Kasol

• Staying in camp near the river is an option but consider for safety if you are going with family. There are good hotels near the market at good price as well.
• Kasol to Manikaran is a half hour walk. Trek around the river is main attraction apart from the obvious ones around smoke.
• The city is small and cozy. People start walking at evening till late night and try different joints specializing in food from different part of world. Don't miss that.

Kasol is as different a hill station as possible - a flowing river right next to it, surrounded by high hills and the charm of Malana cream - all add to a mystery that attracts youths around the world to this small town. We reached Kasol at noon after a spiritual morning well spent at Manikaran.

On way to Chhalal

Kasol is an hour walk from Manikaran. It took us 5 minutes over car. Finding a hotel took couple hours. First we explored the camping sites adjacent to the river but found them little unsecured. The big hotels were full and we didn't want to sleep over in a dingy budget dorm, these being available for the habitual addicts.

Way back from Kasol

Finally we found a clean room and settled for lunch at a nearby hotel. Couple of Aloo parathe and a plateful of curd later, we were ready for an outing. Most of tourists go for the Chhalal trek. A bridge and a narrow route along the river throw many a viewpoints and sights worth clicking. It was little tiring for us and we came back quickly to settle at the banks of Parvati river.

On way to Kasol

Ice capped mountains, flowing river, clean air and a young crowd - these are things that trigger the wanderer. The pleasant weather just added to the perfect surrounding we were enjoying. We came back to the commercial centre of Kasol and had a bun butter coffee. The number of foreigners was surprisingly big, probably the reason for inflated prices of common commodites like water bottle.

View from Chhalal trek

The walk around Kasol with almost entire visiting crowd on the road was something. Our excursions made us very hungry. It was cold and we settled for a hot dinner at a busy restaurant - our staple travel diet of tandoori roti and dal makhani. German bakery on the main road was serving freshly made crepes and I couldn't resist the temptation.

Kasol

We decided leave the next day for Ambala to meet Piyush and Pallavi. Plan was to start at 9 and then drive continuously. Couple of roadblocks at Bhuntar and Swarghat meant we Reached Ambala at 9 at night. It was a hectic drive we were thankful to crash at a friend's home than another hotel bed.