Hikkim's post office opened in 1983 with PIN 172114. It closes in winter because of heavy snow, and mail has traditionally been carried on foot between Hikkim and Kaza.
Source: Hikkim
Village in Spiti & Lahaul
Langza, Hikkim and Komic
Fossil slopes, a high post office and a 4,587 m village
Langza, Hikkim and Komic are three villages on a high plateau above Kaza, all above 4,400 m. Langza has the big Buddha statue and fossil slopes, Hikkim one of the highest post offices in the world, and Komic a 500-year-old gompa at 4,587 m. Visit on a half-day loop from Kaza, or sleep in Langza once acclimatised.
Photo: Madhumita Das · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsDrive 16 km up the switchbacks from Kaza and the land opens into a rolling plateau at 4,400 m, under the snow peak of Chau Chau Kang Nilda. Langza sits here: about 30 houses, a small old temple, and a large painted Buddha statue facing the valley. In summer the fields are green with peas and barley, and the hillsides around are scattered with marine fossils from the Tethys sea.
A few kilometres on, Hikkim has a single-room post office that has worked since 1983, PIN 172114, and calls itself one of the highest in the world. Travellers queue to send postcards home. Further along, Komic, at 4,587 m, is one of the highest villages in the world reachable by road, with the Tangyud and Lundup Tsemo gompas above its few houses.
Most people visit all three on a half-day loop from Kaza by taxi. If you have slept two nights in Kaza and feel well, stay a night in Langza: the stars are extraordinary, the homestays are warm, and the village is quiet once the day cars leave. If you have a headache or shortness of breath at rest, do not sleep here; go back down to Kaza.
Say it like a local · TibetanLhakhang
temple; literally house of the gods
What to do in Langza, Hikkim and Komic
The Buddha above Langza
A large, brightly painted Buddha statue sits on a rise above Langza, looking down the valley with Chau Chau Kang Nilda behind. Walk around it clockwise and visit early, before the tour cars, for the light and the quiet.
Fossil slopes
Ammonites and other marine fossils lie in the scree around Langza, relics of the Tethys sea. Look and photograph only. Village councils ask visitors not to collect or buy fossils, and removing them strips the slopes.
Hikkim post office
Hikkim's post office has run since 1983 and is often called the highest in the world. Buy a postcard, write it on the spot and post it. Mail goes down to Kaza on foot or by vehicle, so it arrives slowly.
Komic at 4,587 m
Komic is one of the highest villages in the world reachable by road. Visit the gompas above the houses, drink a cup of tea, and do not run: you will feel the altitude here more than anywhere else on the loop.
A night in Langza
Langza's homestays are simple and warm, with home-cooked dinners. After the day cars leave the village is silent, and on clear nights the sky is extraordinary. Sleep here only once acclimatised.
Field notes
What most guides miss about Langza, Hikkim and Komic
Langza sits at the base of Chau Chau Kang Nilda, a peak villagers also call the Princess Mountain, and is known as the fossil village of Spiti.
Source: Langza
Komic, at about 4,587 m, is described as one of the world's highest motorable villages. Its main gompa, Lundup Tsemo, is about 500 years old.
Source: Komic
Experiences
Three days worth having in Langza, Hikkim and Komic
Photo: Madhumita Das · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Langza, Hikkim and Komic · 2–3 hours
Fossil slopes walk above Langza
Walk the slopes above Langza with a local guide to see ammonite fossils from the vanished Tethys sea. Look, photograph …
Free; local guide ₹800–1,500 per group
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Langza, Hikkim and Komic · 1 hour
Post a card from Hikkim post office
Write a postcard at one of the highest post offices in the world, a one-room office at about 4,400 m that has served Hi…
Postcards and stamps ₹20–50
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Langza, Hikkim and Komic · 1–2 hours
Komic gompa at 4,587 m
Visit Lundup Tsemo gompa in Komic, one of the highest villages in the world reachable by road. Slow steps, butter lamps…
Free; donation welcome
Real prices
What things cost in Langza, Hikkim and Komic
ItemIndicative 2026
Taxi loop Kaza–Langza–Hikkim–Komic and back₹2,500–3,500 per car
Homestay in Langza with dinner and breakfast₹1,300–2,200 per person
Postcard and stamp at Hikkim₹20–50
Tea or thukpa at a village cafe₹50–200
Local guide for a fossil walk₹800–1,500 per group
Local prices change with season and fuel costs. Check current status before you travel.
