Nako, a piece of heaven…

When Sunita and I interacted for our writing program, little did we realise how empowered she would become to pen down her journeys through these wonderful travelogues! Simple, written from the heart, Sunita manages to make us live the serenity of Nako Village in her latest travel story. 

Text & Photographs by: Sunita Rajani

We visited Spiti valley in June 2018 with Incredible Spiti. One of our night stays was at a village called Nako, it was one of my best stays ever. We reached Nako by 4 pm. Nako is a little village in the middle of the mighty Himalayas away from hustle bustle of the city life. I could instantly feel the peace and simplicity the village offers.

Our stay was arranged at Kinner Camps by Incredible Spiti. They are lovely tents set up on a hilltop against the backdrop of the gorgeous mountain views. The tents had shades of purple with purple flowers growing in the gardens outside making the whole atmosphere even more charming. I fell in love with our tent the minute I saw it. The tents were decorated beautifully from inside giving you the much-needed warmth for your stay. They also have an attached bathroom which makes the stay very comfortable. They have arranged for us to sit outside as well to bask in the glorious sunshine and enjoy the views. The caretakers were lovely and helpful. They made us a perfect cuppa for the evening.

Our luxurious tent from inside

We freshened up and left to explore the village. It was a very different feeling to walk in those tiny lanes as there are many houses from olden times lending a beautiful historic atmosphere.

Nako Monastery

We visited the Nako Monastery which was built in the 11^th century. A monk named Tashi took us around the monastery sharing more interesting details about this place of worship. Interestingly there was work done in gold on the inside walls. Travel is about stepping into centuries-old places and getting the feeling of actually being a part of a historic era.

We walked through lanes of Nako to reach Nako Lake. The old era houses were really charming. They have farms of green peas in the village. We saw shepherds on their way back home and a little shed with baby sheep. Nako Lake has a calm pristine feel with clear reflections of mountains lending a truly mesmerising feel.

A walk through the village

We walked across the lake to climb uphill to reach the prayer bells. It was perfect timing as we caught a glimpse of a glorious sunset on our way up. The climb feels a bit difficult due to high altitude but it is manageable. It took us approximately 20 minutes to reach up with breaks and taking photographs. It felt serene reaching up. The prayer bells made a peaceful sound when we turned it with the wind. We sat there for a few minutes absorbing the peace and serenity and then started our descent.

Prayer bells

We reached our tent and had a local sumptuous meal with soup, salad, paneer, bhajiya, rice, dal, and kheer. It was dark by then and being in such a remote place we could see millions of stars and the sky looked absolutely gorgeous! We sat outside our tent admiring the night sky and falling in love with it. For a moment the lights went off and it felt like being in heaven.

The tents were very comfortable. We had a good night sleep. I woke at 4:30 to see the morning rays of the sun amidst the mountains. We got ready later and left from Nako to begin our journey ahead. It was an experience to cherish forever. A night of billions of stars…waiting to come back for more.

Dr Sunita Rajani is a Paediatrician who is currently pursuing her super specialisation in Paediatric Gastroenterology in London. She is our first student at The Lifestyle Portal Online Writing Program.

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