A scenic journey through Jibhi: A personal narrative

It was a month after living in the mountains of Manali when I picked Jibhi as my next destination. Now, I know things go unplanned but my 10 days plan magically transformed into a two months stay, followed by another month later. Fair enough to say, I was in love. 

Jibhi is a picturesque little village in the foothills of Himalayas. Located in the Tirthan Valley of Himachal Pradesh, this hamlet is surrounded by dense patches of cedar and pine forests, river streams and small settlements here and there. But these factors only led to what they call ‘love at first sight’.

Falling in love was a process that happened over each day that I spent here. I’ll tell you how.

• Anything can happen in Jibhi: One morning you wake up thinking, “Oh! What a beautiful day to be alive. May be I’ll read a book and then go for a walk or write something by the river side. MAY BE!”. The next thing you know you are up at a 10,000 ft mountain top having morning tea. The next thing you know you are in a remote village having lunch in a traditional Himalayan house. The next thing you know you are around a thousand villagers attending a local fest. The next thing you know you are at a river stream catching fishes. The next thing you know is YOU DON’T KNOW!

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And that’s the thing about Jibhi. You don’t plan your day here. You only live it.

• The humans of Jibhi: I met people who won my heart. The joy of being around genuine and like minded people is what I experienced here every single day. They are the ones who are out there, unbeknownst to the world, fighting, surviving and living their dream. These crazy, impulsive, creative and inspiring humans of Jibhi I had a pleasure to know is what made this place home. And these people, well, FAMILY.  Meanwhile, the beautiful locals who greet you with “Namaste! Kaise hai aap (How are you)?” followed by “Aao humare ghar chai peene (come home for some tea)” is precious to a level I can’t even…

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• In and around: Fairy tale villages are a thing here. You take a bus, hike a bit or more and end up at places that are so pristine, you wouldn’t want to leave. I’d suggest you roam around, talk to the locals and listen to their stories of legends, over a cup of chai of course.

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• Nature is at its very best: What do I say here? Every season has it’s own magic spell on this valley but if you ask me, Jibhi is the rains is a sight to behold, a feeling to rejoice. You look for yourself and wonder HOW!

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If I could trace even a single moment of sadness or anxiety while living in Jibhi, I won’t find any. All I find is unadulterated priceless happiness. 

Things to do in Jibhi:

1. Trek your way to Jalori pass (Serolsar Lake), Lamhari (crystal mountain) top, Raghupur fort if you’re here.

2. Village wandering is a privilege you can’t miss here. Easily accessible from Jibhi by buses or hired cabs, Chaini Kothi, Bahu, Seri, Ghiyagi, Gushaini are few of such gems that you will never forget. No sir!

3. Take a dip in the river stream, get your senses awoken drenched under a waterfall or just find a perfect rock by the river side if you just wish to sit and indulge (like me).

How to reach Jibhi?

Jibhi is not easily accessible if you’re travelling by public transport. That only means you need to change buses in order to reach Jibhi.

I usually take a bus from Delhi-Manali then get down at “Aut”. From Aut you need to take a local bus till “Banjar” followed by another bus till “Jibhi”. Tadaaa!

Well, you can also get shared cabs from Aut or Banjar till Jibhi.