Kheerganga is located deep in the Parvati Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India and is perched at an altitude of approximately 3000m. Kheerganga is temporary village which is an attraction to the visitors who wants to start doing trekking and want to spend time in serenity with high and sacred Himalayan mountains. Lord Shiva is said to have meditated here for 3000 years. Its a trek of 13-14 Kms from one side and takes about 5-6 hours.
Major attractions:
A beautiful journey with many waterfalls:
"Journey is always beautiful than the destination". This statement partly holds true here, On the way, there are innumerable small/big waterfalls which makes this longer walking journey a beautiful, less tiring and an exiting one. Many of these waterfalls have cafes for the refreshment of tourists. These waterfalls are heaven to a photographer
Hot water springs:
At the top of the Kheerganga has hot water springs. These hot springs are extremely important for Hindu and Sikh pilgrims as well as many others due to a belief of sacred healing properties of these springs. This hot water spring has been parted into two, one for males and other for females(covered to main the privacy). People can see some white material floating on the water of these springs which seems like Kheer(milk based rice pudding) and that is why this name was given to the place what I believe.
Cafes and ambiance of Kheerganga:
Kheerganga at season has lots of very good cafes at a height of ~3000m. People feel relaxing after a long trek of 14 Kms. Most of these cafes have an open garden concept(terrace in big cities). Many of these cafes or some trek organizers do bonfire, people play games, sing and do lots of fun in Kheerganga after a long tiring day.
Stay in tents:
Kheerganga is covered with snow for many months in a year, there is no road to go to this place and hence there are very fewer options to stay in Kheerganga(one or two Dharamshala might be). But a lot of people visit this place from May to October. So, for temporary staying arrangement many groups carry their sleeping bags, local people do tent arrangements for tourist. These tents are of different sizes, so organized and seems beautiful during day and night
Tips and tricks
It is really an important section of this article as you could face many problems if we don't care about these things
- Get your tent booked in advance. Many people visit this place and sometimes its difficult to get a tent to stay.
- Limit carrying many items in your bag as it will make your trek difficult.
- Carry water and some healthy snacks as in one of the routes you won't find cafes.
- Carry along some light and warm clothes as it's chilling cold at nights in Kheerganga.
- Carry power banks or batteries whatever suits you.
- Wear good shoes which holds you well while walking.
How to reach Kheerganga:
This place is not directly connected to big cities of India or Himachal Pradesh. So we need to follow a root to reach to this place. Biggest city to nearby this place is Kasol and Bhuntar. To reach to Kheer Ganga, one needs to reach to go to Barshaini or Tosh first and trek starts from these places. Tosh and Barshaini are quite nearer.
How to reach Barshaini:
By rail:
The nearest railway station is Kathgodam which is about ~200 Kms from Kheerganga. Taxis/Cabs services can be availed to reach to Barshaini and then the trek begins.
By road:
If one is traveling from Delhi, then, one needs to take a bus to Bhuntar. Get another bus to Kasol and then to Bhuntar or hire a Taxi from Kasol or Bhuntar to Barshaini. The road is not very good, so need to compromise with comfort
By air:
The nearest airport to Kheer Ganga is Pantnagar, which is ~235kms from KheerGanga. Taxis/Cabs services can be availed to reach to Barshaini and then the trek begins.
Why should we travel?:
- Wisdom can be achieved by gaining knowledge.
- Knowledge comes from information
- Information becomes possible because of Data.
- Data comes to us through observations.
- We become more observant when we travel and gather information. Hence it's one of the paths to gain knowledge and step towards wisdom.
Keep Travelling
