Experimental Explorer: January 2018

When I decided to go to Parvati valley in December, everyone had the same question, “In winter?!?”. Coming from the land of always summer, I knew it would be difficult for me, but at the same time my longing for the big mountains was getting uncontrollable. So, I decided to break loose from the clutches of the city and run to that of the mountains.

The one thing that anyone who has been to Parvati valley recommends is the Kheerganga trek, and I naturally wanted to do it too. It is an easy trek, would fit perfectly in my schedule, and the pictures looked brilliant. As fate would have it, it apparently shuts down for a week during winter when it snows heavily, and that week mostly falls in December. With an air of uncertainty surrounding my plans for the trek, I went ahead anyways. To make things worse in the meantime, a raid caused a closure of most homestays in the valley, which added even more to the uncertainty. Even after reaching Manali, I could not get concrete answers about the situation in the valley, leaving me in two minds about the trek, not to mention the mad rush that was coming in to celebrate the New Year.

With a few alternate plans in hand, along with a friend who had just joined me, and a couple of other co-travelers turned friends, I went on to the valley with hope. With sound guidance from like-minded folks, we found a place to stay at a base camp, a little-known village called Kalga, at the far end of the valley beyond Barshaini. And luckily, the trekking trail was open too. We took a taxi to reach Barshaini from Bhuntar, and then trekked to the village. There are also a couple of other villages a short trek away, like Pulga, Nakthan, which can also act as your base camp. As much clichéd as it may sound, the peace and serenity of the little-known hamlets are unbeatable in comparison to the well-known tourist hang outs in the Himalayas. You may have to barter your comfort in exchange, but you will definitely not be the loser. What you get in return is always so much more. Thinking back today, I’m not even sure if Kalga can be called a village because it was really just a few homestays and a couple of shops. But my stay here amidst towering snow-covered mountains, the warm smile of the little kid at the shop, the piping-hot food I had in freezing-cold moonlit night, are sure to stay in my memory for a long time to come.

Early the next day, we started our trek towards Kheerganga. Do you remember how I started this article by stating that this is a very easy trek? Well, I’d like to differ just a little bit here. The route is pretty simple and straight forward, the ascent involved is not too much, and the trail isn’t too long either. If you are just talking about the physical effort involved, it is an easy trek. But what made it a bit more than that, is the ice. It had snowed a few days back, and the trail was covered with extremely skiddy patches of ice towards the top. So, after a while, we literally had to watch our every single step. “Mountains, mountains, and more beautiful mountains everywhere, nor any eye to admire” because all the eyes are watching out for skiddy ice on the way!

I don’t have to tell you how beautiful the end was, I’m sure the pictures stand testament to that. A lot many of the stays and shops were shut since it was off season, but there were sufficient options to cater to a normal turn out of travelers, ranging from dormitories with indoor heating, tents, to private rooms. That reminds me again of how lucky I was because on my way back the next day (which was the New Year’s Eve), I saw a humongous crowd heading towards the top. I still am not sure how so many people would have fit in on the top, or how much peace they would have got. I mean what is the point of taking the efforts to reach an unreachable place in search of some peace, only to find it as crowded as your hometown.

After an overnight stay in a tent, we left the next day after breakfast. The water was freezing cold, there was no hot water, and I was not prepared for this, and I will therefore not talk about how I brushed my teeth. Instead, I’d like to remind you of this brilliant invention called mouthwash and ask you to not make fun of its existence like I used to before, because Karma is like a rubber band. It was the same trail we took down as the one up. So again, all eyes were on the path. As with all treks, the climb down was much quicker, and we reached down for lunch.

So, if you are planning a trip to Kheerganga in winter, I'd suggest you to go ahead. I'm glad I did :)

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River ganga flowing through valleys of Himalayas in Uttarakhand

To just say that I’m not a fan of bus journeys, is an understatement. Trapped for long hours in a metal enclosure, sitting crammed in the same place amidst noisy people and the smell of fuel, is probably my least preferred mode of transport. I hate it so much so that, I’d rather travel in an airy, open lorry (Not that I’ve ever had the chance to, but still). However, the past few bus journeys that I took in the Himalayan region have made me change my views about bus journeys.

My first experience of a long bus travel in the Himalayan region was in Uttarakhand last year, when I travelled from Haridwar to Joshimath for more than 10 hours straight. The only means of connectivity to this place is by road and owing to the risk of landslides in this region, buses for this segment operate only during the day time. So, my last hope of managing the long journey by sleeping through it in an overnight-bus was also lost.

