Go Solo! I am making my way.

“I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person” – Oscar Wilde

Everyone remembers their first solo journey, whether it was taken a long time ago or for some the memories are still fresh. As far as I know, everyone had that anxiety before taking the first step however not a single person regretted doing so.

Tosh Village (Himachal Pradesh) is still fresh in my memory if you had asked me a few years ago if I would travel alone, I would have immediately said “No way, I was even scared of the idea of eating alone in a restaurant. Traveling alone must be lonely, and I would get so bored.”

GO, Solo! sounds fascinating but there are some experiences that you go through, which gives you a new lesson about yourself, the good & bad parts come quickly and go but the positive in you will easily outweigh any of the negative aspects of traveling solo.

Tosh Village (Himachal Pradesh), India:

Tosh Village is known as the Last Hippie Village in Parvati Valley, it is located at about 2,400 meters in elevation on a hill near Kasol in the Parvati Valley, surrounded by mountains. The main occupations of the people in this village is tourism, there are around 40-50 houses in this village and the valley is covered with snow mountains which is visible with your naked eye through the balcony windows of your stay.

The best time to visit Tosh is from March – September, though it has pleasant weather throughout the year, I would recommend having a minimum stay of 7-8 days to discover the surroundings and people are quite friendly plus good food adds the cherry on the top.

How to reach Tosh Village:

Most of the travelers start from Delhi which is easily accessible with all the means of transport and from there to Kashmiri Gate ISBT Bus stop which can be reached by taking a Uber, Metro, Taxi from wherever you have landed in Delhi.

Volvo/Mercedes buses will be available from Kashmiri Gate ISBT towards Manali starting RS. 1500/- (INR) or non -ac buses if you want to travel cheap. You can use the Red bus app to book your buses.

It is an overnight journey and you will have to get down in the place named Bhuntar from where you will head to Tosh.

You can take a bus from Bhuntar to Barsheni (The last stop of the route and closest to Tosh) which runs at regular intervals or can even go for cab services. You can also make a pit stop at Kasol to chill, but we would suggest visiting Kasol at last.

I started my journey from Kasol to Tosh, got down at Barsheni and it’s a 4kms walk uphill to my destination. I started walking alone and was quite nervous and anxious about the road coming ahead. However, after walking a km, I was able to strike a conversation with a group of 4 boys who were from Chandigarh. The walk became simpler with the boys and was able to make some peace with my heart. To my surprise the next morning they all were gone and I was left feeling lonely. The beautiful view through 3 ways glass wall at my stay facing the white Himalayas comforted me; soon I was lost admiring the serene of the village.

The locals are super friendly, and the food they serve was with all their hearts. Every day was a new experience to come out of my comfort zone. I started talking to new people and made some friends. Most of them were traveling to India, with their own stories; one of them was from Morocco, a designer who was traveling from Nepal and he was maintaining a Journal, with paintings made out of a local newspaper cutting, one of the pages had a painting of an earthquake. The visual of what he witnessed when he was there. It moved me and inspired me.

Also the writing on a joint roach and smoking it to make it an interesting souvenir came from that.

I had a plan to go to KheerGanga next morning which is a 7hrs trek from Tosh. However it was raining, though it couldn't stop me and I started walking, I feel it was the adrenaline rush which I had last night pushed me and once I reached on the peak of the mountain, it felt like a dream. Words cannot describe the gorgeous view and feel like where Gods reside. I got goosebumps while standing at the cliff and looking down at the valley.

I discovered so many things about myself and this acceptance changed me as a person.

I explored a hippy side in me; here is a short video story of my trip.

Accommodation in Tosh & Kheerganga Village:

Best places to stay in Tosh & KheerGanga must be the homestays – to get a feel of the place and have local experience. You can easily get accommodation from RS. 500/- (INR) per day or you can pre-book through Airbnb or other traveling portals. There are some high-end experience stays as well if you can afford or not a budgeted traveler. You can also carry your own tent and just pay for the restroom.

However, you will find amazing and insane views from any of your stays.

There are lots of small cafes in the region which will give you a gorgeous view and the decadent food will remain in your memory for times to come.

Traveling solo teaches so many things which can’t be learned from anywhere else, from how one likes to spend their time, self-reliance, understanding small things, for an e.g. how many times you feel hungry and out of which how many times you actually eat.

It gives you a fresh start, a new chapter, with no baggage. Once you go Solo, It changes you as a person. 

The only way to travel solo is to book a ticket. Just Go Solo! You’ll be glad you did it.

Inked by

Allen Mutum