Langza, Komic and Hikkim: A Day Trip from Kaza in Spiti Valley

I cannot start talking about Langza, Hikkim or Komic without saying some words about Spiti valley in India. It is a strange place on earth!

It’s barren.

It’s desolate.

It’s remote.

It’s high.

And it’s surreal!

You have to see it with your own eyes. No, you have to experience Spiti Valley to understand what I mean.

From the moment I entered Spiti on the Manali to Spiti road trip and reached Kaza, I was awestruck by the otherworldly landscape. Kaza, close to the Tibetan border, is the base for most visitors, and you explore the villages around it as day trips.

Here I share my day exploring three villages from Kaza: Langza, Komic and Hikkim. My suggestion is to go to Langza first, then Komic, and finish at Hikkim. The map below shows how the route fits together.

In short: Langza, Komic and Hikkim sit on a high plateau above Kaza and make an easy one-day loop of about 45 km by 4WD, roughly 3 to 4 hours of driving plus stops. Langza is the fossil village with the giant Buddha statue, Komic is often called the highest village in the world with a motorable road, and Hikkim has what is claimed to be the world’s highest post office.

Langza, Komic and Hikkim Distances from Kaza

Langza Village in Spiti Valley

Where is Langza Village?

Langza is about 16 km north of Kaza by road.

How does Langza Village look?

We were driving up a breathtaking, winding dirt road that took us higher with every bend. The sharp turns were hard on my stomach, but easy on my eyes, as the landscape changed at every angle.

By this point we were at 4,325 metres. The gleaming white peak of Chau Chau Kang Nilda, about 6,300 metres high, rose in front of us. There wasn’t a single soul around, just me and the mountain. I thought about walking closer; it seemed close enough to touch, though it wasn’t.

I turned from the mountain to my left, and Langza village appeared in front of me. There were roughly 30 houses, most of them white with flat roofs and a maroon band along the top. Unlike most of Spiti, which is barren, there were green fields here, where villagers grow barley, potatoes and peas. Heavy snow cuts the village off from the rest of the world for about five months each winter.

Look further and you will see a huge statue of a meditating Buddha. India is mostly Hindu, but Spiti is mostly Buddhist because of its closeness to Tibet. Villagers believe the statue protects them from evil spirits.

Many people come to Langza for the fossils, and it is often called the fossil village. Millions of years ago this area lay under the Tethys Sea, until the Himalaya rose and the sea disappeared. The fossils are mostly sea creatures such as ammonites. Look around the stream beds and the slopes below the village, but leave what you find where it is, so others can enjoy it too.

Where to stay in Langza?

Lara Homestay

This was the most comfortable option in Langza when I visited. If it is out of your budget, ask around the village for other homestays.

How to Reach Langza?

Hiring a 4WD in Kaza is the best way to reach Langza. The local bus from Kaza to Komic leaves in the late afternoon and stops near Langza and Hikkim on the way, but check at Kaza bus stand, as the service has been suspended at times. You can also walk between Langza and Komic in about two hours.

Komic Village in Spiti Valley

Where is Komic Village?

Komic is about 3 km from Hikkim, 10 km from Langza and 19 km from Kaza. Hikkim lies between Komic and Langza.

How does Komic Village look?

Welcome to what is often called the highest village in the world connected by a motorable road. That claim is disputed, but you are at about 4,587 metres here, higher than Annapurna Base Camp. Even if Komic isn’t the highest, it is near the top of the list.

Komic is tiny, with only 10 to 15 houses. The one big building is Tangyud Gompa, a Buddhist monastery that is several centuries old. It was badly damaged in an earthquake and later rebuilt. Two prayers are held every day, one in the morning and one in the evening, and only men join them.

I couldn’t resist having lunch at Spiti Organic Kitchen, which calls itself the highest restaurant in the world. Who would miss the chance to eat at the highest restaurant on earth? The food was delicious, if expensive, and most of the ingredients were grown locally. I couldn’t complain: at least I found food in such a remote place.

