Kasol! Escape to Parvati Valley

Parvati River at Kasol

Summer time and it’s the hills we all want to make a trip to, for our vacation or just a getaway. At Escape Enchanted that’s what we do- get you locations for trips, cheap vacations or getaway destinations and enjoy nature, peace and fresh clean air. Just to get you ready for the destination be ready for a bumpy ride for sure and keep an open mind.

Old Kasol

Welcome to Kasol also known as mini Israel but then I have found it does have a touch of Russia as well as Italy and at a larger sense it is Himachal at the end of the day- What say bhaiji? Kasol I would rather say is a destination that is towards the beginning of the Parvati Valley from Bhuntar side and a perfect getaway for cheap vacations.

As I mentioned earlier that be ready for bumpy ride as the roads up to Bilaspur is bad due the heavy traffic of heavy vihicles the cement factory attracts and also after Bhuntar the roads are bad but then Kasol is worth the ride as it is just not a getaway but is the gateway to many getaways to name a few Tosh, Chalal, Rasol and Manikaran. Guess reason enough why Kasol is also known as backpackers’ paradise as well. I have also mentioned to keep an open mind for a very simple reason, as this is one place where you would find people smoking pot practically everywhere.

Rasta Colours of Kasol

Kasol is merely a small town by the bank of river Parvati on one side and the majestic hills and a snow capped mountain on the other side. If one takes a leisurely stroll on the main road one should be able to walk to and fro from one end to the other in about an hour or so. Yes the stroll is recommended to enjoy the view of the bakeries, bars, café’, curio shops and the one stop shops that can get you all your smoking gear and most importantly to enjoy the vibrant colours of this laid back town.

What you can do at Kasol? Many by now has figured out what best one can do! Well you can for sure enjoy natural beauty of both the river and the majestic hills around breathing clean air. Go for long walk and contemplate about anything at all. Best thing that you can do is eat here cause they not only come cheap but you get a huge variety of food, I would recommend to try Israeli or continental as for Indian and so called Chinese that we get in India you would get anywhere. My recommendation for grilled trout is siddharth’s café rest you would kinda get same standard, price might be different but not all that huge.

Snow Capped View from Kasol

How to reach Kasol? Kasol you reach by road only! Flights are few and far in between. Just for information sake closest airport is Bhuntar which is around 32 kms. Nearest railway station is Pathankot and that is around 275 kms. Other options are Chandigarh which is around 277 kms and Delhi that is around 535 kms. I have always driven to Kasol as I have travelled with my daughter when she was 5 months old and 22 months, as a matter of fact she started walking without any support in Kasol itself (actually it was running first till she fell and realised it’s better to go slow and took to walking). From Pathankot, Chandigargh and Delhi you can always book a cab and enjoy the drive or even try out the blah blah car option. Best option would always be to hop on to HRTC busses till Bhuntar and then to take a taxi from there on, no bus option for the Phathakot route. Here are prevailing bus options with timings and fare:

From	Bus type	Timings	Fare
Chandigarh	HRTC Ordinary	6:40 pm	363
Chandigarh	A/C	8:30 am & 8:40, 10: 00 pm	499
Chandigarh	Private Busses	10 pm to midnight	499 – 950
Delhi ISBT	HRTC Ordinary	6:40 am to 5:40 pm	527 – 542
Delhi ISBT	HRTC Semi-Delux	6:40 pm	598
Delhi ISBT	HRTC A/C Volvo	7:30 to 9:50 pm	900 – 1139
Delhi	Private Busses	4:30 to 7:00 pm	699 - 1299

Growing Wildly at Kasol

For more details write to us at: escapeenchanted@gmail.com

Summer Getaway- Reshi Khola, Rishi Khola

Once again Escape Enchanted brings you another travel destination not frequented regularly and off-course a perfect getaway and a cheap vacation to beat the heat. 

Before anything else must prepare you for the travel destination and that is no mobile network, limited electricity (sometimes non), no hustle bustle of city or town life, no shopping malls or market place. In abundance you would certainly get peace, nature, fresh unpolluted air, sweet natural mineral water and above all one location with both river and the hills.

Reshi Khola also known as Rishi Khola (if you doing a Google search) located in the sub-division of Kalimpong and the river itself is the border of Sikkim and West Bengal. Tranquil location where you only hear the sound of the river and the breeze. Perfect get away for nature watching with near by hills to explore and the river itself.

What you can do at Reshi Khola? Answer would be nothing (as I did most of the time). Well you can go for light trek around the near by hills or walk down the river bank. Laze around take a dip in the cool water of Reshi or for all you know you can try your hand at fishing. If you don't get lucky with fishing the local guys would be more than happy to share their catch (done with the help of a small genset- eco-friendly). Above all you can relax here and for me that is perfect vacation.

How do you get to Reshi Khola? Closest Railway station is New Jalpaiguri, Airport is Bagdogra and closest town is Kalimpong. Most convinient way to travel is to get to Kalimpong and take a shared jeep to Pedong and then hire a cab to Reshi Khola. Reshi Khola is at a distance of 104 km from Siliguri, 35 km from Kalimpong, 21 km from Algaragh and 14 km from Pedong.

 To know more, write to us at escapeenchanted@gmail.com