Tirthan Valley Trip Itinerary will come in handy if you are planning to visit the region for the very first time.
There are a lot of picturesque places in and around the valley. A predefined itinerary will help you to cover the important places in the valley more efficiently.
In my current blog, I will help you plan a Tirthan Valley trip itinerary that allows you to experience its Sleepy hamlets, ancient temples, immaculate hiking trails, beautiful forests and exquisite landscapes.
My Budget 5- Day Tirthan Valley Trip Itinerary
At the very outset, I want to clarify that there is no valley named Tirthan. The entire region is known as Seraj. Tirthan is the name of the river. To make things easier for tourists it is known as Tirthan Valley.
Seraj valley is divided into three parts Inner Seraj, Outer Seraj, and Mandi Seraj. Inner and Outer Seraj are part of Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh which includes what is known as the Tirthan valley.
In my personal opinion, this pristine valley requires at least 10 days to explore. However, not many have that luxury. Therefore, I have curated this 5-day Tirthan Valley Trip Itinerary from my experience:
| Day 1: Reach Banjar/ Jibhi and visit Chehni Kothi |
| Day 2: Take a day trip to Jalori Pass |
| Day 3: Visit Gushaini and explore the villages nearby |
| Day 4: Explore the amazing Great Himalayan National Park |
| Day 5: Go Trout Fishing & Relax on the last day |
The above itinerary covers all the popular places. If you have more than 5 days, then I would certainly encourage you to visit less frequented places as well. Here you can find the list of all the things to do in Tirthan Valley.
I travelled from Delhi and therefore, I took the Delhi- Aut- Banjar Route to reach Tirthan Valley. However, this is not the only way to reach Tirthan. I have outlined this and other routes in the latter half of the blog.
One of the best things to do in Tirthan valley is to pay a visit to Chehni Kothi Fort. This fort-temple was believed to be even bigger in height than what it is at present. The earthquake of 1905 destroyed the fort.
Reach Banjar/Jibhi and visit Chehni Kothi on the 1st Day of your Tirthan Valley Trip
If you are coming from Delhi, get down at Aut in the morning and board a bus going towards Banjar. Once you reach Banjar, you can either check into your stay here or continue forward to reach Jibhi. Jibhi is around 8 km ahead of Banjar.
After getting some rest, head towards Chehni Kothi. Chehni Kothi is a short hike near Jibhi and Banjar that can only be reached on foot.
Shringa Rishi temple is the start point of the trek. From Banjar, you need to get down at a place called Chilka Dhar if coming by local buses. From here the road to Shringa Rishi temple diverts which is about 4 km.
You can either walk along the motorable road or just hitch-hike till the temple. It is just 45 minute uphill climb from the Shringa rishi temple. Apart from the locals, nobody is allowed to enter the fort.
If you don’t want to hike, then there is a pretty waterfall which you can visit in Jibhi. Or laze around, explore Jibhi and Cafes.
Perched at around 3000m, the Jalori Pass offers excellent panoramic views of Pir-Panjal, Dhauladhars, Kinnaur ranges. Just the sheer drive to Jalori is spellbinding.
On Day 2, take a day trip to Jalori Pass from Jibhi or Banjar
On the second day, take an exhilarating journey through the narrow serpentine roads to Jalori pass. You can get a bus to Jalori Pass easily both from Jibhi and Banjar.
From Jalori, you can either hike to Serolsar lake or Raghupur fort. You may check out the Jalori pass blog for more details.
Head back to Jibhi or Banjar before the dark.
Gushaini offers excellent vistas with Tirthan river flowing alongside. Gushaini is also a starting point for many villages and treks into the eco-zone of GHNP.
Head on to Gushaini and explore the villages nearby on 3rd Day
Check out from your stay in Jibhi or Banjar and Head to Gushaini today. Again, buses are easily available from Banjar and Jibhi to Gushaini.
Gushaini is a small little hamlet that is now a pretty popular tourist place. It is a starting point for many villages and treks into the eco-zone of GHNP. I took a bus at around 9.30 AM to reach Gushaini.
