Himachal Pradesh is the most scenic place in my view. There is a reason why so many of our domestic vacations initiate and end with Himachal Pradesh in minds! While everyone knew the beauty of Manali and the old-charm of Shimla but anyone here knew about this unassuming village of Gushaini?

The big entrance to the Great Himalayan National Park lies this charming little town of Gushaini. It is 10 KMs from the big mammoth National Park, Gushaini lies at an elevation of 4500 ft. with natural groves of the hills, the captivating aura of the Tirthan River is only captured further by the lush green Himalayas around. People heading on treks in to the Great Himalayan National Park are well aware of Gushaini. 

The town itself offers a lot of activities from fishing and angling to the river crossing, hiking, camping, or rappelling, you can do it all here. 

WEATHER

Similar to the region, the weather is pretty identical with most of the Himalayas. Summer months are pleasant, winter months are a magical wonderland and monsoon season is best be avoided! If you are looking to enjoy the lush green hills – head to the Gushaini right after the monsoon season. 

The best sightseeing months will start from April and goes to September and of course minus the monsoon period!

THE BEST TIME TO VISIT GUSHAINI

Unlike other places in the region, Gushaini makes for an ideal visit in the winter season. With the hills covered in a white blanket and the beautiful trees just poking through, there is nothing more calming than views here. Also, you can go onboard on many trails for the winter and enjoy the region to its full beauty. 

HOW CAN YOU GET THERE

The most common way of getting to Gushaini is by the road. We will suggest you to take Delhi- Manali route. You can also choose to travel via Shimla, though the route is longer. Moreover, you may also take the comfort of Air and Rail transport. Here are the full details. 

By the means of Air: – The nearest airport to Gushaini is Bhuntar airport which is only 50 KMs from Gushaini, so you can take your flight to Bhuntar or if you want to enjoy some scenery then you can try taking you flight to Chandigarh. As Chandigarh is well connected from the rest of India and you can commence the road trip from Chandigarh and get a lot of beautiful scenery! 

By the means of Rail: – The nearest Railway station to Gushaini is Chandigarh at nearly 250 KMs. You can drive from here or can book a cab or you can even take a bus to reach the destination. 

By the means of Road:- 

Delhi – Sonipat – Karnal – Chandigarh – Swarghat – Bilaspur – Sundernagar – Mandi – Larji – Banjar – Gushaini

The total driving distance is about 500 KMs from Delhi and will take you about 12 hours to cover. The route remains the same as when you are heading to Manali up to Mandi. Post Mandi, you will cover a distance of 38 KMs and instead of heading into the Aut Tunnel, you will take the road towards the tiny settlement of Larji. The drive towards Gushaini is enjoyable, and along the river, leading you to all the small settlement of Gushaini. 

If you are travelling from Shimla, it will turn into a 2 day long journey taking you over 20 hours to cover. This is only because a major portion of your routine will be traversing the narrow and twisting roads of hills or a longer duration! You can break your trip and have a pleasing stay at Narkanda before commencing again in the morning for your destination. From Narkanda, Gushaini is about 2.5 hours away and you will cover a distance of 73 KMs approximately. 

It should be noted here that in the winter months, you can only reach Gushaini via Mandi route as the Shimla route through Jalori Pass remains closed. 

Local Commute:-

We suggest that you should skip Shimla route and head to Mandi as it will be an easy journey. Take a bus from Aut Tunnel which will cost you nearly about INR 60. The bus will be headed to Banjar and takes about an hour to reach. 

In terms of the village itself, we suggest using your feet. Gushaini is eye-catching and you can explore the best by walking around and enjoying the slowness of time. 

THINGS YOU CAN DO IN GUSHAINI

Gushaini does not have much to offer for the mainstream tourists. For the explorers, moreover, this place is pure magic. Gushaini is knoen as a home to many beautiful routes. From here, you can head on out to many small hamlets and villages some of them are known as Chalogi, Nagini, Mungla, among others. Basically, you will learn the art of village hopping. 

• Choii Waterfall/Nagini

Lying a few KMs from Gushaini, toewards Sai Ropa comes this natural wonder, requiring only a short hike from the town of Nagini is this stunning waterfall. Enjoy the trek, the view of the waterfall is beautiful. Though, he prepared to run into a few ‘tourists’ here as this place is quite mainstream for the region. 

• Batahad/ Phalachan Valley

Batahad is the entryway village to the Phalachan Valley, which in itself is a small sub-valley of Tirthan. It is situated ar a distance of about 10 KMs from the Gusaini village. It is also the starting point to Bashleo Pass Trek. The village is scenic, the folks are nice and yiu will enjoy the soothing atmosphere and hum-dum of the pace of life here.