The Great Himalayan National Park has no road into its core, which is why the Tirthan valley below it has stayed as it is: guesthouses along a river, trout in it, and walking that starts at the door. Gushaini is the last village with a road. Most people who go to Himachal drive straight past the turning on the way to Manali, which is the entire reason this place still works.
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When to go
March to June and September to November. July and August bring heavy monsoon and landslides on the valley road; December to February is snow and most guesthouses close.
Tirthan Valley right now and the next 7 days
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Tirthan Valley, planned for you
A satellite map for every day with each stop pinned in order, photos of the places, timings, what each part costs, where to sleep and eat, and a checklist. One PDF that works offline: print it, or send it to everyone going.
- Day 1 Arrive in Tirthan Valley · Great Himalayan NP day walk
- TravelOvernight bus: Delhi → Aut, then local to Banjar₹1,400
- 11:00Great Himalayan NP day walk₹2,000
- Day 2 Serolsar Lake from Jalori Pass
- Day 3 Chhoie waterfall
- Day 4 Shringa Rishi temple, Banjar
- Day 5 A slow day
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Tirthan Valley on the map
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The area
Getting there
Places to see
Day trips
Tirthan Valley · Open in Google Maps ↗
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Step 3 of 11Next: Cost↓What your trip costs
Change anything and the numbers update. Every price is what the bus, room or ticket itself costs. We take no commission and sell no packages, so this is what you pay booking each piece yourself.
Ballpark ranges, not live quotes. Prices last updated 6 October 2026. Prices move with season and demand, so check live fares before you book. Spot a wrong price? Tell us and we fix it.
On the ground: stay, food, local travel and tickets. Pick a route above to add the journey.
Tirthan Valley in 5 days: a day-by-day plan
Our suggested plan, in a sensible order with times. Move things between days, remove them or add more. It saves on this device, and you can share it.
- 11:00Great Himalayan NP day walkFull day · ₹2,000 each · Permit and compulsory guide from the range office. Rolla and Shilt are the standard day targets.
- Lunch on the way
- 08:00Serolsar Lake from Jalori Pass3 h · free · A flat forest walk to a lake with a temple. The easiest good walk in Himachal.
- 11:30Jalori Pass & Raghupur Fort4 h · free · 3,000 m, with a ruined fort on a meadow. The pass closes in snow.
- Lunch on the way
- 08:00Chhoie waterfall2 h · free · Twenty minutes' walk above Jibhi. Free and usually quiet.
- 10:30Trout fishing on the TirthanHalf day · ₹800 each · Licence from the fisheries department, arranged by any guesthouse. Catch and release in the park zone.
- Lunch on the way
- 08:00Shringa Rishi temple, Banjar1 h 30 m · free · Kath-kuni timber architecture, and the valley's presiding deity.
- 10:00Village walk to Bahu or Nagini3 h · free · Terraced fields and slate roofs, no traffic, no entry fee.
- 13:30Lunch break
- A slow morning before the journey home.
How to get to Tirthan Valley
One-way prices per person. The cheapest sensible option is marked. Each button opens live times and fares for the date you picked above.
Overnight bus Cheapest
₹1,400Ask to be dropped at Aut tunnel, not Manali. Shared taxis wait there.
Train + bus
₹1,600Chandigarh is the nearest rail head with good connections.
Shared taxi, last leg Last leg
₹150Runs through the day; ask your guesthouse to arrange one.
Getting around once you're there
On foot
FreeEvery walk in the valley starts from a guesthouse. This is the point of coming.
HRTC bus
₹60Banjar, Jibhi, Shoja and Gushaini, a few times a day.
Shared taxi
₹200How the valley actually moves. Fills and goes.
Guide for GHNP
₹1,800Compulsory inside the park. Booked at the Sai Ropa or Gushaini range office.
Where to stay in Tirthan Valley
Price per night for the room. The buttons open live availability for your dates.
Riverside guesthouse
₹1,400/nightOn the trout river, meals included at most. The classic Tirthan stay.
Homestay
₹900/nightTraditional kath-kuni wood-and-stone houses. Cheaper and warmer than the guesthouses.
Dorm
₹600/nightJibhi has picked up a backpacker scene; Gushaini has not.
Forest rest house
₹1,200/nightBooked through the GHNP office. Basic and beautifully placed.
What to eat, and what it costs
Guesthouse home cooking
IncludedRajma-chawal, siddu, local greens. Most rooms include two meals.
Siddu with ghee
₹120Steamed stuffed bread, the Kullu valley staple. Ask for it the night before.
Trout from the river
₹400Farmed and wild. The reason half the guesthouses exist.
Chai and Maggi at a roadside dhaba
₹40At 2,000 m, in the cold, it is better than it has any right to be.
Places to visit and things to do in Tirthan Valley
Tap “Add to my plan” and it goes into your day-by-day plan above.
Great Himalayan NP day walk
₹2,000Permit and compulsory guide from the range office. Rolla and Shilt are the standard day targets.
Serolsar Lake from Jalori Pass
FreeA flat forest walk to a lake with a temple. The easiest good walk in Himachal.
Jalori Pass & Raghupur Fort
Free3,000 m, with a ruined fort on a meadow. The pass closes in snow.
Chhoie waterfall
FreeTwenty minutes' walk above Jibhi. Free and usually quiet.
Trout fishing on the Tirthan
₹800Licence from the fisheries department, arranged by any guesthouse. Catch and release in the park zone.
Shringa Rishi temple, Banjar
FreeKath-kuni timber architecture, and the valley's presiding deity.
