THINGS TO PREPARE FOR YOUR JOGINI FALLS TREK Before you go on the trek, there are a few things you should prepare; Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller 1. Walking shoes – I wouldn’t say you need proper walking boots to do this trek but a good pair of shoes like trainers is easier. I wore my sandals and it was a stupid idea. It made walking up and down the steep hills that much harder and I kept slipping! 2. Waterproofs – I usually don’t wear overalls or waterproofs in India as I find it too muggy. But, it’s a good idea to have a waterproof backpack for your valuables and electronics in monsoon. You can get soaked. 3. Offline Map / Maps – I didn’t have any sort of map or directions as I asked locals on the way. But, you could easily download an offline map to help out if you were afraid of getting lost. 4. Water – Always take water with you. Whether you choose to buy some in Vashisht or take your own reusable bottle. Although the water from the falls is fresh and you could refill your water bottle with it, I don’t recommend drinking it. If you’re not used to the local water, it could make you seriously ill. That is unless you have something like purifying powder to clean it with. 5. Snacks – There are plenty of cafés and chai stalls on the way. They sell chai, coffee, water and some fizzy drinks. They even have some snacks available like biscuits and instant Maggi noodles. But, if you want food at Jogini falls, there are no facilities. So, stock up for a picnic. Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller
𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞: 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞-𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.
DETAILED JOGINI WATERFALL TREK DIRECTIONS
There are a few ways to access the trail for the waterfall but the easiest way is to firstly access the small village of Vashisht and start from there;
1. Navigate over to Vashisht village
If you want to access Vashisht in Manali, you can easily walk from either Old Manali or New Manali in around an hour (4km).
Vashisht is actually much cheaper for accommodation and food. So, if you were on a shoestring budget, you could base yourself here for trekking! This used to be the main place to stay for hippie travellers before Old Manali. This is because it’s much more peaceful with less traffic and bother.
If you’re based in New Manali or Old Manali and didn’t fancy walking, you can easily grab a rickshaw to Vashisht for around 100 rupees.
I wouldn’t blame you as it’s best to save your energy for the hike!
@voodoomanali @hills.in 2. Locate Vashisht Temple So, once you’ve arrived in Vashisht town, you’ll need to make your way over to Vashisht Temple. It’s a tiny place, so you’re not likely to get lost. But, if you find yourself stuck, ask a local to direct you to the main temple here. This temple is actually really pretty, intricately carved out of wood, and worth a look in. Like all temples in India remember to take off your shoes and make sure you’re appropriately dressed. @hopping_peri @hopping_peri Vashisht temple is also famous for its ‘hot springs’ nearby that apparently have healing properties. We were tempted to look for it but, for me, I’ve always been a little disappointed with these ‘hot spring’ type attractions. They always sound more magical than reality. For one, women can’t really swim in there without being fully clothed meanwhile boys can swim around almost naked in their boxers. Yes, I know it’s the culture but it doesn’t half annoy me sometimes. Also, there’s rarely ever any ‘hot’ water involved in these natural hot springs But, you’re welcome to try! Anyway, I digress, that’s a post for another day. Once you find the Vashisht Temple, follow the trail behind it to access the Jogini Falls walking trail! @hopping_peri @hopping_peri @hopping_peri 3. Start the trek towards Jogini Mata Temple through the Sanctuary Forest You’ll instantly be relieved as soon as you walk out of Vashisht Town. Although it is quieter than that of Manali, it’s still not immune to traffic and noise. Once you’re out in nature, you’ll love the feeling of hearing nothing. Just peace and quiet! It’s a single-track path really the whole way and nearer the start/end of the trek, you’ll find many cafés and stalls on the path. You could stop here to buy snacks or have a warm chai (more on that later)! After you walk past the majority of the cafés, you’ll end up entering amazing apple orchards, rolling rivers, and bridges over babbling brooks! It’s extremely scenic. Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller Eventually, the trail will lead you inside a dense Sanctuary forest. These are sacred grounds that are part of the Jogini Temple. Many villagers come here to meditate, pray and leave offerings for the goddess. You may even find locals sleeping overnight, places where food has been prepared, or small offerings. There are signs to tell you but it’s important to remain quiet through this forest out of respect. Lots of people come here for healing and don’t want to be disturbed from their peace. Not that many people seem to heed this notice. But, I always believe it does no harm to respect the rules. Once you’ve come out of the forest, this is when you’ll see the Jogini Mata Temple with another more modern shrine nearby Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller 4. Walk passed the Jogini Mata Temple and you’ve made it! From what I could see, this temple is not a place where tourists can visit. But, it is still nice to stop and have a quick peek from the outside. Just beyond the outskirts of the temple area is the bottom of the Jogini Waterfall! From here, you can access the Beas River and a small pool at the bottom where lots of people cool off and dip their feet. Lots of people also go swimming in the pool as well. You can chill out here and relax at the bottom of the falls, even pull out a picnic by the water if you wanted to. But, you can barely see the waterfall cascade from the bottom. So, if you wanted to get a closer look at the waterfall in the mountains. I’d recommend hiking up the steep hillside to the upper viewpoint. Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller 5. Alternative route – head up the hillside to take a closer look at the waterfall Now, I’m not going to lie to you, the walk up the hillside to get a closer look is pretty steep. Remember that I said I had sandals on?! Yeah, I really regretted my choice of footwear when I decided to climb up this hill. Don’t be as irresponsible as me. There isn’t really a beaten track or trail at all to get to the top. So, you’re almost scrambling up the hillside to reach the peak. Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller At one point, due to the hill being muddy, I fell and almost tumbled down the hill! Luckily, my friend grabbed me but he said his heart nearly fell out of his chest! Thankfully, I didn’t roll too far haha! Despite the scrambling, it is well worth climbing to the top. From here, you can really see the cascade falling through the mountains and the views are spectacular as well. There are also lots of overhanging rocks that you can climb and little places to explore around this area. So, go for it! The only thing I did hate more than going up, was trying to get back down. The trail doesn’t really lead anywhere else beyond the waterfall, or, not that I’m aware. So, we just started to head back to Vashisht once we were done. Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller 6. See the lower Jogini waterfall As well as seeing the view of the waterfall, there is the option to trek over to the lower waterfall area up the mountain a little bit. This is by far the most impressive experience as you’ll see the full force of the cascade but it will take a lot longer to trek too. Here you can go stream hiking, swimming, and explore the cave beneath the mountains where the waterfall hits the Beas River. For us, we were simply too tired and were pretty happy with our impressive lookout from the top! But, if you’re feeling energised, you can head further on into the waterfall if you wish. It will require a bit of climbing upstream but I’ve heard it’s well worth the extra effort. 7. Stop off at the many chai stall ‘treehouses’ on the way back! So, once you’re ready to head back, you’ll come across those amazing tea stalls that will be waiting for you! We decided to treat ourselves to a steaming cup of chai on the way back from our walk. It was almost like a treehouse that overlooked the mountains and it was the perfect place to chill out for a while. I definitely slept well later that evening as we were pretty much running on empty. I was so glad we did it though as the Jogini waterfall is well worth seeing in Manali! LOOKING FOR MORE THINGS TO DO IN MANALI? Manali is breathtaking! As it’s located high up in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, you don’t have to go far to see the views. They will be all around you! A lot of travellers choose to hang out in the many amazing cafés here, I’d highly recommend checking out Dylan's Cafe and trying their incredible cookies. If you do fancy exploring some of the areas, there are lots of amazing attractions to explore. You could visit the amazing Hadima temple to learn about local Hindu culture. Photo credit: thirdeyetraveller @abhi.traveller_ I loved my day trip up to the Rohtang Pass, also known as India’s most dangerous road! We hired a car with some other travellers and made the journey up into the mountains. A few days later, we then also made our journey up to Leh Ladakh via the same road. Cre: thirdeyetraveller