Mountain Traveller's

Kasol -KheerGanga-Tosh

Sometimes you want to just get away from the city life and lose yourself in a trance. Walk with no destination in mind and chance upon a hidden village. Sit in surroundings so beautiful that you lose yourself and end up watching the sun rise and set from the same spot. Drink from fresh water streams and party with the people from some untouched villages in their style.

Kasol  is the Place where you lost yourself to find your innerself. May be it is due to  the magic in the air of kasol or may be its a lusting smell of the magical thing(HASH).This place is blessed by nature.
So here i will tell you my experience of 4 days in kasol,Tosh and Kheerganga.

How to reach Kasol:

To begin with, there are no direct buses from Delhi to Kasol. It is approximately 12-14 hour travel from Delhi to Bhunter. Buses are easily available from Delhi ISBT, Kashmere Gate. For ordinary buses you can make on the spot booking though I’ll suggest you reach an hour early to the time you want to start; for Volvo (cost ~1300rs) you have to make prior bookings as there are few buses with heavy rush and bookings can be done through makemytrip, redbus etc. or best HRTC. On Friday evening after office, I reached by 6.30pm at ISBT. Starting off at around 8pm in an Volo bus for Kullu/Manali, I got down at Bhuntar after roughly 12 hours journey. Bhuntar is at the bifurcation of the roads leading to Kullu Valley and Parvati Valley. All along the journey you’ll get beautiful scenic views of the mountains and a lot many Hydropower projects.

Local buses are the best means of transport in such areas as they are easily available, quite frequent and pretty cheap.From Bhunter, every 15 mins a local bus goes to Kasol, which is close to 1.5 hour travel and costs INR 50 per person. Frequency ensures getting a seat and is not very crowded. Alternatively, you can take a cab which takes about an hour and charges INR 900 upto INR 1350 as per the car and number of persons.

  

Some Scintillating  Views from Bhutar to kasol way

Cash Alert!

There is only one ATM in Kasol which is out of cash or dysfunctional many times. There are 2-3 ATMs in Bhuntar, so if you don’t have enough cash for the trip already now is the time to withdraw. If you miss it by chance, you can get cash by swiping your card at the Currency Exchange Booth in Kasol by paying 5% surcharge.


Kasol

Himachal has always been a warm and a cold host in the summers. This time it’s calling for Kasol, a small hill station located in the Parvati valley. Kasol, in Himachal Pradesh is a favorite tourist destination, especially for those arriving from Israel. With a sizeable Israeli population, most of the signboards outside restaurants and cafes are in Hebrew and this place is also known as Mini Israel.The crisp mountain air, coupled with the delicious Israeli food, with the smell of burning herbs coursing through the otherwise unpolluted air, make up the so-called “Amsterdam of India”. Before you make any presumptions about the hippie paradise, you ought to slow down and enjoy the slow pace of life in one of the loveliest Himalayan Valleys in India. Frequented by tourists and hippies, Kasol has everything from Hills views to River views,short treks to long trek, Reggae Bars to Internet Cafes and cheap guest-houses.

What to do in Kasol:

Go for a small treks to chalal ,about 2 kms or Rashol, about 4 kms from Kasol and a is a four-hour trek which is worth taking. The saying, ‘more than the destination, it’s the journey’ holds true for this 4 hour trek. There are some cheap guesthouses available is Rashol. Those looking for solitude can take the remote road from Katagla to Chowki.Chalal, which is the hub of the psychedelic parties in the Parvati Valley. Trance-y music wafts from the diminutive village, and people intent on parties .

There is the mysterious Malana, whose people believe that they descended from the army of Alexander the Great and do not allow any kind of contact with the outside world. There is Tosh, which is quiet and quaint, pleasing and peaceful, a small replica of Kasol.

All of these places, although different in their own stead, have one thing in common – the cannabis that is heavily cultivated here, and a love for the same. Malana Cream, a kind of hashish that is cultivated in the Malana village mainly, is one of the most sought after drugs here, and the motivating factor for half the hippies who flock to the valley.
The beauty that lies beyond the picturesque hills is remarkable and each day is beautiful in its own way. The tiny, quintessential Himachal villages will make you feel relaxed and make you fall hopelessly and irretrievably in love with Himachal!