Check into your stay at Gushaini and after getting some rest head to explore small villages like Sarchi, Bathad, Pekhri. They are nearby Gushaini.
The Great Himalayan National Park is known for its incredible flora and fauna. This is the reason why it has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. GHNP, therefore, attracts hikers and trekkers from all over the world.
Keep the Great Himalayan National Park for 4th day of Tirthan Valley Trip Itinerary
Gushaini is the start point of the hike to the Great Himalayan National park. In order to reach the gate, you need to hike for about 6-8 km from Gushaini. This is an easy hike. It passes through a beautiful hamlet named Ropa.
In order to enter the park, you need a permit. The permit is to be obtained from Shairopa (Tirthan Valley) and Ropa (Sainj Valley. You need to pay additional charges for still and video cameras.
You can explore the Park here and spend the day in the park. You can also ask for guides if you want to go on one of the hikes inside the park.
Most of the homestays will have arrangements if the visitors want to go trout fishing. They will charge a certain amount for trout fishing. But it is said that Tirthan valley has the best trout fishes.
On the 5th Day of the Tirthan Valley Trip, go Trout Fishing & Relax
On the last day, you can just relax. If you are interested, you can also go trout fishing in the Tirthan river.
This is one of the most popular activities to be done in Tirthan valley. Most of the homestays will have arrangements if the visitors want to go trout fishing.
Budget Breakdown for 5-Day Trip to Tirthan Valley
Tirthan valley is a budget travellers dream. The stays are cheap and for internal transport, local buses are easily available.
I have given below a cost breakdown for travelling solo to Tirthan Valley for 5 days:
| Accommodation
Except for Jibhi, Gushaini, expensive Hotels almost remain elusive in the valley. That being said, budget accommodation options are readily available in Jibhi, Banjar, Gushaini. You can easily get accommodation at 500-700 INR per day. Total Accommodation Cost for 4 Nights = 2000 INR |
| Food
Food is also fairly inexpensive in Tirthan valley. Food would cost you around INR 500 per day. Total food costs incurred on food = 2500 INR |
| Local Transport
All the places are close to each other. Therefore, you will spend around 80-100 INR per day on local buses. Private cab costs will be relatively higher. Total Cost incurred on Buses = 500 INR |
| External Transport
Volvo from and to Delhi will cost INR 2000 |
| Total Cost of 5 Day Solo Trip to Tirthan Valley = 7000-8000 INR |
Here I have not considered guide fees. Tirthan valley falls in the core zone of GHNP. It is a haven for trekking connoisseurs. Of course, for short day hikes, you don’t need guides as such.
Tirthan Valley is an excellent option for budget travellers as there is no dearth of budget accommodations here. Also, the network of local buses allows you to freely travel between places at a fairly low cost.
Best Budget Stay Options for Tirthan Valley for Solo Travellers and Backpackers?
There is no dearth of accommodation options in Tirthan valley. Popular places like Jibhi, Banjar, Gushaini have a variety of options. Homestays are also popping up in the traditional hamlets. Therefore, finding a good budget stay is pretty simple.
- Stay in Banjar
Banjar is the biggest town in the valley. You’ll find a lot of hotels, guesthouses and homestays here. Buses are easily available from Banjar to other places in the valley
While travelling solo to Tirthan I stayed at Blueesheep Tirthan the whole time. The hosts are very welcoming and amiable. They are a Himachali family who is locals to the valley. They will make you feel at home with their incredible hospitality.
- Stay in Jibhi
Jibhi is one most of the picturesque places in the valley. Jibhi has it all be it hotels, guesthouses, hostels, Luxury homestays. For budget travellers, there are currently quite a few hostels in Jibhi.
Hosteller, Treesoul hostel, Hostalgic and Mudhouse are the finest hostels in Jibhi. Mudhouse is slightly on the expensive side. While the rest of the hostels offer dorm beds at around INR 350-500.
- Stay in Gushaini
Gushaini of the prettiest hamlets in the valley. There variety of accommodation options available in Gushaini including luxury homestays.
