Barot - A Hidden Treasure of Mountains

Tripoto
1st Feb 2012
Photo of Barot - A Hidden Treasure of Mountains 1/6 by Umesh Awasthi
Barot

Life sometimes makes us very busy and we hardly find time for other things, but we at Travellingrants always try to find time out of our busy calendar for our ever-going expedition of exploring this magnificent planet. We wish all our readers a Happy New Year.

2012 was welcomed by nature with snow in hilly areas. Hills and vallies covered with white sheet of snow give a  view as if the nature is showing canvas at its best. Driving through the snow covered hills is always refreshing and one tends to forget all their anxiety, stress and busy programmes.
We decided to give a break and started to prepare ourselves to explore a small but a very scenic valley in the lap of mountains  -- Barot, a small place in the state of Himachal Pradesh under district Mandi, situated along  the Uhl River and surrounded by Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas.

Photo of Barot - A Hidden Treasure of Mountains 2/6 by Umesh Awasthi



Snow-capped peaks, a small river running through the lush green valley, chirping of birds, fresh wind flowing through valley, it seems like nature has blessed Barot with all grace. We found this valley as one of the most beautiful place we have traveled so far.
Barot is not a big tourists destination, only those few who love to be close to the nature know about this beautiful valley.

Photo of Barot - A Hidden Treasure of Mountains 3/6 by Umesh Awasthi



How to Reach
To reach Barot, one has to take a diversion at a village named Ghatasani, situated on national Highway No 20 (Pathankot-Manali). Barot is about 25Km from Ghatasani. Nearest main places from this are Mandi (District) and Jogindernagar.
There are a few buses  operated by State Roadways and private operator running between Palampur, Mandi, Jogindernagar to Barot.

The nearest railway station is Jogindernagar, a narrow gauge railway line connecting Jogindernagar to Pathankot.
If you want to take the aerial route, two nearest airports are Gaggal (Dharmshala Himachal) and Kullu.

Road Condition
Road from Ghatasani to Barot is a link road, so do not expect  a good or pleasant road, but driving through the splendid landscapes, changing colors of nature at every turn will make you refreshed and delighted.

Photo of Barot - A Hidden Treasure of Mountains 4/6 by Umesh Awasthi


Where to Stay
Barot  is not a big or popular tourists place, so do not expect a very luxury place to stay. There are two rest houses, one being operated by state PWD department and other by the state Forest department for official purpose, but based on the availability they are open for general public for very nominal charges. We suggest our readers to first give a try for these places.
PWD rest house is situated at Barot itself while Forest rest house is at Murthan, only 1KM away from Barot. Beside these, one has the option of home stay at very nominal charges.

What to Do
No big tourist markets, no malls, no popular tourists point, it seems to be a place for few who love such places. Beauty is in every part of this valley so every  spot in itself is a tourist spot. First light of sun  reflecting from water gives a wonderful experience. Sound of breeze passing through the thick forests gives feelings like nature is singing a welcome song for you.
Photo of Barot - A Hidden Treasure of Mountains 5/6 by Umesh Awasthi

 
Taking a walk around the valley will make you  forget all your concerns, anxiety and you will keep on admiring a never ending beauty of nature. Sounds of river water splash around the stones, calmness of the nature, chirping of birds, clouds playing around with sun is something you will keep recalling. Barot is a place for all those who want to spend time close to nature and want to rediscover themselves. Barot is not a place for one who is expecting a place full of people with lots of happening around them.
Barot provides a good amount of trekking options for backpackers. Many trekking trails pass through Barot, including trek to Bada Bhangal, Manali and Kullu.
This area is also popular for its trout fish farming, so you can enjoy trout fish if you love it.


Best Season
Best time to go Barot is an individual preference and choice. On papers Summer is the best time to go there, but if you love to see the clouds covering the Valley, sun rays coming out of the clouds, rainy season (July-September) is a good time.
For all those who love to see a white blanket covering the valley, reflection of sun rays from snow, winters are your best bet.

Precautions

Due to heavy rains, the area tends to encounters heavy land slides and can be closed for any uncertain numbers of time, so we suggest our readers to plan accordingly in the rainy season, In winter heavy snow fall can also create the same situation.
Beside some primary health center, one needs to go Mandi or Jogindernagar for any emergency medical situation. State government provides facility for 24X7 Medical ambulance and can be reached at the following telephone number - 108, keep this number with yourself for any such case.
For one who is on medication, please carry sufficient amount of medicines with you as you will not find any good medical shop in this area.

Temperature during the winters can go very down, so its advisable to keep enough woolen clothes with you,

Mobile Communication

All major service providers have there coverage in Barot, besides one can find number of STD/ISD telephone booth there. Still we suggest our readers to get a connection from BSNL as this state own service provider is giving services in all such remote areas also.

Photo of Barot - A Hidden Treasure of Mountains 6/6 by Umesh Awasthi



Route Map:
One of the most comfortable and direct route to reach Barot
Delhi  ->                 Ambala
Ambala->             Chandigarh
Chandigarh->        Kiratpur Sahib
Kiratpur Sahib->   Swarghat
Swarghat->           Bilaspur
Bilaspur->             Mandi
Mandi->              Ghatasni
Ghatasni->           Barot
We are sure that you have made up  your mind to explore this small yet beautiful valley, so don't wait, start your packing, we at Travellingrants wish you a happy and safe journey.

If you still have any questions about Barot, leave us a comment and we will be happy to help you to make your journey a memorable experience.