Most people who ride down the Parvati Valley from Naggar are heading for Kasol's riverside cafes or the hot springs at Manikaran. Very few realise that the forested slopes rising on either side of them are a notified wildlife sanctuary — one of the least-visited and most rewarding wild places in Kullu district.
What is Kanawar Sanctuary?
Kanawar (also spelt Kanwar) Wildlife Sanctuary protects roughly 61 sq km of the upper Parvati catchment, beginning a couple of kilometres above Manikaran. Its altitude range is dramatic — from about 1,800 m in the river gorge to 4,833 m on the highest ridgelines — which means a single day's walk carries you through several forest zones: blue pine and deodar low down, then fir and birch, then open alpine pasture.
The terrain is steep and narrow, all rocky cliffs and side nalas rather than gentle valleys. That difficulty is precisely why the wildlife has survived here.
What lives there
- Mammals: Himalayan musk deer, brown bear, barking deer, goral, and — very rarely, in the highest reaches — snow leopard.
- Birds: western tragopan, cheer pheasant and Himalayan monal, three of the pheasants that make Himachal's forests internationally important for birders.
Be realistic: on a day walk you will most likely see monal, birds of prey, langur and a great deal of very old forest. Sightings of the larger mammals take an early start, patience and luck.
Getting there from Naggar
Drive down through Patlikuhl to Bhuntar — about 35 km — then turn into the Parvati Valley and continue to Kasol, roughly 65 km and two to two and a half hours in all. From Kasol the usual approach is on foot: the trail up the Grahan nala climbs through magnificent deodar and fir into the sanctuary and reaches Grahan village in three to four hours. There is no motorable road into the core area.
Practical notes
- Permission: entering a notified sanctuary requires permission from the Wildlife Range Office at Kasol. Ask a day ahead and carry photo ID.
- Best season: May and June for flowers and open high pasture; mid-September to October for the crispest air and clearest views. Avoid peak monsoon in July and August, when the nalas swell and the trails turn treacherous.
- Guide: hire a local guide in Kasol or Grahan. The side valleys look alike and there is no signage.
- Rules: no fires, no litter, no loudspeakers, no straying off the trail. Camping is restricted — confirm the current rules when you take permission.
Do it as a long day trip from Naggar if you only want the forest walk, or give it two days with a night at Grahan if you want to be high up at dawn, which is when the animals move.
If you're looking for a base in Naggar, Ghar in the Hills is a cozy homestay right in the village — an easy start to the Parvati road, and a quiet place to come back to after a long day in the forest.
Kanawar is not a safari. It is a sanctuary you walk into slowly, and it rewards anyone happy to spend a morning in old deodar forest with a pair of binoculars. If that sounds like your kind of day, plan it for your next trip to the valley — and book your stay with us in Naggar to make the early start easy.
