Hopping around Parvati Valley- Kasol, Manikaran and Tosh

Tripoto
30th Jun 2015
Photo of Hopping around Parvati Valley- Kasol, Manikaran and Tosh 1/6 by Akriti Shashni
Sanjha Chulha, Kasol
Photo of Hopping around Parvati Valley- Kasol, Manikaran and Tosh 2/6 by Akriti Shashni
Israeli Breakfast at Moon Dance Cafe, Kasol
Photo of Hopping around Parvati Valley- Kasol, Manikaran and Tosh 3/6 by Akriti Shashni
Hot water spring, Manikaran
Photo of Hopping around Parvati Valley- Kasol, Manikaran and Tosh 4/6 by Akriti Shashni
Ram Mandir, Manikaran
Photo of Hopping around Parvati Valley- Kasol, Manikaran and Tosh 5/6 by Akriti Shashni
en route Tosh village
Photo of Hopping around Parvati Valley- Kasol, Manikaran and Tosh 6/6 by Akriti Shashni
Somewhere near Tosh Village

Me and my friends boarded the local bus (Kasol- Manikaran- Barshaini) at 7 am. from Bhuntar bus stand. Our first stop was at Kasol. It took 2hrs 15 mins to reach this place from Bhuntar. Kasol is a small place which attracts backpackers, foreigners and nature lovers throughout the year. There are plenty of cafes which serve variety of food. The narrow streets of Kasol are filled with tiny shops selling a wide range of handicraft items, earrings, semi precious stones, woolen clothes and caps. Since we were hungry we went to a road side eating joint called Moon dance cafe which serves excellent food at decent price. Kasol is little crowded compared to Tosh, so the only interesting thing to do is to shop your heart out and try different cuisines. After spending some good 3 hours at Kasol, we headed towards Manikaran. You will find plenty of buses from Kasol which go towards Manikaran. Manikaran is a pilgrimage center which is known for gurudwaras, temples and its hot springs. You can visit the Gurudwara and temples but most importantly don't forget to take a dip in the hot water spring. All these activities in Manikaran will not take more than two hours. From Manikaran there are two viable options to reach Tosh village either you can hire a cab which will drop you at Tosh or you can catch a bus which will drop you at Barshaini and from there you can walk (45 mins) towards Tosh Village. Tosh is a small village surrounded by breathtaking landscape and beautiful wooden houses. There are guest houses both at the entrance of village and at the far end of the village. I will recommend to walk uphill passing the village houses and narrow lanes. There are few guest houses at the end of the village and view from the top of the village is much better than the entrance of village. We stayed at Hilltop Guest house which has decent rooms and are priced around 500 INR/night. Accommodation will not be a problem unless you go during peak seasons. This trip was definitely a memorable one as we were able to visit these three beautiful places in one day. It is always fun to try different cuisine, experience diverse culture, chat with locals and travel with friends. In a nutshell, for me this trip was Eat, Pray and Fly!