A Day in the Life on a Before Maps Journey

People often ask what a typical day looks like on a Before Maps journey. Here's Day 4 of our Spiti journey, which is fairly representative.

5:30 AM - Wake up in the Kaza homestay. The family has already lit the bukhari (wood stove). Butter tea is ready.

6:30 AM - Breakfast: aloo paratha, fresh yogurt, and local honey. The host's grandmother makes the parathas. She's been doing this for 40 years.

7:30 AM - Drive to Key Monastery. Our local guide, Tenzin, grew up in Key village. He studied at the monastery as a child. His stories are better than any guidebook.

10:00 AM - Walk from Key to Kibber along a ridgeline trail. This is a stretch most tour groups drive. We walk it. Takes 3 hours. The views of the Spiti River canyon are extraordinary.

1:00 PM - Lunch at a Kibber homestay. Dal, rice, sabzi, and fresh salad from the kitchen garden.

2:30 PM - Free time. Some people nap. Some walk to the Chicham bridge. Some sit on the terrace and stare at the mountains.

5:00 PM - Tea and conversation. This is when the best stories come out - from travelers and guides alike.

7:00 PM - Dinner at the homestay. Thukpa, momos, and more butter tea.

8:30 PM - Stargazing from the terrace at 4,270m. At this altitude, the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye.

9:30 PM - Sleep. No alarm for tomorrow.