KASOL & KHEERGAGA PACKING GUIDE 2020
Kasol is a village in Himachal Pradesh, northern India. It is situated in Parvati Valley, on the banks of the Parvati River, on the way between Bhuntar to Manikaran.
Kheerganga is a 14-km trail (both ways) & provides you with ample opportunities to explore the natural bounties of the region. On the way, you will find numerous charming waterfalls that will convince you with their allure to take a picture. One sight of the astonishing serpent-shaped waterfall of Rudra Nag will give you a new perspective on nature.
All your tiredness of the hike will be washed away with a sight of the mystical hot springs of Kheerganga. You can step in it to tackle the cool weather. The one-of-a-kind experience of relaxing in a hot spring while admiring vistas of snow-capped peaks will remain with you forever as memories. The vistas from an altitude of about 13000 feet will also leave you spellbound. You get to spend the night here amidst the mighty snow-laden mountains. The second-day journey back to Kasol gives you another chance to admire what you might have missed on the first day while trekking from Kasol to Kheerganga.
Medicines:
Medicines for headache, fever, stomach ache, cold, cough syrup and motion sickness may be required by you too.
Also carry any other medicines, specific to your health conditions.
Make sure you consult your family doctor before taking this trip, in case you have the slightest doubt about your fitness & health.
Clothes:
It’s best to wear layers as temperatures can change rapidly in terrains such as these. Hence wear layers, as it’s convenient to add/subtract layers as and when needed.
Also carry a sweater, gloves, cap (protect head and ears from cold winds), thermals and a winter jacket.
- Trekking shoes (recommended for trek) or Shoes with good grip .
- Comfortable lowers for trek (jeans not advisable)
Comfortable lowers will make your journey a lot better.
Woolen socks will keep your feet warm.
Weather is unpredictable in the hills, and nights can get unusually cold, hence it’s always best to be prepared
Gadgets:
Spare camera batteries: Carry at least one spare set of batteries required by your camera.
Battery power bank: If you are an avid smartphone user and planning to log your route on your favorite GPS App, then make sure you are carrying a power bank with at least 10000 mAH capacity to keep your mobile phone running throughout the day.
Enough memory cards to last you the entire trip: Carry enough memory cards to cover your entire duration. If needed, borrow from friends but don’t depend on laptop HDDs or worse still, virus infested cyber café computers to copy and save your photographs!
Miscellaneous:
Torch (must carry for the trek, as there’s no electricity at the campsite at Kheerganga)
Umbrella or a Rain Poncho(Poncho recommended for the trek)
Eye Mask, Neck Pillow, Light Blanket, Ear Plugs for the bus journey.
Book to Read/Board Games/Uno/Playing Cards
For Kheerganga: Tissue Paper for campsite & a Hand towel. Do carry a plastic bag, to carry your soiled clothes.
Body Care:
Lip Balm: Dry and cold weather will make your lips dry, which can get quite painful due to cracking and skin coming off, so make sure to carry a lip balm, glycerin or Vaseline.
Sunscreen lotion: UV rays at high altitude can be quite damaging to the skin, even during the slightest of winter, so don’t forget to carry a good quality sunscreen lotion with a rating of SPF30 or higher. One can apply it a couple of hours before going out under the sun.
UV sunglasses
Caps
Wet Wipes
Hand Sanitizer
Eatables & Drinks:
Chocolates, biscuits, dry fruits and nuts: Carrying a couple of chocolates, a pack of biscuits along with dry fruits such as almonds, raisins and cashews is a good idea
Dry fruits provide instant energy and easy snack and don’t take up too much space.
Tip: Carry an Insulated Tiffin especially if you’re on medication so that you can have something packed for during the journey from the previous night’s place of stay.
Bags:
One big rucksack for clothes. A small one for medicines, tuck and other valuables, gadgets and other personal and body care essentials etc. Waist bags can be very useful and handy. (You could find all these at a reasonable price at a Decathlon Store nearby)
ID Cards : Mandatory to carry a Government approved photo ID Address Proof (i.e. Aadhar/Passport/Voter’s ID/DL and not PAN CARD)
tap to check the useful information
From Boarding from Delhi or elsewhere, please be critical to following these as communicated to you by Tripver or by your Trip Captain, as it is the most common and troublesome issue for the Trip Captains. More so since it’s not fair to those who make it on time. Be nice to your Captain and, he/she will reciprocate to maybe even go overboard the itinerary to cover an additional place or two.
Food: Expect reasonably simple food at the places you’re visiting considering their remoteness.
Money: Withdraw money before your journey, there will be very limited ATMs available at Kasol and usually the cash is also limited at the ATMs
Washrooms: During the journey, availability and cleanliness may be an issue and although our drivers and Trip Captain’s try to make the stops as per pre-searched or in some cases the best possible judgment, these are some constraints while traveling offbeat.
These are all the basic things a traveller may need in Kasol. Your destination is located 42 km east of Kullu at the height of 1640 meters.
The itinerary is made keeping in mind the basic structure for your visit and we try our best to meet the timelines. As per our past experiences, there may be a possibility there may be a shift in timings. This may be due to heavy traffic, weather conditions, stamina levels of the travelers or simply because you want to spend the night watching stars and wake up easy the next day and leave a little later than the mentioned time :). Try your best to follow timelines as it makes your travel experience more fun & avoid testing the patience levels of punctual travelers. 😉
Let’s keep our hills clean!
Travelers found or observed using offensive language or behavior with other travelers or any person connected to delivering the Tripver experience, under extreme cases may be terminated from the trip by the Trek Leader and blacklisted from subsequent community trips.
This is a journey of your lifetime, it’s our advice that you enjoy this trip not as a tourist but as a traveler.
Hope this helps! Sit back relax and get ready for a memorable trip and a tryst with nature.
