Himachal Pradesh Summary: A Journey Through the Mountains

Get a concise summary of my memorable journey through the breathtaking landscapes of Himachal Pradesh, from the mountains to the valleys.

What a trip it was… It was only 6 days but it felt so much longer.

The Overview

The actual itinerary

Day 1: Manali

Day 2: Jogni Falls Trek

Day 3: Trek to Solang Valley

Day 4: Manali to Kasol, Chalal Trek

Day 5: Grahan Trek

Day 6: Grahan Waterfall, down to Kasol

There are a couple of things I would do differently for a Himachal Pradesh trip: I’d definitely skip Manali or at least reduce it to 1 1/2 days! I loved the cafes in Old Manali, Jogni Falls, and apple orchards but Solang Valley was quite a waste of time. There are some real treks like Beas Kund which would’ve surely been better – if the snow line hadn’t been so low. Another thing I’d love to do from there is bike trips to Leh Ladakh and Spiti Valley. There are lots of bike rental agencies where one can rent bikes.

About Kasol, I have mixed feelings as well. Rave music everywhere you go and I simply hated it. But there are some really good restaurants and one can do so many different treks from there. Kheerganga is supposed to be beautiful but it’s fully overcrowded – a British guy I met on the bus told me that he was hardly able to walk down properly because of all the masses who were queuing on the way up. If I ever go then surely offseason and on a weekday.

Parvati Valley is absolutely stunning though, the drive alone was so beautiful that I didn’t want it to end. There are places a bit further up like Tosh which I’d like to explore. I fully fell in love with Grahan, this kind of place is (almost) exactly what I was looking for (minus the rave music). From there, there are a couple of more treks to some passes which must be amazing. The only issue is that during peak times, even up there you find lots of people and loud music, which I wanted to avoid.

An alternative is apparently also Tirthan Valley, which is a less commercial and more peaceful destination for Himachal Pradesh. This will most likely be one of my next destinations for the mountains 🙂

Summary

Distances covered

By bus: 1180 km

By auto: 8.5 km

By foot: 83.5 km

Total Cost

Accommodation

Expected: 6000-7500 INR

Actual:

3 nights Manali: 3×1.8k= 5400 INR

1 night Kasol: 2000 INR

1 night Grahan: 400 INR

Total: 7800 INR

Food

Expected: 5000-6000 INR

Actual: 6000 INR

Bus

Expected: 3000 INR

Actual:

Delhi-Manali: 1200 INR

Manali-Kasol: 150 INR

Kasol-Delhi: 1200 INR

Total: 2550 INR

Autos

Expected: 2000 INR

Actual: 500 INR (2 rides)

Guides

Expected: 3000 INR

Actual: 0

Other

Expected: 0 INR

Actual: 1670 INR

Total

Expected: 18500 INR

Actual: 18520 INR

… ooops! ? And I said, I didn’t believe I’d ever spend that much 😉 But hey, after all that walking, I need a warm and comfortable bed and most of all, a hot shower!