Gushaini
town · 18 min from Banjar
3 nights · 4 daysTrekkersWalks & treksbalanced
Four days of walks from Gushaini — the Great Himalayan National Park's ecozone, the Chhoie waterfall, Pekhri and the river villages
Four days of walks from Gushaini: the permit at Sai Ropa, the Chhoie waterfall, the ecozone path to the Great Himalayan National Park gate, Pekhri, Sharchi.
The Tirthan is the walking valley, and this is the walking plan: four days on foot from a homestay at Gushaini, with the Great Himalayan National Park's ecozone path as the centrepiece. The park is the reason the valley is quiet — no road enters it, and the Tirthan-side gate is a day's walk from the bridge. The plan takes the permit at Sai Ropa on the first morning, warms up on the Chhoie waterfall, walks to the gate on the third day, and climbs to Pekhri on the last.
None of it needs a booking beyond the permit and a guide, both arranged at the Sai Ropa office on the day. The road minutes are measured on the road; the park path and the waterfall path are ones our router could not measure, so the times for those are given in words, from the guides who walk them.
Photos: Suresh Karia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ankitwadhwa10 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Pbhuker007 (talk · contribs) (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ankitwadhwa10 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ramwik (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Walkers who want days on their feet without a tent, and people coming to the valley for the park rather than the pass. Multi-day treks inside the park — Rolla, Shilt, the high camps — need a tent, porters and more days than this; the trekking guide sets out what the park requires. For the pass side, the classic three days.
Day by day
Day 1
Sai Ropa for the permit, then the river
Up the valley to Sai Ropa first — the park's centre, where the permit for the third day is taken and a guide arranged — then a homestay at Gushaini and a short walk on the river path to loosen the legs.
- 11:00Sai RopaThe Tirthan-side office and nature centre of the Great Himalayan National Park, 10 minutes below Gushaini. Take the permit here — a fee fixed by the park, with separate charges for cameras, as the office says on the day — and ask for a guide for the park day, typically ₹1,500–2,500 a day as of Sep 2026.
- ↓ 8 min by road · 5 km12:30GushainiThe bridge and the homestays on the water — typically ₹1,500–3,500 a night in season with meals. Lunch, then the river path from the far bank for an hour, and an early night.
Day 2
Nagini and the Chhoie waterfall
A warm-up day on the river side. Down to Nagini, then the forest path up to the Chhoie waterfall and back — about half an hour each way on a path our router could not measure — and the afternoon on the bank.
- 09:00NaginiThe hamlet on the river between Sai Ropa and Gushaini, 14 minutes from Banjar. The waterfall path leaves the road here; ask at any homestay for the start of it.
- 09:45Chhoie WaterfallUp through deodar and oak on a path that is steep in places to a fall with a pool at the bottom. About half an hour up, less down. Loud in the monsoon, thin in May; best in October after the rain has cleared and before the cold.
Day 3
The park day — the ecozone path from Gushaini to the gate
The reason for the plan. With the permit and the guide, the path up the Tirthan from Gushaini through the ecozone forest to the park's gate at Rolla and back, a full day on foot with the river beside you for most of it. Nothing motorised goes past the bridge.
- 07:30GushainiStart at the bridge with the guide, water and food for the day; there is nothing to buy past the last houses. The path follows the river up through the ecozone to the park gate at Rolla, where the permit is checked, and turns back the same way. Walkers who want more sleep at Rolla and go on to Shilt the next day; that is a different, longer plan and a heavier bag.
Day 4
Pekhri above the river, then Sharchi across it
A last morning's walk up to Pekhri on the ridge above Gushaini, then the side road across the river to Sharchi for lunch with the valley below, before turning down the valley for Aut.
- 08:30PekhriA village on the shelf above the north bank, reached by a steep hour's walk up from the bridge — the road goes there too, but the path is the point. Fields, a view down the valley to the park, tea in a courtyard.
