GHNP offers numerous opportunities to experience the natural environment of the Western Himalayan. To really appreciate this unique place one must get out into the landscape and do day hikes or ideally multi-day treks. For more detailed information see the EcoTourism module.

The Park and Kullu region offers excellent opportunities for bird watching, wildlife viewing, religious pilgrimages, cultural tours, and viewing local crafts and craft creation. There are options of rafting, climbing, fishing, attending a village festival, viewing local architecture, and sacred groves. The Park itself has two facilities for tourists: a tourist center at Sai Ropa and an Information Center at Larjee.

The Sai Ropa Tourist Center
Sai Ropa located five kms away from Banjar and 5 kms before the Gushaini entrance to the Park. Nestled in the pine forest, the Tourist Center spreads over 3 hectares (six acres) area. It is also the headquarters of Tirthan Wildlife Range Office from where entrance ticket to the Park can be obtained. The Center has a Forest Rest House, a building housing two dormitories (20 beds in all), a photo exhibition, a conference/ training room with projection facilities, and a hall with photo exhibition about the Park. Outside, there is a 520 m long "Biodiversity Trail" which has trees and medicinal plant species transplanted from the Park; a pergola (gazebo) with Tirthan river view; a demonstration site for vermicomposting; a butterfly enclosure, and a solar energy demonstration site.

The Larji Information Center
Larji caters to the tourists coming to GHNP. It has a hall with training and projection facility for tourists, school children, and the village community. It is well located for orientation from Neuli or Gushaini. A small hall has Park educational displays. Park brochures, posters and entry ticket to the Park can be obtained here. The headquarters of Jiwanal Range Officer is also located here. In the open area of the Center, there is a pergola (gazebo), and information displays.

Local Architecture
The majority of the buildings in the Ecozone of GHNP are made of wood, stone, and mud in the traditional hill style and blend in well with the environment.They typically have expansive upstairs verandahs with arched facades and slate roofs. Many also have intricate external carvings. This is one of the few places left in the region where the majority of buildings are made in the traditional style.

Places of Religious Importance
The GHNP region has a distinct cultural mystique. The remote villages still have Devta or deity institutions which local people respect. The Ecozone villages of Lapah and Ghat Seri have sacred tree groves. Almost every village has a temple and community ground. Some of the old temples are of great architectural interest to the tourist. These include: the Pagoda style temple of Manu Rishi; Thakur's tower in Shenshar valley; the temples of Gushaini and Galiard with their wooden carvings in Tirthan valley. However, modern television culture and market forces are now visible in the villages and are affecting the ancient institutions of Devta and village councils.

Pilgrimage Sites
These sites are located at high altitudes accessible only in Summer and Fall months. Leather articles are not allowed in the immediate vicinity. Three important sites include:
- Raktisar, at the headwaters of the Sainj river,
- Hanskund, at the headwaters of the Tirthan,
- Sirikhand Mahadev, a lake on the southern border of the Park.

Festivals
Village melas (fairs or festivals) occur year-round. They are colorful, multiple-day celebrations where the village gods are brought together for a consultation. One can watch the human spokesperson for the god (gur) go into a trance and tell local stories, answer questions, and interact with the village community. Local songs and dances are also performed and villagers dress in the best traditional costumes. Respectful observation by outsiders is welcomed. The following are popular seasons for melas.

Late Winter
In February, the four-day festival of Fagli is celebrated in the villages near edge of Park (Pekri, Nahi, Tinder, and Phredi). This is a secular, joyous festival with masked dances. There is also a one-month festival from mid-January onwards in which families visit their relatives and special food is eaten.

Spring-Fall
April village fairs are held in Tinder, Bathad, and Chipni; in May at Banjar; in June at Shangarh; in August at Galiard and Mashiar, and in September at Goshaini and Nahi. They offer excellent shopping opportunities for local craft and other items.

Fall
In October the Dushera Festival is a unique event when approximately three hundred villages bring their local deities (devtas) by road to camp at the fairground of the city of Kullu. This provides an opportunity for observing the variety of local deities, rituals associated with the festival and shopping for various local handicraft as well as other items of interest.
top