The thrill of a road trip on a riverbed, from Gramphoo to Batal

The adventure begins (not meant for the faint hearted) after crossing Kunzum La, the drive is essentially on the riverbed of Chandra river after passing the dhaba town of Batal. This stretch is scarier than any other roads where the drive is in reality on a dried riverbed. The Chandra River criss-crosses the way numerous times and that makes it a pure adrenaline rush. This 50 km journey can be roughly divided into three equidistant parts, namely Gramphoo-Chhatru (17km/2hrs); Chhatru-Chhotadara (17km/2hrs); Chhotadara- Batal (16km/2hrs).
The roads are dusty and never-ending and the solitude of the drive could make someone crazy. The craggy mountains are the only company on this stretch of the road with epic views of Bara Shigri Glacier. There is an inexplicable beauty about the desert-like landscape. The road is strewn with pebbles, rocks and boulders of varying shapes and shades, and a grey, serene Chandra River runs alongside for a long way. It is a stunning and spectacular sight. The sun is in and out of the clouds. This is one part of the road trip in Spiti that is pure adrenalin rush with never ending adventures.