Important Details
Important Details
About Langza Village
A village with a population of roughly 50-60 people it is one of the gems of Spiti Valley.While it a lot of people do visit it.People often don’t visit the place which is a place that they will visit maybe once in their lifetimes.Langza is a village that is situated in the upper reaches of Spiti valley and Buddhism is followed predominantly as a way of life.You will find things in Langza that perhaps you won’t find in any other parts of Spiti.In this article all things about Langza will be covered in detail and things like where to stay, what to eat,Things to do and a lot more will be covered.
How to reach Langza Village
Langza lies approximately 16 kilometers from the district headquarters of spiti valley that is Kaza.To reach Langza the seasonal aspect is very important.Their are two routes to reach Langza from Delhi.One is via manali and the other is through Shimla.Now the Shimla route is a bit longer however it stays open throughout the year.However the route which pases from Manali is shorter one but due to excessive snowfall at the Rontang Pass and the area of Lahaul after that the roads are permanently closed after the month of October.Which leaves us with the shimla route which is a route that is open throughout the year.It is a picturesque route which passes through the mostly barren area of Kinnaur. The road to Spiti through Kinnaur is for the most part full of high rocky mountains.If you were to visit the region in winters you will see a lot of Icefalls i.e.Frozen waterfalls. If you were to take this route you will have to stay at reckong peo for the night before moving on to Spiti.
Kaza to Langza Village
The distance between Langza to Kaza is 16 Kilometers.It takes around an hour to reach Langza from Kaza.There are two ways to reach Langza from Kaza.The shorter one is towards the Manali side.Where you have a cut to your right just before the Rangrik Bridge from there the road turns uphill and snakes towards the upper reaches of Spiti valley ,the increase in altitude is drastic and the air thins out.Following this route the villages of Langza-Hikkim-Komic-Demul are covered. now the Longer route to reach Langza would have you go to Lidang which is towards Shimla from there the road goes uphill and the circuit reverses i.e. Demul-Komic-Hikkim-Langza.
Kaza to Langza Bus
The bus to Langza is available form the Kaza Bus stand at 5:00PM everyday.It covers the Kaza-Langza -Hikkim-Komic circuit and reaches Komic in in one and a half hours and it’s first stop is at Langza.Then on it goes to Hikkim and Komic. The bus then rests the night at Komic and then again starts from Komic at sround 7:30 AM in the morning.This system holds good during the summer months.In th winter months say starting from november the buses plying out of Kaza to various villages stop due to the extreme road conditions such as black ice and snow.In winter months the transport system of Spiti Valley is highly dependent on the shared taxis that ply on various routes to and from Kaza.
Activities in Langza Village
Activities in Spiti totally depend on your level of enthusiasm to get out and explore.It is one thing to visit a village and another to go around and visit the places nearby.Exploration starts where the car stops.So a few places around Langza are the Statue of the Langza Buddha where people usually go to take pictures.Then there is the Langza Monastery apart from this there are two lakes near Langza which are 3-4 hours walk away.The Chau Chau Khang Nilda Peak is the most prominent thing visible from all places in Langza.It is one of the highest peaks in Spiti area.
Tsonyeti and Chumo Tso Trek
So these are two lakes near Langza and are at a 3-4 hour walk out of Langza. Migratory birds coming in from the Chinese area visit these lakes in the month of July.The water is pristine and crystal clear in these lakes,the lakes are fed by meltwater from the glaciers like you would expect in case of most high altitude lakes.The Tsonyeti Lake campsite lies to the left of the fossil center and it takes around one hour to reach there.The second lake that is the Chumo tso is situated at an altitude of 4691 meters and is larger than the Tsonyeti Tso.It makes for a perfect campsite with the Chau Chau Khang Nilda and Chocho Khang Namo Peaks towering in front of the campsite.These treks are ideally done in summertime.It is advised that you take a local guide along with you to the trek as the trail is not very well marked.However if you have an idea of navigation and mapping then reaching these lakes should be a piece of cake for you.A full nights stay is suggested,however the lakes can be visited and a journey back to Langza is also possible in a single day.
Chau Chau Kang Nilda Base Camp
The majestic chau Chau Khang Nilda’s Basecamp can also be visited from langza. The mountain is very prominent and is at a staggering height of 6303m.It is known as CCKN in the mountaineering circles.It was first ascended by a british mountaineer in the year 1939.Since then a handful of attempts have been made.Coming back to the basecamp,one can trek to the base camp in 4 hours and then camp there for the day.
Langza Buddha
The Langza Buddha is one of the most photographed things in Spiti Valley.It is situated above the village and below the monastery there is nothing much to do there beside getting your customary photograph clicked with the statue. The statue is really big and the landmark of Langza.
Fossils crisis of Spiti
While there may be many of you who might think buying a fossil is cool as you get to keep millions of year worth of history with you.However the only thing you are doing is taking away from Spiti it’s historical significance.So what to do? I would suggest you to go to the fossil rich zone which is 2km away from the village and try to find a fossil yourself.This can be done by hiring a local or researching a bit and then going to hunt fossils.If you find a fossil very good.Then also you don’t get the right to keep it with you.I know it is very very very tempting but understand these are the only geological links between the past and now. Spiti is called the “Museum of Indian Geology” locals are not very aware but please understand fossil hunting is not cool if you take it home with you.Take a picture instead.There were three places in Spiti where giant scorpion fossils have been found.Two of these places have been completely destroyed during the construction of road to Pin Valley.
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