Publish On June 11, 2019

Luxurious Stay in Tirthan Valley - Sunshine Himalayan Cottage

“Mountains are calling, and I must Go” maybe you have heard this quote a lot of times, but I have experienced it. I don’t know how, but I always feel like mountains are calling me. Sometimes, they invite me Kashmir, other times to Manipur - Nagaland. Sometimes to Everest region of Nepal and then Himachal Pradesh. This time I went to an offbeat location of Himachal - Tirthan Valley in district Kullu. This is the untouched part of Himachal Pradesh where I saw many beautiful things and explored the local culture. Tirthan Valley also listed as an Important Bird Area designated by the IUCN having more than 250 species of birds. So here is my story of Tirthan Valley and how I enjoyed my luxurious stay at the bank of the Tirthan River.

On my trip to the Valley, I stayed at in the luxury treehouse of Sunshine Himalayan Cottage. It is located at a scenic location in village Gushaini and spread out in about 2 acres of land. The cottage has a mesmerizing view of the Tirthan river which I enjoyed from the balcony of my room. By the way, Tirthan is the only river in the Himalayas which has been kept devoid of any hydroelectric development project, in order to protect the unique ecosystem that it inhabits. During the trip, I also did many adventurous activities in the Valley with the parent company of Sunshine Cottage - Sunshine Himalayan Adventure. This is the best thing I found of this homestay - they provide a range of services - from sightseeing, trek to the Great Himalayan National Park, Taxi and bus booking. I came here with my friends, and we all enjoyed a lot.

After the 12 hours of overnight journey from Delhi to Aut (On Delhi - Manali Highway), we booked a taxi to Sunshine Himalayan Cottage which is approx. 38 km far away from the main highway. After reaching at this fantastic place, we saw our rooms the first time and were totally amazed to see the creative architecture of the rooms and the homestay. This property is made of waste fallen tree wood and mud in a very eco-friendly way. After resting for an hour we went to the dining room for lunch, and there we met the owner of the property - Mr. Panki Sood. He is the person who made our journey memorable and taught us a lot of things about the mountains and wildlife. We ate the local Himachali Thali here which is known as Dham. It was extremely delightful, that you need to taste it for once. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may know that I am a super foodie, so it was the great opportunity for me to explore the traditional food of Himachal Pradesh. I took a tour of the kitchen and got know about how they make it and what things they used in the preparation.

After the lunch, I met Gabbar and Sambha - not the villains from Sholay, but the most amazing pet dogs I have ever met. They greeted us in their own way by wagging their tails. We played a lot with them. I and my friends stayed at Sunshine for 3 nights - one night at the tree house and other two in the cottage rooms. Let me tell you more about my stay at Sunshine Himalayan Cottage, and what I truly loved about it.

Rooms-

The rooms in this homestay are mesmerizing. The beds are very comfortable. The rooms can easily accommodate 3 people. They have heritage lamps, which glow beautifully at night. The view from the balcony simply left me awestruck. I could witness the most beautiful Tirthan River pass us by. I came here in the month of July, and it got a little cold at night. We had booked the room for 3 person - so we 2 stayed at the bed and the other 1 stayed on that sofa-cum-bed. The cottage is so nature-friendly that it has a living tree in its kitchen which spreads likewise to its exceptional tree house room.

Washrooms-

All we need from a property where we stay is a good room with hygiene washroom attached. So here, the washroom was neat and clean with 24 hours hot and cold water services.

Food-

The Sunshine Himalayan Cottage serves to its visitors some mouth-watering local Himachali Food! I tasted here the famous dish of district Kullu - Siddu which stuffed with poppy seeds. The homemade food was superbly delicious. This was topped by local juices, jams, and pickles which can be enjoyed to the heart's content. The Homestay has a small farm area of its own where they grow vegetables and fruits. There is a lot of homemade honey and desi ghee accessible!

Parking Area-

There is good parking space available at Sunshine Himalayan Cottage. Cars, buses, travelers can easily be parked.

View from the Homestay-

The river Tirthan Tirthan flows just by the side of the homestay. I spent all my evenings here, sitting in the balcony and enjoying the view of stars, fireflies, and the majestic mountains.

Activities To Do-

There are lots of activities to do in Tirthan Valley, as it is famous for exploring the local culture and the wildlife and bird watching at The Great Himalayan National Park. So you can do these following activities through the parent company of the cottage, Sunshine Himalayan Adventures-

• Fishing in Tirthan River

• Bird Watching in The Great Himalayan National Park

• River Crossing by Cable Car like a local

• Visit Apple Orchids

• Explore nearby Heritage Villages.

• Trekking to Great Himalayan National Park

• Peak Climbing inside The Great Himalayan National Park.

You can book your package of these activities from their website - sunshinehimalayanadventure.com

What I liked most about this Homestay-

I liked the view from this Cottage and the architecture. I also liked the local Himachali food they provide.

Tariff-

Cottage / Tree House - Rs 6500 for 2 people with complimentary buffet breakfast.

Cottage / Tree House - Rs 6300 for 2 people without breakfast.

For Booking Contact-

Mr. Panki Sood

M. - +91 8894000613

Email - pankisood@gmail.com

My final verdict-

If you ever plan to visit Tirthan Valley in Himachal Pradesh and want to stay luxuriously, then I prefer you to stay at the Sunshine Himalayan Cottage. Here you get the fantastic experience of staying with locals, tasting the Himachali traditional food, and learn new things about the mountains and wildlife. It will make your trip memorable.

Happy Travelling :)