Jibhi is a beautiful offbeat village in Himachal that is around 69 km from Mandi. Though it is near Manali, it is a lesser explored area. The landscapes are majestic and there are several offbeat locations that offer peace and tranquillity. Here is a 5 days itinerary that you can follow when visiting Jibhi.
Reach Jibhi and take some rest at your accommodation. I stayed at The Pahadians in Ghiyagi village for the first day which is 2,5 km from Jibhi. Then go visit Jibhi waterfall which is a 5 minutes walk from the main road. The entry ticket is INR 20 per person.
After this, visit Kulhi Katandi which is 15 minutes downhill hike from the main road. It’s a river stream that has some big rock formations which people also call Mini Thailand.
On this day, you'll be exploring Bahu village which is 9 km from Jibhi. I stayed at Jungle Trails cottage for the second day. In Bahu, there is a small pond from where the hike to Balonag temple starts. It's a temple dedicated to Naag Devta. The hike is for around 2.5 km after which you’ll arrive at a meadow surrounded by trees. Once you reach here, offer prayers at Balonag temple and then walk 10 minutes further to visit Veer Hanuman Temple.
Veer Hanuman temple is dedicated to Veer Hanuman. It is believed that whatever wish you will ask here, will get fulfilled. After it gets fulfilled, one has to donate Trishul made of iron here. Locals say that if someone steals Trishul from here, they see hallucinations and are not able to sleep at all. in the end, they return the Trishul here.
After this, you can have some food at nearby food stalls of locals and chill around in the meadows. If you don't want to hike, then you can hire a gipsy that will drop you at Balonag temple.
Keep this day solely for the Serolsar Lake trek. It is a high-altitude lake at 10,171 feet and is of religious importance. Firstly, you have to reach Jalori Pass from where the trek starts. It’s a 5 km trek on one side. Take blessings at Mahakali Mandir and then start the trek. It’s a beautiful trek surrounded by trees. After reaching the lake, offer your prayers at Buddhi Nagin Temple.
Buddhi Nagin is the mother of all Naag Devtas in Hinduism and it is believed that she resides in the lake. The depth of the lake is not known till the date and no one is allowed to enter the lake because it is considered sacred.
Take a pheri of the lake and while returning stop at the local food stalls and have some delicous Himachali food. Return to your accommodation and take a rest. I stayed at Shringi Vatika for the remaining three days. It is one of the oldest stays in Jibhi and is named after a local rishi- Shringa Rishi.
This day will be for hiking up to the Raghupur fort which is a 3 km trek from Jalori pass but will take equal time as the Serolsar lake hike because this one is a bit difficult trek. Once you reach the top, you will witness a 360-degree view of the mountains from here that will take your breath away.
One will also find the ruins of the fort that was built by ancient Mandi rulers to protect them from enemies.
Keep this day a bit relaxing because of all the previous two hikes. On this day, you can explore hidden water streams in Jibhi. There are plenty of them, just find one and have a dip or soak your legs in the water. In the evening, go for cafe hopping in Jibhi market. Don’t forget to try Himachal-special Siddu from there.
The next day, you can embark on your return journey. If you’ll pass through Aut, then take a stop near Larji and watch the confluence of the Sainj and Tirthan rivers first. Then check the confluence of Tirthan and Beas rivers after which you can leave for your next stop.
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