Tirthan Valley Tour with Raju Bharti

HomeStay – A Detailed Travel Guide &

Itinerary
Situated close to the Tirthan river in Himachal Pradesh at a height of 1600 meters (5249 ft),
Tirthan Valley is a gate to the Great Himalayan National Park. A spot where you can simply
overlook the world to relax, rejuvenate and have loads of nature walks along one path another,
into the forested areas or close to the stream.

Taking all things together, it’s a perfect spot for connecting with nature, outing with family,
appreciating with friends over campfires, sit by the river and listen to music, getting together to
know one another, eating out or simply lazing around, and so on. The list of such activities in
Tirthan Valley tour goes on and makes it a complete offbeat destination in Himachal.

About Tirthan Valley, Banjar

Tirthan Valley or Banjar Valley are synonymously known for Banjar tehsil situated in Kullu
district of Himachal Pradesh. Tirthan Valley is situated in Banjar village and due to this fact, the
valley has Tirthan river flowing through it, the spot is well-known by the name of Tirthan Valley.

Jibhi is another known or well-known name from Banjar Valley and separated from the small
village areas, there isn’t a lot of distinction between Banjar or Tirthan Valley or Jibhi. Each of the
three are a piece of Banjar Valley alongside not many other close by villages where Gushaini
and Jibhi are the two most prevalent visitor areas of Tirthan. Some people also allude to Tirthan
Valley as Trout Fishing Valley.

About the Property

What can you say about a place that makes you consider Alice in Wonderland the minute you
enter? Settled in the midst of the Tirthan Valley, just three hours drive from Kullu, you need to
cross the Tirthan river in a pulley trolley to reach Raju’s homestay. When you enter the house
grounds, you’re surrounded by apple, chikoo, apricot trees, and cherry bushes and 4 bhutias
(mountain dogs) come bouncing up swaying a warm welcome.

Raju Bharti is the man in charge and his cabins are cozy but very comfortable with running hot
water and clean sheets every day. Some notable trekking routes – for the serious and not so
serious trekkers are close by, and trout fishing for the passionate fishermen. There is a crisp
trout for dinner and a warm bonfire in the evening time. It’s the ideal place if you are looking for
a quiet retreat with the family.

Ideal for couples, small families who appreciate being close to nature, are not afraid of dogs and
cats and don’t mind climbing a bit to get to their rooms.

Where is it located
If you are coming from the side of Mandi/Manali/Aut – Larji side, you have to take a U-turn
towards Gushaini Tirthan Valley or Great Himalayan National Park, rather than the straight road
which leads to Banjar. When you take that road, you have to cover around 8-9 KM passing Sai
Ropa FRH, at that point pass by Nagini Village to reach toward the end point… Then a bridge
will come, and you take left on that bridge and in the wake of an intersection you will see a sign
board on the right says Gushaini 1 KM. Just before that sign board, a way goes down slope
where the parking is available for Raju’s Cottage.

Parking

As mentioned above, after crossing the bridge at the end of the road to Gushaini you will see a
sign board on the right that says Gushaini 1 KM. Just before that, a way goes down slope where
the parking is available for Raju’s Cottage. There is a reasonable amount of space to park
around 4 vehicles.

At that point you have to take the baggage and individuals so that they can cross the river on a
pulley trolley (which is totally safe) to arrive at the cottage on the other side of the river.

Cost and Bookings

You can connect with Raju ji or Varun using the below contact details:

+91-9459833124 OR +91-9459227375 OR +91-9418149808 OR +91-9625211848 and +91-

8894488122

The price ranges from Rs 1400-1700 per person per day depends upon the choice of meals,
veg/non-veg. The price includes all meals, juice, fruits, snacks, tea/coffee. The food is served in
a common dining lobby which is wonderfully put and done at a fixed schedule for all meals. For
non-veggies, trout fish is served on alternate days.

My experience at Raju’s cottage

There are a couple of blocks in which the visitor’s house is separated. One is sitting on the
slope where you have to climb from the base block for around 5 minutes to reach up there. It
has a nice and open regular spot/sitting territory with beautiful views. However, you have to
come down for food and the river. There is one block at the base close to the river, where for
the most part only families with children are allowed.

Rooms
Rooms in the visitor’s house are basic but very nice, pleasant, comfortable and obviously, clean.
The best thing was in an area so remote that you are getting a homely experience, which is a
kind of extravagance for an individual like me. The rooms are open enough with attached
washroom with hot water supply, however, there is no room heater.

