Weekend Getaways from Delhi: Getting the Most Out of Your Kasol Trip

Regardless of the time of the year, Parvati Valley is a popular destination that sees hundreds of visitors, especially when it comes to travelling to Kasol from Delhi. Famous among all, from teens to adults, and without a doubt one of the most famous places to visit in Himachal Pradesh, Kasol is located about 26 km from Kullu and is home to lush greenery, picturesque landscapes, and is the starting point for several well-known treks, including the Kheerganga, Malana, Rasol, and Tosh treks. You can scour the internet for the best tips for your Delhi to Kasol trip but if you want to head to the hills and ensure you get the best out of your trip, here’s all you need to know:

Getting to Kasol

The first thing you should know is that there is no direct train from Delhi to Kasol. In fact, even the nearest train station from Kasol which connects to Delhi is the Joginder Nagar Railway Station, at a distance of 144 km from Kasol. For reaching Kasol with a train ticket to Joginder Nagar from Delhi, the price will be upwards of Rs 1000, which makes it a not so feasible choice. Travelling to Kasol via a Delhi-Chandigarh train is also an option where ticket prices are quite affordable is also an option but that leaves almost 300 km to cover; and with the total distance from Delhi to Kasol being about 600 km, covering the entire journey by road makes for the most suitable option. In fact, even if you take a well-curated Kasol tour package, it will include travel by road. The best way to get there is to go from Delhi to Kasol by car, bus, or traveller.

Delhi to Kasol by Car or Traveller: You can take your own car, but you should be aware that parking can turn into an issue once you get there. Taking a cab or traveller is a good option for decent-sized groups.

Going to Kasol from Delhi by Bus: There are again, no direct buses, but as it is such a popular tourist spot, the travel is quite streamlined and taking a bus and travelling from Delhi to Kasol by road is the most popular mode of travel. To cover the journey from Delhi to Kasol by road, you can choose an affordable non-AC roadways bus or a luxury Volvo bus (there are many options) to Manali. On the way, you can get off at the Bhuntar stop, which is where the path to Kasol forks off.

At Bhuntar, you can choose to take a cab or get on one of the regular local buses to Kasol. Many of these buses also go as far as Barshaini, a small village near Kasol, which is the gateway to Tosh and Buddhaban, the scenic triplets of Kalga, Pulga, and Tulga, and is the starting point for the treks to Rudranag, Kheerganga, Star Pass, and many more scenic destinations. All said and done, the time spent on the Delhi to Kasol route is more than worth it as the scenic journey to Kasol from Delhi does not leave you wanting.

A bus from Bhuntar will add a little less than 2 hours to your travel time from Delhi to Kasol and is the best way to get to the little hamlet in the hills.

Your Stay

From camps and rustic cafés to homestays, hostels, and comfortable hotels, there are a huge number of places to stay in Kasol, and you can easily choose any one of them for your stay. However, staying at the nearby villages of Tosh or Malana and exploring Kasol on day trips is the option most people tend to choose for its affordability and sheer adventure. For example, taking a cab to the entrance of Tosh village allows you to cross a bridge over the river to reach the village, where you can find accommodation for less than Rs 500 per room per day. However, in such a case, you need to ensure that any special provisions you need, like packets of chips, or big bottles of cold drink, etc., need to be purchased in Kasol or Barshaini, as they’re not easy to get at the villages, and are priced high if you do manage to find them.

Experiencing Kasol

Most people cover the distance from Delhi to Kasol just to get started on some of the most popular treks, but that does not mean that Kasol can be skipped over completely. Here are the places to visit in Kasol for definitive experiences:

