Dhankar
town · 48 min from Tabo
Day planFirst visitTemples & heritagebalanced
One day around Tabo — the monastery, the caves and Dhankar
A one-day Tabo plan: the monastery founded in 996 and cave retreats in the morning, then the drive up the Spiti valley to Dhankar. Free, copyable itinerary.
A single day around Tabo: Tabo Monastery and the cave retreats in the morning, then the drive up the valley to Dhankar, one of the great monastery villages of Spiti.
It leaves out Gue; the two-day plan adds it. See also things to do in Tabo and when to visit Tabo.
Photos: Manish Pathak (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Trina Singha Roy (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Anyone with a day in Tabo, or breaking the long road between Kaza and Kalpa.
Day by day
Day 1
Tabo in the morning, Dhankar after
The monastery while the light is good, then the one long drive of the day.
- 09:00Tabo Monastery, Himachal PradeshFounded in 996 CE; the walls carry frescoes and wall texts. No photography inside the temples.
- ↓ a short walk11:00Phoo Gumpha, TaboThe monks' cave retreats in the cliff above, a short steep climb.
- ↓ 46 min by road · 30 km13:30DhankarThe village on the cliff 48 minutes up the valley, with its monastery above; allow a slow lunch and the walk up.
Getting there
Tabo is 47 km from Kaza, roughly 67 minutes by car or bus. See the hub guide for the full arrival table.
Where to stay
Stay in Tabo. The monastery and caves are a minute away, and Dhankar is a day trip up the road.
Know before you go
- Do the monastery first, in the morning; the courtyard has the best light then.
- Dhankar is at altitude, so move slowly and drink water through the day.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
All Tabo itineraries →
Questions people ask
Can you see Tabo in one day?
Yes. The monastery and the cave retreats take a morning, both within about 2 minutes of the town centre, and Dhankar is 48 minutes up the valley for the afternoon. That is a full day, so start early, keep lunch simple and expect to move slowly at this altitude.
How long should you spend inside Tabo Monastery?
At least an hour. The walls carry paintings and long wall texts, the oldest iconography dating from 1042 and later, and the temples are opened by the monks on request. Photography is not permitted inside, so use the time to look rather than to record.
Is Dhankar worth the extra drive?
Yes if you have the day. The village and its monastery sit on a cliff above the valley, 48 minutes from Tabo by road. Our Kaza guide has its own page, and Dhankar Lake is a short climb above it for anyone with time and breath to spare.