Kasol Backpacking Guide: Everything you need to know

I had read enough stories about backpacking in Himachal Pradesh. More than half of them endorsed the Himalayas, weed, solitude and how people ended up finding themselves in the mountains. The idea of backpacking in Himachal was sold to me.

So when a group of friends suggested backpacking in Kasol in the Parvati Valley of Himachal Pradesh, I said ‘Yes’ in a blink of an eye. On this epic 8 day trip, we stayed in family-run homestays, strolled markets, sat by the Parvati River and listened to its roar, played ludo and scrabble in remote villages hidden behind mountains, hopped cafes like nobody’s business, tried cannabis and even saw a friend pass out.

But more than that, I experienced slow travel for the first time. There were no rushed itineraries to meet or monuments to see. It was just me and the mountains – like I was having a relationship with them. I spoke and the mountains heard.

I would definitely recommend backpacking in the Parvati Valley at least once. To help plan that trip, here’s my Kasol backpacking guide.

kasol backpacking guide

Kasol backpacking guide

Kasol town

The moment we entered Himachal Pradesh from Chandigarh, the landscape changed. We drove along narrow winding roads barely fit for two vehicles to pass at a time. The sky was azure with cotton clouds of several shapes and sizes. Turquoise waters of the River Beas gushed with force, prepared to take along whoever comes in its way. At one point, the River Beas joined with the Parvati River and it was a sign that we’re nearing our destination. From here, the Parvati River accompanied us right until we reached Kasol.

Kasol backpacking guide

Parvati River

My first impression of Kasol was a gorgeous little town, although the sight of stoners and freely available and sold cannabis made me uncomfortable. Cannabis grows here in the wild and I saw thousands of such plants along lanes and highways.

We spent a majority of our time in Kasol hopping cafes, sitting by the Parvati River, drinking chai and eating hot momos and Maggie.

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Shepherd and his flock
himachal-parvati valley backpacking
weed growing in the wild

One of the cafes I was very keen on visiting was the infamous Free Kasol café that was promoted on the internet as a place that bans Indians. We saw a couple of Israelis downing sandwiches, but we weren’t stopped from entering. When we asked the staff what they served, he said and I quote “We only serve sandwiches and nothing else. What you see on Facebook about us is all bullshit.” We didn’t react much and quietly grabbed a table.

Free Kasol did seem Israeli friendly. A stack of books in Hebrew lay at one side, the walls and tables had paintings symbolic of their culture, menu was in English and Hebrew. I did notice some resentment of the staff towards Indians, quite possibly because the restaurant faced some insensitive behaviour from Indian guests in the past.

Fri kasol - himachal-parvati valley backpacking

Important tips

  • Kasol is your entry point into the Parvati Valley of Himachal Pradesh, and also the biggest town in the region, so it is fairly commercial. There is one ATM in Kasol and that didn’t work during our trip. It is advised to keep plenty of cash handy for all your transactions.
  • The electricity in Kasol is unreliable and if you don’t act while there is power, you could end up with dead cell phones or take a shower in ice-cold water.

kasol-himachal-parvati valley backpacking

Where to stay in Kasol?

Alpine Guest House has a nice duplex for 5 or more people, and it  suited us just fine. The food was good and the view of the Parvati River from our room was to die for. Sony Cottage has a similar view and the property is huge but I didn’t like the food and the service. We also stayed at Hotel Blue Diamond on the last day. The property was like any other city hotel and I wouldn’t recommend it if you want a more immersive experience. The stay was decent but there was no river view.

himachal-parvati valley backpackinghimachal-parvati valley backpacking

Chalal

Most travelers in Kasol hike to Chalal – on the other side of the river. There are no vehicles, buses, cars or bikes to get you there and that I think is the best part about this place. We crossed a rickety metallic bridge; beneath us we could feel the powerful force of the Parvati River. It’s a light 45 min hike and the river led us from the front. Herds of mountain goats grazing away made for a nice country side view. Chalal is a really small village made up of barely a couple of hundreds of homes with self content villagers majority of whom make their livelihood by weaving shawls and carpets.

bridge to chalal-himachal-parvati valley backpacking

himachal-parvati valley backpackingThere are plenty of remote cafes here where people come to relax and do nothing (but get stoned). Enter a cafe, grab a table or a corner, and start making your rolls. It’s not like city hotels where you will be thrown out if you don’t order anything. The people of Himachal are shy but pretty chilled.

himachal-parvati valley backpacking

The hike to Chalal wasn’t a clean one. Understandably,  mountainous regions have no proper drainage facility but some parts of the trail had smelly gutters.

himachal-parvati valley backpacking

Tosh

We stayed in Tosh for a night and hiked high in the mountains in search of accommodation – the higher you hike, the better the view. I’m talking snowcapped peaks, dense forest and fresh mountain air to breathe. Tosh is like an underground village, hidden deep in the valley and cut-off from the world.

tosh-himachal-parvati valley backpacking
Tosh

Where to stay in Tosh?

There are a couple of good stay options but it depends on how early you reach. We hiked for 45 mins to get to the Tosh village and arrived late in the afternoon, so almost all the lodges were booked. Fortunately, we managed to find a room in a lodge – Shiva mountain – with 24 hr hot water via solar panels, a restaurant and a great view of the mountains from the room. Contact: 9816762611 / 8894867061

Guest lodges high up in the valley at Tosh
himachal-parvati valley backpacking
View from our room at Shiva Mountain

Kalga

Our taxi dropped us at Barshani, from where we did a quick hike to the Kalga village. Our homestay had a great view with a front yard to ourselves that was used to relax on the hammock, play bluff, drink chai, practice reiki and read books. We had childlike enthusiasm on spotting a rainbow from our room against the backdrop of the mountains. I genuinely developed an attachment for Kalga, and when we left, I left my heart behind.

