Just the name of the place, Himachal Pradesh, brings in front of your eyes lush green mountain slopes and valleys lined with tall coniferous trees and snow-capped peaks. It was just this that we wanted to capture just after we bought our Canon Powershot S2 IS camera. It was two of us, my friend Pankaj and me.
Day 1 - We started from Hyderabad reaching Delhi some time late evening. We wanted to take a bus to Shimla from Delhi. When we reached the bus stand, we realized that the last bus for Shimla left at 9 pm and we were about an hour late. Instead of staying the night in Delhi, we decided to take a detour via Chandigarh. Delhi-Chandigarh is around 5 hours drive, and Chandigarh- Shimla another 5 hours...
Day 2 - We reached Chandigarh at 3:00 in the morning and immediately got on to the bus to Shimla. The bus was supposed to start at 4 am. As soon as we got onboard both of us fell fast asleep only to wake up much later to face the bright morning sun. By that time, we could already see the mountain ranges of the Himachal. We got off at the next stop - Dharampur and bought ourselves tickets on the toy train to Shimla. You could also take a bus all the way up to Shimla, but the toy train is a very unique a must-do kind of thing. With alternating views of tall mountains and deep valleys, its really exquisite. Also its quite slow and there is plenty of room to walk around in the train (of course depending on what season you visit) giving you enough opportunity to go click clicking..
We reached Shimla at around 10 in the morning, checked into a hotel and a little while later were out driving in the taxi we'd hired to go to Kufri. Kufri is about 25 kms from Shimla and the last 2 kms need to be traveled either by foot or on horse-back. Kufri is a hill station about 2500 m high giving a great view of the scenic surroundings and snow-peaked mountains. During the right season, you could also get to enjoy "go-karting' and yak rides here. Needless to say we clicked a lot of pictures. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in Shimla town to glance thru the Shimla valley, University, zoo and mall road for some shopping.
Dense forest around Shimla
Shimla by night-time
Yak-ride is a must do in Shimla
Shimla University
Day 3 - We took a bus to go to Manali. Its a 7-8 hour drive and totally picturesque all the way as you are travelling on the banks of river Biyaas for most of the drive. Unfortunately we could not stop the bus for some great shots. If you have your own transport, you might be able to get some cool shots on the way to Manali.
Day 4 - We decided to go white water rafting in Biyaas river near Kulu. Here you will find Type 2 and 3 rapids. Unlike the rafting in Hrishikesh which is of type 4 and 5, this is relatively easier but you still have to manage to keeping rowing and maintain your balance to stay on the boat all the time. Its quite a roller coaster ride and for first time rafters, the rapids near Kulu may be a good practice ground before you may want to try the more difficult ones. We enjoyed the rafting experience nonetheless. On the way back to Manali from rafting, we stopped at Naggar (considered to the capital of Manali) to see the Naggar palace. This is a small yet beautiful palace with its exquisite stone and wood work. We also got to see the Hidimba temple and some other temples on the way back to the hotel.
Day 5 - We wanted to go to Rohtang pass, especially for the snow, but we were quite disappointed to know that the road to Rohtang was blocked due to bad weather. So we decided to go to Madhi instead. It was my first experience with snow. Here we tried our hand at skiing. On the way back we stopped at Solang valley which is a huge expanse of natural grass land along the valley slope. There are a few adventure sports available here. I decided to try my first experience with para-gliding.
Manali
Palace @ Naggar
Madhi Panorama shot
Solang valley
Origin of Beas River
Madhi
Hidimba Temple
Day 6: This was the day to visit Dharmashala. The journey from Manali to Dharmashala takes 6-7 hours by road. We reached there by evening. There is a lot Tibetan influence in this area including a very grand monastery where his Holiness the Dalai Lama also has his abode.
Day 7: The first thing we visited in Dharmashala was the monastery of the Dalai Lama. We were totally zapped by the quiet, serene atmosphere of the place. After spending some peaceful time at the monastery, we took a stroll in the forest area near-by. Back in Dharmashala town, we also spent some time making some purchases - especially some bead and stone jewellery of Tibetan style in beautiful turquoise, jade, etc colours. By then it was time to start traveling again - heading to Dalhousie.
