Great Himalayan National Park

The park covers around a thousand square kilometres of the upper Tirthan, Sainj, Jiwa and Parvati catchments, rising from about 1,500 metres to over six thousand, and it was inscribed by UNESCO in 2014 for its biodiversity. There are no roads inside: entry is on foot from villages at the edge, with permits and local guides, on multi-day treks up river valleys through forest into alpine meadow. Snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, musk deer, Himalayan tahr, blue sheep and the western tragopan live here, though sightings of the larger predators are effectively never made by visitors. Villagers were resettled and given roles as guides and porters.

The landscape

• The trailless catchments - four river valleys with no roads inside.
• The alpine meadows - high grassland above the forest zone.
• The tragopan and monal - Himalayan pheasants in the forest belt.
• The village guides - former residents working as guides and porters.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the monsoon brings leeches and landslides, and winter closes the high routes with snow. Permits and guides must be arranged at the entry villages.

What to expect

Access is only by multi-day trekking with camping; there are no lodges inside. Snow leopards are essentially never seen. Permits, guides and porters are compulsory and add cost.

Nearby

Tirthan valley lies at the entrance; Kullu is west.

Key facts