For most people, a journey to Spiti Valley means choosing between a sturdy SUV or a mountain-friendly motorcycle. But Sumit Kumar Prajapati, an e-rickshaw driver from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, decided to give his journey a surprising twist. He did not own a car so he decided to take the vehicle he already had to the Himalayas! And that’s how his unusual Himalayan road trip began which is documented through 27 Instagram videos. It’s a thought that has taken the travel world by surprise! The UP man took his battery-powered three-wheeler, aka ‘Riki’ from Manali towards Spiti. He covered a stretch at around 12,500 feet.There have been social-media claims suggesting that Prajapati may have been the first person to take an e-rickshaw to Kunzum.Here’s everything about his interesting trip:From Uttar Pradesh to the mountainsAs per videos shared on Prajapati’s Instagram account, his trip started with a group of friends planning a trip to Spiti by car. But Prajapati did not own one. However, he did not give up on the idea and decided to take his own e-rickshaw to the mountains.To make it possible, he first transported his three-wheeler to Manali by truck. From there, began his real journey to the mountain himself on August 19, 2026. He started posting about the trip on his Instagram from August 15. He would share his preparations, road conditions and also give a peek into the journey.An e-rickshaw running in the Spiti mountains looks like an unimaginable sight. But it was happening and people were curious to know more about his trip.When an e-rickshaw became the attractionAs Prajapati climbed higher, the vehicle became an attraction on the road. Fellow motorists and tourists would stop to look at it, and record videos with Prajapati and his three-wheeler. They would also ask several questions.The biggest challengeOne of the biggest challenges was charging the vehicle. He charged the e-rickshaw at different stops along the way and also carried a generator for emergency situations. The charging problem became one of the defining features of the expedition. Initially, Prajapati travelled alone but later, after a viewer suggested that he should use the e-rickshaw as it was intended, he also began giving some passengers a ride.The road to Spiti is not an ordinary road tripSpiti’s roads are extremely demanding. Running an e-rickshaw in high-altitude travel regions comes with its own set of problems. He was travelling well into an environment where altitude, weather and road conditions can become as important as the vehicle itself.The route crosses the Kunzum Pass, which the Lahaul and Spiti district administration identifies as the western gateway to Spiti. The official altitude figures vary slightly across government pages, but place Kunzum Pass at roughly 4,550–4,590 metres, or around 15,000 feet.Spiti is a mountainous cold desert marked by stark landscapes, high-altitude villages, monasteries and the Spiti River. The valley lies well above 3,000 metres in many places, and its remote settlements include Kaza, Kibber, Langza, Hikkim and Komic.Reaching KunzumPrajapati’s social-media updates indicated that he reached Kunzum on August 26. Videos from the journey show the e-rickshaw continuing through the dramatic mountain landscape. Kunzum is more than just another viewpoint on the route but it is the main gateway from Lahaul into Spiti. Nearby Lossar, at about 4,085 metres, is the first inhabited village on the Spiti side.Why Spiti attracts travellers
Sumit Prajapti (Instagram/@sumit_prajapati87)
Spiti’s appeal lies precisely in the remoteness that makes a trip there difficult. The valley offers ancient monasteries, high-altitude villages, dramatic barren mountains and a culture deeply influenced by Tibetan Buddhism.Key Monastery, Dhankar, Tabo, Kibber and the villages around Kaza are among the places that draw travellers. The official tourism website also highlights Pin Valley, Chandra Taal and the region’s wildlife, including the snow leopard habitat around Kibber.But this is also why travellers should not treat Prajapati’s trip as a template for their own vehicle choice. An e-rickshaw making the journey is an unusual individual expedition, not evidence that the route is suitable for every three-wheeler or electric vehicle.That makes the e-rickshaw in this story more than just an unusual mode of transport. It became a reminder that travel does not always begin with the perfect vehicle, the perfect itinerary or an expensive expedition.Sometimes, it begins with a destination in mind and the decision to simply find a way to get there.
