Tosh and Pulga are two of the more famous places in the backpackers heaven of Parvati valley. And with both gaining immense prominence in the recent years, a Tosh vs Pulga comparison post will be helpful for first timers.
Therefore, based my experiences along with ease of reach, budget, cafes, internet connectivity and many other factors I am curating Tosh vs Pulga comparison post.
Tosh Vs Pulga – All The Details You Need
Tosh and Pulga are two extremely beautiful yet very popular places in Parvati valley of Kullu district. While Tosh is certainly more famous and in everyone’s list when visiting Parvati valley, Pulga is quickly catching up.
I’ve personally visited both of them therefore I am sure that I can put forth a decent comparison between the two. So lets get started.
By the way, if you have never been to Parvati valley before, here is a super useful backpacking guide for Kasol and places around Kasol
Tosh Vs Pulga – Ease Of Reach
This one is a tie in my opinion. With advent of roads both Tosh and Pulga have become way easier to reach.
In order to reach both Tosh and Pulga first you need to get to Barshaini via Bhuntar, Kasol and Manikaran. Bhuntar is located on main Chandigarh-Manali highway. And is also the point from where road to Parvati valley diverts.
From Barshaini bus stand as you walk further you reach the bridge of hydro project. To reach Tosh you DO NOT cross the bridge. Instead carry on the straight road climbing up. Tosh is around 3-4 km from there.
To get to Pulga you have to cross the bridge and continue on the dirt track which ends exactly at Pulga.
Tosh Vs Pulga – Which is More Picturesque
Beauty of place is a very subjective topic. And comparing two mid-altitude Himalayan villages is not ideal. But I’ll still go ahead based on my personal bias.
I feel Tosh is more picturesque than Pulga and I’ll tell you why. The sheer number pf impressive-looking snow-capped peaks just gets the win for Tosh according to me.
But make no mistake Pulga is as pretty as a Himalayan hamlet can get. Incredible vistas of lofty peaks, towering pine forests and pretty traditional-styled houses gets Pulga quite close to Tosh in terms of beauty.
By the way, like this blog, I have similar comparison post between Tosh and Malana. Do make sure to check that out if you are planning to visit Tosh and Malana anytime soon. I am sure it will be helpful.
Tosh Or Pulga – Which Is Lesser crowded
At one point in time both Tosh and Pulga were epitome of offbeat Kullavi villages. The roads and social media were the catalyst of its immense rise in popularity.
As per the current situation, Tosh is probably the most popular place in Parvati with umpteen number of hippie cafes, stay options. And of course the incredible vistas which is why Tosh is flocked by travelers.
Pulga on the other hand has remained way lesser crowded with a fewer cafes, stay options. So if you are looking to escape the crowd you should straight away head to Pulga.
But Pulga is desperately trying to catch up Tosh. During my recent visit to Pulga I saw a few large structures in Pulga which were probably hotels in making. They looked real ugly amidst the pristine sea of traditional styled houses.
Hotel infested Tosh looks way way uglier only high mountains around Tosh comes to its rescue. Downsides of rampant over-tourism.
Which is Better Tosh Or Pulga – In Terms Of Budget Travel
This is one is a tie. Most of the places in Parvati valley are quite budget friendly. But you still have to careful of about certain aspects.
Both in Tosh and Pulga you can get basic accommodation at around INR 300 to INR 500. The food is where you have to be careful. Food at the hippie cafes and places of accommodation can be expensive.
But I am pretty sure that you can definitely manage and restrict your spending at both Tosh and Pulga at around INR 800.
When I made a trip to Tosh I was able to restrict my spending to around INR 700 per day for both food and stay. Pulga, I haven’t personally stayed but I reckon the prices should be somewhat similar.
The key to a budget Tosh or pulga trip is to visit them anytime except for peak season which is basically April to June, Christmas and new year period.
By the is here a comparison post between Parvati valley and Tirthan valley. This will be a help in deciding which one you should be visiting.
Tosh versus Pulga – In terms of Cafes
Tosh has no dearth of Cafes, thanks to people flocking to huge numbers you have plenty of hippie cafes to choose from. Israeli cuisine, Italian cuisine with North Indian cuisine is the most predominant in Parvati valley.
Pulga on the other does not have as many cafes as Tosh has. But worry there are a few. Just as I entered the village I saw a couple. Plus there cafes at end of the village as well near the newly built temple.
Cafes in Tosh include Boom Shiva Cafe, Pink Floyd Cafe, Pinki Didi Cafe, Stone Hedge cafe to name a few.
I am not sure whether are there more, but I saw one cafe in Pulga called Chai tapri cafe located towards the end of the village.
Is Tosh Better OR Pulga – Accommodation Options
Tosh has literally tons of options to choose from in terms of hotels, guesthouses, hostels etc. So as per your budget and comfort you can easily get a place of stay.
Accommodations options Tosh include Boom Shiva Cafe, Pink Floyd hotel, 11:11 Bunkers house, Whoopers Hostel and many more.
In Pulga accommodations options are quite fewer than Tosh. So do keep this in mind.
In Tosh I stayed at Boom Shiva Cafe, and the whole room just cost us INR 400. Although accommodation was very basic but it was worth the money. I just made a day-trip to Pulga.
Which Is Better Tosh OR Pulga – In Terms Of Places To Visit
Since Tosh and Pulga are part of the same area, the places to visit are common for both. Therefore, whether you are in Tosh or Pulga you can easily visit these places from both Tosh and Pulga.
Kalga, Tulga, Kheerganga, Bun Buni Pass, Tosh Kutla, Kalga kutla are some of the places that you can visit while you are in Tosh and Pulga.
Of course, do remember that most of these places require you to hike.
Tosh Vs Pulga – Internet Connectivity
Jio 4g works fine both in Tosh and Pulga. When I last visited Tosh, I did not have Jio, but as confirmed by one of my friends who had a Jio sim and visited, he confirmed the 4g works fine.
Vodafone just could be used for calls with no internet. I cannot confirm about Airtel 4g in Tosh, but will surely update if I visit Tosh in the near furture.
In Pulga both Jio 4g and Airtel 4g work fine so you should be good to be go. Again not sure about Vodafone since I did not have vodafone on my recent trip to Pulga.
So in short both have decent connectivity. I personally never have worked remotely from either Tosh or Pulga. But I have seen posts about people working remotely from places like Kalga.
So I think you should be go to go even if you wanted to work remotely from Tosh or Pulga. If you are planning to visit other areas of Himachal as well, here is a super useful blog on which network works best in Himachal
This bring me to the end of this blog. I hope this comparison of Tosh vs Pulga will really help you plan and decide if you are visiting Parvati valley in the near future.
In case you have any queries related to them, you can leave them in the comments and I’ll be glad to help you out.