Forest area around Dharmashala
Tibetan Monastery and home of the Dalai Lama
Dhauladhar mountain range as seen from near the monastery
Day 8: We got to Dalhousie late evening and preferred to relax in our hotel room that evening. When we woke up the next day morning, we were mesmerized by the scenic valley we saw from our hotel room. We were to spend the rest of the day sight-seeing around Dalhousie, Khajjiar and Chamba valley. After looking around Dalhousie town, we went to see the top most point in Dalhousie - Kalatop. From here you can see the Pir Panjal mountain range that cuts across the Himachal Pradesh state and Kashmir. From this spot, you can also see the Khajjiar plateau on one side and the Dalhousie forest on the other. Coming to Khajjiar, we got to know why it is referred to as the Switzerland of India. This scenic saucer-shaped plateau has natural lawn spread across the entire place with a beautiful lake in the center. Here there are some adventure sports options available for the brave-hearted. If you are not the adventurous sorts, you could just sit in the lawn and enjoy the picturesque setting which is no less than a romantic Hindi film outdoor locale. After spending some time at Khajjiar, we headed to Chamba. The Chamba village is located on the banks of the Raavi river. The main attraction at Chamba is a cluster of four temples. The Lashmi-Narayan temple here was built in the 10th century and is beautifully adorned with very artistic carvings. After the visit to the temples, we spent some time looking around river Raavi and also stopped by at the Chamera dam on our way back to Dalhousie. The Bollywood film "Koi Mil Gaya" is shot at this dam.
Dalhousie valley
Day 9: After a unforgettable Himachal experience, we reached Pathankot, and got back to Hyderabad from Pathankot via Delhi.
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River Bhaaga
Rock outside the temple - Bheema used to consume food equal to the weight of this rock
Spot the foot impressions of Goddess Hidimba on this rock
Crossing Rohtang pass - on our way to Manali from Keylong
Day 1 - We started from Hyderabad reaching Delhi some time late evening. We wanted to take a bus to Shimla from Delhi. When we reached the bus stand, we realized that the last bus for Shimla left at 9 pm and we were about an hour late. Instead of staying the night in Delhi, we decided to take a detour via Chandigarh. Delhi-Chandigarh is around 5 hours drive, and Chandigarh- Shimla another 5 hours...
Day 2 - We reached Chandigarh at 3:00 in the morning and immediately got on to the bus to Shimla. The bus was supposed to start at 4 am. As soon as we got onboard both of us fell fast asleep only to wake up much later to face the bright morning sun. By that time, we could already see the mountain ranges of the Himachal. We got off at the next stop - Dharampur and bought ourselves tickets on the toy train to Shimla. You could also take a bus all the way up to Shimla, but the toy train is a very unique a must-do kind of thing. With alternating views of tall mountains and deep valleys, its really exquisite. Also its quite slow and there is plenty of room to walk around in the train (of course depending on what season you visit) giving you enough opportunity to go click clicking..
We reached Shimla at around 10 in the morning, checked into a hotel and a little while later were out driving in the taxi we'd hired to go to Kufri. Kufri is about 25 kms from Shimla and the last 2 kms need to be traveled either by foot or on horse-back. Kufri is a hill station about 2500 m high giving a great view of the scenic surroundings and snow-peaked mountains. During the right season, you could also get to enjoy "go-karting' and yak rides here. Needless to say we clicked a lot of pictures. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in Shimla town to glance thru the Shimla valley, University, zoo and mall road for some shopping.
Dense forest around Shimla
Shimla by night-time
Yak-ride is a must do in Shimla
Shimla University
Day 3 - We took a bus to go to Manali. Its a 7-8 hour drive and totally picturesque all the way as you are travelling on the banks of river Biyaas for most of the drive. Unfortunately we could not stop the bus for some great shots. If you have your own transport, you might be able to get some cool shots on the way to Manali.
Day 4 - We decided to go white water rafting in Biyaas river near Kulu. Here you will find Type 2 and 3 rapids. Unlike the rafting in Hrishikesh which is of type 4 and 5, this is relatively easier but you still have to manage to keeping rowing and maintain your balance to stay on the boat all the time. Its quite a roller coaster ride and for first time rafters, the rapids near Kulu may be a good practice ground before you may want to try the more difficult ones. We enjoyed the rafting experience nonetheless. On the way back to Manali from rafting, we stopped at Naggar (considered to the capital of Manali) to see the Naggar palace. This is a small yet beautiful palace with its exquisite stone and wood work. We also got to see the Hidimba temple and some other temples on the way back to the hotel.
