NARKANDA – BAGA SARAUN – BASHLEO PASS – TIRTHAN VALLEY

AN INTRODUCTION

Believe it or not, the moment you reach this glade, from a winding uphill journey through a forest of Himalayan cedar and oak, a twelve kilometer offroad trail branching off from Baghipul, you are awestruck. The beauty bestowed by nature on Kullu Sarahan calls to our innocence. The village is off the meadow and options of staying are a HP PWD rest house with two rooms and a guest house owned by a villager with 4 rooms. Trust us; the best is to camp in the open. There is a temple on the meadow dedicated to Shringi the main deity of the region. To get to Kullu Sarahan you travel from Duttnagar (near Rampur, HP, NH 22) and reach Nirmund, from where a winding road through apple orchards will bring you to Baghipul. From Baghipul it’s a winding offroad of 12kms to Kullu Sarahan. The best season is April to October, though the road might get closed in monsoons, however the situation never lasts. Treks to Bashleo Pass (leading on to Batahad and Gushaini in the vicinity of Great Himalayan National Park) Khanag (below Jalori Pass) Sri Khand Mahadev, have Kullu Sarahan as one of the base camps. Head here for an out of the world camping experience, walks, intrinsic village life.

THE ITINERARY

DAY 00

Board the evening Volvo bus to Shimla from Himachal Bhawan, Delhi.

DAY 01  Narkanda – Duttnagar – Nirmund – Bagipul – Baga Sarahan (78kms)

Arrive in Shimla at 5:30AM, meet our representative and board cabs to transfer to Narkanda (65kms-2hours). Arrive at Narkanda, refresh yourself and after a hearty breakfast start the ride by 10:00AM. We ride downhill to reach Kumarsen, through small villages and apple orchards, catch up with national highway 22 and ride till Duttnagar, where we cross the Sutlej river, finishing our ride for the day. Drive uphill to Nirmund and another 8 kms to Baghipul and another 8 steep uphill to the sprawling meadows of Baga Kullu Sarahan. Overnight in Homestay/Rest House.

DAY 02  Slow paced Hiking for 7-8 hours over Bashleo Pass

It’s hiking day! Post breakfast we climb up to the Bashleo Pass for lunch. The Bashleo Pass has amazing panoramic views of the mountains around Shimla, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti and beyond Kullu you can catch a glimpse of Shrikhand Mahadev (5515m). From Bashleo Pass we walk down a little to the wide green alpine meadow overlooking the lush green forest and mountains. The descent is approx. 1300m, very steep and through thick forests and patches of green meadows. Bathad is a small village situated high up overlooking the Palachan Gad on the vestiges of the great Himalayan nation park. We get into the waiting vehicles and travel to Nagini village in the Tirthan valley. Overnight at Hotel.

DAY 03  Nagini – Banjar – Shoja – Jalori pass – Sereolsar Lake – Nagini

Challenge yourself to the upcoming ride today. A level 8kms of riding till Banjar and a grueling 20kms climb to Jalori pass (3360mts), past the beautiful hamlets of Jibhi and Shoja. The 5kms to the top of Jalori pass are a whopping 14% gradient. We allow ourselves upto six hours to reach Jalori pass, where lunch awaits us. Post lunch we ride midway to Sereolsar Lake and hike further to the lake. OR – Drive up to Jalori pass, visit the Sereolsar Lake and later hike up to Raghupur fort. Thereafter hike back to the pass and ride downhill back to Tirthan Valley. Board the waiting cabs towards Aut, to catch the Volvo in time.

INCLUSIONS

1. Mountain Bikes (Canondale, GT, Trek, Scott Hardtail Bikes)
2. 2 Support Vehicles (Equipment, Luggage, Back up)
3. An Outdoor Concierge who is also your Mountain Cycling expert in the mountains.
4. First aid/Medical Support. We carry all emergency medicines/supplies and oxygen cylinders. In a situation demanding more than this all our routes have primary and community health centers.
5. Hydration and Cycling Nutrition Support (Chocolates, Dry Fruit Packs, Energy bars / Chikki, bottled water, juice, ORS, fruits)
6. Accommodation on twin sharing basis. (In hotels, B&B, Tents as mentioned in the itinerary)
7. Welcome Kit (T shirt, Sipper, Cap)

EXCLUSIONS

1. GST
2. Insurance
3. Personal Expenses (tips, non alcoholic/alcoholic beverages etc.)
4. Costs arising due to landslides, route/road closure, bad weather, act of God.
5. Evacuation if any, during an emergency.
6. Transport other than mentioned in the itinerary.

ADD – ONS (at an extra cost, Please enquire if you require any add-on to make your trip a notch above our standard offering.)

• Single Supplement (a tent all to yourself or a room, maybe!. Subject to availability.)
• Return Volvo tickets (to and fro from Delhi, Chandigarh or Shimla, Manali and Dharamshala)
• Pick up and Drop services.
• Masseur (Ayurveda massage for the evenings after the ride/walk)
• Physiotherapist
• Yoga instructor and Specialist. An introductory  Yoga session/s for the duration of your trip in the outdoors.
• Extensions to your holiday planning.