The mountains are calling and I must go!!

The first thought that comes to my mind whenever I think of my very first mountain trek, the Kheerganga Trek. And it is truly said, "The best view comes after the hardest climb, where all good things are wild and free."

If you are planning a trek, around the mountains and nature, this is your trek!

We tried to provide a complete guide on "Tosh to Kheerganga Trek", with proper instructions, and tips to prepare Kheerganga Trek on your own.

Posing somewhere in the mid of Kheerganga Trek

About Kheerganga:

Kheerganga is located in Parvati Valley, also known as Kullu Valley, at an altitude of 2950m, in Himachal Pradesh. The name Kheer- Ganga, itself defines its milky water, the Ganga river as white as Kheer (an Indian sweet dish made of milk and rice).

The name Kheerganga came from the milky water of the river and its stream flowing into Parvati valley from all sides of the mountain.

Kheerganga trek is popular because after reaching the top one can enjoy and relax in the natural hot water spring which is also considered very auspicious. The trekking route has lots of interesting spots like Rudra waterfall, Shiva Temple, Pine trees along with an amazing view of flora around.

Kheerganga is kind of infamous for the wide cultivation of Marijuana. It's also called a Hippie spot. The place is also known as mini-Isrilie due to the large number of Israelis here. 

Beautiful morning in Kheerganga Trek

About Tosh

Tosh is a small village in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located at around 2400 meters on a hill in Parvati valley, surrounded by mountains. This place is a real wonder, very near to Kasol. This place defiantly ignites traveling love and it's like heaven to the photographers and, nature lovers.
Tosh is 21 km from the party town Kasol.
We are going to cover a complete Kasol trip in our next blog Trip to Kasol. Also, you can cover both the places in one go Kasol - Tosh - Kheerganga Trek. 

The route we are going to cover is- Delhi --> Bhuntar --> Kasol --> Barshani --> Trek starting point to Keerganga 

Tosh Village

Best time to visit Kheerganga:

The best time to visit Kheerganga is from March to June. There will be lush greenery, a blue open sky. This can be the best time for camping.
In winters, it might be difficult to cross Barsheni (due to heavy snowfall). 

Although the roads are well maintained. Summer would be great, reaching the temperature up to 15 degrees. There will be a lot of crowd during these months since summer is the prime time for vacations.

Tip: It is advised not to plan the Kheerganga trek during the monsoon, because it will be slippery in the hills. 

Captured this beautiful landscape from my trek

How to reach Tosh?

How to reach Bhuntar?

Bhuntar is a small town in the Kullu district, it is the place from where the road diverges for Parvati Valley.

To reach Bhuntar 2 options:

Option 1: Take a private Bus/Volvo from Delhi. Almost all of the buses start from the evening and reach Bhuntar early morning.
Option 2: There is an airport in Bhuntar. You can easily fly from your city to Bhuntar. But flights would be expensive because of limited connectivity. You can fly to either Delhi or Chandigarh, from there, the connectivity till Bhuntar is quite well. 

Reach till Bhuntar bus stand - Catch a bus till Tosh or directly till Barshaini. Buses are less frequent from Bhuntar to Barshaini. It takes around 2-3 hours to reach Barshaini from Bhuntar. Barshaini is the last stop after Tosh. 

Where to stay in Tosh?

You can take a day stop and take accommodation in Tosh or Barshaini. There are many options available to stay in Tosh. You can do the prior booking or on-the-spot booking. We did the booking there only after reaching and finding a good cafe/resort to stay. Some cafes are Pink Floyd cafe and Shiva Mountain View Cafe, which are at the top of the hill.

We stayed in the Shiva Mountain View Cafe, and trust me the view from this cafe is really breathtaking as one can see huge mountains covered in snow and lush green pine trees. Apart from the incredible views, the rooms are comfortable and budget-friendly.

Note: Go through the reviews and plan your stay in advance in Shiva Mountain View Cafe else it's difficult to get the availability sometimes.

Incredible view of the Himalayas covered in snow

They serve delicious food, especially their chicken! The place is spacious where one can comfortably sit and enjoy the food, they provide a home-like experience. With its serene views and homely feeling because of the staff, easily the best cafe in Tosh. During my visit, got to know people who have been staying here for longer than six months.

Cafe scenes where one can relax and eat chocolate bowl :)

Day 1: Reaching Bhuntar --> Take a stay (in any cafe) in Tosh or Barshaini (Distance between Tosh and Barshini is 3km). Have some food. 

Now, if you are planning a night stay in the Tent/Camp up in Kheerganga then you should start your trek on the same day. Spend the night up in the camp (in Kheerganga) and return back to your cafe the next day.

Day 2: If you want to return on the same day from Kheerganga without staying there, you can take a rest in your cafe and start an early morning trek to Kheerganga from Barshaini so that you can return back before night.

We opted for the first option. We had a camp night stay. So we left on the same day for trekking.

