Bhuntar

What it is

The junction of the valley: the Parvati comes in from the east and joins the Beas here, the road up to Kasol and Manikaran leaves the highway here, and the Kullu–Manali Airport sits beside the river on the one flat strip available. It is 11 km and about 17 minutes below Kullu town.

The airport

One runway between hills, a small terminal, and a handful of flights a day that answer to the weather rather than the timetable. Fog and monsoon cloud cancel them. It is the fastest way into the valley when it works and the most frustrating when it does not, so anyone with a fixed date should have the road as a fallback — Chandigarh is 225 km and about four hours of driving away.

The confluence

Stand on the bridge and look at the line where the two rivers meet and do not mix for a stretch — the Parvati coming down from the hot springs at Manikaran, the Beas from the head of the valley. It is the one thing at Bhuntar worth stopping for rather than passing through.

Around it

Kullu and its temples are 17 minutes up the road; the stone temple at Bajaura is a few minutes down it; the rafting put-in at Pirdi is between the two. Up the Parvati, Kasol is 39 km and about 79 minutes from the town. The two-day plan ends here, which is how most trips use it.

Plans that include this

All 2 plans that stop here →

1 night · 2 days · First visittemples-heritage

Two days in Kullu — the ridge temple on the first morning, the town, the river and the stone temple at Bajaura on the second

Two days in Kullu: the climb to Bijli Mahadev on the first morning, then Dhalpur, rafting at Pirdi and the stone temple at Bajaura, with measured road times.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov

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1 night · 2 days · FriendsAdventure

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.

Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct

See the plan →