There is nothing like camping under the star-spangled sky of Kullu Sarahan

Camping, Trekking, and Budget travel used to be my favorite activities. Over a period of time, things have changed a bit because of multiple reasons. But my love for the outdoors, keeps me compiling these posts around camping places, gears, and so on. Here I am sharing about this brilliant place for camping and the appropriate tips to plan a trip to such places for camping and adventure.

I went to Kullu-Sarahan (please note that it's not Sarahan in Shimla but a small village in remote areas of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh) 5 years back and camped there with friends. Let me share why I feel that it's a brilliant location for camping -

• It's located far from the hustle bustle of regular traffic.
• The village is well connected with a kachcha road. The main station around Sarahan is Baghipul, which is 13-14 kilometers from Sarahan village.
• There is a huge ground in the middle of high mountains. This almost equal to a cricket stadium.
• There is enough fresh water around this lush green ground.
• There is a school and HPPWD guest house around the boundary of this ground, so in case of emergencies one can move to the galleries of these 2 buildings.
• 2 basic shops are there in the village. You need to walk a bit to reach these shops, but you can find basic groceries here, in case you forgot to carry something.
• The place is safe. There is a village around it. But it's always recommended to be prepared for unknowns. As with any other place, stay alert.
• There are brilliant landscapes all around - snow-covered peaks, waterfalls, streams of chilled water all around, forests, treks, huge trees and lot of other things, which you find around Kasol/Malana.
• Beautiful nights with glittering stars in the sky and shooting stars.
• Trekking opportunities all around.

And the positives of this place go beyond these points. There is lot more to it, which is difficult to describe in words. A walk inside Sarahan village is worth. There is beautiful temple inside the village. And during your walk you would come across some surprises. Village is well lit in the night, because of sufficient solar light panels installed all over the village. You will find happy people all around who are satisfied with their simple life of dealing with pets, their fields, & food. Such experiences compel you to rethink the life we live in cities and a lot of WHY questions hit your mind.

All photographs shared in this photo journey are clicked without a tripod. Since it was a rough trip and we were advised to carry the least amount of weight on our shoulders, I did not carry a tripod and I don't regret that.

Those were the days when I was learning various photography techniques and the utility of shutter-speed mode :). I along with other photographer friends spent a lot of time around these water streams to click the flowing water. We had lots of opportunities to try different kinds of photographs around Kullu Sarahan.

Here is the huge ground I was talking about. This is probably just 40% of the ground shadowed by these snow covered peaks and dense cedar forests.

Above photograph was clicked when we were trekking to the waterfalls. In the photograph, you can see the scale of this ground. The buildings around the ground are the school and the houses. You can also see the village at some distance. Look this photograph carefully and share what all your see here :)

Sarahan village has beautiful houses all around, with varied architectures. Roofs of all these houses are the same. Sloped roofs are made of rock-cut slates. These rocks are usually found on hills which get snow all the time. These rocks/slates are considered very strong and that's why are used on roof tops in areas which get heavy rains or snowfall.

Wood is also used heavily in constructing these houses. Mostly it's cedar wood which is considered pretty strong.

I have been to Kullu Sarahan twice and have loved spending time around this beautiful temple in the middle of Sarahan village.

Walking around these villages is an amazing experience and I always enjoy roaming around these streets with surprising activities happening throughout the day. I also belong to a village but each village has a character and has varied experiences to offer.

How to reach Sarahan (Kullu) -

• By Car - Reach Shimla from Delhi. Follow Kinnaur highway. Before Rampur, take a left cut over Satluj which takes you to Baghipul. From Baghipul, there is a steep climb till Sarahan village. 4*4 can comfortably go till the top
• By Bus - Take bus from Delhi to Shimla. Then try to find a local bus which connects Shimla with Baghipul. You can also choose to take any bus to Rampur and get down at the bridge which goes towards Left. Bus conductor would help you to find this place. It comes before Rampur town. So you would need some help. Either GPS or any passenger, if not bus conductor. From Baghipul, you need to hire a taxi.
• By Train - Train is only available till Shimla/Kalka. Beyond that follow the route mentioned above.