Raju’s homestay in Gushaini is quite famous. Gone fishing cottages is also a pretty little luxury homestay near Gushaini. The above-mentioned places may not be viable in terms of budget for people on a strict budget. Therefore, I would recommend reaching Gushaini and then searching for stay options.
- Stay in the Traditional hamlets
To truly experience the culture of the valley one should stay in traditional hamlets. There are lots of such hamlets which now host travellers. Locals have realized the tourism potential and have constructed homestays.
Villages like Bathad, Pekhri, Sharchi, Ghiyagi offer such homestays. Of course, these villages tend to be a little trickier to reach. Most of these homestays are economical. Staying in homestays is a win-win for everyone. You contribute to the local economy while practising sustainable tourism.
The cheapest way of reaching Tirthan Valley is by taking local buses. These buses are easily available and connect all the main villages in the valley.
How to Reach Tirthan Valley on a Budget?
Tirthan valley can be reached in multiple ways and through multiple routes. I feel that travelling to Tirthan via the Aut route is the most convenient.
Reaching Tirthan Valley Solo by Using Public Transport
If you are travelling solo, I would recommend you use public transport. There are three possible ways:
| Reaching Tirthan Valley From Delhi
From Delhi, board any bus going towards Manali. A lot of HRTC and private Volvo buses depart in the evening from Delhi and Chandigarh. Get down at Aut. From Aut you get a lot of buses going towards Banjar on an hourly basis. From Banjar, one can get local buses to almost every place in the valley. |
| Reaching Tirthan Valley from Shimla
You can reach Tirthan valley from Shimla via Jalori Jot. This route is also known as the Old Britishers route. The local buses run on this route. The exact timings can be confirmed at the bus station. |
| Reaching Tirthan Valley From Rampur Bushahr
This route is frequented by a lot of locals who want to get from Kullu to Kinnaur. There are a few buses daily from Rampur to Banjar via Jalori pass. |
Reaching Tirthan Valley Solo By Self–driven or Private car
We can all agree that road trips are fun and exciting. If you are a group of friends, then travelling by your own vehicles makes much more sense. You don’t need to wait forever for buses. You also tend to reach faster when compared to public transport.
Reaching Tirthan is fairly easy. The roads are in decent shape for most of the part. I’ll briefly mention all the possible routes to enter Tirthan valley.
| Reaching This is the route from Delhi
Delhi – Karnal – Chandigarh – Bilaspur – Sundernagar – Mandi – Aut – Bali chowki – Banjar |
| Reaching Tirthan Valley from Shimla
Delhi – Karnal – Ambala – Chandigarh – Kandaghat – Shimla – Narkanda – Anni – Khanag – Jalori |
| Reaching Tirthan Valley from Rampur Bushahr
Rampur Bushahr – Anni – Khanag – Jalori |
I have been to quite a lot of places in Himachal recently and it’s sad to see the current state of some of the places. There is plastic everywhere, on the roads, on the trails. Please be a responsible traveller and be mindful that you leave no trace on the environment.
Be a Responsible Traveller
Responsible travel is the need of the hour with ill-effects of climate change becoming more and more conspicuous with each passing day in recent years. I can’t emphasize how important this aspect of travelling is.
Here are a few pointers I urge all of you to follow:
| Take the Trash Back
I believe in leaving the place as it was before leaving no trace whatsoever. Take all the trash back with you in a carry bag and do not litter around which is the least we can do to preserve the beauty of such amazing places. High-altitude places are very sensitive in terms of the environment, so littering them with plastic is the last thing we want. |
| Go Plastic Free
I have completely stopped using plastic water bottles during my recent trips. I carry 2 bottles along with me and each time before leaving the place I am staying, to explore the valley I make sure I refill my bottles So that I don’t need to buy plastic water bottles. There are a lot of pure water sources from where you can refill your bottles in the mountains. So if possible, please do not buy plastic water bottles at all |
I hope that this Tirthan Valley trip itinerary was of great help to you. Tirthan Valley, though now popular still remains pretty much under-explored apart from Jibhi and Gushaini.
So, pack your bags and head to Tirthan Valley to experience the amazing culture and hospitality Himachal has to offer and remember to travel responsibly.