Incredible India
7 Things to Do in Chitkul, India's Last Village Before the Tibet Border
Chitkul, at around 3,450 metres in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district, is the last inhabited village on the Indian side of the Indo-Tibet border road, set along the Baspa River and reached roughly 250 kilometres from Shimla.
Sep 25, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Chitkul sits at the far end of the Baspa Valley in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, roughly 250 kilometres from Shimla and close to 3,450 metres above sea level. It holds the distinction, real rather than promotional, of being the last inhabited village on the Indian side before the road continues toward the Indo-Tibet border, and it keeps a slower, more remote character than better-known Himachal hill stations. Here are seven ways to spend time there.
1. Walk along the Baspa River
The Baspa River, fed from glaciers near the border, runs past the village through a wide stony bed, and a walk along its banks is Chitkul's simplest and most rewarding activity, framed by pine forest on one side and open mountainside on the other.
2. See the traditional Kinnauri architecture
Chitkul's houses are built in the traditional Kinnauri style, timber and stone construction with sloped wooden roofs designed for heavy snow, and the village retains this look more consistently than many lower-altitude Kinnaur settlements that have modernised faster.
3. Visit the Mathi Temple
A wooden temple dedicated to the local deity Mathi, regarded as the presiding goddess of the Baspa Valley, sits at the centre of the village and remains an active site of local worship rather than a purely historic one.
4. Eat at the last dhaba on the Indo-Tibet road
A roadside dhaba on the edge of the village is generally known as the last such stop before the restricted stretch of road toward the border, and it draws travellers as much for that distinction as for the food itself.
5. Drive or walk toward the Nagasthi border post
The road beyond Chitkul continues toward an Indo-Tibetan Border Police post at Nagasthi, and the stretch offers some of the valley's starkest scenery, though the area beyond the village is a restricted border zone and access can depend on prevailing permissions.
6. Join a stretch of the Kinner Kailash Parikrama
Chitkul lies along part of the Kinner Kailash Parikrama, a multi-day circumambulation route around the Kinner Kailash peak that holds spiritual significance for both Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims from the region; most visitors will only cross paths with a short section of it rather than the full circuit.
7. Take in the Baspa Valley's mountain views
The open ground around the village gives uninterrupted views of the snow-streaked ridgelines that close in the Baspa Valley, at their clearest early in the morning before cloud typically builds over the peaks.
Traveller tips
- Chitkul is reached via Sangla, roughly 20 kilometres before it on the same road; Shimla is the nearest major town and airport.
- The road can close in winter snow; a visit between late spring and early autumn is the more reliable window.
- Mobile network coverage is patchy to absent; plan accordingly.
- Given its location, always check current border-area travel rules before heading beyond the village itself.
Where this is
Chitkul, Himachal Pradesh