Himalaya only · Saver trips from ₹7,500
Try "Spiti", "snow leopard", "Char Dham", "homestay", "Tiger's Nest"
Comfort Himachal · Unhurried
Eight unhurried nights in the Kullu valley, from the trout streams of Tirthan and the edge of the Great Himalayan National Park to a castle stay in Naggar and three nights in Manali with a day through the Atal tunnel to Lahaul. Short drives, a private car and walks on most days.
Photo: Unknown author · Public domain · CommonsMost people fly or bus straight to Manali and see the Kullu valley through a windscreen. We go the other way: first to the Tirthan valley, a side valley off the main highway at Aut, where homestays sit by a clear trout river at the edge of the Great Himalayan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. Then up the quieter left bank of the Beas to Naggar, where you sleep inside the old castle of the Kullu rajas.
Manali comes last, when you have the measure of the valley, with time for Old Manali, the Hadimba temple and a day through the Atal tunnel to Sissu in Lahaul. No drive is longer than three hours, which makes this a good trip for families and for anyone who prefers walking to sitting in a car.
Sleeping altitude, night by night
Red points are nights above 3,000 m. We pace those climbs by the usual advice of no more than 300–500 m of sleeping height a day. This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor before a high trip. Try the altitude planner.
Day by day
Your driver meets you at Bhuntar airport or at Aut if you come by Volvo. Drive through the Aut tunnel and turn off up the Tirthan to Banjar and Gushaini. Check into a riverside homestay or cottage. In the afternoon, walk along the river; the Tirthan is a protected trout stream, and anglers need a licence from the fisheries department. Dinner is home-cooked, often with trout.
About Tirthan Valley and GHNPWith a registered local guide, walk from Gushaini into the ecozone of the Great Himalayan National Park along the trail up the Tirthan, through villages, fields and forest of oak and deodar. You walk for 5–6 hours at an easy pace. Look for birds such as whistling thrushes, wagtails and, with luck, the koklass or monal pheasants. The guide arranges the entry permit at the park office.
About Tirthan Valley and GHNPDrive up through Jibhi and Shoja to Jalori Pass, at about 3,120 m, between the Kullu and Shimla districts. From the pass, walk about 5 km through oak and rhododendron forest to Serolsar lake and its small temple to Budhi Nagin, then return the same way. Return to Gushaini for the night; the road may be closed after snow from December to March.
About Tirthan Valley and GHNPDrive back to Aut and up the Kullu valley, crossing to the left bank of the Beas at Kullu and climbing to Naggar. Check into HPTDC Hotel Castle, the kath-kuni castle of the Kullu rajas, traditionally dated to about 1460. Spend the late afternoon on the terrace over the Beas, and see the Jagatipatt shrine in the courtyard, a stone slab that legend says was carried here by bees on the orders of the gods.
About NaggarWalk up from the castle to the Roerich estate, where the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich lived from 1928, with his house and gallery of Himalayan paintings. Continue to the wooden Tripura Sundari temple, with its three-tiered pagoda roof, and the stone Gauri Shankar temple below the castle. After lunch, the car takes you to Jana village and its waterfall for maize rotis and saag at a roadside dhaba in season.
About NaggarA short drive up the left bank to Manali. Check in, then walk through the deodar forest to the Hadimba temple, built in 1553, and on to Old Manali and the Manu temple. In the afternoon, cross the river to Vashisht for the hot baths beside the temple. Evening on the Mall or in an Old Manali café.
About ManaliDrive up to Solang and through the Atal tunnel, about 9 km long, which opened in 2020 and links Manali to Lahaul in all seasons. Emerge into the dry Chandra valley and continue to Sissu, at about 3,100 m, with its waterfall and views of the Lahaul peaks. Return to Manali by afternoon. Vehicle rules and tunnel timings change; check current status before you travel.
About ManaliKeep a slow day. Walk the Manalsu stream, visit the Himalayan Nyingmapa gompa near the Mall, or ride the Solang ropeway in clear weather. The car is with you for any short outings. In the evening, buy Kullu shawls and caps from a weavers' cooperative, where prices are fixed and the wool is labelled.
About ManaliDrive down the valley to Bhuntar airport, about 1.5–2 hours. We time departure for your flight with a buffer, as weather often delays flights here. If you are taking the Volvo, we drop you at the bus stand or on the highway pick-up point.
About ManaliWhere you sleep
Photo: Pratishkhedekar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
Stay inside the kath-kuni castle of the old Kullu rajas, traditionally dated to about 1460 and now run by HPTDC. S…
Questions
This plan is from ₹58,000 per person on twin sharing, including stays with breakfast and dinner, a private car and the GHNP guide. Flights to Bhuntar, lunches and optional activities are extra. Costs rise in May–June and around Diwali.
Yes. It is quiet, the homestays are welcoming and walks can be as short or long as you like. Keep children away from the river edge, which is fast and cold. The GHNP day walk suits children who are used to walking 8–10 km.
Yes, entry into the park needs a permit from the park office, and our registered guide arranges it. Overnight treks in the core zone need longer permits. Rules can change; check current status before you travel.
It is a heritage stay rather than a luxury hotel: simple rooms, thick walls, a terrace and a restaurant. Book a valley-view room. For more comfort, we can swap Naggar nights for a resort near Katrain at extra cost.
Rohtang needs a vehicle permit with a daily cap and is closed in winter. We prefer the Atal tunnel to Sissu, which is quicker and less crowded. If you want Rohtang, tell us early and we will try for a permit; check current status before you travel.
April to June and late September to November. Spring brings blossom and green slopes, autumn clear skies and apple season. December to February suits snow lovers but Jalori is often closed.
In peak weeks, yes. We keep you in Manali for the last three nights, choose a hotel away from the Mall's traffic, and plan outings for early mornings. Old Manali and Vashisht are calmer on foot.
Home-cooked Himachali and North Indian food: dal, rajma, seasonal vegetables, rice and rotis, often with fresh trout. Tell us about dietary needs in advance; vegetarian food is always available.
Yes. Add two nights in Kasol between Tirthan and Naggar; it is about 2 hours from Aut via Bhuntar. It adds roughly ₹9,000–12,000 per person depending on the stay.
More from Himachal
Photo: Navneet Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
HRTC buses and local shared taxis
Photo: Neerajsinghazm · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
HRTC local buses and short shared taxis
Photo: Ms Sarah Welch · CC0 · Commons
Comfort
Private car with driver
Plan with a local planner
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