Kutla is a tiny village about 2 hours from Tosh, accessible only on foot, with a waterfall at the midway. It’s actually got only ~10 houses, all comfortably spaced out. Very few people know about it, and fewer decide to visit. I preferred Kutla to Tosh, since it does have a few Tosh-like cafes / camps, and additionally offers the peace that eludes Tosh.

Duration and Time of Visit

1 day
April beginning

To and From

To know how to reach Tosh, you can check out this post on Kasol, Chalal & Tosh

Itinerary

• I started from Tosh post breakfast (at Pink Floyd Cafe) at 11:30am, to the Tosh Waterfall
  • Its an easy hike, with a slight incline and arrow marks on the rocks along the way. Also, the locals are very helpful and you can keep checking for directions
• I first reached a smaller section of the Waterfall, around 12:10pm and then proceeded to the main section, which was just 10 minutes further ahead
  • There are several eateries on either sides of the stream, at the waterfall, making it a beautiful picnic spot. But it was a bit too cluttered for my taste, hence I continued without stopping
• The second half of the hike till Kutla was tougher: steeper, with fewer direction signs and no habitation / locals. But it was definitely doable!
  • There were a few confusing intersections in the forest, but I think the rule of thumb was to always choose the left one
  • The last stretch of the trek is a bit back-breaking, but fortunately, it’s only a small distance
  • One could spot the Tosh village from various points during the hike and it was beautiful, with the snow covered peak as a backdrop
  • At the start of the Kutla village, you can see a small stone structure covered with holy orange cloth - that’s how you know you have made it!

• In a single glance, you could see the entire village - that’s how small Kutla is! I walked through the village to explore it and to find a good place to eat
  • Few locals suggested Singing Woods. Its a camp site towards the end of the village, at a height. They had delicious food
  • There was forest area next to the campsite. I wandered through it, found a spot and sat there at length with this view

• Around 5pm I started back for Tosh, with the sunset views this time and reaching in one hour

Major Expenses

• Food and drinks

Summary of Things To Do

Things I did:

• Tosh Waterfall
• Trek to Kutla
• Cafes at Kutla

Things I didn’t do:

• Glacier Point: Would have loved to go there but it was about 45 minutes further ahead and I didn’t have that much time, since I wanted to spend time in Kutla. Also, I was told by the locals that it hadn’t snowed sufficiently that year and hence it wasn’t worth it
• Overnight stay (or for a few days): I would strongly recommend this, if peace is what you are looking for. You can stay at one of the campsites, or there are some homestays as well. Don’t expect anything fancy here!

Tips and Resources

• Carry a few things to eat as there are not many cafes on the way, especially during the off season
• It’s best to wear a cap, apply sunscreen and carry sufficient water. As expected, the network is quite patchy
• There are no online payments and ATMs in Kutla! Carry money
• Ensure you reach your destination before sunset