Kasol and Parvati Valley Tour — 5 Days with Kheerganga Trek

The Parvati runs down a narrow valley off the Kullu, and the villages along it have been a stop on the long-stay circuit for thirty years. Cafés over the water, German bakeries that are not German, walks up either side, and hot springs coming out of the rock at Manikaran.

Five days is enough to see it properly and not enough to explain why people stay for months. Most of the trips we run here end up being extended.

Where the road stops

This matters more here than in most valleys, because the Parvati is a walking place with a road up part of it rather than a place you drive around.

The tarmac runs from Bhuntar through Kasol and Manikaran to Barshaini, about sixteen kilometres above Kasol, and that is the road head. Above Barshaini everything is on foot. Tosh has a cemented road to just short of the village and then a wooden bridge; there is no motorable road inside Tosh itself, so bags come off the vehicle and go up on foot or on somebody’s back.

We drive to Barshaini and wait, or drop and collect on an agreed day. What we cannot do is drive you to Kheerganga, and anybody who says they can is selling you something else.

The Kheerganga walk, honestly

Twelve kilometres from Barshaini, four to five hours up and about three back down. Two paths, one through Kalga and one through Nakthan; they meet higher up and neither is technical. It is steep and rocky in places and it is a real walk rather than a stroll — people underestimate it precisely because it is popular.

There are hot springs at the top and a scattering of basic accommodation. Most people stay a night rather than turning round, and that is the right way to do it. Take a torch and something warm; at 3,050m the evening comes down hard whatever the valley was doing at lunchtime.

Manikaran

Worth planning properly rather than fitting in. The gurudwara sits over hot springs that come straight out of the rock, and there is a langar that feeds everybody who turns up, free, all day. Food is cooked in the spring water itself, which is the thing people remember.

Cover your head, take your shoes off, and behave as you would in any working place of worship — this is a functioning pilgrimage site with a large tourist population passing through it, and the two do not always mix well.

The thing nobody’s brochure mentions

The Parvati valley has a reputation for cannabis, and it is earned. It is also the setting for a long-running and genuinely serious problem: people go missing in this valley, often solo travellers, often after going walking alone into country that is steeper and emptier than it looks from a café.

We are not moralising about anybody’s holiday. What we would say plainly is: do not walk beyond Kheerganga or up towards Malana without a guide who knows the ground, tell somebody where you are going, and do not do either of those things under the influence of anything. The valley is beautiful and it is not benign.

How the 5 days run

Day 16–7 hrs from Dharamshala, 8–9 from Delhi

Into the valley

Up the Beas to Bhuntar, then turn right and follow the Parvati in. The valley closes around you within a few kilometres. Kasol is small — one street, really — and you will have walked all of it before dinner.

Day 2

Manikaran and Chalal

Manikaran is fifteen minutes up the road: a gurudwara and a temple built over hot springs that come out of the ground near boiling, and where the langar is cooked in the spring water. Then the walk across the river to Chalal in the afternoon — half an hour, flat, through pine.

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Day 31 hr to Barshaini, then on foot
Tosh, and up to Kheerganga
We drive to Barshaini. From there it is a 12km walk to Kheerganga, four to five hours up, through Rudranag and along the river. There are hot springs at the top at 3,050m and you sleep in a hut or a tent. It is not technical but it is steadily uphill the whole way and you should be honest with yourself about it.
Day 4
Down, and Tosh
Three hours back down to Barshaini, and then Tosh in the afternoon — a village at the head of the valley that people go to for a night and leave a fortnight later. Back to Kasol, or stay up there if you would rather.
Day 56–7 hrs
Out
Back down to Bhuntar for the flight, or on by road to Manali, Dharamshala or Delhi. A lot of people do not use this day and stay on instead, which is fine — tell us and we will just do the drop when you are ready.

What is in it, and what is not

Included

Private car and driver for the road days, fuel, tolls and parking
Hotels and guest houses in Kasol and Tosh
The hut or tent at Kheerganga
Breakfast on the road days
A local guide for the Kheerganga walk if you want one

Not included

Flights and trains
Most lunches and dinners
Anything you buy for yourself
Trekking gear

We do not publish a rate card. The number depends on the season, how many of you there are and the sort of hotels you want, so we price each trip on its own — and whatever we quote is what you pay.

What people ask about this one

How hard is the Kheerganga walk?

Four to five hours up, three down, about 12km each way, and it climbs the whole time. If you walk regularly at home you will be fine. If you do not, it is still doable but it will take you longer and you should start early. Mules can carry bags most of the way.

Can I skip Kheerganga?

Yes, and plenty do. There is enough in the valley for five days without it — Malana, Grahan, or just sitting by the river. Say so when you book and we will shape the days differently.

Is it a good place to work from for a while?

Kasol and Tosh both have cafés with usable wifi and people doing exactly that. Signal is patchy and drops out for hours at a time, so it depends on what your work needs. We can do the drive in and out and leave the middle open.

Is it safe for a woman travelling alone?

Broadly yes, and a lot of women do this valley solo. Two practical notes: it is well known for drugs and you will be offered them, and the walks are better done with company rather than alone at dusk. Your driver's number stays with you the whole time.