Barot: A Weekend Getaway To Himachal’s Hidden Gem

Some places make you feel happy, some refreshed, whereas Barot makes you feel content. Who knew that a random plan would turn out to be so amazing and the credit solely goes to Barot. A small valley hidden in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. The town is beautiful, colourful and pristine. It is one of the untouched places in Himachal and so you get to see and feel the true beauty of the mountains.

The best thing about this place is that the entire town can be covered on foot. My 4 friends and me started our journey on Friday night and it took us 14 hours to reach there. We had two stoppages in between our journey, one at Murthal (Sonipat) for dinner and second at Sundernagar for breakfast.

Stay at Barot

We stayed at Thandi Golai Nature Camping, a lovely outdoor campsite located near the Uhl River. Our tent was next to the river and the sound of the flowing water was pure bliss to our ears.

Day 1

Late Morning

As soon as we reached the campsite, we gushed towards the river. After few splashes of icy cold water on our faces, we were ready for the day. Looking at the beauty of the place it was hard to blink even for a second.

Afternoon

Freshly cooked lentil soup and kidney beans was served for lunch along with the chicken curry. Every bit of it tasted heavenly. Since the locals managed the camp, we got a chance to taste the local flavours.

A sudden shower along with hailstorm, made the surroundings dreamy. While watching the rain from our tent, we ate freshly made potato and onion fritters along with hot tea. It seemed as the universe was conspiring to make the trip memorable for us.

Evening

The heavy rain brought out the true colours of nature and so we decided to go on a walk to explore the local markets and nearby villages.

We saw many things on our way, from temples to school to eateries. We stopped by one tiny café that was serving steamed dim sums and soup. The dim sums were a bit disappointing but the soup tasted delicious.

After a long stroll around the place, we came back to our camp and sat by the riverside until the bonfire. The temperature was falling minute by minute and the cold was getting unbearable.

Night

We had a lip-smacking chicken curry, cottage cheese curry and rice for dinner. After which we went to sleep in our tents. The sky was dreamy, full of stars and so were our minds.

Day 2

Early Morning

Waking up by the chirping of birds felt nice. I was astonished to see myself being awake so early without feeling lazy. The freshness was felt from within and we could see our skin glow with happiness.

We stuffed ourselves with amazing Aloo Paranthas (mashed potato stuffed Indian bread) before heading for the trek.

Late morning

A small trek took us across the mountain to the Shanan Hydel Project plant. We started from the tram track and walked all the way to the waterfall. From there we crossed the potato fields to reach the dam. We saw the whole place from the mountaintop and the view was mesmerizing.

Afternoon

The dam site was beautiful, surrounded by an abundance of flora. The water was gushing down at enormous speed from one gate to another. On our way back, I took a small ice-cream break while my friends stopped by a local shop to buy kidney beans, which is one of Barot’s speciality. We then headed back to the campsite as we had a long journey ahead back home.

We were awestruck by experiencing the rawness and purity that Barot offers, leaving us spellbound. If peace and serenity is what you’re looking for your next trip, then Barot is just the right place for you.