Tirthan Valley, a hidden gem in Himachal Pradesh is what I call my home in the Himalayas. I had planned to slow travel in this valley for 2-3 weeks when I had quit my job to take a break and give myself a chance to work towards my passions. The unparalleled beauty and simplicity of this place wooed me so much that I ended up living in Tirthan Valley for 8 months. I continue going back to the valley, as I find myself the most peaceful when I'm home. The pristine valley around Tirthan River has just enough basic facilities for travellers looking for local Himachali experience. The valley has impressed many and is now becoming a popular destination offering simple experiences to the travellers:
Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh
1. Trek in the Great Himalayan National Park
Great Himalayan National Park is recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to various endangered species of wildlife like snow leopards and Jujuranas (western tragopan). As per your fitness and comfort level, you can choose any number of days to trek in the GHNP. Trekking by the Tirthan River to the source Tirath glacier through the treacherous jungles would be an experience of a kind. For birding and wildlife spotting, make sure you go only with experts. A short 1 day trek to Rolla with overnight camping in the GHNP can be a wonderful experience.
Trekking in Great Himalayan National Park
2. Reconnect with yourself on the banks of Tirthan River
Tirthan river is one of the most pristine rivers in India. This is the only river in Himachal Pradesh whose flow remains unobstructed by any dam. I have spent 8 months here waking up to the sound of river and going back to bed with the sound of the river. Spending some silent moments near Tirthan river is a rejuvenating experience.
Tirthan River in Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh
3. Drive to Pekhri village / Sharchi village in Tirthan Valley
Pekhri and Sharchi are higher villages in the valley, approachable with dirt roads. Both the villages offer majestic views of the snow-capped Himalayas in the Great Himalayan National Park. Sharchi village is one of my personal favourites!
Sharchi Village in Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh
4. Hike up to small hamlets in Tirthan Valley to learn the basic lifestyle of the locals
Tirthan valley is not commercialised and the locals are happy keeping it that way. They believe in self-sustainability. Apart from growing their own food and building their own houses, they indulge in collecting grass for their cattle, weaving their own clothes, weaving their own baskets, preserving food for winters, grazing cattle, weaving woollens. Take a morning walk to some of the hamlets in the valley to observe their lifestyle, and be ready to be invited for a cup of tea at their homes. People in Tirthan valley are very friendly and welcoming.
5. Birding in Tirthan Valley
Just walk around the valley and you would find exotic species of Himalayan birds either on the river side or on trees. You can get lucky with paradise flycatcher, red capped white start, Himalayan Griffon, verditer flycatcher, hundreds of red billed blue Magpies and Himalayan bulbuls, black bulbuls, drongo, tits, etc . Go to hamlets on the height like Chhamni and Pekhri and you can get lucky with Koklass pheasant, Cheer pheasant, Kaleej pheasant. Trek into the GHNP to find Western Tragopan (jujuranas), Monal Pheasant.
6. Relish fresh local food in Tirthan Valley
I bet you would over eat during every meal if you get lucky with homemade fresh food. You might end up giving the food excuse of food tasting very nice here. It is true, even the simple food cooked with minimal spices tastes really good here, mainly because the river water used for cooking adds to the taste. Also, the river water has lot of minerals and digestive enzymes that makes you hungry every 2 hours. Enjoy the luxury of eating without the worries of adding calories!
Must Try local dish in Tirthan Valley - Siddu (Local steamed croissants, filled with mashed potatoes, onions, walnuts and served with melted ghee and walnut chutney)
Must Try local dish in Tirthan Valley - Siddu (Local steamed croissants, filled with mashed potatoes, onions, walnuts and served with melted ghee and walnut chutney)
7. Angling / Fishing for Rainbow Trouts in Tirthan River
Though I wouldn’t promote killing of fish for any purpose, but Tirthan river is the only river in India which breeds rainbow trouts. Catch your own fish and get it cooked at your homestay. These locals really know how to cook it tasty. For fishing, you would need daily permit from the forest department.
Angling in Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh
Rainbow Trouts in Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh
8. Hike to Chehni Kothi in Jibhi Valley
Jibhi valley is adjacent to Tirthan Valley. It is beautiful, but not more beautiful than Tirthan Valley (sorry, I’m biased). However, you can take a day trip to Jibhi Valley, spend some time taking a walk around the valley and spending sometime at one of the river-side cafes there. You can take a short hike to Chehni village which boasts of the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Himalayas. It is a 1500 year old towered castle built in traditional Himachali style.
Chehni Kothi in Jibhi Valley, Himachal Pradesh
9. Drive to Jalori pass and Hike to Serolsar lake
Jalori pass is famous for magnificent views of the snow capped himalayas. Jalori pass connects Jibhi valley to Shimla with a very dangerous and treacherous, but quite short route. Driving or riding through Jalori pass is a thrill for many adventurers, but better done carefully or with locals.
Jalori Pass, Himachal Pradesh
Once you are at Jalori pass, you can take a small easy hike to Serolsar Lake. The lake is of religious value to the locals. The lake remains frozen in winters and looks quite pretty. The hike to the lake and back to Jalori pass can take 3-4 hours.
