Himalayan Treks Archives

Situated in the Parvati valley of the beautiful north Indian state, Kasol is a little village that has become one of the most popular tourist destinations among the Indian and the foreigners alike. The Parvati River flows beside it and acts as a lifeline to the spot.

How to reach

The airport nearest to Kasol is located in Bhuntar, but the flights are rare and a costly affair. As the place is not connected by railway and flights are not very frequent to Kullu, the only way to hit this region is by road. So if you are planning to reach Kasol from Delhi or Chandigarh, road is the ideal route.

There are ample bus services from Delhi that could get you here in an approx 14 hours time. The buses run via Chandigarh mostly.

Things to do at Kasol

Kasol is a tourist heaven, and out of the countless things that you could do at the place, here are a few of them.

Walk by the Parvati river- There is nothing more uplifting than a brisk walk along the magnetic current of the river Parvati while grasping in the beautiful landscapes surrounding it. As the crystal clear blue sky gets pierced with the snow capped peaks of Himalayas, the image just stays with you for a very long time.

Visit Manikaran Sahib- If you happen to be in Kasol, don’t forget to give a brief visit to Manikaran Sahib, a magnificent gurudwara located just about 6 kilometres away from Kasol. You can either take a hike or book a ride to the place, whatever suits you really. The spring water near the monument is known to have healing powers. So, in a way, medical tourism is also one other reason for the place to be popular.

Visit Malana – Malana is a small community of tribal people and a must visit place for travelers seeking adventure and sightseeing.

The place is famed for its cultivation of Malana cream, which is a quality of Hash, About 5 – 6 hours of the trek away from Kasol can bring you to this place. Hiring a local guide is the best choice to enjoy the peaceful surroundings and explore the exclusive ways of living of this village.

Kheer Ganga- Kheer Ganga is one lush green place reached by a long trek from Kasol. Those with poor health may find it extremely hard to go along with the trek. But once you manage to go through it, you experience a whole new world of enlightenment within you.

Activities in Kasol

Trekking and Rock Climbing

A trip to a hill station is basically incomplete without some adventure and this holds true for all the adventure buffs. Kasol is full of many trekking paths categorized right from easy to difficult and dangerous.

When the weather is perfect, one can go for a short trek of half an hour to Village Chalaal or opt for a longer trip to Pulga Village. Tosh and Kheer Ganga are the two places which give you an adrenaline rush through your veins while trekking.

Best Time to Visit

The ideal time to experience the silence and solace of nature in Kasol is from March to May. At this time of the year, the weather is pleasant enough and welcoming to the visitors and the temperature varies from 15-22 Degree Celsius.

Although the Kasol experiences good weather throughout the year, the ideal time to explore the wilderness of the place is from March to May. At this time of the year the weather is pleasant and the temperature varies from 15-22 Degree Celsius.

What to eat

Apart from being known as a hippie paradise, Kasol also caters in a great way to the food lovers. Israelis form the biggest section of the tourists in Kasol and thus, the town serves some great Israeli food along with pan-Indian cuisines. There are little dhabas, stalls and restaurants in every corner where you can go to satisfy the hunger pangs. Some of the best restaurants in Kasol are Evergreen, Moon Dance Cafe, Jim Morrison Cafe, Stone Garden Cafe and Little Italy.

Stay

Being a prime tourist spot, there are many hotels and cottages made available for the tourists in different budget options. Parvati Kuteer, Shivalik, Devlok International and Sun N Wind are a few popular hotels that provide some great services to the tourists at very reasonable prices.

Kasol is a beautiful place, one of those places where you must bring your family for a good time. So what have you been waiting for? Start packing!!

Trekking to a high altitude lake might be a strenuous task to undertake but the magical scenic beauty that it offers is completely worth the efforts. The following listed lakes are located at enough heights to keep them frozen during the winter season which adds on to their magnificence.

Pangong Tso, Ladakh

Located at an altitude of 4,250 meters in Ladakh, Pangong Tso is one of Asia’s largest salt-water lakes and is just 5 hours drive away from Leh. Its azure waters spread over an area of 100 kilometres across the borders of two countries- one-third of it lies in India while the remaining two-third lies in Tibet and a majority of the streams that constitute the lake are located in the latter part. Also known as the Hollow Lake, its brackish water along with sunlight produces beautiful light effects. During winters, the surface of the lake freezes and an ice skating festival is organised on it, inviting contenders from all over the world.

Roop Kund, Uttarakhand

This high- altitude glacial lake is located in Uttarakhand and it takes 2 days to trek 30 km to it from Lohajung. The bottom of the lake contains the bones of humans as well as animals, the reason behind which is not clearly known yet and this very fact gives it a thrilling touch. The lake has a depth of only about 2 metres and the skeletons become visible once the water melts.

Tsongmo/Changu Lake, Sikkim

Situated at 12,313 feet above sea level, the glacial lake Tsomgo is nearby Gangtok, which makes it a great getaway option for not only locals but also tourists. This lake although small in size, has a unique and fascinating feature, which bestows upon it an important place in Buddhism and Hinduism alike. Due to natural factors, its surface reflects different colours during the changing seasons of the year.

Gurudongmar Lake, Sikkim

Gurudongmar Lake’s altitude of about 17,800 feet makes it one of the highest lakes in the world. It is located 190 km away from Gangtok and 5 km to the south of the Chinese border. Considered sacred by both Sikhs and Buddhists, Guru Padmasambhava of the Sikhs is believed to have visited this place. The area around the lake is inhabited by various high altitude animals but disappointingly its clear waters have now become polluted due to local interference.

Suraj Tal, Himachal Pradesh

Suraj Tal or the Surya Tal literally means the Lake of the Sun God and is the third highest lake in India and the 21^st highest in the world. It is located in the Lahaul and Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh, just below the Bara-lacha-la pass. This lake is the source of the Bhaga river which is a tributary of Chenab river. Its climatic conditions are similar to the poles of the Earth due to which the lake remains frozen for the most part of the year.