The stone temple at Bajaura
temple · 21 min from Kullu
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Two days on the Beas from Kullu — rafting at Pirdi, a night on the gravel at Raison and the confluence at Bhuntar
Two days on the Beas: a rafting run from Pirdi below Kullu, a night on the gravel bank at Raison and the Parvati confluence at Bhuntar, with prices and times.
This is the water plan. The Beas below Kullu is the valley's rafting river, the runs start at Pirdi four kilometres below the town, and the gravel bank at Raison is where people sleep to be near it. Two days: the run and a camp on the first, the river and the confluence on the second.
Whether you raft at all is the river's decision. In the monsoon the Beas runs brown and high and the operators stop; in April, May, June, September and October it usually runs. Ask at Pirdi on the day rather than booking a date weeks out.
Photos: AthulBiju94 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Vikramdeep Sidhu from Jhajjar, India (CC BY 2.0) · Biswarup Ganguly (CC BY 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Friends, families with teenagers, and anyone who would rather be on the water than in a temple. Not a monsoon plan. For temples and the ridge, take the two-day town plan; for the quiet left bank, the Naggar and Jana plan.
Day by day
Day 1
Pirdi, the run, and a camp at Raison
The river in the morning while the water is right, then up the valley to sleep on the bank. An easy first day with one hour that is not easy at all.
- 09:30Pirdi4 km and 7 minutes below the town, where the rafting runs start. ₹500–1,200 a person for a short run as of Sep 2026. Operators stop when the river is in flood — most of July and August — and that judgement is made at the water, not in advance.
- ↓ 30 min by road · 14 km13:00KulluLunch in the bazaar, dry clothes, and an hour in the shawl showrooms while the adrenaline wears off.
- ↓ 43 min by road · 24 km16:00Raison15 km and 20 minutes up the valley: camps on the gravel bank where the Beas runs wide. ₹1,500–3,500 a night with meals as of Sep 2026. Evenings are a fire and the river; nothing else happens here, which is the appeal.
Day 2
The bank in the morning, then down to the confluence
A slow start by the water, then south past the town to where the Parvati joins the Beas — and the airport, if the trip ends here.
- 08:00RaisonBreakfast on the bank. The river is loudest and clearest in the morning; walk the gravel upstream before the sun gets on the water.
- ↓ 38 min by road · 27 km12:00Bhuntar13 km and 19 minutes below Kullu, where the Parvati comes in from the east and the valley's airport sits beside the road. Stand on the bridge for the line where the two rivers meet and do not mix for a stretch.
- ↓ 6 min by road · 3 km14:00Basheshar Mahadev Temple, Bajaura15 km and 21 minutes from the town, a little further south: a stone temple off the highway, carved on three faces. Ten quiet minutes before the road out, and the oldest thing on this plan.
Getting there
Kullu is 40 km and about 49 minutes below Manali, 11 km and 17 minutes above the airport at Bhuntar, and 69 km and 98 minutes from Mandi. Pirdi is 4 km below the town and Raison 15 km above it, both on the highway. The plan ends at Bhuntar, which suits a flight or the bus up the Parvati.
Where to stay
Raison, on the gravel bank — that is the plan's point, and the camps include meals. The town is the cheaper fallback at ₹900–2,500 a night, and Bhuntar makes sense only for an early flight.
Know before you go
- The river decides: nobody runs the Beas in flood, and a refused run in August is good judgement, not bad service.
- Dry bags for phones, and clothes you do not mind soaking; the water is snowmelt and cold in every month.
- Prices are bands checked in September 2026 and quoted on the day.
- Camps at Raison are on gravel by the water — pleasant in May, exposed in a storm; ask about the tent before paying.
- Do not swim in the Beas; the current is stronger than it looks and the bed shelves fast.
If plans change
Temples instead: the two-day town plan.
One walk, one day: the Bijli Mahadev day.
The quiet side: the Naggar and Jana plan.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
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See the plan →Questions people ask
When can you raft on the Beas at Kullu?
In the months when the water allows it — usually April to June and September to October. During the monsoon the river runs high and brown and the operators stop; July and August bring 135.6 mm and 129.4 mm of rain at Bhuntar. The decision is made at the river on the day.
Where do the rafting runs start?
At Pirdi, 4 km and about 7 minutes below Kullu on the Beas. Short runs are ₹500–1,200 a person as of September 2026 and take well under an hour on the water, with the drive back included by most operators.
Is Raison a better base than Kullu town?
For this plan, yes. Raison is 15 km and about 20 minutes up the valley, the camps sit on the gravel bank with meals included at ₹1,500–3,500, and the evening is the river rather than the highway. The town is cheaper and closer to the buses.