The trek to Kutla Village is very short and we can cover it in an hour. This picturesque village is at a distance of 3 km from the Tosh village and needs to be covered by walking. The trekking trail takes you through the pine forests and small waterfalls, and this is a must-try for those who visit the Tosh village.
Visiting Tosh village in 2022
Tosh village has changed a lot over the past few years. It became more crowded, and in order to escape from that, we decided to get a place away from the center. The only way is to walk up to the end of the village and try to find a place near the pine forest.
Nowadays, I travel with my wife, Bhawana. She was busy capturing the everything she can with her phone.
The rain had done the a not so good job of turning the stoney pathway into muddy and slippery. The rain also brought the beauty of the mountain to its fullest. It was slightly windy. We could smell the wild flowers and pine leaves from the mountains.
Walking up the hill wasn’t so easy, and we occasionally stopped to catch our breath. At that moment, we breathe in all the freshness we can take in.
There is no shortage of cafes here in Tosh. We walked past a few famous cafes, like the German Bakery and the Tibetan Cafe. When we finally reached the end of the village, there were a few home stays, and those looked decent.
There was this one homestay that caught our attention. It is a three-story building with a small cafe attached to it. We opened the tiny iron gate and walked inside. A few people were sitting on the cafe balcony smoking charas. Upon seeing us, one man walked towards us.
I enquired about the availability of the room.
He caught my not-so-good Hindi accent and asked, “ Are you from Kerala?”
Perplexed, I said, “Yes, how do you find it?”
“Your Hindi,” he replied with a smile.
He started talking in Malayalam. I was from Himachal but had a lot of Malayali friends, and that was how he learned Malayalam. Well, his marketing strategy worked, and we decided to stay there.
Exploring Tosh on the first day
On our first day here, we decided to explore Tosh village, and the following day, Kalga village.
Whenever we climbed up the road, many people asked us, “Going to the waterfall?”
We had no clue that there was a waterfall. We were just looking for a cheap place to stay. But now we have got an idea that there is a waterfall up ahead. So the first thing that we planed was to visit the waterfall. Before going, we confirmed with the same person that we met earlier that day.
“It is on the same route as Kutla Village.”
“You guys can go to Kutla Village; it’s a beautiful place.”
That was the first time we heard the word Kutla. But we had plans for Tosh today and Kalga tomorrow and we decided to stick with that plan.
Change of Plans
We hiked to the waterfalls later that day, and it was an amazing experience. I am not going into much detail here as I will explain all about it a little further in this article.
Let’s fast forward to the next day.
Yesterday we visited the waterfalls and also hiked along the lengths and breaths of the entire village. We also tried Momos. The second day was planned for Kalga village.
It was around 7 in the morning when I walked to the reception to vacate the room. I was not able to find anyone near the reception. There was another person sitting on the cafe balcony, and he walked towards me. I told him that we needed to vacate. He sent the room boy to find the caretaker.
A pleasing conversation
“He might be sleeping somewhere, as we slept very late yesterday,” he said.
I smiled.
“So, did you like Tosh?” he continued.
“It’s amazing here,” I replied.
“Have you visited Kutla and the waterfalls?”
“We went to the falls, but not to Kutla. We have plans for Kalga village today. “
“So you are leaving Tosh in one day?” “That is not fair.” He winked.
I told him that I had been to Kalga village many years before and now I wanted to show it to my wife.
We talked about travel, Himcahal, trekking, and, of course, “Charas”. I think he was in his 30s or 40s. Here, some people look much older than they actually are. Especially when they smoke weed all day long. He was very affable, and it was a pleasant conversation.
“Kalga is not what it was three to four years ago.” He said, and when I looked at his face, it had a pensive mournfulness.
“Tosh is not the same anymore,” he continued, “but guess what, it is good for business.”
“You should go to Kutla. It is peaceful there. If you go to Kalga now, all your good old memories will be gone.
He was right. When I started from Bharshani, I had a glimpse of Kalga up above and the long line of cars trying to enter the valley and struggling to find a parking space. It’s all commercialized now. Like he said, it is good for business. But for us, we were searching for utter calmness and peace.
So we decided to go to Kutla Village.
A short trek to Kutla Village
There was a narrow path in front of our home-stay. This is the way to Kutla Village. There is barely enough room for two people to walk side by side on the path. It was all mushy and wet due to the rain. The path is cut on a gentle slope, and, down below, you can hear the burbling of a stream. Pines, firs, and peach trees form canopies on your way, and sometimes the path winds between rocks as tall as 20 feet. Soon these trees will be cut and more homestays will bubble up. More and more construction is going on now.
