Parvati Valley backpacking | Post Covid-19 

Parvati Valley has been  a backpacker hub since pre-Covid and we at tlow have been threading the trails, hikes and villages since 2010. We have seen Kasol and Parvati from the Israeli hippie era to the trance party era to what life was during the weekend Kasol-Kheerganga pre-Covid era and now what it has converted into after the corona pandemic.  

Post the corona pandemic, backpacking around the hippie villages in Parvati Valley has pretty much stayed the same as what it was before Covid-19. The hippie culture is still pretty much active and alive.  The Parvati Valley trance and Psy parties have gone underground (deep into the forest). 

How to reach Parvati Valley by Volvo bus? 

The biggest change which has come about in terms of backpacking to Parvati Valley is that now there is a direct bus Volvo from New Delhi or Chandigarh to Kasol. HRTC buses are not available but plenty of private operators have started operating Volvo buses. 

Taking the Volvo bus to and fro is the most convenient and affordable way to get in and out of the valley.  A bus ticket to Kasol will cost anywhere between ₹1000-1500 one way for a Volvo ticket.

How many days are needed to backpack Parvati Valley? 

A minimum of six to 10 days is what you need via Delhi or Chandigarh if you really want to explore the valley like a real backpacker. If you just want to wander around with a backpack and rush through the valley by just touching Kasol, Tosh and Kheerganga then three to four days is more than enough to explore.  But the latter is a horrible way to go about exploring and discovering Parvati Valley. 

Click on the link below for an ideal trip to Parvati Valley which is for eight days. 

Must visit places in Parvati Valley ?? 

Deciding on which villages to visit in Parvati Valley can be a tricky decision since there are over 15+ villages which will be listed out once you start your research but not all of them are possible in a short time frame of three to four days if your planning a weekend gig. Keeping a minimum of seven to 10 days as your travel time the following are the place you must visit:

• Kasol 
• Tosh 
• Malana 
• Pluga or Kalga 
• Kheerganga 
• Grahan 

Cost of staying in Parvati Valley ? 

Hostels are the new thing for a while and each village has atleast 10-12 hostel options.  You will be able to get a hostel bed for as cheap as ₹300 during off season and during season time the same bed will cost you ₹2500/pp. 

A guest house room anywhere in Parvati Valley will cost around ₹700-3000 during off season depending on the type of room or cottage you have decided one. When you travel during season the same room will cost ₹1500-5000 so deciding when to go backpacking to Parvati Valley is the key to having a budget friendly backpacking trip.  

Overall trip budget? 

If you really want to rough it out then Parvati Valley is still a place you can backpack in ₹1000-1500 a day when your travelling solo. This is including your food, stay and travel. So for an eight to 10 day trip you will not need to spend more than INR 10-12k per person. 

Best season to travel? 

The dry months from end of September to June is the best time to travel to Parvati Valley. If you are heading to Parvati Valley during the months of December to March then expect to get snow fall is most of the place you travel to.  Since that’s the peak of winter snow fall is expected any time. 

The monsoon months from July to September end are pretty much the worst time to go backpacking to Parvati Valley. It rains show much during these three months that it’s impossible for anyone even a monsoon lover to enjoy backpacking

Is cell phone network good in Parvati Valley? 

Apart from Kheerganga every other place which is frequently visited by travellers has network. So much so that no matter where you are backpacking in Parvati Valley you can use online payment such as Google Pay and UPI as a mode to payment, which is accepted by everyone in the valley. Airtel and Jio are the best network providers in the valley. You will get flawless reception all over.  

What about the vices in Parvati Valley ? 

As a backpacker you will always be interested in the vices that Parvati Valley has become attached with.  Alcphol is easily available with every village, having a alcohol shop, but expect the cost to be slightly more than MRP 

When it come to # it’s again easily available but don’t end up going for the deals at the bus stop or along the road. Those deals are all scams & will cost you money to buy nothing but temple incense. 

The guest house is the best bet to get a decide quality # which will cost you anywhere between ₹2000-6000 per tola depending on the quality and the kind of deal you are able to crack. 

Anything which is below ₹1500-2000 for a tola is mixed with random things to just give you a high which isn’t the real high.  

Conclusion: 

Backpacking to Parvati Valley has become even more easier and simpler after Covid-19. So if you have been planning a solo trip to Parvati Valley then click on the link below for more information on our next trip to Parvati Valley