Parvati Valley tip#4 Get higher in Tosh

The green view when you arrive at Tosh (next to all guesthouse signs)

If you stay on the left side of the Parvati River, and walk from the Barshaini busstand up the road a bit further, you’ll reach Tosh. You can hike the zigzag Tarmac road up (this is around 4km), or reach the Himachal village by car.

Next, you have to cross a wooden bridge to enter the village. Tosh is surrounded by mountains all around. Only after arriving we found out that the town has the nickname little Amsterdam: apparently you can find the best weed here in nature. (Not to be confused with another paradise for smokers, Kasol or Mini Israel, a bit further down in the same valley).

From a distance Tosh looks really colourful and authentic, but when you’re getting closer, you also see a lots of guesthouses and hotels. Most being built in the cheapest way and therefor they don’t have the nice Indian architecture, unfortunately.

This opposite to the traditional wooden houses that you find in the midst of the concrete hotel jungle. Luckily, if you’re walking through town, you still find enough authentic streets, houses and main square as well.

And a lot of (mainly Nepali) carriers, known for their ability (as sherpas or porters) of (mountain climbing and) carrying heavy objects on their heads and backs.

A big advantage of the village being up the mountain, is the fact that there are no motorable roads, so also no cars to be found.

One of the small roads with the typical houses with wooden balcony & porch

We read online that the town is normally packed with European and Israeli tourists. We were there just after the lockdown, when the international flights were still suspended. So it was relatively quiet.

The best thing to do in Tosh is… probably to get high! Because you can find the best weed growing here all over town. But if you decide to try it, make sure you know where the stuff is coming from, and to do it in a safe environment with people that you trust (and can guide you in case you’re having a bad trip).

From Tosh you can also start your Kheerganga Trek. Read more about this day hike in this article.

Enjoy!

#6 Tips in Parvati Valley – shortlist to screenshot

Visit pilgrimage town Manikaran (Hindu temple Shiv temple Teerathraj Shri, Sikh temple Gurudwara Singh, bathe in one of the hotsprings, hike from Manikaran to Kasol)
Enjoy backpackers paradise Kasol (picnic The Nature Park, camp in nature)
Stay in one of the smaller villages Kalgha, Pulga or Tulga, at the end of the Parvati Valley
Get high in Tosh
- Sleep in a hotel or guesthouse, or book a cabin, so that you can enjoy waking up in nature even more; f.e. these cabins Stonedage Resort:
Hike up to (and consider camping at) Kheerganga, and end your trek at the Shiva Temple and in the hotspring
Experience the history in Malana, one of the ancient and last solitairy towns of India