![Photo of Kasol : A solo trip in the Himalayan Valley 33/35 by Aayush Shrut]()
A solo trip is something that transforms you. It makes you think the meaning of existence. It makes you realize the small things in life. It makes you appreciate the beauty of life, the beauty of mother nature. It makes you more grounded, more connected with the planet earth. More than that, it makes you fearless. It tests your personality, makes you a survival in unknown environment. Gives you power to deal with surprises, deal with hurdles. Gives you a new intake of life. And most of them all, it gives you a much needed break from the fast paced life that has become now a days. It makes you appreciate about yourself, and makes you explore the outside world with a different angle.
![Photo of Kasol : A solo trip in the Himalayan Valley 34/35 by Aayush Shrut]()
For solo tourist like me, I found the enchanting deep valleys of Kasol, mostly untouched by tourists and favoring a rich foreign culture, a place to do my reformation. The most special part of the trip was the quiet. Noone bothers noone. You can explore the place at your own pace. You can roam around, sit down in the river with endless thoughts. Watch the flowing of river, wash your face with the cool water. Climb down mountains. Stare at the mighty Himalayas. Roam around at night seeing the evergreen culture of the city. Watch with awe as how foreigners and Indians alike consume the nationwide famous Malana Cream hash literally in the open. And in that exploration realize the world is so much happy place with everyone enjoying. Noone bothers you, so you can go about exploring the woods and the rivers.
Look forward to a weekend of nice quiet tranquility. Look forward to soul searching. Look forward to a comfortable solo trip. Look forward to doing nothing, yet discovering so many things.
It's a dream valley, nestled around 50kms away from Bhunter, the main spot for Kullu-Delhi line. Local buses run every 15 minutes from Bhunter. Buses for Bhunter can be booked from Delhi at very reasonable cost. It took me around 2000 for up and down from Bhunter.
![Photo of Kasol : A solo trip in the Himalayan Valley 35/35 by Aayush Shrut]()
My advice to the solo travelers would be to explore and absorb the culture and the view of the valleys. You can never get tired from the majestic sight seeing and the locals there. Don't be in a hurry. Explore the mountains, and the cool breeze it bestows upon you. Take a wash in the dangerous river, whose coldness would purify your soul. Take lots of photos, but make sure to capture the experience in your memory, making it one of the most beautiful memory of your life. Talk to the nice locals, who although would more than often be buzy minding their own business and proving certain difficult Hindi or English communication.
Make a solo trip to Kasol, you won't be disappointed.
The best Cafe in Kasol hands down. It served all my solo trip conditions of enjoying different varieties of Isralei Cuisine. The food was yummy and the culture very forthcoming and relaxing. Nestled just below the valleys, and a bit down towards the road away from main city, it gives a majestic view of the mighty Himalayas and makes you wonder about the beauty of nature that we cease to spot in the present fast paced life.
Only because I went in the wrong season, when there was a trance festival going on and the month was peak summer June :(, I got the only reasonable place of stay at slightly expensive, but peak timing justified rate of 900 rupees per day. The room was good and spacious, with a good big bathroom and a very powerful geyser. Though initially skeptical, I actually chose the best place to stay in Kasol as through my room I could hear the flowing of the river sound. For the peace seekers among us, it gives a very natural night sleep. The sound of the river at night is almost hypnotizing, like mother nature grasping you to it's glory and the quiet. Ask for the room with balcony and you would see all your tensions flow away with the river in the endless starry night.
The best Italian cuisine in Kasol and in the Himalayas! Hands down one of the most cheesiest and crunchiest home made pizzas I tasted.
Kasol is infamous or rather famous for it's drug culture. If you have heard and are excited about the term "rave party" and night woods drug party, this is the place to hit in Kasol. For the peace lovers, this might seem as a distraction as I opted not to buy the tickets for the Trance Festival going on at that time (one of the biggest musical festivals in the valley, mind you the crowd was immense). But for the cultural explores among us, you can observe the mighty drug culture of Kasol first hand here. Isarealis, Italians, Russians and ofcourse Indians, all high on all kinds of drugs you can imagine. Nestled safely away after a 30 minute trek following the majestic walk through the river and forests, you will find people having good times in and around the woods. Many would even invite you to join them, many will talk to you, many will behave erratically, but one thing for sure, it will give you a great experience on the local Kasol culture exploration.
The might shaky bridge. This bridge is very shaky, yet you have very rare chance of falling down into the river unless you are being heroic. But in the shaky bridge, what you see is the magnificent view of the mighty Himalayas, from where the mystical and cool waters of the mountains flow down through the valley. In the day time, seeing the sun rays getting refracted through the trees and mountains, and illuminating the peak is a rare sight to behold. And as if this wasn't enough, than there is the cool breeze that follows the mountains. This fresh breathe of air is enough to purify your mind of any toxic fumes that you intake in the polluted city life. The freshness of the air purifies your inner soul. And if you are on the solo trip for your soul search, than you would definitely revisit the bridge at midnight. When the moon is high and when it casts a beautiful low light on the rocks, you would be mystified by the sight and a picture perfect memory of a lifetime would be captured in your eyes that no DSLR can recreate.
For tasting the local cuisine, nothing is better than the market. It offers the best of the local Kasol culture items such as smoking accessories and local hand made clothes at very reasonable price. You ought to develop your bargaining skills though. Also spread throughout the market are some of the finest and cheapest street food items. Be it bread omllette, parathas, Chinese, Tibetan, Israeli or even North India, it's a foodie dream come true as you salvage different varieties of cuisine in the homogeneous culture of Kasol. Don't miss the German Bakery, for it offers the best cakes and pastries this side of the Valley!
