Nako Village: A Peaceful Retreat in the Himalayas

Foreign tourists need an Inner Line Permit to visit Nako Village due to its location in a restricted area. The permit costs Rs. 400 at Reckong Peo or Rs. 300 at Kaza or Shimla, and it’s valid for 14 days. Indian travelers, however, do not need a permit.

A major attraction here is the beautiful Nako Lake, set against rocky hills. Around the lake, you’ll find four ancient Buddhist monasteries and an interesting footprint-like mark on the rocks, which have been part of local legends for centuries.

Nako is incredibly quiet, especially between 11 am and 3 pm when it almost feels empty. Many travelers stop here on their way to Tabo Village or Dhankar Monastery in Spiti Valley, but it’s worth taking the time to explore.

So If you’re planning a Spiti trip with our Spiti Tour Packages, make sure to add Nako Village to your itinerary for a peaceful Spiti experience.

8 Top Places to Visit in Nako Village

• Nako Lake

Nako Lake is the main attraction of this region. It is situated on the mountainous slopes of Reo Purgyal ( the highest mountain in Himachal Pradesh) of the Srikhand Range. You can observe many migratory birds here during the early twilight hours during migration season. The lake freezes during the winters thus providing ice-skating options on the lake during the winter months. There is a small waterfall nearby which according to local belief is a home of fairies mainly because the water flows resemble milk gushing through the skies.

• Nako Monastery

The Nako Monastery dates back to the 11th century, 1025 AD, and is a Tibetan-styled monastery, consisting of 4 large halls much similar to the Tabo Monastery. One of the huge halls has been named in honor of Rinchen Zangpo, who translated Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit to the Tibetan language.  Sculptures of five Dhyani Buddhas made out of clay adorn the main hall where there are also many images and murals.

• Padmasambhava Temple

It is believed that Padmasambhava visited Nako Lake and left a footprint recording his visit to the area. A shrine has been built around this footprint to commemorate this and there is also a statue of Padmasambhava above it in addition to murals.

• Nako Chango Gompa

Chango Gompa lies 25 km away from the Nako monastery on the road from Spiti. It has a prayer wheel which is made of yak skin and is more than 500 years old and measures about 3.5 m (11 ft) in diameter.

• Lipa Asrang Sanctuary

Lipa Asrang Sanctuary is around at a height of 4,000 to 5,022 m. The sanctuary is spread over an area of around 30.89 sq km. A variety of flora is found in this sanctuary which includes dry coniferous forest, dry alpine scrub, dwarf juniper scrub, and dry broad leaves.

The most commonly found animals in this sanctuary are Yak, Leopard, Ibex, Goral, Brown Bear, Blue Sheep, Himalayan Black Bear, and Musk Deer. Tourists are not allowed to enter this sanctuary without prior permission to explore the sanctuary.

• Trails around Nako Village

There are easy trails around the village which are mostly used by the shepherd to travel to different surrounding villages, including Chango, Hango, and Tashigang Village. These pleasant walking trails are a wonderful way to explore the surrounding mountains. If you move ahead of the lake there is a small trekking zone. From here you get a beautiful bird’ s-eye view of the lake and the village.

• Tashigang Village

About 12 km away lies the quaint village of Tashigang in Spiti Valley. Known to be the highest polling station in the world, it has only 6 families living here. Go back in time and soak in some fresh mountain air amidst the snow-capped mountains and pristine lake.

• Tabo Village

Tabo is a small town in the Lahaul and Spiti district on the banks of the Spiti River in Himachal Pradesh, India. The town lies on the road between Rekong Peo and Kaza, the sub-divisional headquarters of Spiti Valley. The town is well known for its Buddhist monastery which, according to legend, is said to be over a thousand years old. The Dalai Lama has expressed his desire to retire in Tabo since he proclaimed that the Tabo Monastery is one of the holiest.