Kasol and Parvati Valley

The Parvati river runs down a steep valley from glaciers to join the Beas at Bhuntar, and the villages along it, Kasol, Manikaran, Tosh, Malana and Kalga, have drawn travellers for decades. Manikaran has hot springs strong enough that food is cooked in them, and a gurudwara and Hindu temples are built directly over the boiling water; rice is left in cloth in the spring and served in the langar. Kasol has become a backpacker centre with cafes and guesthouses. Higher up, Kheerganga is a hot spring meadow reached by a walk, and Malana keeps distinctive customs and its own dialect.

What you actually see

• Manikaran hot springs - water hot enough to cook rice, under a gurudwara.
• Kheerganga - a hot spring meadow reached by a walk up the valley.
• The riverside villages - Tosh, Kalga and others on the slopes.
• The pine gorge - the Parvati running fast between steep forest.

When to go

March to June and September to November; the monsoon brings landslides and the higher villages are snowbound in winter. Weekends and holidays crowd Kasol heavily.

Honest expectations

The valley has a long-standing drug tourism problem and associated risks including arrests; several foreign visitors have gone missing here over the years. The river is fast and dangerous. Malana has strict local rules about touching residents and property.

Nearby

Kullu lies west; Manali is northwest.