‘Kasol’- A place known to many but explored by a few!
My craving for travel starts every day and I have to literally control it. Exploring new place is my idea of living life to the fullest which I agree has become quite common among this generation. The notion that you can’t live life to the fullest after marriage is a myth if you have a partner in crime aka – your spouse. My partner in crime is my husband.
Kasol brings to one’s mind frenzy and adventure. Is it because you wish to see hippie culture, want to trek, enjoy Marijuana(weed/hash) or just have fun?? Our reason was simple to have fun on a weekend. We went through a lot of literature while planning our trip, unaware that we will be venturing into a journey of our lifetime.
Journey from Delhi to Kasol (Himachal Pradesh) entails around 520 kms which translates to around 12-13 hrs journey by road. Nearest airport is Bhuntar (31 kms, an hour journey from the town) but the flights are relatively scarce and hence expensive. There is no direct train/bus to Kasol town.
We decided to book a Volvo bus for our overnight journey from Gurgaon.
About the journey:
Excited to the core, we reached R K Ashram Metro station at 8 pm on one sultry Thursday. The Himalayan Nomad (Volvo operator) started on time 🙂 Our bus was decked up with people aged 25-35 years who were travelling in groups as well as solo. After having some halts in between, we reached Bhuntar at 10:35 am the other day, where we were asked to board a local bus which was supposed to take us further to Kasol (we were not actually prepared for this, but we didn’t have any other option). Finally after a lot of unplanned halts in between, we reached our destination at 12 noon (Irony was that the timing of departure was 9:15 am but delays like that and using another local bus was not part of the initial plan).
The place is no less than a portrait with lush greenery everywhere and fresh breeze (unlike Delhi NCR). You can stare with awe the splendent Parvati river flowing with all its might around the small huts, camps and cafes all along.
View from our room
Our stay was at Hotel Sandhya Place and much to my wonder it was just a 5 minute very pleasant walk from Kasol main market. Our room had a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery. Very soon we realised that this is a great hotel to stay as compared to any other hotel in Kasol. One of the most booked properties at Kasol, the Himalayan Village is undoubtedly un-comparable with our stay but it will burn your pocket. I am not making a case for camps as Kasol is known for camping along the Parvati River and there are so many options which you can explore after reaching the place. My suggestion to the future travellers would be to find a camp suiting your specific requirements for e.g.: if you are thinking of going to Kheerganga/Tosh/Chalal/Malana then you should think of choosing a camp there instead of town. Budget camps starts at INR 300 and it steeps to INR 4500 per person so choose the camp wisely. Options are plenty.
After having lunch in the hotel itself we started for Chalal trek which is at 4 kms from the main market. The market was not crowded (perhaps most of the tourists travel Friday night and reach Saturday). We found difficulty in locating the trail of our track as Google baba was not very helpful and ended up reaching at the end of the market where we enquired from a local cop and finally got the exact directions. It starts from a cross road in the main market and Panj Tara Restaurant is the exact location from where it starts along the river. As you cross, you will see a suspension bridge with a trail which will take you up to the Chalal village. We reached at 3 pm only to find that there was nobody accompanying us and the trail was completely deserted. There were some people who were enjoying a hot pool and were staring weirdly at us so we dropped the idea of taking that trek after waiting for 20 full minutes.
You will get a glimpse of the inexplicable beauty after seeing this picture:
Kasol main market is quite small with some stray shops but I didn’t find anything of interest. Parvati river crosses the town and people have build their cafes and houses around the river. You can also see snow capped mountain overlooking the town which makes the view seem like a perfect picture postcard.
Next thing on our itinerary was to explore the cafes in the town. We reached Evergreen Cafe after reading its reviews on Trip Advisor. There was some greenery outside with a closed inside sitting adorned with lamps and candles. Food was decent (with no alcohol served!) You might think that the town is bereft of humankind but as you enter the right places, this notion will be dispelled.
River flows near to the Sandhya hotel and there are some camp sites and hotels nearby as you move further opposite to the market. While sauntering, we discovered a very beautiful place with a food joint (Maggie and tea..yes:)). Kasol is a very small town mostly unexplored and you can discover many awesome places without much effort. This photograph does not fully justify the beauty of the place. I wish I could add a video here!
