Langza

Langza is one of a cluster of very high villages — with Komic, Hikkim and Demul — on the plateau above Kaza. A big seated Buddha figure looks out over the fields towards the pyramid of Chau Chau Kang Nilda. The whole area was once seabed, and ammonite fossils weather out of the slopes; villagers sometimes offer them, though collecting and selling them is discouraged and, in principle, restricted. Langza has a small Lang temple said to be about a thousand years old. Homestays here let visitors experience life at over 4,000 m.

1. From Kaza, a road climbs onto the plateau to Langza (about 45 minutes by taxi).
2. There is limited shared transport; most visitors hire a taxi from Kaza or come on a Spiti tour.
3. Kaza connects to Manali (summer, via Kunzum) and to Shimla via Kinnaur (most of the year).

June to September. The plateau villages are extremely cold and largely cut off from about November to April.

• Buying or removing fossils is discouraged and can be treated as illegal — look, photograph, leave them.
• Acclimatise in Kaza before spending a night this high.
• Nights are freezing even in summer; homestays are basic — carry a warm bag and a torch.

Individual pages for these are added as they are reviewed.