Life isn’t easy for the people of Komic. In winter the temperature drops to minus 30°C and the village is cut off from the rest of the world. They are used to it and know how to survive, but they face a harder problem: Komic gets less water every year, which makes life tougher still.

Where to stay in Komic?

There are no hotels here. If you want to stay, ask at a house; most families are happy to host you. These two homestays were popular when I visited:

• Tompa’s House (+9109459357872)
• Tanpa (+9109459483143)

How to Reach Komic?

A 4WD from Kaza is the easiest way to reach Komic.

By bus, a local service from Kaza to Komic has run in the late afternoon (around 5pm), returning from Komic early the next morning. Check the current timetable at Kaza bus stand, as it changes and has been suspended at times.

Hikkim Village in Spiti Valley

Where is Hikkim Village?

About 3 km from Komic, 15 km from Kaza and 8 km from Langza.

How does Hikkim village look?

Our last stop of the day was Hikkim, the smallest of the three, which claims the highest post office in the world, at about 4,400 metres (14,400 feet). Everyone wants a photo in front of it. Other remote post offices have also claimed the title, so call it one of the highest. Either way, it matters to the villages nearby, where mobile signal is weak or non-existent, and it is one of their main links to the outside world.

The post office was tricky to reach, as it wasn’t beside the main path and there was no clear way down. I had to scramble down a slope of about 45 degrees. There I met a Japanese traveller who had come all the way from Delhi by bicycle (yes, a bicycle, not a motorbike). He must be an ironman to ride to such a high, hilly place.

I wanted to post a card home to myself from the “highest post office on earth”. Sadly, there was nobody there, only a desk and a stack of photos. When someone did show up, I learned they had no postcards, and I would have to climb back up to the shops to buy one. Tempting as it was, I didn’t fancy the climb up and down again, so I left with a (semi) broken heart. If you want to send a card, buy one in Kaza before you go.

If you asked me which place has the most beautiful view over Spiti, I would say Hikkim. You could sit here for hours watching the clouds drift between the giant mountains. Villagers say that long ago, when Mongol armies conquered villages across this region, they left Hikkim alone, thinking nobody could survive at such a height.

I wandered around this lovely place, and every direction showed me another sublime view. The brown canyons stretched as far as I could see, a dry vastness that is hard to describe. I don’t know how anyone built roads here, and I wasn’t looking forward to driving down them a few hours later.

In winter these mountains disappear under snow, which must be something to see, but you can’t reach the villages then. When I visited it was monsoon season elsewhere in India, and Spiti had plenty of sunshine, though at times the air was chilly and we all wore a warm layer.

On the way down to Kaza I kept taking photos. The clouds were only a little above me, and at around 4,700 metres the white and brown mountains seemed to be at eye level. Far below, the Spiti River wound through the mountains, and beside it a cluster of dots marked Kaza, full of life, history and culture. People here rely not on modern infrastructure but on centuries of wisdom, and on each other, to survive in one of the remotest places on earth.

Where to Stay in Hikkim

• Tsedup’s House (+919873146404)
• Hikkim Himalayan Cafe and Homestay (+919459040980)

How to Reach Hikkim?

Hire a 4WD from Kaza. If you are up for an adventure, you can also walk back to Kaza along the stream gullies.

Final Words

I came back to Kaza just before sunset after visiting Langza, Hikkim and Komic. It was a day full of memories, and the drive was every bit as beautiful as the villages themselves. Maybe I should call this story “Langza, Komic and Hikkim, and the breathtaking roads between them”.

My love for Spiti grew deeper that day. You have to go at least once to believe places like this exist.

More to See in Spiti Valley

• My Kaza travel guide for planning your base
• A trip to Key Monastery
• A day in Mud village in Pin Valley, the last village on the road
• Crossing Chicham Bridge, one of the highest bridges in Asia
• My full 7-day Spiti Valley itinerary from Delhi via Manali
• 15 things not to do on a Spiti Valley trip

Langza, Komic and Hikkim FAQ

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