Places to stay:
There are good number of cheap guesthouse,Cottage and hostel availble in kasol ,
chalal and Rasol(200-700 INR per night) .

Places to eat in Kasol: 
Shiv café, Evergreen Cafe, Bhoj, German Bakery, Little Italy, Maria café,JIm Morrision cafe,MoonDance Cafe

Note: Must try Israeli Food.

Kheerganga Trek

How to reach Kheerganga from kasol:
From kasol local buses(40-50 INR per person) are available to Bharsheni which is the last stoppage on the bus route or you can choose the taxi which cost you around 400-700 INR.

We started our journey by hitting Barshaini village from where trek to kheerganga start. It is a 12 km stretch. It has two major stops name Nagthan village(around 4 km from Barshaini) and Rudranag Temple(around 8 km from Barshaini). At Nagthan one can refill their water bottles and it has cafe also to have some food. Rudranag temple has a waterfall which has awesome scenic beauty and is an interlude to this awesome trek. Till Rudranag the trek led us to beautiful Panoramic Views ,Twisted Mountain trails, snow capped peaks dotted with brilliant yellow mustard flowers and Pink flowers. After Rudranag the the trek led us to thick lush green forest with rejuvenating air kissing your face with uphill ascent. Although the trail is well marked offering little scope for confusion, we got dog as our guide for the whole trek.

We took around 5 hours to complete this trek with 15-20 minutes pause at both stops. On reaching Kheerganga, we enjoy spending few hours in hot water spring. Initially the water seems to be very hot but gradually after entering the pool we feel normal. Believe me its the best feeling in the world taking bath in hot water spring which is located in between snow clad mountains--a reward in itself for most of us plagued by the monotony of routine life. The bath vanishes your tiredness and soreness and dizziness. There are few cafes available for stay and a Dharamsala also( INR 100/- per night). There is a small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva near the spring and a Kartikey cave just 100 mt trekking from the temple.

Kheerganga is not only peaceful, reviving and laid back , but if you are looking for a place for soul searching or to reach a state of thoughtlessness then it's the place. So serene and surreal where you want time to really stop;as you don't want this dream to get over soon.
Myth of Hot-Water Spring: It is said that Hot Spring was Kheer(Sweet rice pudding) originally but then converted in water so that it never gets over. One can still find White flakes considered to be milk cream in the spring.

Where to stay and eat :
In-between trek  there is some cafes in Nagthan village(Sahil Cafe is good). At Kheerganga you will find lots of Cafes which provide stay(200-400 INR per night) and food.Some of the cafe also provide Camping facility.

cannabis leaf

Tosh

How to reach Tosh:
From kasol local buses(40-50 INR per person) are available to Bharsheni village which is the last stoppage on the bus route or you can choose the taxi which cost you around 400-700 INR. From Bharsheni tosh is 3 km away taxi is the only option available which cost you around (200-300 INR) otherwise you have to trek to tosh which take your 1-1.5 hour.

Tosh was another story altogether. To reach the village I had to cross a stream and walk into the snow clad wonderland of India. A small village, with just 150 – 200 houses but the view from the place was breathtaking.Tosh is a village lying at the height of 7900 feet on top of a hill surrounded by mountains from all the sides. Tosh offers some breathtaking views of the Parvati Valley.

Here you can experience the bounty of nature in all its glory, combined with some indigenous as well as exotic experiences as well. This destination is quite often thronged by visitors from other countries, and you can interact with them and experience their cuisine at local eateries as well.

There is nothing much to do in Tosh than to explore the surroundings. With every step you take there will an upsurge in love for this place.Such breathtaking views it provides of the beautiful Parvati Valley. In addition, as Tosh is becoming quite popular among the backpackers, many trance and psychedelic parties are being organized here.

The pristine beauty of Tosh is untouched by modernization and fast-paced life. The hippie culture of this village will surely transport you another world. Have you ever tried Hash? Are you looking for some peaceful days in your life? Tosh is waiting to welcome you!!! “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!”

Places to eat and stay : Pinki didi cafe,Pink Floyd CAFE,Hill Top Cafe(View from these cafe is Awesoume)

4-Day KASOL ,KHEERGANGA TREK,TOSH, PARVATI VALLEY Video