Village walk to Bahu or Nagini
FreeTerraced fields and slate roofs, no traffic, no entry fee.
Day trips and next stops
Jibhi & Shoja
₹80Shared taxi or bus
Manali
₹250Bus via Aut
Kasol & Parvati valley
₹300Bus via Bhuntar
Shimla
₹400Bus over Jalori Pass, seasonal
Know before you go
Mistakes to avoid
- GHNP core zone cannot be entered without a permit and a registered guide. This is enforced.
- The Jalori Pass road closes with snow, usually December to March, sometimes longer.
- Monsoon landslides regularly cut the valley road for a day or two. Build slack into the plan.
Ways to spend less
- Getting dropped at Aut instead of riding through to Manali costs the same and puts you in a different Himachal entirely.
- Homestays in Jibhi are ₹900 with meals — half what the riverside guesthouses charge for a similar room.
- Serolsar Lake is a flat three-hour walk with no permit and no fee, and is better than most ticketed viewpoints in the state.
Say it in Hindi
A few words go a long way, especially when you ask a price.
The pronunciation is a simple guide, not a native recording. Spot a mistake? Tell us.
Before-you-go checklist
Tirthan Valley in pictures
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Step 11 of 11Next: FAQ↓Questions people ask
When is the best time to visit Tirthan Valley?
On our month-by-month scores, the best months are May–Jun, Sep–Oct. March to June and September to November. July and August bring heavy monsoon and landslides on the valley road; December to February is snow and most guesthouses close.
How do I reach Tirthan Valley?
Overnight bus: Delhi → Aut, then local to Banjar, 12 h + 1 h 30 m, about ₹1,400 one way. Train + bus: → Chandigarh, then 8 h bus, varies + 8 h, about ₹1,600 one way. Flight + road: → Kullu (KUU), then 2 h, 1 h + 2 h, about ₹12,000 one way.
How much does a 5-day trip to Tirthan Valley cost?
On the ground (stay, food, local travel and tickets), one person spends about ₹5,500 on a shoestring, ₹9,500 mid-range or ₹19,000 in comfort over 5 days. Add the journey: the cheapest sensible option is overnight bus (Delhi → Aut, then local to Banjar) at about ₹1,400 each way.
How many days do you need in Tirthan Valley?
5 days is right for most people. That covers Great Himalayan NP day walk, Serolsar Lake from Jalori Pass, Jalori Pass & Raghupur Fort, Chhoie waterfall without rushing.
Is Tirthan Valley good for families or solo travellers?
Out of 5 on our scores: solo 5, couples 5, families 4, groups 4. It works well for families. It is easy to do on your own.
Is vegetarian food easy to find in Tirthan Valley?
Very easy. Himachali home cooking is largely vegetarian — rajma, siddu, kadhi, local saag — and guesthouses cook to order. Trout is the only thing you will miss.
Will my phone and cards work in Tirthan Valley?
Phone signal: Jio and BSNL work in the valley floor; nothing in the park. Cards and UPI: Banjar, unreliably. Cash: Guesthouses, guides and permits.
Guides for Tirthan Valley
Longer reads from our blog that cover this trip.
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Places to Visit Near Delhi: 13 Underrated Trips by Distance, with Real CostsUnderrated places to visit near Delhi by road distance, from Chakrata at 294 km to Munsiyari at 619 km, with the…Read the guide →
Manali Snowfall Time: When It Really Snows, and Where to Find ItWhen it really snows in Manali, from four winters of dates: passes from October, the town mid-November to late…Read the guide →
Holidays 2027 India: Full Holiday List, Long Weekends and Cheap TripsIndia's 2027 holiday list from the official circular: all 17 gazetted and 32 restricted holidays with days, plus 8…Read the guide →Similar underrated places
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Spiti ValleyA cold desert at 4,000 metres with monasteries on every ridge, homestays in every village, and no tour bus…From ₹1,400/day · Jun–Sep
ChakrataA quiet army hill station in deodar forest, three hours from Dehradun, with no mall road, few hotels and a…From ₹1,300/day · Mar–May, Oct–Nov
KanatalA pine-and-oak ridge on the Chamba-Mussoorie road, with a hilltop goddess temple above it and the Tehri…From ₹1,600/day · Oct–Nov
ZanskarA walled-off Buddhist valley at 3,657 m, a twelve-hour shared jeep from Kargil, with cliff monasteries and…From ₹1,000/day · Jul–SepTreks near Tirthan Valley
Prashar LakeMedium · 2 days · Mar–Jun, Sep–DecFrom ₹2,200 at the base
Pin Parvati PassHard · 11 days · Jul–SepFrom ₹24,000 at the base
Hampta PassMedium · 5 days · Jun–SepFrom ₹10,000 at the baseSacred places near Tirthan Valley
Make the plan yours
Set your dates and group at the top, shape the days, then book each piece directly.
Back to the planner ↑Costs are indicative ballparks for doing it yourself and change with season and demand. Always check live fares, rates and opening rules before you book. Trip Under is not a travel agency: we don't sell packages or bookings, we take no commission, and we link to maps and official sites, never to booking sites. Every guide is free; our only paid products are optional downloadable trip plans and itineraries. Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; see credits.
By Gokul · Updated 6 October 2026 · Photo: Ankitwadhwa10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Photo: Vishrutpanday · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Photo: Sukhjiwan Singh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Photo: Manish57335 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Photo: Sankara Subramanian from Bangalore, India · CC BY 2.0 · source
