Weekend Shangarh Itinerary – What to do in Shangarh in One Day?

I am more of a weekend traveler which means I usually travel on weekends. Or so far whatever travel I have done was mostly accomplished on weekends only due to the job schedule. However, during those two weekends, I have often tried to make the most of the two days traveling to some unexplored parts of the countryside, trekking to the rocky terrains, and resting under the shade of a giant pine tree. I have tasted some local home-cooked food and stayed in homestays where the morning was as fresh as the dewdrop on the young leaf of a plant. I have walked miles on foot when I didn’t get any vehicle to reach the nearest bus stand and have hitchhiked too. I remember my weekends in Shangarh where I spent some incredible moments of my life. So, I will share with you my experience and also guide you on how to plan a weekend itinerary of Shangarh.

Read Here – Why should you visit Shangarh?

The village Shangarh is no less than any fairytale land. It was one of the villages whose names I hadn’t heard before. Shangarh came to my mind while searching for weekend gateways from Delhi in Himachal Pradesh. The unusual name of this village caught my attention and thus, I reached there one Saturday and spent my Saturday and Sunday roaming around the village, hiking and exploring the narrow pathways where I even lost track of the way back to the homestay I was staying. Though I hadn’t planned anything for Shangarh, I just wanted to spend the moments in the way I always used to do.

Read Here – Why I visited Shangarh?

How to plan a weekend Shangarh itinerary? Things to remember

Table of Contents

Shangarh is among those few villages in Himachal Pradesh that are still untouched by heavy commercial activities and that’s what I loved most when I reached there. Though it was cold but I still loved the air, passing through my hair, hitting my face, giving me a sense of tenderness. It was October month and when I was passing through a narrow, spiral road in the rented cab, I could spot snow patches on the way. One of the biggest challenges coming to Shangarh is the lack of public transport. I am not sure if there is any local bus to Shangarh from Sainj or even if there is any that must be once a day. In this weekend Shangarh itinerary, I will share how I traveled to Shangarh from Delhi.

Read Here – 5 Family travel tips

A brief about Shangarh Village

Shangarh is a small meadow-village located in Sainj Valley which is a part of the Great Himalayan National Park (A UNESCO site) in the Kullu region. The village is surrounded by giant deodar trees; located tucked away from the hustle-bustle. There is an open ground which is known as Devta Ground; the main highlight of the village when you reach Shangarh. The ground remains green most of the time and you will spot animals grazing. During the snowfall months, everything turns white, covered with snow.

Next to the ground is the temple of Shangchul Mahadev, the local deity of Shangarh village. Legend has it that the deity protects the village. A fair is organized every year. Shangarh has a small population. When I was in Shangarh, I read on a board that the population was around 1300 something. Thus, it is less crowded, less chaotic, more and more nature only. That’s what we need. That’s what we crave!

How to reach Shangarh from Delhi?

So, I am assuming that you will go to Shangarh from Delhi, since I traveled to Shangarh from Delhi so I will talk about how to reach Shangarh from Delhi in this weekend trip plan. I have no idea if there is any direct bus to Sainj Valley from Shangarh. The easiest way is to take a bus going to Manali and get down at Aut which is the main transfer point. So you reach Aut in the morning if you take the bus in the night.

From Aut, you need to take another bus to Sainj village. There are local bus services are regular intervals so you don’t have to wait too long. Once you reach Sainj, you need to rent a cab to Shangarh. As I mentioned earlier, I am not sure if there is any bus service to Shangarh. If you get a bus, you will save good money as the cabs may cost you around 1000 INR approx. Try bargaining a little.

As per Google Maps, the following table shows time and distance:

Point	Approx. Distance	Approx. Time
Delhi to Aut	495KM	11 Hours Approx.
Aut to Sainj	18.3KM	40 Minutes Approx.
Sainj to Shangarh	10.8KM	27 Minutes Approx.

Kindly ensure that the above data is based on Google Maps. The times and distance can vary depending on several factors.

So, overall it will take anything around 12-13 hours to reach Shangarh village from Delhi. This means it is better that you travel overnight. Take the bus in the night from ISBT Kashmiri Gate and then reach Shangarh the next day.

Where to stay in Shangarh? Homestays or Hotels?

When I visited, there were not many homestays in Shangarh. Sainj was the nearest big city. I stayed in a homestay which charged me 1000 INR per day. It was a basic homestay with a large-sized bed, attached washroom. The room had two chairs, a table, etc. The homestay owner was kind enough to pick me up as I was unable to find a way to the homestay. So I called him and told him the situation.

The homestay, Snowline Homestay, was located at a good height and it was itself a hike to reach there from the main village. I did wander in the village and when it was dark in the night and I was going back to the top, the surrounding was filled with an eerie feeling; the sky looked like a black mattress with a full moon. A small hiss somewhere in the bushes at a distance gave me goosebumps.

Update (May 16, 2022) – Shangarh has not got several options. You can choose to stay in a local homestay or you can choose Zostel, Woodzo, etc. I stayed in TreeStays twice. During my recent trip to Shangarh (May 7-8 2022), I stayed in Ted’s Cabin which is located just behind Mountain View Cafe.

