Serolsar Lake
lake · 40 min from Banjar
3 nights · 4 daysFriendsClassicpacked
Jibhi with friends — four days: the waterfall, both Jalori walks with a night at Shoja, then the river and the Chhoie fall
Four days in the Tirthan valley for a group: Jibhi's waterfall, Raghupur Fort and Serolsar lake from Jalori Pass with a night at Shoja, then the river.
Four days for a group that wants to do the valley rather than sit in it. The waterfall on the first evening, both walks from Jalori Pass with a night at Shoja between them, then the river at Gushaini and the Chhoie fall on the way out. It is the whole valley — Jibhi, the pass, the river — without the park permit, and it moves every day.
Nothing needs booking. Two rooms with a shared terrace are walk-in outside the long weekends, the taxi to the pass is arranged the evening before, and both Jalori walks need no guide in clear weather. The road minutes are measured on the actual road; the walks on the path.
Photos: Manish57335 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Rohan Pinto (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Gannu03 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Simi4304 (CC BY 4.0) · Ankitwadhwa10 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Groups of four to six who will walk, split taxis and sleep in three places in three nights. Not for anyone who wants a base: the classic three days sleeps on the river both nights, and the Jibhi and Jalori two days is this plan's first half.
Day by day
Day 1
Off the highway and up to Jibhi
The bus or car to Aut, then 24 km up the valley to Banjar and 7 km more to Jibhi. Rooms on the stream, the waterfall before dark, and a café for the evening.
- 10:00AutWhere the highway bus stops before the tunnel. Taxis wait at the turn — typically ₹1,200–2,000 one way to Jibhi as of Sep 2026, split four ways — and the valley bus is a few tens of rupees each.
- ↓ 51 min by road · 31 km12:00JibhiWooden guesthouses along the stream, typically ₹1,000–3,000 a night in season. Take two rooms with a shared terrace; ask about a taxi to the pass for tomorrow, typically ₹1,500–2,500 one way from Banjar.
- ↓ 7 min by road · 3 km16:00Jibhi WaterfallThrough the gate by the bridge, along the bank to the fall — a few minutes. The late-afternoon hour after the day visitors go is the quiet one.
Day 2
Jalori Pass, the fort, and a night at Shoja
An early taxi to the pass, the hour's climb west to Raghupur Fort, lunch at the dhabas, and down to Shoja to sleep — colder and quieter than Jibhi, and half an hour nearer tomorrow's walk.
- 08:30Jalori PassThe meadow at the top of the road, 40 minutes from Banjar: a temple, dhabas, and the two paths. Cold in every month; start before the cloud comes up.
- 09:00Raghupur FortAbout 1.8 km and 47 minutes up by our measure, 22 down, to a grass-topped ruin with the whole valley on one side and the ranges on the other. Lunch at the pass after.
- ↓ 32 min by road · 15 km15:00ShojaThe last village below the pass, 28 minutes above Banjar. Guesthouses on the bend, the deodar lane to the rest house, and the ridges from the terrace at dusk. Typically ₹1,000–3,000 a night in season.
Day 3
Serolsar lake, then down to the river
Back up to the pass for the ridge walk east to Serolsar and back — the easier of the two walks and the longer — then the whole road down to the river at Gushaini for the night.
- 08:30Serolsar LakeFrom the pass, about 5 km along an easy ridge path through oak and fir — 103 minutes up and 71 down by our measure — to a small round lake with the Budhi Nagin temple on its bank. Take water.
- 13:00Jalori Pass TempleThe temple and a late lunch at the dhabas before the road down through Shoja, Jibhi and Banjar to the river.
- ↓ 1 h 1 min by road · 30 km16:30GushainiThe bridge and the homestays on the water, 18 minutes from Banjar — typically ₹1,500–3,500 a night in season with meals. Trout for dinner at ₹400–700 a plate.
Day 4
The Chhoie waterfall and the road out
A last walk on the river side — the forest path from Nagini up to the Chhoie fall and back — then the park's centre at Sai Ropa on the way down, and Aut for the afternoon bus.
- 09:00NaginiThe hamlet on the river below Gushaini, 14 minutes from Banjar. The waterfall path leaves the road here.
- 09:45Chhoie WaterfallUp through the forest, steep in places, to a fall with a pool at the bottom — about half an hour up on a path our router could not measure, less down.
- ↓ 3 min by road · 2 km12:30Sai RopaThe park's Tirthan-side centre, 10 minutes from Banjar: the small museum and the forest path behind it, then the road down to Aut.
Getting there
Through Aut on the Kullu highway: the overnight bus from Delhi's Kashmere Gate stops there before the tunnel, and Bhuntar's airport is 42 km from Banjar. From Aut it is 24 km up the valley to Banjar and 7 km more to Jibhi. The plan ends at Sai Ropa on the river road, 5 km from Banjar, with the afternoon for the road out.
Where to stay
Jibhi the first night for the stream and the cafés; Shoja the second, so the Serolsar walk starts half an hour nearer the pass; Gushaini the third, for the river and the trout. Three moves in three nights is the plan's point; a group that hates packing sleeps at Jibhi twice and drives to the pass both mornings.
Know before you go
- Cash for the whole stay: the ATMs stop at Banjar.
- Prices are bands checked in September 2026 and quoted on the day; long weekends in May, June and October run higher.
- One taxi for the group both pass days — the fare is per car, not per head.
- Both Jalori walks are exposed at the top; a layer each, and water, and start by nine.
- Nobody swims at the waterfall pool. The stream is cold and the rock is slick.
If plans change
Two days only: the Jibhi and Jalori two days is the first half of this plan.
With the park: the ecozone walks plan spends all four days on the river side and takes the permit.
Everything the valley offers, day by day: the adventure sampler.
Places on this route
Jalori Pass
pass · 40 min from Banjar
Gushaini
town · 18 min from Banjar
Jibhi
town · 14 min from Banjar
Raghupur Fort
fort · 40 min from Banjar
Shoja
town · 28 min from Banjar
Jibhi Waterfall
waterfall · 21 min from Banjar
Nagini
town · 14 min from Banjar
Chhoie Waterfall
waterfall · 14 min from Banjar
Aut
town · 40 min from Banjar
Sai Ropa
area · 10 min from Banjar
Other ways to do it
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See the plan →Questions people ask
Is Jibhi good for a trip with friends?
Yes, for a group that walks: the village has cafés and shared-terrace guesthouses, Jalori Pass is an hour above it with two proper walks, and the river at Gushaini is half an hour the other way. It has no nightlife beyond a fire and a guitar; groups looking for that should look at Manali.
How much does a four-day Jibhi trip cost per person?
Using the bands checked in September 2026: rooms ₹1,000–3,500 a night split by two, the taxi from Aut ₹1,200–2,000 and the pass taxi ₹1,500–2,500 per car split by the group. Meals are a few hundred rupees a sitting and every walk is free. Four people by taxi manage it modestly.
Can you do Raghupur Fort and Serolsar lake on the same day?
Strong walkers can — both start at the pass, one an hour up and the other about two hours along the ridge — but it makes a long, exposed day with lunch in between. This plan gives each its own morning with a night at Shoja between, which is what most groups end up preferring.