• Go Back Over the Bridge to Old Kasol and Have a Sit Down at Shiva Mama Café: This café is one of the oldest in Kasol, from way before the hordes of tourists started heading to the small town. Not only can you try some good food, but the owner too has some amazing stories to share if you have the time.
• Try Some Momos as the River Serenades You: Right at the beginning of Kasol, towards your left, you will see an open momo restaurant, with netting and fabric for walls and a tin shed roof, where you can sit amidst the gurgling sounds of the Parvati River, flowing unseen nearby, and enjoy some delicious, piping hot momos, served with spicy chutneys. Right beside the momo restaurant, a small path also leads to the riverbed, where you can enjoy some quiet time, away from all crowds.
• Have an Oreo Shake at Evergreen: Sit inside or out at the Evergreen Café and enjoy a wholesome meal; just don’t forget to top it off with a delicious Oreo Shake! Evergreen café is located almost at the end of Kasol’s main road and is a popular spot for delicious food and dark-psy music. If you’re a fan of psychedelic tracks and sheesha, you cannot miss out on Evergreen Café.
• Spend an Evening at the ART Café: Hidden away in a side street, the ART café is another well-known popular spot in Kasol where you can have good food and music as you spend a delightful evening among other like-minded travellers.
• Shop on the Streets: All the streets of Kasol are full of a huge number of shops where you can buy some amazing clothes, souvenirs, and other handicraft items at affordable prices, which alone more than make up for all that distance from Delhi to Kasol you covered on your journey.
• Enjoy the Best Treats at German Bakery: One is located on the main ‘chowk’ of Kasol, the other is at Moon Dance Café, and yet another is the Old German Bakery in Old Kasol. Whichever you prefer, or whichever you plan to visit is up to you but the special salad and cheesecakes of German Bakery simply cannot be missed out on.
• Visit Manikaran Sahib: Hindus believe that Manu recreated humans at this spot after humankind was wiped out in a flood, which makes this a sacred site. The gurudwara with its hot springs and steamy corridors is always worth a visit. There’s also a Shiva temple right next to it, where you can see people with strings going into openings in the ground, where they are actually cooking rice in cloth bags and the hot springs. Steam also regularly rises from the ground, making for quite a surreal sight, especially as the steam clears to give you a magnificent view of a black stone carving of Lord Shiva that seems to leap out from the wall in all its might.

When you do visit Manikaran, make most of your Kasol trip from Delhi, and at least once take a long scenic walk from Manikaran to Kasol. The walk is mostly downhill and with a 4 km distance to cover, takes about 1 hour on foot (at an average walking pace).

Other Places Near Kasol

The almost 600-km distance from Delhi to Kasol not only takes you to a different state but to a different world altogether where the pace of life is quite different, and priorities can all take a backseat as you indulge in a small break from your daily life. It isn’t hard to find out more about the more popular destinations around Kasol that you can trek to, like the little town of Malana located on the Delhi to Kasol route, the picture-perfect Tosh village with the best views of snow-capped mountains, or Kheerganga where it is said that Lord Shiva meditated for thousands of years. But what about the less known places that people planning a Kasol trip from Delhi generally end up missing out on?

• Chalal: Chalal is relatively well-known as it’s located about half an hour trek away from Kasol and even the trek is pretty easy – almost like a riverside walk along Parvati River.
• Rasol: 8000 feet above sea level, with around a hundred houses, Rasol is not just a funny way of saying ‘Kasol’ (Kasol-Rasol). From Kasol to Chalal and then Rasol, you will take about 2-3 hours and that is if you have good stamina. A major part of this trek is more of a hike up a steep stony trail, and it’s this path, inaccessibility, and height that make Rasol quite an elusive destination around Kasol.
• Grahan: Again, depending on your own stamina and fitness, you can reach Grahan in 3-5 hours with a couple of halts in between. Wooden homes, trippy boards, and hippie cafés welcome you to a tiny hamlet that makes you feel like you’ve entered a storybook land. The trek is fairly easy to accomplish with a couple of tough but manageable parts interspersed in between.
• The Scenic Triplets: You may have heard of Pulga as being a good spot for raves and psychedelic parties near Kasol, but did you know that Pulga is just one of the three neighboring villages that you can visit when you go to Kasol from Delhi? Kalga, Pulga, and Tulga are well-known for their apple orchards, irresistibly picturesque surroundings, and intensely non-commercialized locales! Free from typical tourist crowds, these rustic destinations are perfect for a complete break from your daily life. Visit rooftop cafés, explore the ‘fairy forest’ with local dogs keeping you company, munch on delicious fresh apples, or just relax and gaze at snow-covered peaks in the rejuvenating serene ambience.

There’s a lot more you can explore in and around Kasol; all you need to do is converse with the locals, who are the best travel guides and can let you know exactly which places are worth a visit and what the best way to get there is.

A trip to Kasol from Delhi has a lot to offer. You just need to walk a little off the well-travelled track and be willing to carve your own adventure!