Walking Wanderer

Kasol is a beautiful as well as peaceful village located at a distance of 32km from Bhuntar (nearest airport) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. This village lies adjacent to gurgling Parvati river where you can sit along the river and enjoy the tranquillity and peace offered by nature. The specialty of the place lies in the trekking routes to various places like Malana, Chalaal, Kheerganga etc. Kasol is abode for the trekkers, backpackers and for those who cannot control their adrenaline rush. The cafés in the area offer you world-class cuisines which will definitely make your mouth water.

Kasol tourism has grown magnificently in the past five years with travelers from different age groups and niche. Some travel in luxury and some on a tight budget trip to get rid of hectic city life. Recently I have got number of mails in which people often ask me to write something on “How to plan a budget trip to Kasol”. So finally I thought of writing an article on this topic.

Parvati valley and Kasol can be explored completely in 3 days if planned properly, the trip may be hectic but would definitely be in your budget.

How to Plan Kasol trip in Budget

Maximum people plan their trip from Delhi or Chandigarh so we will assume you to be traveling from Delhi.

• The best way of traveling from Delhi is by Volvo buses which usually starts from Kashmiri gate in the evening. The price of ticket usually ranges between 1000Rs to 1300 Rs and after 12 hours of journey from Delhi this bus will drop you at Bhuntar (The place in Kullu district from where the road to Parvati valley and Manali bifurcates).
• Now a days some Volvo buses also run on route from Delhi to Kasol which will take you directly to Kasol.
• If you get down at Bhuntar you can take a local bus from Bhuntar to Manikaran or Barsheni which will drop you at Kasol after 2 hours of journey. This bus ticket would cost you around 70-80Rs. Or you can go for local cab services as shared cabs are very cheap and comfortable source of travel to Kasol
• After reaching Kasol you can walk around the village and find a place to stay around the village. You can bargain at the local hotels and home stays in order to plan it in your budget.
• You will get a room for around 1000Rs to 1500rs in a home stay or hotel but if the price is still not affordable by you then you can rent a tent in Bhuntar and take it along to Kasol. This would be the cheapest method for staying in Kasol.
• For traveling to Challal you need to trek from Kasol and for Tosh you need to take a local bus to Barsheni from where you can trek to Tosh village. Trekking and hiking is the best way of exploring the whole valley, by trekking you can cover places like Rasol, Pulga, Tosh, Kalga, Katla and most importantly you can cover Kheerganga the Jewel of Parvati valley. And if you plan a stay at every destination and want it to be in your budget then just rent a tent for 300rs per day and stay wherever you want to, this will not even affect your Budget.
• Food is usually cheap in local cafes so that won’t affect your budget much.

My Top Tips for Budget Trip To Kasol/ Parvati valley

So Now I am going to enlist few tips which will surely help you in optimizing your budget to Kasol without making a big dent in your pocket. so lets look at them one by one.

1. Travel during March, August and September- March is one of the best months to travel to Kasol, crowd is very less, place is peaceful, only thing that you can miss during this period would be greenery around.
2. Book on spot- Try to find rooms and stay options on the spot rather than looking for online booking options during your travel to Kasol in March or August but if you are traveling to Kasol during May and June then I would suggest you to make prior bookings
3. Eat wisely in Kasol/Parvati valley- Eating at local dhabhas or shacks is one of the best method of saving money when traveling to Kasol. Try local dishes at your home stays rather then spending big amounts in restaurants around.
4. Be wise with location of accomodation: Kasol offers wide variety of option for stays depending on your budget. It has budget hotels to luxury hotels. So it totally depends on your budget what choice you want to make. You can even go for home stays which will give you a warmth feeling of Himachali culture.
5. Travel in the groups of 3-5 members

6. Traveling in the group of 3-5 members opens up a good number of options in order to save more. For example, like mentioned above, some hotels may give you free extra bed. Hence, if you are three then you get a room with discount and free extra bed but you divide the cost by three people. So, you are getting discount as well as saving money as well.

7. When we talk about commute option when you travel in a group of 4-5 the cost of the taxi is shared in an optimum value as well as you stay comfortable in the car too. According to me, following guidelines should be followed for your mode of transport or commute:

8. • a. 1-2 people, then choose Bike Rental OR Shared Taxis. Hitch Hike / Public Transport where ever possible and routes of least interest like Delhi – Kasol-  Delhi Highway.
9. • b. 3-5 people, then choose taxi or a self drive car of SUV type.
10. • c. 6-10 people, then choose Taxi as Winger/Tempo Traveler which will save you directly about 55-60% over hiring two taxis and you travel together in the group as well.

Travel with Us for Kasol trip to reduce cost

You can even travel with me or give me a chance to plan a trip for you guys in budget. I have been a native of this place and have organized number of budget trips for the fellow backpackers. I have been working in organizing trips in the valley since 2012 and have provided valuable service to number of satisfied clients across the country. People prefer to travel with big travel portals which usually operate from Delhi or Mumbai but Me and my team operates from Kullu itself and try to stay along with groups till the trips are successfully finished.

so If you are confused with your budget then I hope this article helps you out in planning budget trip to Kasol or you can directly contact us on 8988265439 for planning a budget trip with us to Kasol or you can DM on Instagram