Key Monastery

Key (also spelt Ki or Kye) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelugpa school, founded roughly a thousand years ago and rebuilt many times after fires, raids and earthquakes. Its rooms stack up the hillside in an irregular fortress-like cluster above the Spiti river, about 12 km from Kaza. The monastery holds old thangkas, murals and manuscripts, and is home to monks who train here. Visitors can usually look around the prayer halls and, with prior arrangement, stay overnight in basic guest rooms.

1. Reach Kaza via Manali over Kunzum Pass (summer only) or via Shimla and Kinnaur (longer season).
2. From Kaza, hire a taxi or share a cab to Key; there is no regular bus.
3. The approach road is paved to the monastery car park.

Mid-June to early October, when the passes and roads are open. Winters are extremely cold and access is limited.

• Spiti is high altitude — spend a day acclimatising in Kaza before day trips.
• Dress modestly and ask before photographing monks or the inner shrines.
• Carry cash; there are limited ATMs in Kaza and none beyond.

Individual pages for these are added as they are reviewed.

• Best time to visit Himachal Pradesh (month by month, by region)
• Spiti Valley: when to go, how to get there and what to see