Day 5 - We wanted to go to Rohtang pass, especially for the snow, but we were quite disappointed to know that the road to Rohtang was blocked due to bad weather. So we decided to go to Madhi instead. It was my first experience with snow. Here we tried our hand at skiing. On the way back we stopped at Solang valley which is a huge expanse of natural grass land along the valley slope. There are a few adventure sports available here. I decided to try my first experience with para-gliding.
Manali
Palace @ Naggar
Madhi Panorama shot
Solang valley
Origin of Beas River
Madhi
Hidimba Temple
Day 6: This was the day to visit Dharmashala. The journey from Manali to Dharmashala takes 6-7 hours by road. We reached there by evening. There is a lot Tibetan influence in this area including a very grand monastery where his Holiness the Dalai Lama also has his abode.
Day 7: The first thing we visited in Dharmashala was the monastery of the Dalai Lama. We were totally zapped by the quiet, serene atmosphere of the place. After spending some peaceful time at the monastery, we took a stroll in the forest area near-by. Back in Dharmashala town, we also spent some time making some purchases - especially some bead and stone jewellery of Tibetan style in beautiful turquoise, jade, etc colours. By then it was time to start traveling again - heading to Dalhousie.
Forest area around Dharmashala
Tibetan Monastery and home of the Dalai Lama
Dhauladhar mountain range as seen from near the monastery
Day 8: We got to Dalhousie late evening and preferred to relax in our hotel room that evening. When we woke up the next day morning, we were mesmerized by the scenic valley we saw from our hotel room. We were to spend the rest of the day sight-seeing around Dalhousie, Khajjiar and Chamba valley. After looking around Dalhousie town, we went to see the top most point in Dalhousie - Kalatop. From here you can see the Pir Panjal mountain range that cuts across the Himachal Pradesh state and Kashmir. From this spot, you can also see the Khajjiar plateau on one side and the Dalhousie forest on the other. Coming to Khajjiar, we got to know why it is referred to as the Switzerland of India. This scenic saucer-shaped plateau has natural lawn spread across the entire place with a beautiful lake in the center. Here there are some adventure sports options available for the brave-hearted. If you are not the adventurous sorts, you could just sit in the lawn and enjoy the picturesque setting which is no less than a romantic Hindi film outdoor locale. After spending some time at Khajjiar, we headed to Chamba. The Chamba village is located on the banks of the Raavi river. The main attraction at Chamba is a cluster of four temples. The Lashmi-Narayan temple here was built in the 10th century and is beautifully adorned with very artistic carvings. After the visit to the temples, we spent some time looking around river Raavi and also stopped by at the Chamera dam on our way back to Dalhousie. The Bollywood film "Koi Mil Gaya" is shot at this dam.
Dalhousie valley
Pir Panjal mountain range as seen from Kalatop (the pixel effect of the next few pictures is because of the optical zoom used to click the range from a distance)
Pir Panjal range
Khajjiar plateau from Kalatop
Khajjiar
Temples at Chamba
Raavi river
Day 9: After a unforgettable Himachal experience, we reached Pathankot, and got back to Hyderabad from Pathankot via Delhi.
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Keylong: Our trip to Keylong was part of our Ladakh trip. Keylong is along the Ladakh-Manali highway. Keylong is a beautiful small little sleepy town, with the same or perhaps even better scenic beauty with far less commercialization, so naturally its not as buzzing with tourists as compared to Kulu or Manali. The town is located on the banks of river Bhaaga. You can book a cab to travel around Keylong to enjoy the natural beauty of this small town. One of the star attractions is an old temple, almost 5000 years old, built during the age of the Pandavas. Just outside this temple is a huge rock weighing almost 125 kgs. It is said that each day Bheema, one of the Pandava brothers used to consume food equivalent to the weight of this rock. There are also the footprints of Goddess Hidimba in the temple premises.
Around Keylong
River Bhaaga
The Pandava temple that is 5000 years old
Rock outside the temple - Bheema used to consume food equal to the weight of this rock
Spot the foot impressions of Goddess Hidimba on this rock
Crossing Rohtang pass - on our way to Manali from Keylong
Beautiful images. Himachal Pradesh is really a very beautiful place situated in North India. Himachal Tourism
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ReplyDeleteHimachal Pradesh is one of the adventure place in Himachal Pradesh.It offers you many adventure activities such as skiing, paragliding, river rafting and many more.Manali Tourism is the best place for tourism in India.
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