Jiwa Nala | Great Himalayan National Park Trek

Trip Details

  • Trip Type: Trekking

  • Region: Kullu - Himachal

  • Grade: Moderate

  • Duration: 08 days

  • Max Altitude: 4636m

  • Batch Dates: Custom Trips only

Jiwa Nala | Great Himalayan National Park Trek Overview

The Jiwa Nala - Parvati valley trek is nestled inside the Great Himalayan National Park. It is possibly one of the most remote treks one can do without entering the high Himalayas. Walking through the Jiwa Nala requires a ton of bushwhacking, making your own trails, and negotiating steep scree filled rockfall areas. Being inside a National Park, shepherds are not allowed to graze their flock here and hence the trails are either nonexistent or overgrown. The trek makes for a great adventure for any flora and fauna enthusiasts as flowers one would otherwise seek out diligently on other treks grow freely and abundant here and the valleys are known for their high concentration of Western Tragopans, Cheer Pheasants, Himalayan Monals, Kokla and Khaleej Pheasants, Snow Partridges, Snow Cocks, and Hill Partridges.

 

We start the trip from Kullu town and along the Beas and then its tributary the Sainj river to reach Shanshar village. The trail takes us through dense forests of deodar, hazelnuts, horse chestnut and oak, steep downhills and sustained ascents, and seemingly untouched alpine terrain to cross 3 passes - the Kandi Galu, Kandadhar Top and the Phangchi Galu to enter the Parvati Valley and exit at Pulga. This trek is a unique opportunity to witness what happens when humans retreat and nature is left on its own.

Trip Cost

This is a custom departure tour and so please write to us for prices and more info on this trek. 

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Jiwa Nala | Great Himalayan National Park Trek Detailed Itinerary

Day 01: Kullu
Arrive in Kullu in the morning and check into your hotel. Walk around town and orient yourself to your surroundings. Final gear check and prepare for the climb ahead. Overnight in a hotel.

 

Day 02: Kullu - Shanshar - Bagi Kashyari (2600m)
Duration: 3 hours
We leave Kullu early in the morning and drive along the Sainj to Shanshar - the roadhead. From here it is well defined gradual climb through dense mixed forest to reach the small village of Bagi Kashyari.

 

Day 03: Bagi Kashyari - Subli Thach (3300m)

Duration: 10 hours

One of the longest days on the trek. We start the day with a descent to the valley floor to small gorge and then make our way up a steep winding trail to reach the first pass of the trek - Kandi Galu (3700m). The descent to Subli Thach is steep and over not very defined trail. After walking through high grasses and weeds, reach the dilapidated forest hut that marks the meadow of Subli Thach.

 

Day 04: Subli Thach - Dwada Thach (3100m)

Duration: 4 hours

We continue our tricky descents through non-existent trails as we make our way to the Jiwa Nala. Cross the Nala and continue along its banks to reach Dwada Thatch with another dilapidated hut.

 

Day 05: Dwada Thach (3100m)

Rest day at Dwada Thach. Hike up to the scenic glacial Sarthu Pond (3500m) with great views of the higher snow-covered peaks. Return to Dwada for the night.

 

Day 06: Dwada Thach - Lalbatti (4000m)

Duration: 7 hours

We retrace our steps from the day before and trek beyond Sarthu Pond and start climbing a steep ascent to reach Kandadhar Top (4400m). A short descent from the top gets us to the exposed campsite at Lalbatti.

 

Day 07: Lalbatti - Phangchi Galu (4636m) - Chippi (3400m)

Duration: 8 hours

Today, we start the day with a short descent before starting the long ascent to Phangchi Galu. The trail to the pass is narrow and the top of the pass is a small notch in the rocky ridge. The descent is very steep and tricky as one walks over loose scree. We camp once the descent peters out at the shepherd grounds at Chippi.

 

Day 08: Chippi - Pulga - Kullu

Duration: 5 hours

The descent today goes through a few rockfall areas, steep descents, some stream crossings and many scenic alpine meadows to reach Pulga village. We reach our vehicles at the hydel project and drive to Kullu. Option to get off at Manikaran or Kasol to enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation. Trip Ends!

  • Camping Tents, Kitchen tents, Sleeping bags (Holofill) and Carry mats.
  • Nutritious, high-calorie vegetarian food will be served for the whole trek.
  • Guide, cook and camp helpers.
  • Porters/ Horses to carry loads on the whole route.
  • Participants are not expected to carry any loads other than a small daypack with a camera, some trail layers and some trail food.
  • Two people will be accommodated in one tent.
  • Transport Kullu hotel to Road Head and back.
  • Hotel accommodations in Kullu for 1 day before the trek.
  • All expenses of personal nature like drinks, tips, telephone calls, mineral water etc.
  • Food in Kullu
  • Accommodation in Kullu on return.
  • Medical and evacuation expenses, we strongly recommend purchasing a suitable insurance cover.

Pack:
- Backpack 40 - 50 Lts with rain cover.This you will need in case you choose to offload your larger pack onto a horse/porter
- Day Pack 15 - 20 lts - You will use this to carry your camera, water bottle, Trail layers, trail food etc.
Footwear:
-Trekking Shoes: Please do not wear sports shoes as on most treks as we go higher it gets harder to use the sports shoes. We recommend shoes with a good hard sole and also ankle support preferable water proof. While we do not subscribe to any particular brand you can try the Quechua forclaz 100, 500 or 600.
Socks:
- 2 -3 pairs of cotton socks.
- 2 pairs of woolen socks ( these are ideal to sleep in and best to use when in camp. We do not recommend them while trekking).
Clothing:
- Pants: 3 pairs (including the ones you wear) - Ideal are the quick dry light weight synthetic pants. Alternatively track pants are also comfortable to trek in. We do not recommend you get Denims or Jeans as they get hard to trek in.
- Tshirts 3 pairs (including the ones you are wearing) - Preferable cotton t-shirts that are full sleeves. You can also choose to get T-shirts with collars, they offer extra protection for the neck from sun burns.
- Synthetic Fleece Jacket - 1 pair.
- Wind proof/ Water proof Jacket - 1 pair.
- Down filled / Hollow fiber fill insulated Jacket - 1 -pair ( optional - get this if you want to stay extra warm at camps.)
- Thermal liners - 1 pair upper and lower (optional).
Accessories:
- Raincoat/ Poncho - what ever you get make sure it is something that will cover your daypack and camera too.
- Warm Beanie - make sure it is something that covers your ears. You can also use buffs, scarfs etc in addition to your beanie.
- Gloves - Lightweight synthetic gloves made of Fleece or you can also use woollen gloves.
- Sun Cap- 1 no
- Sun Glasses with good UV protection.
Other necessary things that we recommend you get:
- Toiletries - Sunscreen SPF 40+, Moisturizer, Lip balm, Soap, Toilet paper.
- Repair Kit (needle and thread).
- Headlamp/ Torch.
- Camera.
- Water Bottle- Ideally keep two bottle 1 litre each.
- Trekking Pole - Optional.
- Plastic Packing covers. (Please pack all your gear in waterproof plastic bags so that your clothes etc do not get wet while on horses or porters. Also carry extra plastic bags in case you need to pack wet clothes.)