Ultimate Kasol Itinerary for 4 days under 10,000 INR

Kasol itinerary for 4 days will come in handy if you are planning a visit to Kasol for the very first time.  Unknown to most people a few years back, Kasol has recently it burst onto the tourist map due to two main reasons, one being easy availability of high-quality hashish (Possession and consumption of Hashish are illegal in India,  you can be even arrested if you happen to have it), and second due to beautiful hiking and trekking trails all around Kasol.

In my opinion, Kasol offers much more than the stereotypical clichés given to it by people. For instance, if you are a foodie then Kasol is the best place to be at. There are a ton of different cafés that offer lip-smacking multi-cuisine delicacies to soothe your taste buds. If you are an avid trekker then there are a lot of hiking routes and trails that will excite you.

The vibe of this place is such that one would just relax and admire the serene landscapes while witnessing the river Parvati in its full flow. I am hoping that with my Kasol itinerary for 4 days you will be able to experience the best of this quaint hamlet.

Kasol Itinerary for 4 Days: Where, When & How?

There is no dearth of picturesque places to explore in and around Kasol. There is something in Kasol for everyone. There are beautiful trekking trails for the adventurers, delectable delicacies for the foodies and quaint little villages for those seeking some quiet time in the mountains.

A pre-defined Kasol itinerary can help you explore Kasol in a more efficient manner.  In the current blog, I will be providing you with a detailed Kasol itinerary for 4 days that will give you the basic essence of all that Kasol has to offer.

Here’s a quick run-through of my Kasol Itinerary for 4 days:

I started my Kasol trip from Mumbai by taking a direct flight to Delhi and backpacked across Parvati Valley for 10 days and stayed in Kasol for around 4-days during winters.

There are many things that you can do in and around Kasol. I feel that a minimum 4-days are needed to experience the sheer beauty of this place. This Kasol Itinerary for 4 days also involves a bit of trekking to one most famous and beginner-friendly treks in Himachal which is Kheerganga.

For the sake of convenience, I am assuming that your trip starts from Delhi. Take an overnight bus from Delhi to Bhuntar. Bhuntar is located in Kullu and you can get on any bus that goes towards Manali.

Spend your Day 1 Exploring and Café hopping in Kasol

Reach early morning to Bhuntar and board local buses or cabs going towards Kasol. You can find buses plying to Kasol every half an hour.

Once you reach Kasol,  check into a hostel/hotel/guesthouse. Once you have settled in, head out and roam around the main town and go café hopping.

There are a ton of different Cafes in Kasol and you probably require 2 days to cover all of them. I visited quite a few them and the food was extremely delicious. Bhoj Café, Evergreen Café, Freedom Café, Moondance Café, Jim Morrisons Café, Little Italy, Panj Tara Café are amongst the popular ones in Kasol.

Though cafes predominantly serve Italian and Israeli food, most of them offer multi-cuisine including Indian food in some cafés. Israeli food like hummus, falafel platter, etc. will be readily available and is a must-try when you are in Kasol. Italian food served in most of the cafes is extremely delectable. Apart from Italian and Israeli food, traditional Indian food is also readily available in and around Kasol.

Kasol is also famous for its mouth-watering desserts like cakes, pie, croissants, etc. There quite a few bakeries here which serve these kinds of deserts. Germany bakery being the most popular one out there with its apple pie, cheesecakes being a must-try.

In my opinion, Evergreen Café, Jim Morrisons Café, Little Italy are a must-visit as they serve lip-smacking food. Personally, my favourite is Jim Morrisons café as the café inspired by Jim Morrison the lead singer of the classic rock band “The doors”, classic rock numbers are played during the day. The café has a very chill vibe to it and is heaven for vegetarians as the café serves only vegetarian food. To reach this café you would have to hike uphill for 10 minutes from Hotel Sandhya.

Enjoy your evening near the bank of river Parvati or spend some time in the woods near Kasol.

Chalal is one of the easiest and the most accessible treks around Kasol. It will take only about half an hour to reach Chalal from Kasol. The entire route is scenic and covered with pines and deodars. 

Brace yourself for some short treks on Day 2

Leave Kasol and hike towards Chalal which takes only 30 mins. It is one of the shortest and easiest hiking trails around Kasol.

If you are into trekking, you can head towards Rasol from Chalal. Rasol is another unexplored village in Parvati Valley. You can easily trek from Chalal to Rasol village in about 1-2 hours.

Spend the night either in Rasol or Chalal/Katagla. Kasol can get a bit too crowded sometimes so Chalal can be a perfect place to beat the crowd.

Be the adventurer and trek to Kheerganga on Day 3

Start early and head towards Barshaini, Barshaini is a small village and the last point till which there is a  proper road in Parvati Valley. Barshaini can act as a base for many treks including the famous Kheerganga. If you love to trek then head to Kheerganga from Barshaini.

Otherwise, head to Tosh or Kalga. Tosh is the last motorable village in Parvati Valley. Surrounded by lush green mountains with pine, deodar, oak trees, it offers a magnificent view of these mountains. You can read my complete backpacking guide to Tosh in this blog. You can also visit Kalga, which is another lesser-known village of Parvati valley. You can find a few accommodations here.

You can spend the night at Kheerganga, Tosh or Kalga depending on where you decide to visit.