- ↓ 4 h 48 min by road · 24 km12:30SharchiThe village on the slope across the river from Gushaini, up a side road from the bridge: homestays with terraces, lunch with the whole valley below. The road-end at Bathad, an hour or more above Gushaini on a rough road, is where the Bashleo path leaves for the Kullu side of Sarahan — a different trip. Then the long road down to Aut.
Getting there
Through Aut on the Kullu highway, 24 km up the valley to Banjar and 10 km more to Gushaini on the river. The overnight bus from Delhi's Kashmere Gate stops at Aut before the tunnel; Bhuntar's airport is 42 km from Banjar. The last day ends at Sharchi above Gushaini, so allow the afternoon for the road down.
Where to stay
Gushaini for all three nights — a homestay on the river, with meals, a packed lunch on the park day, and the guide met at the bridge. Nagini is the same river a few minutes down; Sharchi across it is higher and quieter, but adds a side road to every start.
Know before you go
- The permit and a guide are both taken at Sai Ropa; the office keeps office hours, so arrive before lunch on the first day.
- Prices are bands checked in September 2026 and quoted on the day; the park's fee is set by the park and changes.
- Carry the day's water and food on the park path — there is nothing past the last houses.
- Leeches in the monsoon, snow on the high paths from December; the plan is for April to June and September to November.
- The park closes areas by notice; ask at the office what is open before planning past the gate.
If plans change
Without the park: the classic three days trades the ecozone day for Jalori Pass and Serolsar lake.
A whole week on foot: the solo slow week keeps one base at Gushaini and takes a walk a day, this plan's four among them.
The activities in one plan: the adventure sampler puts the park walk beside the ridge walk, a night under canvas at Jalori and a morning's angling.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
All Banjar itineraries →
2 nights · 3 days · First visitClassicThree days in the Tirthan valley — the river, Jalori Pass and Serolsar lake, then Chehni Kothi and Jibhi
The classic three days in the Tirthan valley: the river at Gushaini, Jalori Pass and the ridge walk to Serolsar lake, Chehni Kothi and Jibhi on the way out.
Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov
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6 nights · 7 days · SoloslowA slow week in the Tirthan valley alone — one homestay at Gushaini, one walk a day, and the pass once
Six nights in one homestay at Gushaini: the river path, the Chhoie waterfall, Pekhri and Sharchi on foot, one taxi day to Jalori and Serolsar, Jibhi last.
Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov
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2 nights · 3 days · FriendsAdventureThe Tirthan valley's activities in three days — the park's ecozone on a permit, a rod on the river, a night under canvas at Jalori, and the fort at dawn
Three days of everything the Tirthan offers on foot: the park's ecozone on a permit, a rod on the river, Serolsar lake, a tent at Jalori, the fort at dawn.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
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2 nights · 3 days · Slow travelCafés & foodTrout and the river — three days on the Tirthan: the licence at Sai Ropa, the pools below Nagini and Gushaini, lunch at Sharchi, the confluence at Larji
Three days beside the Tirthan for anglers and their families: the licence at Sai Ropa, the pools at Nagini and Gushaini, a trout lunch at Sharchi, Larji last.
Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Oct
See the plan →Questions people ask
Do you need a permit to walk into the Great Himalayan National Park from Gushaini?
For the park itself, yes — issued at the range office at Sai Ropa on the Tirthan side, with separate charges for cameras and a fee the park fixes and changes. The ecozone path from Gushaini needs none until the gate; the plan takes the permit on the first day anyway, so the third day is not held up.
How long is the walk from Gushaini to the park gate?
A full day there and back on foot along the river through the ecozone forest, on a path our router could not measure; the guides at Sai Ropa give the time on the day. Start by half past seven, carry the day's water and food, and expect to be back at the bridge by late afternoon.
Can you do the Great Himalayan National Park without a guide?
Not past the gate — the park requires a guide and an approved route for anything inside, and the office arranges both. The ecozone paths around Sai Ropa and Gushaini, the Chhoie waterfall and the climb to Pekhri are ordinary village walks and need no one, though a homestay will happily point you to the start.