Most people come to Parvati Valley to visit pilgrimage town Manikaran and to do the Kheerganga Trek.
To start this hike, you have to drive – or take the bus – to Barshaini (or Basheni), a small town higher up into the mountains first. This is also the last motorable point; after this you can only go by foot.
The bus you can catch every hour during the day. But take note: sometimes a service is skipped, and then you have to wait for an extra hour (this was the case on our way back.
We decided to start walking down instead of waiting, and that’s when a lift in the back of a small truck helped us out a lot!).
Stay at Kalga, Pulga or Tulgha
After Barshaini you can go left (to Tosh) or right to cross this Barshaini Parvati River Dam, on the way to Kalgha, Pulga and Tulgha
From Barshaini you can choose: staying in Kalg(h)a or Tosh – or one of the smaller, less touristy, but also more remote villages Pulga and Tulgha.
Despite Kalgha being a popular tourist spot, it is still a bit more authentic (than Tosh for example). There are some roads in and around the village, but these mainly consist of small, muddy or handbuild stone paths.
To reach Kalgha, you have to cross the river dam and hike up a bit. The town consists of some sort of small labyrinth of smaller paths, that lead to different guesthouses, restaurants and cafes – and a few local houses, even more hidden away.
Paratha lunch is served at the balcony of the guesthouse, with a Parvati view!
Food at Kalga
Here are some tips if you want to go for dinner in Kalgha:
- visit River Valley View cafe – a bit of a sports cafe with billiards and ping pong table;
- we skipped the beautiful designed, but a bit more expensive Soul Kitchen;
- try the fresh and affordable pastries at Mats French Bakery – run by a French guy who has been hanging out in India for 11 years already, – it’s on the way to the Kheerkanga Trek;
- or go to one of the small stands at the beginning of town to have a chai, quick snack or small meal.
Start the Kheerganga Trek
From Kalgha it’s easy to start the previously mentioned Kheerganga Trek. This nature trek is quite easy or moderate and takes you through beautiful forest, up to a big meadow on top of the mountain. Here you can also camp.
To be honest: because of all the campsites and the tourist facilities, we found the route to Kheerganga more worth while than the ultimate destination.
The name Kheerganga & its origin There are different stories about the origin of the name Kheerganga. Some say it refers to the Parvati River, which sounds quite obvious because of the area: the name came due to 'the milky waters of the Parvati River flowing into Parvati valley'. "The local legend has it that when goddess Parvati’s son Kartikay was in meditation in these mountains for a thousand years, his mother out of concern poured a river of ‘Kheer’ or porridge from these mountains for his hunger." Another story refers to the water of the Ganges: "It is a common belief that the legendary Shiva, one of the most powerful deities in Hindu mythology, meditated at this very place and the Holy Ganges flowed from the mighty Himalayas. The Ganges is cloud white and so sweet that it gives an impression of the famous Indian dessert named 'kheer' for real." This would make sense in the way that it was Lord Shiva that brought the Ganga to Earth from the heavens. Shiva agreed to channelize her flow and therefore, River Ganga flowed from Lord Shiva's hair. It definitely has to do with the water, with most of the waterfalls, springs and streams on the trek being white with a foam that is formed due to the rushing speed of water crashing on the boulders. Due to the fact that Parvati valley is so abundant in water resources, a Hydel Power Project is installed at the Barshaini Dam. (Source: Quora.com, Youthopia.in, Trawell.in)
2 trekking routes
There are 2 paths you can choose from:
1) starting from Kalga town (the 15km forrest route we took), on the right side of the river.
This one is easier to climb, and more difficult to descend. Thick vegetation and dense forests make it best suited for bright sunny days. Appearantly this is also a lesser-known route. People generally avoid it because there is a chance of losing the way due to dense forests; we found the path very clear though, and didn’t experience this.
We also read that this was a route ‘ideal for first-timers and low on stamina trekkers’, like us :). So we took this route on the way up.
2) starting from Tosh (2km from Barshaini), on the left side of the river. This road joins together with the first route near the village of Nakthan.
If you stay in Tosh, this route might be the easiest, but consider the fact that you have to cover some more steep parts on this side. Also, by following this road you skip the forest – the part we found very beautiful and most worthwhile, and, on hot days, extra attractive with all the extra shade.
The nice thing about this route is that you do get to walk through a couple of less visited villages because of the lack of a motorable road.
That’s why we decided to take this road on the way back.
Once you reach Kheerganga, you can relax in one of the improvised cafes, or even better, in the hotspring at the top. You could also choose to spend the night in one of the camps.
#8 Tips in and around Kalgha & Kheerganga – shortlist to screenshot
- Spent a few days in the still relatively quiet & pittoresque town of Kalgha
- Have dinner & play pool or table tennis at River Valley View cafe, or try the real French pastries at Mats French Bakery in Kalgha
- Visit & have a chai in one of the surrounding villages called Tulga or Pulga
- Take a stroll through the Fairy Forest with it’s fairy trees and the holy area of God Narayana.
- Do the Kheerganga Trek, visit the Shiva temple & have a dip in the hotspring
- You can, but you don’t necessarily have to spend the night at the mountain. It’s a good option if you like camping (and sleeping under a starry night sky).
- Take 2 different routes on the way up there and back to keep it interesting and to see most of the surroundings.
Tips @breuhuys
Kalgha / Tulga / Pulga, Himachal Pradesh 175134, India
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