Getting there
How to reach Langza, Hikkim and Komic
Air
Fly to Bhuntar near Kullu, travel to Kaza via Manali and the Atal Tunnel, and spend two nights in Kaza before going up to Langza.
Bus
There is no regular bus to Langza. Share a taxi from Kaza; your hostel or the taxi union board is the best place to find people.
Road
Langza is about 16 km from Kaza on a paved, winding road. Hikkim and Komic are linked by a road across the plateau, and the full loop takes 4–5 hours with stops.
Where to stay
Sleeping in Langza, Hikkim and Komic
Saver: Langza has a cluster of family homestays at ₹1,300–2,200 a person with dinner and breakfast; rooms are simple, some have attached bathrooms and hot water from solar heaters or buckets. A few homestays also operate in Komic and Hikkim. Comfort and signature: there are no hotels on the plateau, so our comfort and signature trips stay in Kaza or Rangrik and visit on a day loop. If you sleep in Langza, bring a warm sleeping layer: nights are below freezing even in August.
Trips that stop here
See Langza, Hikkim and Komic on a trip
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
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Spiti & Lahaul · 9 nights · sleeps to 4,420 m
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Spiti village homestays: Dhankar to Langza
Shared car to Kaza, then local buses and short taxi transfers
From, per person₹25,500Jun – Jul · Sep
Questions
Langza, Hikkim and Komic, answered
How do I visit Langza, Hikkim and Komic from Kaza?
Hire a taxi from the Kaza union for the loop, about ₹2,500–3,500 a car for 4–5 hours, or share with others from your hostel. There is no regular public bus. The road is paved most of the way. Combine it with Key and Kibber only if you are well acclimatised and leave early.
Can I stay in Langza?
Yes. Langza has family homestays charging about ₹1,300–2,200 a person with dinner and breakfast. Rooms are simple and warm, some with attached bathrooms. Sleep here only after two nights in Kaza, because Langza is at about 4,400 m.
Are fossils really found in Langza?
Yes. Marine fossils, especially ammonites, are found in the rocks around Langza, left from the Tethys sea that once covered this region. Look and photograph, but do not collect or buy them; village councils ask visitors to leave them in place.
Is Hikkim post office open all year?
No. It works in the warmer months and usually closes in winter because of heavy snow. In summer it opens on weekdays in daytime. Go in the morning and check locally, because hours change.
Is altitude sickness a risk at Langza and Komic?
Yes. Langza is at about 4,400 m and Komic at about 4,587 m, the highest points most travellers reach in Spiti. Visit after acclimatising in Kaza, drink water, walk slowly, and go down if headache, nausea or breathlessness get worse. Talk to your doctor before you go.
Does phone network work in Langza?
BSNL and Jio usually have signal in Langza and Komic, but it is weak and slow. Homestays rarely have Wi-Fi. Tell people at home you may be offline for a day.
Can children and seniors visit Langza?
Visiting on a day trip is fine for most healthy people after two nights in Kaza. Sleeping at 4,400 m is harder; for young children and seniors, we suggest returning to Kaza for the night. Ask your doctor before the trip.
When is the best time to visit Langza?
June to September, when the road is clear and fields are green. In September the barley turns gold. The road can have snow until May and after October, and winter visits are only for well-prepared travellers.
What is the Buddha statue at Langza?
It is a large painted statue of the Buddha on a rise above the village, facing the valley. It is a place of worship: walk around it clockwise, do not climb on it, and keep music and drones away.