We walked through the winding mountain trail, passing many apple orchards, small buildings, and tall rocks. On the way, a few tourists were heading back from the waterfalls.
After hiking for 30 minutes, you could hear the waterfalls. When we walked near the waterfall, the path became very narrow and hardly one person could walk. We have to be very careful here.
Waterfall near Tosh Village
This is a very small waterfall. There are numerous cafes on both sides, and there are tables and chairs arranged in the water, which I don’t like. This is a great place to sit, have tea, and even smoke.
A wooden bridge was placed at one point to cross the river. Once you cross the river, there is a small meadow surrounded by tall pine trees and steep slopes. Most of the cafes are on this side. There was a narrow path ascending the mountain, and we quickly guessed that it was the one leading to the village of Kutla. We asked a kid, who was playing with a ball, about the route to the village, and he pointed fingers at the same road.
Till then, the route was gentle and flat with occasional climbs. From the waterfall, it got rough and challenging.
We started slowly, and after a long climb, Bhawana and I got exhausted. We sat near a stone next to a big pine tree. After a strenuous climb, it feels good to sit on the rock beneath the pine trees and unwind while enjoying the pleasant breeze. We could still see the cafes below from there.
I looked back, hearing the tinkling sound from behind. A string of mules was slowly walking up the mountain trail, carrying goods to the nearby village. We moved to my side to let them walk past me. The Kutla village is still an hour away from us.
The trek route to Kutla Village
From Tosh village, Kutle is about 3 KMs. The first part of the trek is to the waterfalls. This one is simple and more like a gentle slope that can be covered in 30 minutes. That includes the time for some good photo sessions as well.
The second part is tough with steep climbs, and if you are not used to trekking, it is going to be a little difficult. But compared to the Kheerganga trek, this one is very easy. Once you cover this part, you will enter into a meadow-like place with gentle slopes. You have almost covered two thirds of the trek, and you can take a rest and enjoy the view.
The last part is again a steep climb that is going to last for a long way up. The last part was the most beautiful one. It takes you through the dense pine forest. You won’t get tired here. One deep breath of the crisp pine and earth-scented mountain air can instantly cure all of your exhaustion. Breathe in as much as you can.
Another thing you can enjoy is the forest itself. Sit under a tree. Observe the small things. Be it a small fly dancing through the grass or the rustling of the leaves in the wind, it will enchant your soul for sure.
Also Read: A road trip to the Tosh Village
Also Read: A Complete Guide to Kheerganga Trek
Kutla Village
Once you cross the pine forest and when you climb up, you enter another meadow and the first thing that you see is a small cafe called “Kutla cafe-1″.
Kutla is a very small village with a few houses and cafes. It lies in a small valley, and a small stream flows on the right side of the village. It was very peaceful there.
The winding path disappeared into the village. There was something special about this place. The unruffled stillness and utter calmness here were beyond comparison. Time really stops here, and the quietude that we were seeking, we finally found it.
We explored the village a little further. Here, unlike in the Kalga village, there is a lot of open space and the houses are very far apart. There was a small fenced farm where poppies were grown. I had never seen a Himachal village before where poppies were grown instead of marijuana.
Food is expensive in Kutla
You have to expect to pay at least double the price for food here. The main reason is that everything needs to be carried through the same strenuous route.
. We entered the first cafe we came across because we were starving. We ordered maggi and chai. An old woman who worked there instructed us to sit on the wooden bench outside. There was a bonfire, and the small stream flowed just a few meters away. We could see the snow-covered mountains from there, and it truly felt like heaven there.
We walked a little further into the village. A local informed us that an hour’s hike would take us to the Buddhaban Glacier, a well-known glacier.
We sat on a small rock close to the village road, overlooking the valley and the mountains beyond. Time truly stops here.
Return back to Tosh
On the velvet grass, we lounged around for a while. We took some pictures and videos. Mules are a common sight here, and they are the ones that carry all the supplies to this village.
After spending 2 hours exploring the village, we decided to trek back to Tosh. Going down was easy and faster. Other travelers were climbing up and inquiring how much further it was to Kutla. But trekking is not about the destination. It is about enjoying every bit of it. Once you reach the destination, it’s all over.
We didn’t stay at Kutla as our time was limited. But I would suggest, if you are looking for a calm and quiet place, get a room at Kutla. There are very limited homestays here.
I am not sure how long Kutla is going to keep its solitude, but before it’s too late, let’s capture those memories.
Hope you like this blog on the trek to kutla village…save it for later by sharing it on Pinterest!
