Carry cash — pay for HRTC bus tickets onboard or at the bus stand counter, and pay shared-jeep/taxi drivers in cash at the Kaza taxi stand for getting around town and to nearby villages.
Getting to the start
Full Marathon (42.195K) starts Nako Helipad (04:30, 30 Aug); Half Marathon and 10K start Sumdo PT Ground (07:30/09:00, 30 Aug)
3-day multi-category event (Fri 28-Sun 30 Aug 2026) across three Himalayan villages (Kaza, Nako, Sumdo).
Spiti Valley sits above 3,800m — organizers recommend arriving 3-4 days early to acclimatize.
Nearest airport Bhuntar/Kullu-Manali (~245-250km via Manali);
nearest rail Shimla (~418-445km).
Getting to the finish
77K finishes Kaza (cutoff 18:30); Marathon finishes Sumdo (point-to-point from Nako, not a loop, cutoff 12:30); Half/10K finish at Sumdo PT Ground (loop)
Marathon finishers end in Sumdo, not back at Nako start — need separate transport back to accommodation.
More details
No race-morning start/finish shuttle documented.
Only a pre/post-event long-haul 'Traveller Service' (Zirakpur→Sumdo→Kaza→Zirakpur) for reaching the region,
not race-day shuttle between accommodation and start/finish.
Confirm directly with organizers (suryaspitimarathon@gmail.com, +91-70061 22107).
Two road routes to Kaza: Shimla-Reckong Peo-Kaza (~430km, near year-round) or Manali-Rohtang-Kunzum Pass-Kaza (~200km, seasonal Jun-Oct, foreigners need Inner Line Permit on this route).
Seasonal HRTC state buses run Shimla-Kaza and Manali-Kaza.
More details
Kaza has no organized in-town public transit and no fare card of any kind — a cash-only, informal-transport town.
Intercity connections rely solely on seasonal HRTC buses (e.g., Manali-Kaza runs June-October, weather-dependent).
Within Kaza, transport is by shared jeep or private taxi, fares starting around ₹25/km.
Card acceptance and ATMs are unreliable in Spiti Valley generally — bring enough cash from Manali/Shimla/Reckong Peo before heading in.
