Lug valley Kullu, had always been in my travel plans. However, due to one reason or another, the visit to the Lug Valley could not materialize. One of the reasons is that the Lug Valley, being near Kullu town, yet does not have good infrastructure.
The remoteness of the place is alluring, but only for those who love solitude. The people in the Lug Valley are known to prefer their traditional lifestyle and do not prefer to mingle much with outsiders.
My First Visit to Lug Valley
It was the summer of 2024 that I could finally make it to the Lug Valley in Kullu. Things seemed quite easy in the beginning, but as we ventured deep inside, the Kullu-to-Lahaul Valley distance seemed to only intensify, and the journey seemed never-ending.
All said and done, I was in Kullu, and with my friend Saurabh, reached the beginning point of this travel i.e,. Dhalpur Ground. A diversion from this point headed towards Lug valley Kullu and it is place from where the bus to this region can be taken.
As we boarded the bus, the dizziness and busy Kullu bazar rush simply vanished within few minutes and the bus wade past its way across villages and orchards. Soon, Kullu town seemed to have been left far behind and we were on the way to lug valley Kullu.
Timber has been traded in this region since long and as I made a closer look, I saw a number of trollies dangling through cables. These have traditionally been in use in Kullu region for transportation of apple from higher reaches to the collection point on the road from where it is taken to the market.
End of Bus Ride in Lug Valley Kullu
The bus stopped at one point and driver announced that this was the end of Lug valley in Kullu. However, to my surprise when I alighted down, I realized that this was only the beginning of the ride. A pick-up van was already waiting for passengers and without wasting time, we realized and rushed towards van for grabbing a seat.
It was only a short ride and the driver guided us to a path which we could take to explore our lug valley Kullu trek. It was around a one-hour trek and on reaching a village, we realized that it was indeed the correct path in our lug valley Kullu trek.
Bhalyani Village in Lug Valley
The beauty of mountains is that when a person is utmost tired of climbing and is about to give up, the climb suddenly ends and a big meadow emerges out of nowhere. This is what precisely happened with us too. As we were to give up, a green meadow came up and we got to know from a villager that this was Bhalyani village. The village had a Krishna temple and after a cup of tea at the local tea shop. The shopkeeper was kind enough to show us the way further to Jathani village.
The hike upwards continued through another route and suddenly we came across wheat field which was golden in colour and had green apple trees growing within the field. The sight was so mesmerizing that it is almost impossible to describe in words.
Few twist and turns above Jathani village, we were on a desolate path again on our lug valley Kullu adventure. The sky was beginning to turn dark and soon we were at meadows of Matahsaur which is also home to Goddess Fungni.
Meadows of Mathasaur and Fungni Ma Temple
The temple of Fungni Ma is a small wooden temple with idol of deity placed inside. The spot is full of people during the annual fair but the time we visited Lug valley Kullu, the place was desolate. The mantle of deodar covered this vast ground and adjoining the temple was a small lake which did not have much water at that moment. It might have looked deep green and vibrant when filled to the brim.
We rested a while in the ground before heading back from this lug valley Kullu trek. The downhill walk was a breeze and soon we were at the point where the trek ended.
In a nutshell, one should definitely venture beyond the popular tourist destinations of Kullu, Manali and Shimla. Lug Valley in Kullu is one such offbeat destination that should be in your travel itinerary whenever you plan a visit to Himachal Pradesh.
