Spiti, literally meaning the middle country, is a high altitude cold desert dotted with numerous monasteries. In this forbidding land, Indian and Tibetan cultures have mixed with each other. Lying in the rain shadow area of the rugged mountain ranges of Zaskar, it gets very little rain and plenty of snow. The whole valley seems to have been painted in hues of purple, pink and sunset. The deep gorges carved by the snow-fed streams add charm to Spiti's stark splendour. The valley is locked between the Zaskar and the Great Himalayan ranges - the tallest of Himachal Pradesh. The Kunzum La, literally meaning the meeting place for ibex (a kind of mountain goat), is the tenuous link between Lahaul and Spiti.

Spiti has four distinct regions and its main valleys are the Spiti valley, the Lingti valley and the Pin valley. The Spiti subdivision of the Lahaul-Spiti district is rougher in its terrain and is thus more difficult to traverse.  The beauty of the forbidding Spiti is on show for only four months - for the rest of the year, it is hidden under snow. Winters are usually spent by the locals in spinning and weaving the layers of cloth and woollens worn by locals to trap body heat.

The rock faces found here are information banks on the geological history of the Himalaya while some of the valleys are helpful in the study of the creation of this lofty mountain range. Spiti shales or ammonites are pretty well known in the field of geology. These were once living creatures that got extinct almost a hundred million years ago and are now found in the form of fossils. Spiti invites both scores of climbers and trekkers as well as scholars to come and discover her unconquered terrain.