|
|
|
| Home
> Wildlife Sanctuaries in India
> Great Himalayan Sanctuary |
| Great Himalayan Sanctuary
|
1
2 3 4 |
|
|
Best time to visit |
The period from April to June and October-November
is ideal. During the rains and in winter, the paths are inaccessible.
|
|
Getting There |
Air
Bhuntar, 10 km south of Kullu town, is the nearest airport.
Taxis charge Rs 100 from the airport to Kullu.
Rail
Shimla (270 km) is one of the nearby railheads. The closest
narrow gauge railhead is at Joginder Nagar, which is about
135 km away.
Road
Kullu (60 km) is the most accessible and nearest big town.
HPTDC buses can take you to Kullu from Shimla (Rs 250), Chandigarh
(Rs 275) and Delhi (Rs 450 - overnight journey). By road,
you can go as far as Aut, which is 30 km from Kullu and 28
km from Gushaini. From Aut, you can only proceed on foot.
On the western edge, the park can be approached by bridle
paths in the Jiwa, Sainj and Tirthan tributaries, but there
are no direct roads to the park.
|
|
Getting Around |
There aren't any motorable roads that lead upto
the park and trekking is unavoidable, but most of the area can
only be explored on foot. Treks along the Tirthan river (budget
at least five days) and in Sainj Valleys (at least eight days)
would be the most rewarding. The eastern portion, however, is
best left to experienced mountaineers as the routes are seldom
used and it is virtually snowbound all year round. However,
several passes cross the Beas-Sutlej divide to the south, including
the approach from Banjar to Luri on the Sutlej via the Jalori
Pass, through a road that is seasonally motorable. Sainj is
connected with Pulga on Parvati Valley through a little used
trail. Migrant sheep and goats almost exclusively use the southern
paths, and the traffic on the Jalori Pass is thinner compared
to the Pandoh gorge passage from Kullu.
|
|
Accommodation |
Thirteen forest rest houses at Sairoopa and Sainj, outside the
park, provide adequate accommodation, totalling 50 beds. Other
alternatives are restricted to basic inspection huts with no
amenities. Emergency halts at villages are possible as the people
are generally hospitable. For information or bookings contact
the Field Director, Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi 175125,
District Kullu, Himachal Pradesh.
|
|
Terrain |
The park lies in the Seraj Forest Division, in
the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh, south-west of Kullu
town. At the southern boundary of the park, lies Tirthan Sanctuary.
Mountain ridges with altitudes of 1,500 m to 5,800 m surround
the park on all sides except the west. The Mathaun Dhar/Rakti
Dhar ranges to the north-east and Sirikand Dhar to the south-east
are especially rich and impressive. The catchments of Jiwa,
Sainj and Tirthan rivulets fall within the borders of the park.
The Sainj and Tirthan valleys are narrow with steep sides with
little glaciation. The upper portion of the Sainj abuts on the
upper Parvati Valley towards the north, while the upper Tirthan
forms part of the watershed separating the Beas and Sutlej catchments.
The eastern part of the park is permanently covered with snow
and ice. Palachan Gad, a tributary of Tirthan Gad, drains the
Tirthan Sanctuary. The Sainj and Tirthan rivers join at Larji,
in the Mandi district, from where they both meet the Beas.
|
|
Waterholes and Trails |
Walk the trail along the snowfed Tirthan from
Gushaini to Chalocha to witness a biodiversity rich habitat.
This is a tough trek along narrow trails with no tourist facilities.
Guard huts will offer a fire, steaming rice, dal or tea and
rest for aching bones, but little else. You will cross the Tirthan
river several hundred metres below you on ropes, branches, hope
and a prayer. This walk is for the stout-hearted. Leopards are
seen both at Rolla and in Sainj where densities are predictably
high. As you trek, look out for tahr, goral, serow and barking
deer along the Sainj-Tirthan valley. Musk deer are more commonly
seen on the Tirthan side; while Sainj is particularly good for
bear sightings. Rolla in the Tirthan valley is rich in food
and with abundant water available, it has a relatively dense
ungulate population. If you are a birdwatcher, look out for
cheer near Bandal and Kaleej in Tirthan as far as Rolla. The
Koklas and Monal pheasants are distributed fairly evenly throughout,
with the Monal densities somewhat higher at Nada Thach. The
area along the slope from Chalocha to Nada Thach at 3,200 m.
is about the best Western Tragopan country you could hope to
walk along.
|
|
|
1 2
3 4 |
|
