The land of Magic : Mudh Valley, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh

When I woke up in the cold and tranquil early morning, the beautiful view of Danker monastery standing majestic on the cliff was the first sight to behold. After scrumptious breakfast, I strolled around the monastery and conversed with happy little monks to know their life style despite few were shy and ran away. I found that place very interesting but I had to leave for another land locked and secluded valley – MUDH!

A 50 minute relatively flat drive from Dankar in Spiti Valley, covering around 50 km and crossing a cable suspended bridge and we entered the Pin Valley National Park area and reached the village of Mikkim, considered as the first village in the Mudh Valley.  It is situated at an altitude of around 12,360 feet above sea-level and lies on the banks of the Pin River.

Mudh is a beautiful valley in Lahaul & Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh; formed by Pin River that runs throughout its length, before merging with Spiti River. Though within Spiti, the ecosystem of Pin Valley is completely different than that of Spiti and its pristine beauty is quite fascinating. Wildly furious but majestic Pin River flows right through it, turning the entire valley in to carpets of green with snowcapped mountains rising in the background. Sunny weather, strong winds, miles and miles of isolation, stunning views, enchanting silence, and colorful flowers all around, transformation from shades of a desert to acres of greenery; put this all together and you have a magical Pin valley to lose yourself into.

Mikkim is a tiny village which has a population of only 30 people as per what the government road sign says and around 20 odd houses and shops in it. Most of the houses and shops were locked. The houses in the village were made out of mud and painted in white and have red window paint, which was the typical Spiti-an style of the houses. Each and every house had prayer flags tied to the roof, which emphasized the Buddhist influence in the region.

The entrance to MudhValley National Park is a 10 km easy hike from the village of Mikkim and is the main reason why hikers and travelers from all over the world are attracted to the village. To reach that place, one has to cross the Pin River over a cable suspended wooden bridge and then hike through vast acres of lush greenery which makes this area of Spiti Valley very different from the rest.

Locals from Mikkim just like the rest of Pin Valley are all a part of scheduled tribes belonging to Buddhist community. The famous gompa in the Kungri village which is situated on the buffer zone of the park is a must visit place while in the valley. The Chham dance and Buchen dance by the lamas of this gompa are very famous in the valley.

Mud is the last village in Pin Valley that is accessible by motorable road. The road actually goes a little ahead of the village as well towards Bhabha Pass but I do not believe there is any notable village after Mud. This village more or less acts as the base for anyone traveling to Pin Valley, be it a road trip, casual trekking or scaling the Pin Parvati trek and Bhabha Pass trek. It is a very small village, just a handful of houses put together with a few hotels and guest houses however it is your best bet to find a decent accommodation in Pin. Some other villages too have a few stay options available but it is always recommended to stay at Mud.

The best time to visit Pin Valley will be anytime between June to September when the Spiti road is open from both Shimla and Manali. The entire valley receives a lot of snow each year but the rainfall is just about average. You can either stay at Mud village and spend a few days here, or take a quick diversion from Attargo, drive through the valley for a couple of hours and return to either Kaza or Tabo by evening.

About Stay

At almost all of these villages, if you talk to the locals, they will be more than happy to let you stay in their home as a paying guest. This is a great option if you want to experience the local life around here. However, if staying as a paying guest, please do not something extraordinary. Your stay and meals will be very basic but neat. Even the monks are quite welcoming to tourists and may even let you stay overnight at Kungri monastery.