Spiti, which literally means the 'middle land', is a grey and barren landscape situated to the north of Shimla, in the State of Himachal Pradesh. It is the trans-Himalayan land with Tibet to its east, Ladakh to its north, kullu to its west and Kinnaur guarding the south. Due to inner line restrictions and difficulties of travel not many have visitd this fascinating land. How with all the restrictions removed Spiti is the most sought-after tourist destination. There are many a mountains to be climbed, valleys to be trekked and passes to be crossed. Isolated from civilisation, the monasteries in Spiti are unique and remotely placed. Some of them, like the Tabo monastary, are almost 1000 years old. This book is based on author's several visits to Spiti, exploring its valleys and climbing the peaks. It concentrates most valuably on the wealth of extremely rewarding summits, unknown passes and remote valleys, which have been hitherto neglected due to lack of information or difficulty or access. Complete with several maps, illustrated with many photographs, tables of road distances and trek routes this book is the only available exhaustive reference work on this area. The author's experiences in Spiti takes one to transformation of Spiti from a protected civilisation to a tourist destination. The book will be an essential reading for the montaineers, trekkers, travellers and historians interested in Spiti, or as a simple armchair travelogue.
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