On the road up to Kibber, about 12km from Kaza, the tiny village of Ki is dominated by the whitewashed buildings of Ki Gompa. Set atop a conical hillock, this is the largest gompa in Spiti and the views of it from the surrounding hillsides are wonderfully photogenic. On request, the monks will open up the medieval prayer rooms, including the Zimshung Lhakhang, which houses the bed slept in by the Dalai Lama during his visits in 1960 and 2000.
Around 300 monks, including many students from surrounding villages, live here. An atmospheric puja is held in the new prayer hall every morning at around 8am. Dance masks are brought out for the annual Ki Chaam Festival and again for Losar.
