Shopping at Natural Nirvana

Kinnaur

Area Code: 01786

Kinnaur is the area between Shimla and the border of Tibet. You need a permit (easy to attain) to visit many of the places here. To the north is the Zanskar Range, which forms the border with China and in the south is the Kinnaur Kailash Range, which has the mountains of Jorkanden (6473m), Phawarang (6349m) and Kinnaur Kailash (6050m). Most of the people in this region are of Mongol origin and follow Buddhism.

The beautiful Sangla Valley is south of the Kinnaur Kailash Range. The best time to visit this valley is in April and May and in September and October. The road up to the Sutlej Valley is closed part of the year in the winter. Sometimes it can be hard to find places to stay in this area, so a tent could be useful, because there are many places to camp.

Permit
You are allowed to go without a permit to Rekong Peo, Kalpa and the Sangla Valley. To go to northern Kinnaur you need a permit. You can get it at the Senior District Magistrate’s office in Shimla, Kullu, Chamba, Keylong, or at the Sub-District Magistrate’s office in Rekong Peo, Kaza, Nichar or Rampur. The permit is good for seven days, but can be extended at Rekong Peo or Kaza. Rekong Peo is a good place to get the permit. The magistrate’s office in Rekong Peo is near the bus stand.

To get a permit, you must have a letter of introduction from a travel agency, three passport size photos, and a photocopy of the front pages of your passport. You then fill out a form and submit it at the magistrate’s office. Mayur Guest House in Rekong Peo will give you this letter for Rs 100. It may take the good part of a day to get the permit.

Rekong Peo
Area Code: 01786
There are some great views of the mountains from this town (2,000m), which is the capital of Kinnaur. It has decent facilities and you may have to stay here while getting a permit to Kinnaur, Lahaul or Spiti.    

The State Bank of India may change TCs. Rekong Peo is a good place to get supplies, as the villages in Lahaul and Spiti have limited supplies.
The Kinnaur Kalachakra Celestial Palace is a colorful gompa that is a 25-minute walk above the village. There is a large statue of the Buddha.
Mandala Tours and Travel (2504), Gongma House, can arrange treks in the area and jeep safaris. The owner is helpful.

Where to Stay and Eat
Mayur Guest House, near the bus stand, has really basic, dirty rooms for Rs 125.
Hotel Fairyland (22477), near the bus stand, has clean rooms for Rs 275. There are some good views from some of the rooms. It has a restaurant.
Shivling View Guest House (22421), near the bus stand, has clean rooms with hot water for Rs 300. It has a restaurant.
Hotel Snow View, across from the bus stand, has clean rooms with hot water for Rs 300.
The PWD Rest House has good rooms.
Manish Bhojnala Restaurant serves good Tibetan food.

You usually can not get bottled water or cold drinks here.

Travel
The ticket counter for the buses is about 100m from where the buses stop. There are buses to Kaza (12 hr, 1 daily), Rampur (1 daily), Mandi and Shimla (10 hr, several daily). There are buses to Kalpa and Powari. A taxi to Kalpa costs Rs 125 one way or Rs 175 roundtrip and to Powari it is Rs 125.

Kalpa
Kalpa is a nice peaceful town, about 600m higher in elevation than Rekong Peo. It is said that Lord Siva comes here in the winter. During the month of Magha (Jan/Feb), the gods are said to come here to meet with Siva.

There are some great views of the mountains from here and some good walks in the area. There is a tendency to get lost in this area, so you should stay conscious of the trail or take a guide with you.

Where to Stay
Auktong Guest House (26019) has nice rooms with common bath for Rs 200. It is a five minute walk out of town.
HPTDC Hotel KInnaur Kailash has good rooms for Rs 550 to Rs 1000.
Forest Rest House, around 2km from Kalpa, has large rooms with bath and a fireplace for Rs 300. A taxi to this place from Rekong Peo is around Rs 125.
Kinnaur Villa (26006) has rooms with common bath for Rs 250 and with bath for Rs 450. Bucket hot water.
Timberline Trekking Camp, a half km from the center of town, has deluxe tents for Rs 1000 a person. It has hot water. It is open from May to October.

