox, ibex, Blue Sheep, Himalayan Wolf, Tibetan Wild Ass, Lynx, and Pika

• Tashigang Village

Tashigang Village in Spiti Valley is a small and quaint village in the remotest part of the Spiti Valley. This village is still least explored as a lot of tourists do not know about the wonder that the village is. Tashigang village has only four mud houses along with ancient Buddhist Chortens that mark the entry of the village.

The Chortens depicts the different phases of the life of Lord Buddha and it is believed that mediating and taking rounds of this chortens brings in positivity. The essence of the village is the ancient Tasigang Monastery which is decorated with bright colours and is a significant place for all the cultural and traditional gatherings and festivities. The best time to visit Kibber Village in Himachal Pradesh and Tashigang Village is during the daytime to witness the serene beauty of the surroundings that can be seen from the hilltop of the village. 

• Key Monastery

Key Monastery in Spiti Valley or the Key Gompa also known as the “Monastery at the Center of the Mandala’, is the largest and oldest monastery in Lahaul and Spiti Valley. The Monastery is believed to be 1000 years old and in the year 2000, his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama visited the monastery to celebrate its century.

Key monastery is also the largest learning center for the monks who received their religious education here. Key Monastery is the home to 300 Monks who received their education before going for higher learning. The Key Monastery is filled with antique paintings, murals, and religious sect inscriptions on the walls and pillars, adding to its grandeur. The Monastery has been plundered multiple times by robbers from all over the world who stole gold statues and other items from it. The monks had to leave the monastery to save their lives. 

The best time to visit Kibber Village Key Monastery is in July. Festivities are held in the monastery that last for a week. The major attractions of the festivities are the monastic prayers and Chaam dance. This dance is performed by the monks adorning huge masks of animals and colorful dresses. The performances are done with the ancient weaponry and musical instruments. 

• Hikkim Village

Hikkim Village is just 31 kilometers from Kibber Village in Himachal Pradesh and is well-known as the village with the highest post office. Hkkim Village in Spiti Valley is situated at an altitude of 4,400 meters above sea level. The post office of the Hikkim village is graced with the title of the world’s Highest post office.

This post office is the only source by which the locals of the village and from the nearby villages are connected with the rest of the world. Tourists visit this post office to capture the moments of being at this iconic place in the world. The best time to visit Kibber Village Hikkim is when you can meet the postmaster of the post office, This man has been working here since its inception in 1983. He carries all the letters on foot to the nearby villages and Kaza. These Kaza are then carried forward to Manalia and Shimlas before they are sent to New Delhi. The best thing to do when you pay a visit to the post office is post a letter to your friends and family as a memento of your here. 

• Langza Village

Langza Village situated at an altitude of 4,420 meters above sea level is just a few kilometers away from Kibber Village in Spiti Valley. Langza Village in Spiti Valley is known among tourists as the Fossil Village. A visit to this village is intriguing as it tells the story of the creation of the mighty Himalayas. 

Millions of years ago, Langza village and the nearby regions were a part of the Tethys Sea. The tectonic plate movement and collision led to the rise of the Himalayas and eventually sea subsided. What was left behind are the marine and years after which are now converted to fossils. These fossils are also called Shaligrams and you may find local young kids playing with these and they might try to sell these for a few bucks. These spiral fossils can be found while strolling along the field of the village while you are on fossil hunting in Spiti Valley. 

These fossils are national property and try not to engage in the purchase of these. However, locals have also created an artificial version of the fossils by Zama Potter, who is the art form of the village. You can buy these products as a memory of the place.

1. The sun shines brighter at high altitudes. Carry summer essentials like sunscreen, a hat,  and a water bottle to protect from the harsh rays. 
2. You would be trekking a lot even when strolling around the village. Carrying comfortable shoes is the utmost priority for Kibber Village in Spiti Valley.
3. Mobile connectivity is still a luxury in this part of the world. Only the BSNL network works here; sometimes that might be difficult to find.
4. Only some of the villages of Spiti Valley have even the basic medical facilities. Carry your medications for a comfortable vacation.
5. Be a responsible traveler and do not in any way try to create an ecological imbalance in Spiti Valley. 

 Suggested Read: Reasons to Visit Spiti Valley