Travel

Jihbi

My search for peaceful hill station brought me to a small town of Jibhi in Himachal Pradesh.  Unlike Shimla, Manali and Mclodeganj, it is lesser known or offbeat. There is hardly any crowd on the roads and no traffic jams.

Location : Jibhi is a small village in Kulu district of Himachal Pradesh about 277 km from Chandigarh and around  500 km from Indian capital state of New Delhi.
How to reach: Bhunttar is the nearest airport with flight connecting it with New Delhi.
We started our journey from Chandigarh at 5 am on NH 3 towards Manali. Soon we joined NH302. If one is traveling on own vehicle, on reaching the tunnel at Aut, one needs to take the right turn downwards towards Banjar valley. If travelling on Bus, cross the Tunnel and get off at Aut market for bus or taxi for Banjar or Jihbi. This road leads to village Banjar. All along the way parallel to the road runs the bubbling river with rapids at several places.  It is truly treat to the senses. After about 8 km from Banjar is the village of Jibhi.
It has many picturesque sight seeing location in and around it.

Best Time to Visit : The best time to visit is between  March to May and from October to January.
Where to stay: Since it is not very commercialized yet, there are no hotels.  There are small
camping sites, homestays and hostel in this area for logging. Ranging from INR 500 - 800 to INR 2000. We stayed at Shivang Homestay at Gadagusheni. It is run by Mr.  Heeralal.
 

Jibhi waterfall :There is a waterfall about 200 meters from the zero milestone of Jibhi.  There is a proper road to drive up-to 100 meter or you can trek.  After that, there is a small walk to a beautiful waterfall. On the way there are four small beautiful bridges.This place is very calm and rejuvenating. Nature in its unspoiled beauty mesmerizes the senses. I would say that having been to Campty falls(Masourie), Neel waterfall(Rishikesh), Jogini waterfall (Manali), this is the most easy and an accessible trek,  yet the most beautiful small waterfall.
The Shesh Nag Temple: Near the main market, an up hill short trek is the Shesh Nag Temple. It is a beautiful and colorful wooden structure. It has a revered local deity. The walls have wooden carvings and vibrant colors make it very attractive.

Other attractions are the Chaini fort trek, Jalori pass and Serolsar lake.  Most places one needs to trek to.  We were not able to visit any of these as our dog who was at hostel (as there are no pet friendly homestays) fell sick and we returned home next day.

Some tour groups conduct a weekend trip to this area. However the stay should be for at least 3-4 days if one wants to visit all places around Jalori pass and Jibhi.

Jihbi waterfall is undoubtedly the most indelible, wonderful and enjoyable experience that I will always cherish in my heart.


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