Also read: A fleeting conversation in Kalga, Himachal Pradesh

Where to stay in Kalga?

We coordinated with Raju for accommodation at the Snow Line Homestay. Raju is a simple local running the show with his wife who lends her hand in the kitchen. I loved the stay here and recommend it if you plan to stop in Kalga for a day or two. The rooms are basic and they have a restaurant too. Keep your hygiene issues at bay though. Bathroom and toilet is common. You can contact Raju: 9882827990.

snowline homestay-kalga-parvati valley backpacking

Pulga

Pulga was prettier than Kalga in my view, and a lot more remote. I saw more foreigners here and wondered how they end up finding such hidden places.

Pulga-kasol-tosh-himachal-parvati valley backpackingIt took us two and a half hours to hike from Kalga to Pulga but the walk was scenic. Our fairytale landscape included mountain streams, apple gardens, load-carrying donkeys and over 100 year old wooden village homes. We made friends with two mountains dogs who guided us along the route. And I caught a glimpse of how daily groceries are transported to these remote villages without any motorable roads. Sacks of onions, potatoes and tomatoes swing from one mountain to another using a ropeway. How cool is that!

Pulga-kasol-tosh-himachal-parvati valley backpacking

transporting food in pulga-kasol-tosh-himacha-parvati valley backpacking

Where to stay in Pulga?

We didn’t stay in Pulga but if you plan to stay here, Forest View is an excellent bet. We had lunch here and checked the rooms out of curiosity. They were pretty good and in case any of us plan to go back, we would definitely stop here for a night.

Pulga-kasol-tosh-himachal-parvati valley backpacking

Additional stops

You can also make a quick stop at the famous Sikh pilgrimage site – Manikaran Sahib, and take a dip in the healing hot springs. We skipped this place as we didn’t want to be around large crowds. For similar reasons, we skipped Kheerganga that required us to undertake a strenuous hike and then end up finding more population at the base camp. So we stayed back in Kalga for two nights and did what we enjoyed doing the most – Nothing!

How to reach Kasol from Delhi and Chandigarh?

We travelled from Mumbai to Delhi by flight, then to Chandigarh by train (you can directly fly!) and next day to Kasol by car – even battled motion sickness. But it was worth it!

In Bhunter, 30km from Kasol, we stopped at a fuel station and were surprised to find the Kullu-Manali airport in its backyard. There was no security or high railings and it looked like a toy airport. I think Air India flies into Kullu-Manali once a week, but the tickets are very expensive.

kullu manali airport - parvati valley backpacking

Breakdown of travel from one village to another:

Kasol to Tosh – You can take a direct car to Tosh or a bus to Barshani – the next big town in the area. From Barshani, one has to take a cab to Tosh.

Tosh to Kalga – Kalga is located between Tosh and Kasol. We took a cab that dropped us in Barshani and from there we hiked to the Kalga village.

Kalga to Pulga – We hiked from Kalga for two and a half hours to get here. It was a day trip and by evening we were back.

Kalga to Kasol – This time we took a bus from Barshani that reached us to Kasol in an hour and a half. The bus stuffed passengers like we were chickens and the journey was bumpy. Those suffering from motion sickness, take a pill please!

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Kasol bus stand
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Waiting for our bus to arrive in Kasol

Food in Kasol and Parvati Valley

Food was never an issue in Kasol. For the amount of travelers this place attracts, there’s food that caters to Indians, Israelis, Germans and more. Our food ranged from Nutella pan cakes, waffles and croissants to Maggie, steaks and schnitzels, chicken kadai with rotis, wheat halwa, sizzlers, British and Mexican breakfast, eggplant sandwiches and shapshuka.

food in Kasol - parvati valley backpacking

List of cafes in Kasol and Parvati Valley we tried and recommend:

Kasol – The German café serves excellent breakfast. Food at the Bhoj café is great too (try the Shapshuka). Evergreen café served some awesome breakfast and I recommend the Chicken Schnitzel sandwich here.

Chalal – We checked out Freedom cafe but weren’t impressed. So we visited the Nirvana café. The food wasn’t great but it’s the view you come here for. The upper level has a nice verandah where we rested and played scrabble.

ToshHilltop View serves some good food like waffles, chicken kadai, rotis and even schnitzel.

Pink Flyod café has decent food but it’s too crowded as a lot of tourists in Tosh want to stay or eat here.

Kalga – We stayed at the Snow Line Homestay and ate there too. The food is decent and the restaurant is a great place to relax and read a book on a cold wintry day.

PulgaForest View surprised us. We ate some crazy good food you wouldn’t expect to find in a remote corner of a village in Himachal Pradesh. Try the Chicken Sizzler and Chilly Chicken here.

nirwana cafe chalal - parvati valley backpacking

Happy tripping!

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8 thoughts on “Kasol Backpacking Guide: Everything you need to know

  1. Hi Edwina, My name is Sreeman. I am from Hyderabad. This is a very nice article. I have a few queries though. What time did you visit this place.? Can we visit this place in December first week? Can you share your mobile number if you like, so i can call and talk to you. Just need some info on the trek routes. Or you can just reply here if you can. Your reply would be much appreciated. Thank you 🙂

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