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 at the height of 1640 meters.

Its Kasol and not the stone throw Kasauli (HP), even still famous for its suicide point and lovers point where you go and drown yourself in a couple of beers, pose for some photographs and come back and announce in a heroic manner, “Hey, I just came back from the hills.” Just Leave that thing, Bang on the Manikaran road and some 37 odd kilometres from Kullu, Kasol is a backpacker’s paradise. Minimal population, jazzy restaurants and exorbitant liquor shops open till midnight keep the non-Indian culture alive there. As many natives would inform you that the reason is that there are so many ‘phoreners’, who don’t believe in having a fixed time for anything.

Kasol is inhabited mostly by tourists from Israel which is why most of the hoardings are in Hebrew  The Israelis in India move from Kasol to Paharganj in Delhi to Goa with an elan as if each is in their neighborhood.
The place is also one of the base camps for Youth Association of Hostels in India that manages treks and rock climbing groups.

It isn’t clear if the name Parvati valley has anything to do with the manufacture of Hashish or marijuana that is grown in this part of India but the melancholy beauty of the place will leave you wanting for more.



With Parvati river gurgling and the formidable snow-capped mountain lurking from a corner, enjoying in a café by the river would be an interesting thing to do but while in Kasol and not indulging in trekking would reckon the getaway incomplete. Parvati River flowing by one side, there are shaky bridges to be crossed, tree barks to be jumped, slopes to be slithered and landslides to be witnessed.