Tosh
town · 50 min from Kasol
2 nights · 3 daysCouplesSnowrelaxed
Kasol in winter — three days with the snow at Tosh and the hot springs after
Kasol from December to February in three days: the half-closed town, a night in Tosh under snow with a stove and a quilt, Manikaran's hot tanks on the way down.
Kasol itself rarely sees snow — it sits at 1,640 m and the winter there is cold, grey and half closed. The snow is above the road-end: at Tosh, Kalga and Pulga from late December to February, often for weeks at a time, and on the Kheerganga path, which becomes a walk for people with the experience and the gear. This plan goes to the snow and sleeps in it, one night in Tosh with a stove and a quilt, and comes down into the one hot thing in the valley, the spring tanks at Manikaran.
Bhuntar's winter normals are days of 16–18 °C and nights near freezing; Tosh is well above the airport and colder. The road above Kasol closes after a heavy fall until the plough comes, so the plan asks at the taxi stand each morning rather than planning the day before. Every road minute is measured on the actual road in dry conditions.
Photos: Himanshu Negi (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Himanshu Negi (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Gshashidhar125 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Aman Gupta (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Couples and anyone who wants a snow night in a village rather than at a resort. Not for anyone who cannot manage an hour's climb on a slippery path, and not the plan for Kheerganga — that is a snow walk for the experienced and no part of this. With children, the Tosh night still works; the walk up is the sticking point.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive, and the far bank in the cold
A short first day. Kasol in winter is half closed and cold by four; the far bank's camps and cafés that stay open have stoves, and the river is at its lowest and clearest.
- 12:30ChojCash in Kasol's market first — the ATMs run out over the Christmas week — then over the vehicle bridge to the hamlet on the water. Rooms are cheap and mostly empty outside that week, typically ₹800–2,500 a night in season as of Sep 2026 and under it now; ask for a heater or a thick quilt. The river path on to Chalal is twenty minutes, icy in the shade after a fall; two or three cafés there keep the winter with stoves lit. Back before dark, which is by half past five.
Day 2
Up to the snow — a night in Tosh
The reason for the trip. A taxi to Barshaini when the road is open, the hour's climb to Tosh on a path that may be snow, and a night in a village under it.
- 10:00BarshainiThirty-seven minutes up the valley when the road is clear; after a heavy fall it closes until the plough comes, so ask at the taxi stand in the morning rather than the evening before. The taxi is typically ₹800–1,500 one way as of Sep 2026. Shoes with grip for the path.
- ↓ 13 min by road · 4 km11:30ToshAn hour up on a path that is paved under the snow and slippery on the steps. A few guesthouses keep the winter, with stoves and thick quilts; the terraces face the range, white to the treeline. The afternoon is the village in snow and the evening is the stove.
Day 3
Down, and into the hot water
The walk down while the path is frozen and firm, then Manikaran's spring tanks — the best place in the valley on a cold morning — before the road out.
- 11:30Gurudwara Sahib ManikaranDown from Tosh by ten and half an hour by taxi back down the road to the gurdwara. The tanks under the building are hot enough to sit in for an hour on the coldest day, the steam over the river is at its thickest, and the langar is lunch. Heads covered, shoes off, nothing to pay. Then the road down to Kasol, Jari and Bhuntar — about an hour and a half when it is dry, more if the plough has been.
Getting there
Through Bhuntar, 32 km and about 70 minutes below Kasol in dry weather. The Delhi buses run through the winter and the flights to Bhuntar are cancelled in fog more often than in any other season — keep the bus as the plan. Arrive by midday so the first afternoon has some light in it; the valley is dark by half past five.
Where to stay
Choj or Kasol the first night, in a room with a heater; Tosh the second, in one of the guesthouses that keep the winter — ask at the Kasol taxi stand which ones are open, because the village does not advertise. Chalal's cafés thin to two or three; the ones that stay have stoves and are the evening. The month by month article has the winter numbers.
Know before you go
- Ask at the taxi stand each morning whether the road to Barshaini is open; after a heavy fall it is not.
- Prices are bands checked in September 2026; winter runs below them except in the Christmas week, when it runs above.
- Shoes with grip and a warm layer for the Tosh path; the steps are ice in the shade.
- Dark by half past five: be off the paths by four.
- The Kheerganga path in snow is not part of this plan; the camps at the top are shut.
- Cash for everything; the Kasol ATMs run out over the Christmas week.
If plans change
With more snow wanted: Manali's snow plan is two hours away and goes through the tunnel to Sissu, where the snow is deeper and more reliable.
Without the climb: keep the plan's first and last days and give the middle one to Manikaran and the river; the snow will be visible on the range from Kasol.
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See the plan →Questions people ask
Does Kasol get snow in December?
Rarely in Kasol itself, which sits at 1,640 m and stays cold and grey rather than white. The snow is above the road-end at Barshaini — Tosh, Kalga and Pulga from late December to February, often for weeks — and on the range above the town, which is white all winter and visible from the market.
Is Tosh open in winter?
A few guesthouses keep the winter with stoves and thick quilts, and the village is at its quietest and most beautiful under snow. The path up from Barshaini is icy on the steps, the road to Barshaini closes after heavy falls until the plough comes, and the Kasol taxi stand knows each morning which is which.
Can I trek to Kheerganga in January?
Not as a casual walk. The upper path is under snow, the camps at the top are shut, and the spring is reached by people with winter experience and the gear for it. This plan stops at Tosh, which has the snow without the risk; the reliable Kheerganga months are April to June and September to November.