Letter from The Highest PO in the World

Thirty million years ago, a huge piece of land that had broken away from the southern continent of Gondwanaland and had moved north, came crashing into Laurasia - the earth's only other continent at the time. With the force of the impact, the land rose in giant waves and folds to create the world's grandest mountain system - the Himalayas. The tracts of Kinnaur, Spiti and Lahaul of Himachal Pradesh, India hold the essence of 2500 Km long Himalayas. This is the land of small jewel like lakes, swiftly flowing streams, rushing rivers, small hamlets and snow draped peaks rising above the clouds.

This is the land of the highest post office in the world - Hikkim - 172114. (Click here for a map of Kinnaur-Lahaul-Spiti 49 KB)

WORLD RECORDS GALORE - The second highest inhabited village in the world connected by a motarable road is Kibber with a population of about 400. The highest village in the world Gette (4270 m) is 5 Km ahead from Kibber. Hikkim is situated at 15500 feet and is the highest post office in the World.

We wrote to the postmaster of Hikkim asking him to cancel the enclosed envelope. The letter reached him on August 2, 2000. He posted the letter back to us on the same day. It reached Kaza on August 30, 2000 and reached us on September 4, 2000. How did the letter reach Hikkim? What route? We do not have the details of these with us yet. As and when we get them we will put on this page. Meanwhile behold the letter from the highest post office in the world.

Dear Sir,
I received this letter sent by Jeppu Vasudev, of Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka on August 2, 2000. This is the world's highest post office. It's height is 15,500 feet. You had asked me to cancel with the post office cancellation, I have done so and I am sending it to you.

Signed

Branch Post Master
Hikkim 172114

We Have an Update from Hikkim

The second letter we wrote to the Branch Post Master, Hikkim reached him in 10 days and we got a reply back from him in 10 days. Hikkim post office is 20 Km away from Kaza and 3500 feet higher. The post office serves about 600 people in the village. There are 17 account holders in the post office savings bank.

The mail is cleared daily and a runner takes the mail to Kaza at 9 AM in the morning. The mail from Kaza reaches Hikkim at 3 PM in the afternoon the same day. There is no motorable road connecting the two places. Hikkim does not have a police or forest department post but there is fully functional post office at the top of the world!

Information about Kinnaur has been taken from the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Brochure. For more information on Himachal Pradesh contact -

The Director
Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation
Government of Himachal Pradesh
Block No 28, SDA Complex, Kasumpti
Shimla - 171 009
India