Food

The quality of food / juices was great, and everything was prepared to our familiar taste buds.
Breakfast consisted of parathas, a selection of eggs, toast, homemade jam, fresh apricot, apple
or rhododendron juice and tea or coffee.

Lunch consisted of a mix vegetable, a paneer dish, a chicken or mutton dish, salad, pickle, rice
and roti. Evening were held for freshly prepared tea and coffee. Dinner had a similar spread as
lunch, alongside fried trout fish and a sweet dish.

Activities and Attraction In-Around the Cottage

Tirthan Valley has a long list of places that you can visit. The attractions here cater a wide
scope of travelers including families and travel lovers.

Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP)

As Tirthan is the entrance to GHNP, you can go hiking or evening camping in nature on your
excursion. There are various villages within the park and an excursion here will not only give
you a taste of excellence of wildlife and the local culture of the people of remote Himachal. You
can get the vibe of nature by walking or hiking in it to the inward entrance and afterward
authorizations are required for the entrance on a daily basis if you desire to hike deeper into it. A
fun place to trek with family or friends.

The park is a real pleasure for anyone who has the slightest of interest in photography, natural
life, bird watching, trekking, hiking or outdoors.

Tirthan Valley Waterfalls

There are two isolated waterfalls about an hour of trekking distance with higher one being in
more than 50 feet high. The two are closely isolated from one another. The aerial views of
Tirthan from the trek to the falls are magnificent.

Raghupur Fort
Raghupur Fort is around 3 kilometers of a trek from Jalori Pass and will take you an hour to
visit. The fort is now totally in ruins with only a couple of walls standing yet the view you get from
here is incredible. The trek to the Fort also very satisfying one, going through a beautiful
woodland and has breathtaking views on the mountains. If you were carrying camping gear, you
can surely set up your tent at the fort itself for the night.

Gaidhar Waterfall

This is one of the must do trek in Tirthan valley. The trek starts from Gaidhar Village. It is a
steep trek but worthy of effort. The Waterfall is so calm and peaceful. It would be ideal if you
keep up and control yourself from noise pollution as there are numerous resident birds and
Local Gods in the area.

Chhoie waterfall

The trek leading to the Chhoie waterfall is one of the best and most regular hikes in the valley. It
is a short walk of around 45 minutes that will take you to this stunning waterfall. The degree of
the water anyway depends entirely on the season.

Jalori Pass

Jalori Pass, at an elevation of 3120 meters (10236 ft), it is one of the steepest passes to drive in
Himachal and it separates the Kullu valley and the Shimla Valley. You need to cover just about
2500 meters in under 25 km to reach at the top. The slope is steep, and alert is required to go
up and down. Ensure you utilize low gear braking else you may wind up with brake failures.

Serloskar Lake

Jalori Pass remains covered with snow from December end till March end. It is likely one of the
least explored passes of Himachal and is genuinely an unfamiliar beauty all around. You can
visit the pass either by roads or by trekking right to the top.

Serloskar lake trek begins from Jalori Pass and the lake is around 5 km from Jalori pass. It will
take about two or three hrs. to arrive at the lake and two hrs. to return to Jalori. There is no
motorable road leading to it and one must trek the whole distance. This trek is also called the
Jalori Pass trek sometimes.

Fishing

Tirthan valley is probably one of the well-known places all over Himachal for fishing, also called
angling. If you are in Tirthan Valley between March and October, be sure to try angling.

The Tirthan River is loaded with trout fish, and if you manage to catch a couple of, then have it
cooked for dinner. Raju’s offers fishing shafts on lease at Rs 800, which also incorporates a
fishing permit and some basic training.
Bashleo Pass Trek (1-2 days)

This trek starts from Batahad (Bathad) village which is 9-10 km from Gushaini. The 10 km trek
must start early in the morning so you can get to the place and return the same day. Else, you
can go to Kullu Sarahan and stop there for a night.

Village Hopping in Tirthan

The greatest pleasure of the entire Tirthan Valley lies in its lovely villages, which are not far from
each other. There are many villages within the mountains, with small trails lead to them. Every
village may pleasure and delight you here in some way or another.

Tirthan Valley climate

The climate in Tirthan remains decent and charming most of the year with temperature in
summers being under 24-degree Celsius. There is more often presence of cool wind because of
the streaming river. Due to the streaming Tirthan river neighboring the valley, you will
consistently feel music noticeable all around and lots of greenery around you add to that
pleasant feeling.

In winters, the base temperature may fall below the freezing point and thus, snowfall is normal
during winter. The climate gets dry in peak winter months. Snowfall is normal in January –
February months and you can generally go for snow at Jalori Pass.

