Himachal Pradesh Travel Guide

Himachal Pradesh Travel Guide

Himachal Pradesh is a tiny hill state whose pleasant summers make it a popular holiday resort. The Raj still lingers in Shimla, the state capital and former summer capital during British rule. Kullu-Manali are neighbouring resorts, surrounded by pine covered hills and lush meadows. Himachal has, in addition to popular resort towns, a series of secluded hill retreats ideal for interested anglers, trekkers and those wanting a quiet getaway. Many of these include: from Shimla – Mashobra, Kufri, Naldehra; those around Kullu-Manali include Manikaran, Naggar and Brighu Lake; the barely accessible valleys of Lahaul and Spiti are a trekker’s delight.



SHIMLA

Situated in the north-west Himalayas, Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh. Spread across 12 kms along a ridge that overlooks terraced hillsides and cultivations, Shimla is magnificently robed in dense forests of oak and pine, fur and rhododendron, and it is best to travel here on the slow train from Kalka. Shimla also is a convenient base for variety of adventure sports such as Skiing, Trekking, Fishing and Golfing etc.

PLACES OF INTEREST
Jakhoo Hill- 2 kms, Glen- 4 kms, Summer Hill- 5 kms, Chadwick Falls- 7 kms, Zoo- 4 kms, Navbahar- 4 kms, Sanket Mochen- 5 kms, Tara Devi Temple- 8 kms, Institute of Advance Studies- 4 kms, Aviary at Old Raj Bhavan- 1 km, Tibetan Monastery- 8 kms, Dhengu Mata Temple- 5 kms.

EXCURSIONS
Naldera : 23 kms, Tattapani : 43 kms, Wildflower Hall : 13 kms, Mashobra : 13 kms, Craignano : 16 kms, Fruit Research Station: 08 kms, Kufri : 16 kms, Chail : 43 kms, Barog : 55 kms, Kasauli : 77 kms, Kiarighat : 23 kms, Solan : 48 kms, Bon Monastery Uohghat : 61 kms, Fagu : 22 kms, Narkanda : 64 kms, Kotgarh : 82 kms.

SPORTING ACTIVITIES
Golfing : Nine hole Golf Course at Naldhera, 23 km from Shimla. Fishing : Trout fishing is available at Rohru 110 km from Shimla and at Seema 1 km from Rohru. Mahaseer fishing is available at Tattapani 43 km from Shimla. Licence fee Rs.10 per day per person. Licencing Authority :- Assistant Director-Fisheries, Khaline, Shimla (H.P.) Skiing : The skiing season generally commences in the first fortnight of January and continues till Mid-March depending upon snow conditions. HPTDC organises ski courses of 7 days and 15 days duration at Narkhanda (65 km) every year. The facilities for the participants include boarding, lodging and equipment. Trekking : The Shimla-Kinnaur region offers some exciting trekking opportunities viz.

Shimla to Kulu via Jaloni Pass (66 kms).
Shimla to Kulu via Bashleo Pass (56 kms).
Sarahen to Sangla (106 kms).


GENERAL INFORMATION
Temperature (deg C): Summer- Max.27, Min.14.5; Winter- Max.16.5, Min.5.2.
Clothings : Summer - Light woollens, Winter - Heavy woollens.
Best Season : April to Mid-July, Mid-September to Mid-November.



DALHOUSIE

Dalhousie, nestling in the outer slopes of Dhaulandhar range, is a excellent hill station. It is known for its bracing climate and picturesque scenery.

PLACES OF INTEREST & EXCURSIONS
Panjpulla (2 kms); Subhash Baoli & Jandri Ghat (1.6 kms); The Round (4.8 kms); Dainkund (10 kms); Khajjiar (27 kms); Kalatop Wild Life Sanctuary; Kugti Wild Life Sanctuary (35 kms on foot); Tundah Wild Life Sanctuary (45 kms).

GENERAL INFORMATION
Temperature (deg C): Summer - Max 23.5, Min 15.5; Winter - Max 10, Min 1.
Clothings : Summer - Light woollens, Winter - Heavy woollens.
Best Season : April to November.



CHAMBA

Perched on a flat mountain shelf, the town of Chamba is known for its ancient temples and Chaugan - a public promenade.

PLACES OF INTEREST
Lakshman Narayan Temple, Chamunda Temple, Katasan Devi Temple, Bhuj Sing Museum, Chaugan.

EXCURSIONS
Saral (11 km), Salooni (56 km), Saho (12 km), Badal (22 km), Bharmaur (69 km), Shakti Devi Temple (40 km), Mindhal (125 km), Khajjiar (30 km). Mani Mahesh: 35 kms from Bharmaur. The Lake of Mani Mahesh, (3,950 metres), is the highest of the sacred lakes in Chamba district. It is an important pilgrim centre and thousands of people every year visit this sacred lake on the 15th day after Janmastami (July-August) to take a dip in the water.

SPORTING ACTIVITIES
Fishing : Mahaseer fishing is permitted in river Ravi and its tributaries like Siul, Chakki, Dehar, Behral, Salkhad.For necessary licence please contact: The Fisheries Officer, Chamba. Trekking : Chamba provides ample oppurtunities for trekking as it has three well-definned snow ranges Dhauladhar, Pir Panjal and Laskar.

