The Holy trek to Kheerganga

 Located in the mesmerizing Parvati valley, Kheerganga at the height of 2780 mts. is classified as a moderate trek. As I was there in the month of december and the temperature was considerably low which made the trek a little difficult for us. And according to Hindu mythology it is the place where Lord Kartik the elder son of Lord Shiva remained in Samadhi state for thousands of years.

Kheerganga Top

The beautiful trek to Kheerganga starts from a small town of Barshaini and is about 12kms from there which takes almost 4 to 5 hours for an average trekker to reach the top. The trail is surrounded by the mighty mountains and covered with thick vegetation and the Parvati river flowing in between the mountains makes the view exhilarating. The trail to Kheerganga passes through the beautiful Himachali village named Kalga and it has several small water falls straight flowing from the glaciers making it more adventerous. It also has many food joints where you can take some breathe and have some really tasty noodles and tea while enjoying the view from your table.

View from the cafe.

A small stream of water on the trail

Trail to Kheerganga.

Beautiful Mountain flowers we saw on the trail.

Kheerganga trail.

And yes the trek rewards you with a holy hot water spring on the top and is said to have some spiritual values which makes you free of all the pain and tiredness once you take a dip into it. 

The holy hot water spring.

Next post coming soon :)

"When social obligations and life starts getting over me then nature comes out to be my only saviour"

                 -Random Thoughts

Kalga - A tiny Himachali hamlet

Ever since I was a kid, the hills and mountains always attracted me the most. And my long old wish to stay in an authentic Himachali village came true last month when I decided to explore the picturisque Kalga village.

The wodden homes of kalga village.

Located in the Parvati valley the Kalga village is far away from the husltle and bustle of the normal village life. There is no direct transport connectivity so we had to trek for about 3 kms to reach the village.To me the first view of the village appeared like a set of some old classic Hollywood movie. The village is all surrounded by spectacular mountain ranges and filled with pine trees all around with the gushing river Parvati flowing from one end of it. The houses here are mostly wodden built in authentic Himachali style.

View from my stay.

The village has no particular dedicated tourist spots but a few Kilometers of hike towards the nearest hill would give an amazing view of the whole landscape of this beautiful place. As the village is still an off beat destination, its a perfect place to escape from the chaotic city life and soak in the beauty of pure nature. Kalga is also the starting point of the very famous Kheerganga trek, so it acts as the breaking point for may of the tourists returning from the trek

A lady carrying firewoods.

A herd of sheep gazing in the field.

A wooden himachali house.

Stay options- 

The village has no commercialized hotels but has several authentic cafes and home stays which provides easy and comfortable stay options for budget travellers like me. The food served here is very tasty and are mostly north Indian and Israeli as a large number of Israeli trourists come up to this destination during peak season. I stayed at Sunset cafe and paid them Rs 200 per day for two people excluding food.

Sunset cafe where I stayed

Morning view from my room.

First rays of the new rising sun.

Potrait of local kids.

How to reach ?

Kalga is half an hour hike from Barshaini which is easily accessible from Kasol, local HRTC buses are availabe in regular intervals or you can also hire a reserved taxi for some 700 bucks. After you get down at Barshaini cross the under construction dam and start walking uphill or ask some local for the direction.

"I owe a lot to the hills, they always make me feel the real me"

                                                                          - Random thoughts