A small Himalayan village beside the fierce river called Parvati. Narrow streets, wooden houses and backpackers – that’s Kasol in Kullu district located in one of the most beautiful state of India, Himachal Pradesh.
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Author: Sujay Ghosh
Kasol – A small Himalayan village beside the fierce river called Parvati. Narrow streets, wooden houses and backpackers – that’s Kasol in Kullu district located in one of the most beautiful state of India, Himachal Pradesh.
The population of Kasol is shared between local Himachalese, Nepalese, and other foreign settlers.
The entire village is bordered by Pine forest and the camping site is right next to the river on white sand, and there is another one located higher up through a maze of rhododendrons.
The water of the Parvati River is ice-cold which is a boon for campers helping them chill their beer bottles in summers.
One can choose to cook in the wild but options of pancakes and apple-pies are easily available in the German Bakery (new Kasol) just across the KasolBridge . Apart from these, there are other food joints offering cuisine ranging from Italian to Israeli to Indian. My personal recommendation for you is to try the Israeli staple food Hummus, made from Garbanzo beans. The entire village is infested with Israeli tourists and you can spot shop names written in Hebrew instead of Hindi or English.
You can go out for a trek down the forest, climb up the hills, walk up to Manikaran, just 5 Kms away, or go up to Khir Ganga, 12 Kms from Manikaran. Manikaran has hot water springs and a Gurdwara of the Sikh pantheon.
Spend a week and you will know why Kasol is not just an ordinary Himalayan village. It is an experience and the only way to enjoy it is by just being there.
Facts
State: Himachal Pradesh
Temperature: 8°C – 25°C (Summers), 0°C – 11°C (Winters)
Altitude: 1720 Meters
Best Season: Mid-March to Mid-April; Mid-September to Mid-November.
Attractions
- Take a look at Malana (12 Kms from Kasol) from the KasolBridge .
- Take a stroll into the beautiful apple orchards.
- Discover the greenery of the terraced rice cultivation.
- You can spend your afternoons fishing for trout. However, a license is required.
- Hot Spring near the other side of the small swinging bridge over Parvati.
- Take a walk up to the Pool tables in the market.
- Take part in a chess competition at the small Hebrew library at the market. Entry Fee – 50 INR.
Quick Getaways
- Pulga and Kalga valleys.
- Khir Ganga – 12 Kms from Manikaran. [You can hire a bike for 300 INR a day from the market area near the KasolBridge].
How to reach there
One can go to Kullu driving via Chandigarh from Delhi . Alternatively, you get a number of AC/Non AC buses from ISBT, Delhi. AC Volvo buses will cost you 800 to 1000 INR from ISBT/Janpath. A non-AC bus will cost you 400 INR. It is advisable to avoid low cost Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses, as their condition is very poor.
The bus leaves the terminus at around 7 pm and gives a halt near Chandigarh at around 11 pm for dinner. From there onwards, it enters Himachal Pradesh at midnight and progress slowly but steadily up the hill. It gives one more halt before entering Mandi at 6:30 or 7 am for breakfast. Post that, it reaches Bhuntar, the airport of Kullu at around 8:30 am. Bhuntar is 32 Kms from Kasol.
You can also take a Jackson Flight from Delhi to Bhuntar.
From the airport, you can take a local bus ride up to Kasol via Jari. The ticket will cost you 18 – 20 bucks per person. Otherwise, you can also hire a taxi or private car from the airport for 500 INR.
It takes almost an hour to reach old Kasol through the banks of the river Parvati. A right turn from Bhuntar will take you to the densely forested and picturesque ParvatiValley . Along the river, every turn will bring a new landscape of rocky peaks, amazing mountain views and the frequent glimpse of the snow covered Malana.
Where to stay?
There are many guesthouses in Kasol, but the best possible place to stay is Alpine Guest House run by Sanjay and his wife Sita. It is situated just at the bank of the river with very European looking tile-roofed three-storied building. It has a beautiful lawn in front of it and a cafeteria is coming up soon. It has all the ingredients for a perfect holiday with very calm and quite surroundings and great view of the mountain, river, and forest.
Food is also home cooked. You can order sandwich, pancake, milkshakes, mint tea as well as potato stuffed paranthas with curd and pickle for breakfast. Chicken, mutton, pork, lamb, and trout fish preparations are also available. If you wish, you can order pepperoni pizza, hummus, tiramisu, cinnamon rolls, and lemon cake from outside joints like Little Italy, La Pizzeria, and Moon Dance Café. The room service guys working for Sanjay are always there to help you out. Evening lawn parties can be organized with prior permission from the owner.
The best part of staying at Alpine is the absence of intercom. You have to either walk up to the kitchen or use sign language to call up the room service. There is generator backup in case of a power failure, though it’s quite unlikely as ParvatiValley is powered by major hydroelectric projects.
Room Charges:
Double Bed Room – 300 INR per day [Summer – March till October]
150 INR per day [Winter – November till February]
Large Bed Room – 650 INR per day
Best time to visit: Between March to June and August to October.
Few essential things to carry: Torch, raincoat, rain cover for backpack, mobile charger, common medicines.
Note: There is an Airtel tower at Manikaran, so it works reasonably well. However, the best choice is MTNL/BSNL connections.
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