Tirthan Valley - A Secluded Heaven of Himachal Pradesh 

I chose to go towards Gushaini which was only 10 km away and beautiful cottages & homestays started coming in the way. I wanted to go deep as much it was possible so I ignored all the options and in the end, I saw "The Tirthan Valley Wooden House" which is a small but very beautiful wooden cottage in the pristine location. The hosts of the property are really kind and generous making your experience memorable with them. It was almost an evening & we had our dinner and went to bed.

As we continued our trek, the forest started getting deeper and silent. All i could hear the sound of the water and some chirping of the birds with the view of mountains and a wooden bridge coming in our way.

As we crossed the bridge, the view started getting better as we could see the river flowing down there and snow began to appear on the ground surfaces. It quite became slippery as we were literally walking on the snow but we were careful. The guide was quite friendly and the way passed as I shared my stories with him.

As we encountered the second wooden bridge, we decided to stop and click some photos as we wanted a break as well. After 15 min, we continued and the snow kept on increasing. Some of us slipped again and again and then we made a chain by holding hands of each other and started moving step by step. For some of us in the group, it was their first time experiencing walking on the fresh snow without having prior knowledge of it. The experience was sudden and amazing.

As we were coming closer, we could see the water getting steady and the gate was coming closer. Finally, I couldn't wait to reach my destination and have tea and maggi.

I relaxed there for around 01 hour with my maggi and chai. The weather was pleasing and I didnt want to go back. Spent some time playing with the snow and clicking some random pictures.

The return journey was quite easier and quick as after food, we had energy again and to descend is always easy. We covered the entire way in 2 - 2.5 hrs and we reached back to the cottage before the sunset. The day was completely refreshing. After some rest, we enjoyed dinner with the bonfire talking with each other getting to know more.

That's all about the first day here. I covered Sharchi meadows & Shangarh meadows in next couple of days which i will be sharing in my next blog. Before concluding this blog, I would share about the ways to reach here as this place is not very well known, so you may find difficulty to reach here first time.

How to reach Tirthan Valley by Road from Delhi

The first and the more commonly used route it as mentioned below.

Delhi – Sonipat – Panipat – Karnal – Ambala – Chandigarh – Swarghat – Bilaspur – Sundernagar – Mandi – Larji – Gushaini (Tirthan Valley)

Starting from Delhi, your first destination of the journey will be Chandigarh. Take NH1 and drive through Karnal and Ambala and then just before Chandigarh city, take the bypass that will have you exit on Chandigarh Manali highway. You will then start climbing up the hills and will arrive at Mandi traveling via Bilaspur and Sundernagar.

After Mandi, continue driving another 38 kilometers towards Manali. Just before Aut Tunnel, there is a road that goes towards the small town of Larji that you will have to turn on. You must not enter the tunnel and take the exit towards your right. Stop for a minute and ask the locals if you weren’t able to locate it.

How to reach Tirthan Valley by Bus

If you were traveling by Bus, then I would recommend that you skip the Shimla route and travel only via Mandi. Or at least reach via Mandi and return via Shimla because it will be easier that way. There are regular buses from Delhi to Manali, both luxury and ordinary, that you will have to board for this journey.

Traveling by bus, you have two choices. You can either get down before Aut Tunnel and look for a mode of transport, or you can go all the way to Aut town and look for a bus there.

I will recommend the second option because buses on this route are mostly crowded. If you were waiting near the Aut tunnel, you may not get a seat and will have to travel standing all the way to the valley. So instead of getting down at the junction near the tunnel, continue to Aut town and deboard the bus there.

There are regular buses from Aut to Banjar and you will have no problem finding one. Finding one directly for Gushanini can be a bit tough so do not wait. From Banjar, you will then have to look for either a Bus or shared cab towards Gushanini. The first bus that leaves for Gushaini from Banjar is at 7 AM and the last one is around 5: 00 PM.

If you have any other queries about the place, you can write me on Instagram @sudarshan.g. I will continue this journey and come with next part very soon. Till then, be safe & see you somewhere on the road :)