Travel
There are some buses between Kalpa and Rekong Peo. To get a long distance bus you usually have to go to Rekong Peo. A taxi from Kalpa to Rekong Peo is Rs 125 and Rs 175 roundtrip. It is a hard 1½ hr hike from Rekong Peo to Kalpa.

Sangla Village & Valley
This is a beautiful area that has some great views of the mountains and wildlife. In the village of Sangla there is a temple dedicated to Nagesh. In the village of Kamru, 2km from Sangla village, there is a wooden five-storey fort. It has a temple dedicated to Kamakshi in it.

Sangla Guest House has rooms with bath. Baspa Guesthouse (42206) has rooms with common bath for Rs 175 and with bath for Rs 240.
Kailash View has good rooms with hot water for Rs 350 and dorm beds for Rs 85.

Himachal Tourism Tents has good tents in the middle of the village.

Banjara Camps, 8km from Sangla, is a first class facility that has high-end tents and good food. It is a well-managed, together place. The buses let down passengers about 2km from the camp. It can be booked at 17 Hauz Khas Village in New Delhi (011 696-0509; fax 685-8028).

Monal Restaurant, is the town center, has good Indian and Chinese food.

There are buses to Shimla (10 hr) via Tapri, Rekong Peo, and Chitkul.

Kinnaur Treks
In Kinnaur there are some mild treks and some difficult ones going over some high-altitude passes. Routes in the Sutlej Valley can often be done without the help of porters. In other places you will need a porter and will have to camp out and have your own food. Porters can usually be hired in Rekong Peo and Rampur for around Rs 150 per day. In Sept/Oct during the harvest time they are more expensive and may be hard to find.
Sarahan to Wangtu Trek

This fairly easy trek begins near Sarahan and goes to the village of Chaura, where there is the Hirmal Devi Temple. On Day 2 you can go either to Tranda (8km) or another 9km to Paunda, where there is a rest house.

The next day you go to the village of Sangra, where there is a rest house. At Wangtu you can get transportation back to Shimla or continue the trek to Kalpa.

Wangtu to Kaza Trek
This difficult trek goes over the Great Himalayan Range going over Shakar La Pass and then goes through the Pin Valley. You definitely need a good guide, proper equipment and porters. The guide should ideally be arranged with an established travel agency. On Day 1 you start at Wangtu and then go to Kafnoo village. On Day 3, going over Bhaba Pass (4860m) is a tough walk through snow. Day 4 brings you to the beautiful Pin Valley and then it takes three or four days to reach Kaza.

Kinner–Kailash Trek
To do this five to seven-day scenic trek you need to get an Inner Line permit. You first go to the village of Morang, which you get to by taking a bus from Rekong Peo or Tapri. You can then get a jeep to Thangi, from where the trek begins. On the second day it is a tough ascent to go over the Charagng La Pass (5260m).

If you know of a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:

Vegetarian Fast Food Options

World Vegetarian Restaurants Guide

Amazing Colon Cleaning Program

Our own Vegetarian, Vegan, Alternative & Spiritual Sales Shop

Please Help Support This Site and buy our own USA Vegetarian Restaurants Book

Please check out our Natural Nirvana Store, which we started to help pay for the maintenance of this Website. Natural Nirvana is dedicated to selling vegetarian, spiritual and alternative products. We sell only animal-friendly and cruelty-free clothing, gifts, health foods, books and beauty products.

!! DVD Kurma Great Vegetarian Dsihes Cooking Videos Set for just $49. Individually each video costs $14.95.for a savings of over $100

24 Devotional DVD Set for just $99 Individually each video cost $14.95 for a savings of over $200

Fantastic Natural Herbs from the Amazons
(Best source of natural herbs in the world)

Infomation on Partnering with John Easterling &Amazon Herb formulas
Make a steady Income distruibuting natural herb products

Amazon Herbs Articles

Good News from the Amazon An interview with John Easterling

Interview with Sherrill Sellman

Journey to Porveneer
by Kosa Ely

How the Amazon Rainforest
Can Improve Our Relationships
By “Amazon John” Easterling

