Spiti is a high altitude or cold desert having close similarities to the neighbouring Tibet and Ladakh regions in terms of terrain, climate and the Buddhist culture.

Approaching Kaza from the south, one sees Kyu-ling (Skyid-gling), the stately palace of the Nono (king) on the other side of the river.

The route via NH 505 through Kinnaur is open throughout the year, except for occasional short periods resulting from landslides or heavy snowfall.

The other road starts from Manali and after crossing the 13,090 ft (3,990 m) high Rohtang Pass to reach Gramphoo where it joins the road from Keylong and proceeds south along Chandra River till Batal then climbs up to cross the 14,928 ft (4,550 m) high Kunzum pass, enters the Spiti valley to reach Kaza.

This central location also makes Kaza an ideal base camp for trekking, mountaineering, and tours directed to other parts of the valley.

The highest post office in the world at Hikkim village (PIN 172114) at an elevation of 4,400 m (14,400 ft) is situated 46 km (29 mi) from Kaza.

In earlier times, it used to be a multi-day trade fair held annually in July at the Ladarcha ground near Chichim village in upper Spiti.

It used to witness barter trade among locals of Spiti and traders from Ladakh, Bushahr princely state, Tibet, and Kullu.

Key (Ki) Monastery was built by Dromton, a student of the renowned instructor, Atisha, in the eleventh century and is located at a height of 4,166 m (13,668 ft) about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of Kaza town.

NHAI is planning to construct a tunnel under the Kunzum Pass to provide all-weather connectivity between Manali and Spiti valley.