About Barshaini- 

Barshaini is a small town where you will find everything which is required for your trekking, there will be many options of Dhabaas, taxi stand, food items shop, wine shop, you will get here only. So if you want to buy any supplies, you have to buy from here. Moving further in the trek you will not get many options/shops to buy things.

The natural view of Parvati Valley is visible from Barshaini and it is marvelous. The distance from Barshaini to Kheerganga is 9-10km by any of the trekking routes.

Kheerganga trek starting point in Barshani

Trekking Routes from Barshaini/Tosh to Kheerganga:

There are 2-3 routes of trekking from Tosh to Kheerganga:

1. After Barshaini, walk via the bridge take a left turn and reach Nakthan Village, and the Kheerganga. This route takes 3-4 hours and this is the shortest route. The Nakthan route is on the left side of the Parvati River and is well marked. Most of the visitors use this route.

2. The second way is to reach Kalga Village by taking a right turn and from Kalga there is a different way to reach Kheerganga, which passes through the dense forest. This route is not taken by most travelers. 

Time to cover the Trek:

It takes around 3-4 hours to complete the trek, one side, covering a distance of around 14KM.

The trekking route is awesome and even a beginner can climb without any difficulty. You will find a gorgeous view as you start moving. While passing Nakthan Village, you will find a few cafes and stone-made houses. 

Kheerganga trekking route with lush green valley and snow-covered mountains

Keep walking for some distance and after crossing the Nakthan Village, you will find Rudranag Temple. The musical sound of water flowing in the Parvati River will mesmerize your day. The standing Pine trees between the mountain peaks give the most beautiful scenery, which you have never seen before.

Rudranaag Point in Kheerganga

Tip: Carry your water bottle and some candies with you. The cafes will have water bottles but they will sell at costlier rates. Candies are just to keep your energy and sugar level maintained.

Cross the Rudranag Temple, after a 30-40 minutes walk, reach a bridge on the right side. Cross the bridge and after reaching around half of the trek you will come across a huge waterfall. You can fill your water bottles as the water is pure and drinkable. There is a good cafe here, you take a break and take some rest for a while.

The trekking trail will seem to be difficult after this because of the continued climbing. All the way is well marked to guide the way for the traveler's safety, you can easily reach the destination. Try to move slow and steady and not in hurry burry!

Beware while crossing this fall as the surface is slippery

Keep walking and finally, you reach the yellow and blue-colored huts. This is the starting point of Kheerganga. You will find a bunch of huts and tents to stay in here. A common sleeping area is also available. You can easily find sharing or private places to stay but remember, sharing washrooms are available.

There are a few cafes available here where you can cool your appetite. Also, the stay here is as cheap as less than 150/- Rs. per bed.

Cafes at the top of Kheerganga Trek

Even you can have your own tent after paying some small amount of money. The open area is clean and well organized. 

There are options available like Aashram with the common room for stay and these are really cheaper options.

View at the top after completing Kheerganga Trek

The mesmerizing view of nature and the beauty of the flowing water will take away all your pain and stress. You will feel relaxed in the lap of nature. The feeling is awesome and is really not explainable. 

Hot water spring and shiva temple at the top

Hot Water Spring

Kheerganga in Parvati Valley is really famous for the natural gift it has, the Hot Water Spring. The green lush, the amazingly big and small waterfalls, the flora and fauna around the place are going to make you feel like heaven.

Hot water spring pond in Kheerganga

There is a big pool of natural Hot Water springs with two diversions. There is an open area for males and a covered section for females. The water is really hot and pure. Once you enter the pool, you will realize that all your pain and sorrow are gone. You will be thrilled by the fact that the pool surrounded by mountains and hills and snow(in winters), is really Hot! This is called Nature's beauty I guess.
It is said that the son of Lord Shiva, Karthik meditated here for thousands of years. So the place is really spiritual in a religious way. The followers of Lord Shiva has their feeling attached to this place.

You can stay here for the night and return back next day in the morning after having breakfast. We stayed there in the night in our tents, relaxed for the rest of the time, the experience was just like a dream world. The feeling was so calm and pure! It is a must-have experience for life!

Mesmerizing View of Tosh Valley Safety tips for Kheerganga Trek Carry enough water with you. You will get the water bottle but at higher rates. Take a power bank with you to charge your phones, although you won't get the phone network. Try to take some eating or snacks item with you like bread-butter or chips, chocolates with you. Also, have some toffees with you to maintain your sugar/energy level, while trekking. Try to carry less weight with you on the trek because it may take a 3-4 hours stretch. You can put your luggage in Tosh or Barshaini. Do not start the trek in the evening or sunset. It may be dangerous to climb or get down also. In Winters, the path may be covered with snow. It could be slippery and dangerous for the trek Your shoes should be trekking shoes. Carry Bluetooth speakers with you, they might help you to keep motivated throughout the whole trip.