Serolsar Lake, Himachal Pradesh
10. Trek to Bashleo Pass
Bashleo pass is connects Tirthan Valley to Kullu Sarahan. The bus takes around 12 hours to reach any of these locations from the other, but for locals it is more convenient to cover the distance on foot in 5-6 hours. The trek to Bashleo pass and back covers 20km and gets little strenuous to complete on the same day. You may consider camping for 1 night and returning back to either Tirthan or descend to Kullu Sarahan.
Trek to Bashleo Pass
11. Hike to Chhoie waterfall in Tirthan Valley
This is the easiest and most common hike in the valley. A short 30-45 min hike leads to a beautiful waterfall and depending on the season, the water level of the fall changes. Almost everyone who comes to Tirthan Valley visits the waterfall.
Hike to Chhoie waterfall in Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh
12. Buy homemade products from locals in Tirthan Valley
The local ladies make handmade authentic products like woollen socks and caps, apricot jam, apricot oil, etc. Since there’s no shopping market in Tirthan Valley, you may consider buying local stuff from the ladies at the homestay (I wouldn't miss any opportunity to promote women empowerment).
Things NOT to do in Tirthan Valley:
This list come out of my sheer love for the valley as I don’t like to see it get ruined by irresponsible travellers. I’m no authority to tell you what not to do, but if I can spread awareness of pristine places on my blog, I think I can spread awareness of traveling responsibly as well.
1. Camp fire
Camp fire means burning lot of firewood and producing unnecessary smoke. Fire is actually a way of survival for the locals in the harsh winters. We should much rather respect the purpose and let the firewood be used when really required, instead of burning it for us to booze and dance around it.
2. Taking pictures of locals without their permission
Travelers are quite fascinated to take the pictures of locals. They either find them cute or beautiful in their traditional wear. We need to respect the fact that they are humans and not puppets or objects. Nobody likes you sticking your camera on their faces for pictures. If need be, either ask for their permission before taking a picture or the best option is to take distant pictures of them without making them conscious or asking them to pose for you.
3. Playing loud music on the banks of river
The valley is known to be serene and many travellers come to the valley to enjoy the peace that it has to offer. Even the locals have a tough lifestyle where they wake up in the wee hours of the day and go to bed early as well. We should respect the privacy of others.
4. Boozing and throwing bottles on the banks of river or throwing any waste in the valley
Before you pick up that bottle of alcohol, don’t forget the purpose of travel - to broaden your mind with different cultures and traditions, rejuvenate your soul and not boozing. Also, don’t dirty the beautiful places by dumping garbage in the naturally beautiful palces. It destroys the very reason of visiting the beautiful places for its beauty.
5. Asking for room service in the homestays
The government of Himachal Pradesh had introduced the scheme of homestay for locals to help them earn their basic living. Many people have opened up their homes to travellers. Please don’t treat the owners of the homestay as room attendants. Treat the homestay as your home and the owners as your family. Travel should be a beautiful experience for both the hosts and the traveler.
1. Camp fire
Camp fire means burning lot of firewood and producing unnecessary smoke. Fire is actually a way of survival for the locals in the harsh winters. We should much rather respect the purpose and let the firewood be used when really required, instead of burning it for us to booze and dance around it.
2. Taking pictures of locals without their permission
Travelers are quite fascinated to take the pictures of locals. They either find them cute or beautiful in their traditional wear. We need to respect the fact that they are humans and not puppets or objects. Nobody likes you sticking your camera on their faces for pictures. If need be, either ask for their permission before taking a picture or the best option is to take distant pictures of them without making them conscious or asking them to pose for you.
3. Playing loud music on the banks of river
The valley is known to be serene and many travellers come to the valley to enjoy the peace that it has to offer. Even the locals have a tough lifestyle where they wake up in the wee hours of the day and go to bed early as well. We should respect the privacy of others.
4. Boozing and throwing bottles on the banks of river or throwing any waste in the valley
Before you pick up that bottle of alcohol, don’t forget the purpose of travel - to broaden your mind with different cultures and traditions, rejuvenate your soul and not boozing. Also, don’t dirty the beautiful places by dumping garbage in the naturally beautiful palces. It destroys the very reason of visiting the beautiful places for its beauty.
5. Asking for room service in the homestays
The government of Himachal Pradesh had introduced the scheme of homestay for locals to help them earn their basic living. Many people have opened up their homes to travellers. Please don’t treat the owners of the homestay as room attendants. Treat the homestay as your home and the owners as your family. Travel should be a beautiful experience for both the hosts and the traveler.
How to reach Tirthan Valley
The best option is to take an overnight bus from Delhi / Chandigarh to Kullu or Manali and get down at Aut on the way. You can either hire a taxi from Aut to Tirthan Valley or take local bus from Aut to Banjar and another bus from Banjar to Gushaini.
You can take a flight to Kullu (Bhuntar Airport) and take a taxi to Tirthan Valley.
I strongly recommend Bisht Niwas Homestay (Mahendra Bisht +91-9816650262) for local homestay experience.
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You can take a flight to Kullu (Bhuntar Airport) and take a taxi to Tirthan Valley.
I strongly recommend Bisht Niwas Homestay (Mahendra Bisht +91-9816650262) for local homestay experience.
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