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| state: Himachal
Pradesh |
location: 100 km north of Shimla |
| info date: Sep 2001 |
size: town |
| season: Apr - Oct |
transport: bus, motorcycle |
| hotels: a few |
good for: everyone, motor bike tours
best |
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|  Surprisingly
the south eastern corner of the Mandi district, the region
enclosed by the three rivers of the Tirthan, the Beas and
the Sutlej, is not one of Himachal's major tourist destinations.
This area is a warren of small valleys traversed by pot-holed
twisty roads, with stunning landscapes of rolling terraced
hillsides and pine forests, dotted with regular villages that
come complete with the mandatory - and invariably idyllic
- chai shop along the way.
Karsog is a small town (sub-district HQ) in this neck of
the woods and makes a great stop for a couple of days. The
town itself is a pleasant enough market town, with a steep
high street bazaar running through the middle, lined with
numerous general stores, sweet stalls and for some peculiar
reason plastic ware shopping paradises. The road continues
past the town for about another 10 km or so, leading past
small villages and idyllic rural landscapes. The views are
striking, particularly in late summer, with a small stream
glittering through the valley, which is coloured by bright
yellow and green rice fields and the bizarre sight of a plethora
of trees laden with huge piles of straw (presumably for drying).
The road beyond Karsog and into the valley is in fairly decent
nick, till you come to a village with an old temple, supposedly
containing a pair of ancient drums which the legendary Bhima,
a super strong man from the epic Mahabharata, used to play.
According to local lore the temple is 3000 years old, although
- for the cynically minded tourist - the structure and building
materials tend to suggest a much more recent construction
date. After the temple village the road turns into a fairly
pot-holed and motorbike-straining kacha road, and (at the
time we visited) ended abruptly with a landslide. According
to a local resident the road would lead finally over a bridge
into the next town.
Karsog and most of this area is quite isolated and really
ideal for those touring by Bullet - see the entry on Chindi
for more details. Karsog also makes an excellent base from
which to explore the surrounding region, valleys and villages
with their peaceful atmosphere. We were told that it also
would make a good end point for a trek from Janjehli to Karsog
via the Shikari Devi temple site. |
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guest house
/ hotel: |
Karsog is moderately well equipped
with accommodation. The first guesthouse
on the left hand side as you enter Karsog (before the bus
stand) is a good place to stay (sorry, we don't remember the
name) run by a friendly couple formerly from Mandi town. Unusually
the guest house is below the road, built onto the side of
a hill, and the rooms are downstairs of the 'foyer' which
is a coffee shop. There are a few
others, but don't go to the one near the bus stand, because
it seems to function as a "sleeping resort" for
the truly drunk, with a noisy beer bar underneath. |
restaurant
/ dhaba: |
Karsog has a number of nice sweet stalls
and lots of dhabas with reasonable food. If you crave some
western food, the best you'll get are some Cadbury chocolate
bars. For excellent coffee try the
before mentioned guesthouse. |
local interest: |
stunning landscape, fields and rivers
in the area; village temple; day trips (drives and walks)
around the area |
| season: |
April to June is the best time to visit
weather wise, although it may be busy as it's the peak tourist
season. September is also pleasant although getting chilly in
the evening. |
| transport: |
by far the best plan would be by your
own mode of transport. If you have your own motorcycle
and come from Mandi, hang a left at the top of the hill about
a Km before the town of Sundernagar on the NH21 (there's a
few shops and a petrol station), then head towards Rohangalu
and later towards Bakrote, a couple of Km from Chindi and
10Km from Karsog. You could also initially turn left at Ner
Chowk, although I have no idea what that road is like. If
you're having trouble when asking directions, another target
would be Luhri / Rampur.
If you want to stick to public transport, go by bus
from Shimla (app. 3 hrs) or bus from Mandi / Sundernagar.
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| related: |
On this site: Himachal
Pradesh slide show • Himachal
map |
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