Next day, our plan was to explore Manikaran and Tosh and we started our journey on foot in the morning. On the way we got a local bus which charged INR 10 per head for Manikaran. We happily boarded the bus. Manikaran Sahib is a pilgrimage centre for both Hindus and Sikhs. It is famous for its natural hot springs which are extremely auspicious and are believed to have curative powers. The water is so hot that meals can be cooked on it. There are many local folk tales and legends weaved around the place. (I am saving these for later)
After this divine experience, we decided to continue our journey for Tosh and took a local bus to Barshaini, which is the last bus stop. From there either you can trek to the village or take a local cab. The temperature is low as compared to Kasol town so jackets/pull-overs are highly recommended. As we reached Barshaini, we pooled for a taxi (INR 400 for 7 travellers which appeared quite justified) and reached Tosh. The mountains appeared more vivid and approachable with the gust of cold wind. You would want to take a lot of shots at this location. Soon we started trekking up the Tosh village crossing small huts, shops and cafes. There are so many small houses converted into eating joints which serve home-cooked food. You will find many people trekking in groups along with foreigners as well. Drenched up in rain and exhausted, we found a cafe-Pink Floyd which again called for a small hike. We found other travellers who were searching for a place to stay (unlike us) who had to return the same day to Kasol.
Ensconced in the cafe, we ordered Pizza, French Fries along with customary boiling coffee and let ourselves immerse in the overwhelming scenic beauty of the place. What more can a nomad ask for! The only part which I didn’t like was the dirty table cloths and matteress which if avoided could have begged a 5 star rating by me. You can also hike up further to the waterfall and stay in any camp but we decided to descend as we needed to reach Kasol safe by night.
We then hired a taxi in INR 300 for Barshaini to catch a local bus and reached at 4 pm to find that the bus was fully packed. We could either wait for the next local bus which was scheduled at 5 pm or hire a taxi. If we would have known this earlier we could have hired a taxi from Tosh itself and saved taxi fare but with no other option we hired a taxi to Kasol in INR 800. It was a difficult ride as the road was bumpy and full of pot holes. The local driver drove very fast, however. He dropped us to Kasol main town and we headed for Panj Tara Bar & Grill for a relaxed dinner. Much to our surprise, it had a live band music performance with a bonfire and outside sofa sitting. This is the only good place which serves alcohol (if you are looking for it). They have good variety of food which is fresh and delicious. We really enjoyed our dinner with great music and ambience. It was quite dark when we returned and there were no street lights on our way to hotel. We literally ran to reach our hotel as the road was deserted and silence laid deep.
Last day in Kasol:
We wake up early and planned to complete our Chalal trek. The morning was awesome with some clouds but no rainfall. Our idea was to cover the trek in 2 hours and return the market for our return Volvo which was scheduled to start at 5:30 pm. There is an option of keeping your luggage in the hotel after checking out from the hotel and we did the same.
I had underestimated this trek but felt mesmerised by the beauty of the surroundings. Birds were chirping accompanied by the rhythmic music of water and we could spot many trekkers along with local village people. It was completely safe and trail is clear with plenty of directional signage all around. It is a relatively easy trek, mostly level ground around 5 kms from the main town and you can cover it easily in 45 mins. There are many camps in between where you can relax but we walked to the village and reached freedom cafe just in time for a relaxed brunch. The journey is so beautiful that you would not want to return. You should try the Maggie and Vegetable soup which is home cooked and the owner is very friendly. This actually is the best part about all the cafes!
We descended the trail and reached town in the afternoon just to realise that we had a lot of time on our sleeves. We went again to Panj Tara and spent around 3 hours and nobody asked us to leave;) Till this time everything went well but just as you realise that everything is so comfortable, Murphy’s law strikes and it strikes quite hard!!!
We tried to enquire about the departure time of the bus but nobody was replying satisfactorily. I complained to numerous customer care executives and returned to our hotel but of no avail. The good part was that the hotel people were really helpful and explained that the bus will start from the hotel and government has restricted the entry of bigger vehicles in town before 8 p.m. I wish this could have come from our bus operator on time. The bus finally started at 9:20 pm and we tried to snuggle. The bus driver was driving so fast that I felt like throwing up. I guess everyone had the same feeling because when we reached Bhuntar, a fellow passenger fainted. I will keep this story very brief. Apparently he was accompanied by a friend of his whom he met on a camp and she was not ready to help him because she was scared that if she got caught by her family/his she would land up in trouble. An ambulance came, people tried to help as much as they could and after much drama we literally loaded him on the bus and started our journey again. The driver slowed down a little bit and we slept like bears. We reached at 11:30 am next morning and realised that half day was already gone!
All in all, Kasol is very beautiful and you should definitely visit this place but be very careful about your personal safety and of course the Volvo bus timings:) It is a budget friendly place with us spending around 18K for 3 days and 2 nights but you can further save on it by cutting short on your accommodation expenses.
Hitch-Hike recommends:
1. Carry woollen clothes even in summers with umbrella as it can rain anytime
2. You will not face any issue in terms of food and stay as every kind of option is easily available
3. Safety is in your hands so be careful and plan properly before visiting
4. You should not take weed/hash as you will be already high on nature
5. Do not litter any where and let Kasol be the place it is
Happy hitchhiking!
