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The wooden houses of Kalpa village with snow peaks of the Kinnaur Kailash range behind
Day planFirst visitTemples & heritagerelaxed

One day in Kalpa — the old village and the temple at Kothi

A one-day Kalpa plan: the old village of Chini and its temples on foot in the morning, then the Chandika Devi Temple at Kothi. Free, copyable.
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Photo: Sapna Sony · CC BY-SA 4.0

A single day for Kalpa: the old village of Chini on foot, starting at Narayan Nagini Temple, then the Chandika Devi Temple at Kothi on the way down.

It leaves out Reckong Peo and the long look at the range; the two-day plan adds them. See things to do in Kalpa and when to visit Kalpa before you go.

Photos: Sapna Sony (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sumita Roy Dutta (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Who this is for

Anyone with one day in Kalpa, or breaking the long road between Shimla and Spiti.

Day by day

Day 1

Chini on foot, then Kothi

The old village in the morning, when the range is clearest; Kothi after.

  1. 09:00
    Narayan Nagini Temple
    temple · 4 min from Kalpa · about 45 min there
    A temple in the old village of Chini, among wooden houses. Walk in from the road and look up at the range.
  2. ↓ a short walk
    10:30
    Lotsawa Temple
    temple · 4 min from Kalpa · about 45 min there
    A second temple a few steps away, in the same loop of lanes.
  3. ↓ 14 min by road · 6 km
    13:00
    Chandika Devi Temple, Kothi
    temple · 17 min from Kalpa · about 45 min there
    The slate-roofed temple of Chandika Devi at Kothi, 17 minutes from Kalpa, with a gold image in the sanctum.

Getting there

Kalpa is about 220 km from Shimla, roughly 396 minutes by car or bus. See the hub guide for the full arrival table.

Where to stay

Stay in Kalpa itself; the old village is a walk from most stays and the range is visible from the roof.

Know before you go

  • Start early; the range is clearest in the morning and cloud builds later.
  • Leave the car at the road in Chini and walk; the lanes are narrow.

Places on this route

Chandika Devi Temple, Kothi
Chandika Devi Temple, Kothi
temple · 17 min from Kalpa
Narayan Nagini Temple and the old village of Chini, Kalpa
Narayan Nagini Temple and the old village of Chini, Kalpa
temple · 4 min from Kalpa

Other ways to do it

All Kalpa itineraries →
Two days in Kalpa — the range, the fort tower and Reckong Peo
1 night · 2 days · First visitClassic
Two days in Kalpa — the range, the fort tower and Reckong Peo
A two-day Kalpa plan: the old village, fort tower and range on day one, then Kothi and Reckong Peo on day two. A free, copyable itinerary for any visitor.
Best May–Oct
See the plan →

Questions people ask

Can you see Kalpa in one day?

Yes. The old village of Chini and its temples take a morning on foot, and the Chandika Devi Temple at Kothi is 17 minutes away by road. The Kinnaur Kailash range is visible from the village the whole time, so the view comes free with the walk.

Do you need a car for this plan?

Only for Kothi, 7 km and 17 minutes from Kalpa. The temples in the old village are about 2 km and 4 minutes from our reference point and best walked, so a taxi for the drive to Kothi and back is the one real cost of the day.

What if the range is hidden by cloud?

Then the plan still works, because the temples and carved wooden houses of Chini do not depend on the view. Keep the morning for the village, and if the cloud lifts later, walk back up to the viewpoint in the village before you leave.