Relax in Manikaran before you head back on Day 4

If you are at Kheerganga then descend to Barshaini by afternoon and head to Manikaran. If you are at Tosh and Kalga, then spend some time and explore the villages around and come back to Barshaini and head to Manikaran.

Manikaran is a Sikh and Hindu pilgrimage centre that attracts many visitors. Take a dip in the hot water springs here and visit the temples and the Gurudwara.

There is an HRTC bus at 6.30 pm from Manikaran to ISBT Kashmere gate. You can also take overnight buses of your choice for Delhi

Manikaran is a Sikh and Hindu pilgrimage centre near Kasol that attracts many visitors. Here you can take a dip in the hot water springs and visit the temples and the Gurudwara.

Complete Cost Breakdown for this 4 Day Kasol Trip

One of the main reasons why people head to Kasol and nearby places is because it is light on the pocket as there are is no scarcity of decent budget options for accommodation except for a few months when it is peak season. The internal transport in and around Kasol is also very cheap.

Accommodation is fairly inexpensive in and around Kasol (except peak season prices are high to due high tourist influx) and will cost around 500-800 INR per day depending on what you choose. If you choose Backpackers hostel that it can come down to around 300-350 INR per dorm bed and guest house and will cost anywhere between 500-800 INR.

If you have someone to share a room with, then guesthouses and hotels can be a decent option as well. You can opt for luxury hotels, and guesthouses in Kasol but your cost will go up. Kasol also has a lot of campsites around the bank of the river Parvati. But they tend to be a little bit more expensive than Hostels, guesthouses, and hotels.

The only thing that is a little bit expensive is the food. If you are going to visit the famous cafés in Kasol then it will cost you a bit but trust me it is worth it since the food is just amazing here.

Food is going to be a bit expensive here, So I would say it will be around 500-700 INR per day depending on how many cafes you visit. Though it is a little bit on the expensive side, trust me, you will love all the Multi-cuisine delicacies that Cafés in Kasol offer.

Here I am assuming that you will be travelling from Delhi by bus and are going to stay for 3-nights in Kasol. You will not only be spending money on food, accommodation n Kasol but also on reaching nearby places.

4 Wonderful and cheap stays in Kasol for budget travellers

The accommodation shouldn’t be a problem as there are plenty of budget hostels, hotel, and guest houses. As soon as you enter Kasol, you will spot clusters of Budget hotels and guesthouses the rooms there are not fancy but are decent enough.

They can be priced anywhere between 500 – 800 INR. The prices can be exorbitantly high during the peak season even for even basic rooms. I stayed in a couple of hotels in that area that were decent and were priced at INR 500, but it was in February which can be considered as off-season and it did feel like off-season as the foreign travellers were almost absent.

For all you backpackers and solo travellers, backpacker hostels will come to your rescue as there a couple of popular hostel chains in Kasol. Some of the best hostels here are:

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The Parvati river in Kasol might look harmless, but do not make a mistake of undermining its flow. Do not venture deep into the river, it can be fatal.

The most cost-effective way of reaching Kasol

There is no direct bus for Kasol from either Delhi or Chandigarh. Therefore, for a first time visitor, reaching Kasol can be a  bit confusing.

Kasol can be only reached by road. For those making a solo trip to Kasol or are on a tight budget, Volvo buses will be your best bet. First, you need to board buses going towards Manali. There are a lot of Ordinary and Volvo buses of both private operators and HRTC plying on Delhi – Manali route from ISBT Kashmere gate.

Then you need to get down at Bhuntar since this is where the road to Kasol in Parvati valley diverts. From Bhuntar you need to take to local buses or shared cabs going towards Kasol.

There are a couple of HRTC buses from Delhi in the evening that directly go towards Manikaran. In case you don’t want to do a break journey and save time then is the perfect option (Kasol comes before Manikaran). Of course, there are only two buses so it might not be convenient for everybody.

If have self-driven cars or private vehicles, then just make sure you take the diversion at Bhuntar. On average Delhi to Kasol bus journey would take around 13-15 hours.

When is the best time to visit Kasol for you?

This is very subjective as this would depend on what kind of colours and landscapes you want to see. But one thing is for sure the weather remains very comfortable throughout the year except for cold winters which start from late November to early March.

If you time your visit to Kasol during off-season months like January, February, March in winter, or in September, October, November during Autumn, then you would enjoy it a lot more as there would be no crazy tourist rush when compared to Summer months or the period of Christmas and new year. There would be no problems whatsoever for Backpackers and Budget travellers as the accommodation prices would not be exorbitantly high.

 Is Kasol as safe for visitors as they say?

Kasol is very safe irrespective of gender. In fact, all of the Himachal is very safe and you will find lots of solo travellers backpacking around Kasol and Parvati valley. As you might already know Kasol is infamous for people looking for high-quality hashish called ‘Malana Cream’, so please make sure you don’t engage in such illicit activities as possession of Hashish is illegal and you can even be arrested.

Apart from this, locals are very amiable and approachable, and they will help you out in any situation, so don’t hesitate and approach them if you need help. While hiking and trekking around this pristine valley avoid taking shortcuts unless accompanied by a professional guide. 

While travelling, it’s always easy if have some sort of itinerary before travelling as it helps you plan better.  I hope my Kasol itinerary for 4 days will help you accommodate maximum number of places according to your needs.

Happy Wayfaring 🙂