Returning to our Roots The Evolution of Environmental Consciousness
by Kosa Ely

CamuC Serum
Nature’s Ultimate Recipe for Glowing, Youthful Looking Skin

VEGAN BAGS
Hemp Bags
Vegetarian & Animal Rights Message Bag
Hemp Backpacks
Indian Quilted & Embroidered Bags
Ecolution Bags
Splaff Bags

CLOTHES
Vegetarian T-Shirts
Animal Rights T-Shirts
Vedic Gods T-Shirts
Hemp Gloves
Vegan Message Hats
Animal Rights Beanies
Hemp Hats
Vegetarian Message Hats
Indian Men Clothing
Indian Women Clothing
Scarves
Indian design Stoles
Indian Sarongs
Sacred Threads Tops
S. T. Dresses
S. T. Pants
Sacred Threads Children Clothing

Bedding & Pillows (beautiful)
Indian Bedspreads
Indian Design Quilts
Indian Design Pillows

FOOD
Raw Foods
Vegan Foods

AYURVEDIC MEDICINES
Ayurvedic Medicines
Neem Products
Ayurvedic Books
Herbal Vedic
NeemAura
AyurvedicSupplements
Ayurvedic Incense
Organic South Neem
Ayurvedic Soaps
Ayurveda Toothpaste
Ayurveda Massage Oil

VEGAN HEALTH
Vegan Vitamins
Vegan Herbal Remedies
Massage Oils
Sport Supplements
Vegan Protein
First Aid Products
Cold Medicines
Olbas
Well-In-Hand
Skin & Blemish
Herbal Salves & Balms

VEGAN BODY CARE
Vegan Soaps
Vegan Shampoos
Vegan Hair Spays
Vegan Toothpaste
Tongue Cleaners
Neti Pots
Vegan Perfumes
Vegan Sun Care
Lip Balm
Contact Len Cleaner
Skin Treatments
Men's Products
Dental Floss
Natural Mouthwashes
Vegan Hair Removal System

INCENSE & OILS
Incenses
Essential Oil
Vegan Candles

VEGAN BELTS & WALLETS
Vegan Wallets
Hemp Belts
Vegan Belts
Hemp Guitar Straps

VEGETARIAN & VEGAN BOOKS
Vegan Books
Vegetarian Books
Vegan Cookbooks
Vegetarian Cookbooks
Restaurant Cookbooks
Raw Food Book

VEG COSMETIC
Eyeshadows & Liners
Nail Polish
Blush
Lip Stick
Mascara
Powders
Nail Polish

VEDIC & SPIRITUAL
Mandala Publishers
OM Jewelry
Krishna Photos
Radha & Krishna Dolls

JEWELRY
Anklets
OM Jewelry
Nose Rings & Studs
Toe Rings
Astrological Gems
Earrings
Pendants
Silver Tulasi Beads
Neckbeads
Necklaces
Silver Jewelry
Gold Jewelry

BUTTONS STICKER
Animal Rights Buttons
Vegan Patch
Jam Bands Stickers
Jam Band Stickers (20 stickers for $5)

SPIRITUAL BOOKS
All Books
Holy Places
Vedic Scriptures
Mandala Publishing
Art Books
Kurma Cook Books
Bhagavat Gita
Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Children
Srimad Bhagvatam
Spiritual Biography
Vedic Coloring Books

SPIRITUAL MUCIC
Bhajans
S. Prabhupada Bhajans
Kirtana
New Age
Musical Instruments
Spiritual Lessons
Audio Vedic Books

VEGETARIAN VIDEO
Vegetarian Cooking
Vegetarian

SPIRTUAL VIDEO
Devotional Movies
Interactive CDs
Vedic Puppet Shows
Vedic Art & Culture
Indian Music Lessons
Bhativedanta Swami Prabhupada

Spiritual Photos & Art
Krishna Posters
Krishna Pictures
Vedic Gods Photos
Vedic Gods Posters

OTHER PRODUCTS
Putumayo World Music
Pet Products
Outdoor Neem
Air Garcia T-shirt

Bob Marley Reggae
Hats
Shirts
Key Chains
License Plates
Scarves
Books