Where to eat in Shangarh?

When I visited Shangarh, there was only one café open, Mountain View Café, and that too outside of the village, at some distance. The place where the cab driver dropped had two cafes. One was shut and didn’t look like it was in operation and one looked like a small stall. The café had basic meal options, tea time snacks, Maggi, cookies, etc. Recently one more café, Café Stories and More is now opened which offers nice meal options where you can sit and dine and relax and enjoy the views. I had dinner at the homestay itself, homely cooked food.
Update (May 16, 2022) – You now have many more options in Shangarh where you can enjoy delicious meal. During my recent visit, I found this nice restaurant+homestay, Ara Cafe where I had coffee and rajma chawal. The aunty was nice lady and filled my plate to its capacity and even offered me more.

Which places to visit in Shangarh in one day?

When it comes to doing the things in Shangarh in one day, there isn’t much to do in the village itself. However, there is a lot to explore near the village. There are adjoining villages where you can hike and even camp. Since I was in Shangarh for the weekend only, there wasn’t much I could do other than just nomadically roaming around. Moreover, it was an unplanned journey just like most of the trips so I hadn’t had much information. The only thing I knew was the name of this village.

There are two places which you can explore within the village.

1. Devta Ground

Devta Ground of Shangarh is a large open land which is probably the first thing you may get to witness when you reach the ground. It looks a lot like some foreign land. I found an old man sitting there who would ask you to click him and will talk to him. That’s an experience to talk to locals and hear the stories. This ground has mythological stories behind it and its existence is said to be belonging to Mahabharata times. It is also a perfect place for solitude seekers. To know more about Devta Ground, click this link for a dedicated blog post.

2. Shangchul Mahadev Mandir

Next to Devta Ground is the wooden temple of Shangchul Mahadev who is the local deity of Shangarh. There are several folklores associated with the existence of this temple which you can read in my dedicated post by clicking here. The temple has a nice architecture and can be spotted easily from Devta Ground. You can visit the temple however make sure that you follow the rituals and rules of the place or better to ask someone.

3. Trekking in Shangarh

If you’re someone who loves trekking, you can do that in Shangarh. There are enough options to trek in this village of Sainj Valley. You can even choose to trek to the nearby village. I wasn’t aware of this when I reached here. But later I go to know and if next time I plan to revisit Shangarh, I will do it. In one of the videos of Shangarh village on YouTube, I saw people camping too. So, maybe if you explore, you can camp as well.

There are multiple tracks which open from Shangarh.

Read Here – Trekking in Shangarh

4. Barshangarh Waterfall

Located at nearly 3.5km away from the main village, Barshangarh waterfall is a wonderful place to hangout and dive into the natural aura. The way to the waterfall isn’t concrete and remains all muddy during monsoon. You can either take a hike or if you have got your own vehicle, you can drive/ride there.

What is the total expenditure of a weekend trip to Shangarh?

Planning a weekend itinerary of Shangarh won’t cost you too much. There is direct expenditure from bus to cab and stay to food. I didn’t spend get to spend more than 5500 INR on my two days Shangarh trip from Delhi. That included everything. So, here I am breaking down my total expenditure of two days weekend trip to Shangarh that I did from ISBT Kashmiri Gate

Bus from Kashmiri Gate to Aut – Approx. 1000 INR (calculate both ways)

Bus from Aut to Sainj – Approx. 50 INR (calculate both ways)

Cab from Sainj to Shangarh – Approx. 1000 INR (calculate both ways)

Homestay for one night – Approx. 1000 INR

Food for two days – Maximum 1000 INR

The total of the above comes around 6K INR. In most cases, the bus, cab, and homestay expenditures, etc. differ. If you bargain, you may get a cab at some cheaper prices. If you travel on the local bus to Aut, the price can be reduced to almost half. The prices of homestays too experience rise or fall depending on several factors. Overall, your total expenditure of two days weekend Shangarh itinerary should be around 5000 INR only.

Read Here – 5 Ways to document your journey

Which is the best time to visit Shangarh?

That depends on your purpose of traveling to Shangarh. I visited in October and it wasn’t dead cold back then. The village experiences heavy snowfall. So, if you want to visit to enjoy snowfall, better to go in December or January. If you want to just casually roam in the wide openness of nature, you can visit around September to October. Mind that you pack some jackets as you may feel a little cold. The temperature of Shangarh during these months ranges from 16 – 22 degrees Celsius.

I hope this post about planning a weekend Shangarh itinerary has helped you with everything you need to know about Shangarh. This small village won’t disappoint you with its natural elegance and untouched beauty. The village is mostly carbon-free and plastic-free. So make sure that you don’t throw your plastic waste anywhere in the village. Better to carry them back and dispose of them properly. Let’s save nature and contribute our share by doing so.

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2 thoughts on “Weekend Shangarh Itinerary – What to do in Shangarh in One Day?”

The Untourists says:

March 20, 2021 at 1:44 am

Shangarh looks like an interesting place to visit. Adding to my wish list…

1. Rajat Kumar says:
  
  March 28, 2021 at 6:22 am
  
  This village is amazing.
  
  Thanks for stopping by.