The Great Himalayan National Park is a long name for a wild place. It lies in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, at the meeting of several river valleys, the Tirthan, the Sainj and the Jiwa Nal, and it protects a steep forested wilderness that climbs from about fifteen hundred metres to over six thousand. It was established in the 1980s and listed by UNESCO in 2014, for its extraordinary biodiversity. Snow leopards, Himalayan tahr, brown bears and musk deer live here, and the forests are home to the western tragopan, a pheasant with a brilliant red and spotted plumage, and the monal, whose feathers shine in the sun like metal.
The park is mostly roadless, which is the point. Treks go on foot from villages such as those in the Tirthan valley, and local guides and homestays are the way in. The Tirthan is a clear trout stream, and its villages, with their wooden houses, apple orchards and prayer flags, are a quiet alternative to the busy resorts of Manali.
The ride that comes here starts in Shimla and takes a long day. The road descends from the ridge, passes Narkanda and then cuts south of the Sutlej toward Aut and Banjar, while the Jalori Pass, at over three thousand metres, offers a quiet link across the range, with pine, spruce and meadow on its slopes. The roads are narrow and in places rough, with landslides common in the monsoon between July and September. In winter, snow can close the high sections.
Banjar is the last sizeable settlement, and fuel and supplies are limited beyond it, so fill up earlier and carry spare. The best seasons are spring and autumn, when the skies are clear and the forests are bright with rhododendron or turning leaves. Be patient on the road, give trucks space on the bends and expect delays. Buy local honey and dried fruit, and sleep in a homestay, where the food is cooked on a wood fire, and the night sky is filled with stars.