Kasol & Manikaran - Solo Travel

Hello Folks,

Here I would like to share my experience of a picturesque village in Kullu, sitting on the banks of River Parvati, Kasol is one of the foremost happening destinations within the entire of North India known as “Heaven’s Getaway” Kasol is loved for its scenic beauty, amazing landscapes, pleasant environment, and exciting culture. I Cocooned within the lap of mother nature, at an altitude of 1640 meters, Kasol could also be an enormous crowd puller and a backpacker’s destination. The place is additionally a sojourn for nature lovers like me and trying to seek out an escape within the center of lush green forests and soothing views.

Now to further describe Kasol then, it is one among the foremost beautiful places within the district Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. One of the main attractions here is that the thundering River Parvati, which originates from the ManTalai Glacier, gushes through the Parvati Valley, and eventually cracks into the Beas River near Kullu. the location of the sparkling river meandering through the snow-dusted mountains is certainly soul-soothing, you must be visited.

I’m fond of Camping love so now to give some brief on Camping in Kasol may be a fun-filled activity that has been a practice over the years. It referred to as the “Amsterdam of India”, Kasol gives you many opportunities to awaken your inner adventure wanderer and rediscover yourself. Surrounded by valleys and hills, this hamlet is additionally an ideal base for trekking and hiking. The salubrious climate and timeless great things about nature make this places a traveler’s delight.

I want to add up my personal experience with Solo Trek at Kasol Valley.

In February 2019, I traveled to Kasol from Ahmedabad. I trek on Mountain with a street dog who always with me during my trekking. However, I started my journey in the early morning. I kept my things in my small backpacks such as a water bottle, goggles, cap, and accessories

The mountain height is approx. 13,700 feet and the temperature was nearly -3 °C. I was shivering because it's too cold & hoped that I completed my trek before the sunset because I was on a Solo trip and nobody can motivate me but unfortunately, I finished by 8 PM. I came across 2 Bears at the time of trekking. Not only this, the entire weather was so pleasant and the mountain was closest to the river bank So, I enjoyed the natural scenic beauty of Kasol. I also clicked few pictures on my mobile in between trek which will be always memorable for me for a long time.

I noticed something very unique about Kasol is famous for Charas. Most of the visitors visit here to take Charas. In addition to this, Charas, handmade in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and India, maybe a hashish sort of cannabis. It's one of the widely used drugs in India. The cannabis plant, an equivalent plant wants to make marijuana, grows mostly in Northern India where much of the charas manufacturing takes place. Charas features a long integral history in India which is related to the culture and ritual views of the Hindu religion. I seated in the cafe and around me visitors from Mumbai and Delhi, they visited Kasol to take charas and they also came here through a car on self-driving. I loved maggie of cafe it’s mouth-watering and its taste on my lips as well.

About Malana trek, Malana may be a small isolated village 21 km from Kasol still untouched by modern lifestyle. Malana is legendary for the fine quality of its hashish branded as Malana Cream. Well, for a fact I did find there was a fine on touching the temple walls, it had been clearly mentioned on the walls. The villagers believe themselves to be the descendants of Aryans left from Alexander’s army which the purity of their race would be compromised by interaction with outsiders. The village has its own government and therefore the villagers don't consider themselves within the jurisdiction of the Indian government. They speak their own language and it's one of the oldest democracies within the world. They worship Jamlu Devta.

After that I visited one among the foremost famous treks in Himachal, tons of individuals come to Parvati Valley just for the Kheerganga Trek. The trek from Barshaini to the Kheerganga Summit 3,000 m above sea level is sort of easy and perfect for beginners yet adventurous. As you tire yourself on the trail amidst the pleasing peaks & waterfalls, the recent spring at the summit will rejuvenate your mind & body.

There are two ways from Barshaini to Kheerganga- One maybe a 9 km four-hour steep hop on narrow and tricky trails with a gorgeous view of a waterfall, the opposite one maybe a 12 km stretch, comparatively easier & less steep passing through a village called Nagthan village around 4 km from Barshaini and a temple – Rudranag Temple having a waterfall not nearly as good as on the opposite route. I took the steeper one uphill & the better one downhill. Trek through either way will take to approximately 4 -5 hrs.

Kasol is a shopaholics paradise! The city’s colorful flea market has tons of wonderful stuff that you must take home with you from chillums to Himachali caps and much more! The market is filled with such stuff at cheap prices. Here, you’ll easily find shiva and Bob Marley t-shirts, posters, bands, and bracelets in every possible color since this part of Himachal! I also found handmade traditional caps, clothes, and winter clothes that represent the origin of the Himachal tradition that made from wool and you can get it in the best quality and hand-work.

After the trekking, I visited the sight scene at Gurudwara which is famous for hot spring water as known as Manikarn. At that place, you can find Hot spring water vat in which people take bath as a ritual thought. Behind the Gurudwara, there are small markets, ram mandir, and a temple of lord shiva you must visit. I felt so amazed during the trek and it was an unforgettable trek for the life. I also plan to another solo trek in the future.