Kalpa

Kalpa sits at about 2,960 metres on a shelf above the Sutlej gorge, looking straight across at the Kinner Kailash massif, whose peaks rise over six thousand metres a few kilometres away, with a rock pillar on the ridge held sacred and lit first by the rising sun. Apple orchards cover the slopes, planted after the fruit was introduced in the twentieth century and now the district's main income, with chilgoza pine nuts a second crop. The village has timber and stone Kinnauri houses, a Buddhist monastery and a Hindu temple side by side, reflecting the mixed practice common through Kinnaur.

What you actually see

• The Kinner Kailash view - the massif across the gorge, lit at dawn.
• The sacred rock pillar - the spire on the ridge above the range.
• The apple orchards - terraced plantings covering the slopes.
• The mixed temples - Buddhist and Hindu buildings side by side.

When to go

April to June and September to November; apple harvest runs from late August into October. The monsoon brings landslides on the Kinnaur road. Winter is cold with snow and limited access.

Honest expectations

The road from Shimla is long, narrow and prone to landslides, taking a full day or more. Altitude is felt. Cloud hides the peaks for long stretches in the monsoon.

Nearby

Reckong Peo lies below; Chitkul is south in the Sangla valley.