Bracing myself for what I thought would be an uneventful, restless journey, I got into a bus early in the morning at 5, from the bus depot at Haridwar. The first hour or so was indeed uneventful and boring but lo and behold, when the Sun began to rise, shedding its glorious light onto the charming Himalayas and the mighty Ganges, they took my breath away. From there on, things only went uphill, both metaphorically and literally. As the bus wound around the hills from the bottom to the top of the state, the Ganges and its tributaries constantly kept me company, caressing the mountains on either side as they did so. The sights were so beautiful that I was befuddled as to whether the mountains and the river were allies, working together to keep me entertained or were they rivals, each fighting the other for my attention? To make things more interesting en route, one can also witness the ‘Panch Prayag’ the confluence of the rivers, each with its own unique color splashing into one, before it officially becomes Ganga.

The above ‘more than great’ experience only made me all the more excited when I planned my next visit to the Himalayas, this time in Himachal Pradesh. When I had to take a bus from Shimla to Manali, I deliberately avoided a night bus, and instead booked a day bus, so I could enjoy going around the Himalayas yet again. It started with green, blue mountains, as far as my eyes could see, with the Sun playing its magic again, to make things more pleasant. With a gradual change in the colour of the mountains, it finally ended with white mighty peaks. If it was Ganga the last time, it was Beas this time, which was fighting it out with the mountains, confusing me yet again, as to what I should keep my eyes on.

When I finally reached my destination, I came to realize that for me, one of the best ways to experience the Himalayan region is to travel by road, with the Himalayas in my eyes, wind on my face, a camera in my hands, ARR on my ears, and well, potato chips in my mouth. These, most definitely, more than compensate for the bumpy long rides, crammed in a bus.

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Paragliding at Solang the adventure valley amidst snow covered mountains

Day 1

I flew to Delhi from Hyderabad in the morning. After spending some time going around the city, I took a train to Kalka. It took about 5 hours to reach Kalka, where I stayed the night.

Day 2

I took the toy train from Kalka to Shimla. Even though this takes longer to reach than by road, this is probably the better way to reach Shimla, thanks to the experience. After reaching Shimla in the evening, I just took a walk to my hotel from the station and checked in.

Day 3

After a quick early morning visit to the Mall road and the Ridge, I left for Kufri, one of the popular destinations near Shimla. It offers brilliant distant views of some of the famous Himalayan peaks such as Kailash Parvat, Badrinath, Kedarnath and also some adventure activities, so one can easily spend half a day over there, after which I came back to spend a lively evening at the Ridge.

Day 4

I visited the Indian Institute of Advanced Study and the Himalayan bird park in the morning. The IIAS easily takes at least a couple of hours to explore, and is closed on Mondays, so plan accordingly. I then took a bus to Manali. It took a total of about 9 hours to reach Old Manali from Shimla.

Day 5

There is a beautiful trekking trail from Old Manali that took me to Solang valley in about 3 hours. This is an easy hike, mostly involving walks through a few villages, with very little steep portions. In case you are not up for this, Solang is also reachable by road. As popularly known, this is an adventure destination. Even though the activities available may vary with seasons, you will always find something to do here. After I was done, I took a taxi back to Old Manali.

Day 6

After a visit to Vashisht and Manali mall road, I took a bus to Bhuntar, where I spent the night, thereby ending the first leg of my trip after which I was planning to proceed towards the Parvati valley.

Day 7

I took a taxi from Bhuntar to Barshaini in Parvati valley. Thereafter, a short trek led me to a quaint little village called Kalga, which serves as a base camp for the Kheerganga trek that I was planning to do the next day. It only has a few home stays and cafes, so load up on anything else you will need before leaving Barshaini. There are also a couple of other villages in the vicinity such as Pulga, Nakthan (reachable by a short trek) that you can choose from, to serve as your base camp.

Day 8

I started the trek from Kalga to Kheerganga. It is a 11-12 km long trek, involving an ascent of about 2000 feet and it took a total of about 4.5 hours to reach the top. The trail is pretty clear and you will find refreshments along the way. There are accommodations available at the top, varying from rooms, tents and dorms. Based on the rush, you may need to make prior arrangements.

Day 9

I trekked back down to Kalga from Kheerganga. One may also trek back the same day without staying at the top, but I'd suggest that you stay there to enjoy better. Also, during winters, it gets dark pretty early and the trail has some extremely skiddy ice patches towards the top, which can be risky to manoeuvre in the dark. After a short stop at Kalga, I proceeded to trek towards Barshaini, found a room there and stayed the night.

Day 10

Took a bus to Manikaran from the local bus stand. Again, a quaint little town with beautiful views, where the best thing to do is just to take a stroll around, which is what I did. This place is famous for hot springs, where even many of the hotels have piped connections for the water from the hot springs (yes, you read that right). So, if you are bored of just taking a stroll, you can make a visit to the hot springs and spend some time.

Day 11

I took a taxi to Kasol. After spending some time taking a walk along the Parvati river, I proceeded towards Bhuntar by bus, to catch another overnight bus to Delhi. Bhuntar is the nearest big town to Parvati valley and most buses to other major cities go via it, and it is accessible from Kasol by a 2 hour bus ride.

Day 12

It took about 12 hours to reach Delhi. After going around the city a little, I took a flight back to Hyderabad.

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