You don’t have to keep dreaming of heaven when the hills of Kheerganga exist to give you the experience of a lifetime. If you are traveling to this gem of Kasol, then trekking through the valleys is an adventure you can’t miss. The glory of mountains, the sound of nature, and holy rivers await!

Aakanksha, our nomad traveler, is based in Mumbai and works as a Software Engineer. With her passion to trace across all the beauties of Himachal, she came across Kasol. A place that looked like it came out of a book. From pine trees that stood tall to the gushing rivers, it looked nothing less than a miracle. 

A restless spirit has mastery in wandering, but where ever it travels, all it wants is to be still. 

People and Places

While tracing such extraordinary places of Himachal, she was accompanied by her friends. A group of nine that always had something to add to the itinerary, always in the hope to discover more, to wander together. And when this troop left for Kasol, they started their journey from Manali. 

For this mini road trip, they booked a tempo that dropped them off at Kasol at around 10:30 in the night. Now all they had to do was look for a hotel to crash at. After booking two rooms at one of the budget-friendly hotels, they unpacked and unwinded after a day of travel. 

The view from halfway down

It was an early morning for the trekkers as their goal for the day was to reach the pinnacles of Kheerganga. At a height of about 3000 meters, laying deep in the valleys of Parvati is the infamous mountain of Kheerganga.  It’s surely a trekker’s paradise that one cannot miss experiencing in Kasol. 

While the six of them were off to hike, the other three stayed back to explore the city. From the base camp, the group decides to take the Tanga Wala route out of the other few routes to walk through. This trek is not a quite dexterous one, so first-time trekkers shouldn’t be concerned about facing any outright impossible routes to trek through. For safety and support, there are hiking shoes and sticks available for rent [INR 150 and 50 each].

Their trek wasn’t organized by any particular travel agency. And they decided to follow along their own route rather than hiring a guide. Following a trail was easier with the help of stalls located at short distances. A village is stationed at mid-way of the mountain, and locals are of great help if you face any issues. 

They made pit-stops at the cafes and gorged upon lip-smacking local food. After fueling up on these delicacies, they continued trekking onto higher altitudes. From one point to another, it took them almost seven hours to reach all the way up. 

The camp

Walking in the tiring sun of the afternoon to enjoying the sunset in the evening, Aakanksha was enchanted by the splendid view of Kheerganga. Looking over the landscape, it felt like a place where time stood still. The calm atmosphere around was filled with racing hearts of excitement. 

Upon reaching there, they came across the Parvati Kund. Nature’s hot spring is definitely a must in the winters of Kasol. Further, they planned to settle down on the campsite. Here, the camps were quite spacious and were placed in an amazing spot [INR 1500 per tent]. After their overnight camp in the hills of Kheerganga, they descended the next day. 

Another destination they wished to visit was Malana. But in aspirations to travel to the fascinating places of Himachal, they could not add the village of Malana to their list. This place has some of the most magnificent peaks that look self-isolated from the rest of the world. 

And, Manikaran Sahib was the gurudwara that Aakanksha visited. This shrine of Sikhs is also located near Parvati valley. Here they enjoyed the langar and prayers in the holy atmosphere of the temple. 

So this was the amazing travel story of Aakanksha to Kheerganga and Kasol. For more details check out her page @aakankshakhandelwal.

And for more such enticing stories and detailed itineraries, follows us on our page @indiachalk.