Best time to visit Tirthan Valley

Even though Tirthan is extremely decent, peaceful, loose and lovely spot almost consistently.
However, during the spring season from March to May, it’s simply incredibly reviving and
delightful. Fully loaded with apple plantations, the magnificence of Tirthan Valley prepares to
hypnotize any spirit on earth. Hence, the best time to visit Tirthan Valley is certainly spring
season. Long winter periods are bad for someone who doesn’t like cold climate and tends to fall
sick easily. This is also not a good time for family getaway here, except if snow is the thing that
your family was after.

Please keep in mind that in winters, Tirthan becomes very cold and helpless in the face of
wildlife interference, particularly because of the presence of leopards and bears there.The
presence of snow in the heights forces the natural life to submerge towards the valley. In snow
because of less amount of food in the mountains, these leopards and bears will certainly attack,
so be cautious when walking through forested areas. Hence, if you are heading to Tirthan in
winter, it is better to avoid camping or take wildlife precautions when camping in the wild.

How to reach Tirthan Valley

The first and the more generally used route it as referred to below

As Tirthan Valley is situated in Kullu, place of Himachal Pradesh, you need to take Delhi to
Manali Highway to reach a place called Aut after Mandi. You don’t need to enter the tunnel at
Aut but to continue the road on the right that brings you into Banjar Valley. If you are not sure,
stop there for a minute and ask the local.

The distance from Delhi to Tirthan Valley is around 500 km by means of Mandi – Pandoh route.
The complete route is mentioned below:

Delhi – Sonipat – Panipat – Karnal – Ambala (188 KM) – Chandigarh – Roopnagar (282 KM) –
Kiratpur – Bilaspur (371 KM) – Surendernagar – Mandi (440 KM) – Pandoh – Aut (481 KM) –
Larji – Gushaini – Tirthan (500 KM)

Alternate Route: Delhi – Shimla – Tirthan

The second and longer of the two different ways to reach Tirthan runs by means of Shimla and
Narkanda. If you are coming from Delhi, then it is 2 days trip with night end at either Shimla or
Narkanda. The course you will pursue is as underneath. This route is 30 Km longer and is
mentioned below tirthan valley tour:

Delhi – Sonipat – Panipat – Karnal – Ambala (188 Km) – Chandigarh – Kandaghat – Shimla
(370 Km) – Narkanda (430 Km) – Kingal – Anni – Khanag – Jalori Pass (520 Km) – Shoja (524
Km) – Ghiyagi – Jibhi – Banjar – Gushaini (Tirthan Valley) (540 KM)

Via Air

The closest airport from Tirthan Valley is Bhuntar, around 50 km away. You need to take a taxi /
bus to get to Tirthan from Bhuntar. The airport has a restricted network and may face
interruptions, given climate changes in the Kullu district.

Via Train

Chandigarh is the nearest railway station. There are no direct trains go to Mandi from Delhi or
Shimla. However, you can take Shatabdi till Chandigarh and hire a taxi / bus till Mandi. You can
also travel to Joginder Nagar train station too which is around 120 km from Tirthan Valley.

Road Conditions

On the way from Delhi to Aut, the roads are in pretty good shape being a national highway from
Delhi to Manali. At that point from Aut, the roads are somewhat narrow but for the most part in
great to average conditions with no trouble. In the whole route, there are a couple of hard
patches, so that you never lose your focus.
However, when you travel through the Jalori Pass from Tirthan to Shimla, the story of going up
and down the Jalori Pass is extraordinary. If there is rain, the wreck conditions will be a muddle
just around Shoja and all the way up to Jalori Pass.

Preferred Vehicles

The most ideal way is to take your car or bike and hit the road from Delhi to Tirthan. The
hatchbacks and sedans will work just as the SUVs. There is no extraordinary requirement for an
SUV vehicle or a 4×4 vehicle to visit Tirthan valley.

Nearest ATM in Tirthan Valley

There are several ATMs can be found in Banjar town. It is better to carry enough cash. Even
while coming in, you should find ATMs in Aut.

What to Buy in Tirthan?

Local handicrafts, Himachali Topis (cap), and other small things can be found in shops. These
are small places, but you can always ask. Banjar is a big town and has more shops. You can
buy different kinds of fruits can, depending on the season. Persimmon is the fruit that can be
seen everywhere in late October and early November all over the hills.

Mobile and Data connectivity in Tirthan

Tirthan does have respectable mobile network connections coverage. BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone
and Jio networks are available. If you are planning to trek to the remote villages, then only
BSNL will work. As far as Data connectivity, you will get 4G Speed.