Chamba - Sarol (8 kms) - Bandal (24 kms) - Chhatrari (40 kms).
Chamba - Tissa (67 kms) - Triala (21 kms) - Strundi (14 kms) -
Bindrabani (18 kms) - Kilar (11 kms), Kishtwar (or turn east about half way to Kishtwar and cross the Umasila Park into the Zanskar valley or trek South East to Keylong).
Chamba - Tissa (67 kms) - Triala (21 kms) - Strundi (14.5 kms), Brindabani (18 kms) - Kilar (11 kms) - Purthi (29 kms), Ravoli (23 kms) - Tindi (18 kms), Salguraor (16 kms) - Udeypur (16 kms). It is ten days trek.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Temperature(deg C): Summer- Max. 39, Min. 8; Winter- Max. 10, Min. 1.1.
Clothings :
Summer- Light woollens,
Winter- Heavy woollens.
Best Season : April to Mid July and Mid September to December.



DHARAMSALA

Dharamshala stands on a spur of the Dhauladhar range amidst magnificient deodar and pine forests, tea gardens and beautiful hills. It is also known as 'The Lhasa in India'.

PLACES OF INTEREST
MC leodganj (10 kms); Tibetan Medical & Astro Institute; Bhagsunath (11 kms); St. John's Church (8 kms); Kunal Pathri (3 kms); War Memorial (2 kms).

EXCURSIONS
Chirmaya Topovan (10 km); Dal Lake (11 km); Dharamkot (11 km); Triund (17 km); Kareri (22 km); Kangra (18 km); Jwalamukhi (56 km); Nadaun (10 km); Chintpurni (80 km); Masroor (40 km); Trilokpur (41 km); Nurpur (66 km); Sujanpur Tira (80 km); Chamunda Devi Temple (15 km); Palampur (35 km); Pong Wild life Sanctuary (Kangra); Bassa Wild Life Sanctuary (Kangra).

GENERAL INFORMATION
Temperature (deg C) : Summer - Max.33, Min.22; Winter - Max.15, Min. 0.
Clothings : Summer - Light woollens,
Winter - Heavy woollens.
Best Season : April to June and September to November



KULLU-VALLEY

The Valley of Gods, as the Kullu Valley has come to be known, is perhaps the most delightful region in the Western Himalayas. Situated on the banks of the river Beas, Kullu, the headquarters of the district, serves as a nerve centre of the valley and is the starting place for a number of treks

PLACES OF INTEREST
Raghunathji Temple (1 km), Vaishno Devi Temple (4 km), Jagannath Temple (3 km) Bijli Mahadev Shrine (13 km).

EXCURSIONS
Raison (16 km), Katrain (20 km), Naggar (28 km), Bajaura (15 km), Kasol (42 km) Manikaran (45 km), Banjar (58 km), Larji (34 km), Malana, Pulga & Khirganga (16 km & 26 km), Danawar Wildlife Sanctuary (near Manikaran), Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary (20 km from Bhuntar), Khaiv Sanctuary (15 km), Tirthan Sanctuary (10 km from Bunder Gushanini).

GENERAL INFORMATION
Climate (deg C): Summer- Max. 30.8, Min. 18.8; Winter- Max. 16.4, Min. 5.2.
Rainfall : 102 cms.

Clothings : Summer- Light woollens,
Winter- Heavy woollens.
Best Season : Mid-March to Mid-November.



MANALI

For a lavish display of natural scenery, it is one of the principal snow places of the Kullu region. And Manali is at an altitude of beauty and gateway to Dhauli and Spiti.

PLACES OF INTEREST
Raghunathji Temple (1 km), Vaishno Devi Temple (4 km), Jagannath Temple (3 km) Bijli Mahadev Shrine (13 km).

EXCURSIONS
Vashisht Bath (3 kms), Hadimba Devi Temple, Tibetan Monastry, Arjun Gumpha (5 kms), Nehru Kund (5 kms), Jagatsukh (6 kms), Kothi (12 kms) & Rahla Falls (14 km), Solang Valley (13 km), Rohtang Pass (51 kms), Keylong Pass (117 kms), Manali Wildlife Sanctuary

SPORTING ACTIVITIES
Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports, Manali. This institute organises training courses, both basic and advanced, in hiking, mountaineering, skiing, water sports and mountain rescues. The complex has hostel facilities and equipment for trekking/hikingcan be hired from institute.

FISHING
The Kulu valley offers ample opportunities for trout fishing in the river Beas & its larger tributaries. Licences can be obtained from the Fisheries officer - Katrain.

TREKKING
Kulu-Manali, together with Lahaul-Spiti, offers possibly the best trekking opportunities. Some important treks in Kulu-Manali region:-
Raison-Malana-Chandrakhan-Raison (139 kms) - 11 days Manali-Bhirug-Rohtang Pass-Manali (55 kms) - 4 days Manali-Chandratal-Keylong (120 kms) - 10 days Manali-Chhikar-Hamta Pass-Jagatsukh-Manali (55

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