Himachal Diaries

Recently I got the chance to go to the Himalayan hills.That to the Shimla and Manali.What a great outing in the Queen of hills.Both the cities were located in the Northen stae of India i.e Himachal Pradesh. After witnessing the beauty of nature I got to know why it is called “GOD’S LAND”( देव भूमी) Eternal beauty of Himalayas facinates travellers around the world.

I am native of the western state called Maharashtra. This is my first time travelling to Himachal. We started our journey from Pune to Delhi by train. From Delhi onwards we booked car for our entire eight day journey, so travel became easier with local driver. One can travel via bus service but as we came long enough and with limited time we do not want to waste our time with bus services.

Journey Begins.......!!!!!!!

We reached Delhi at 8 o'clock in the morning. At railway station lots of hustle and bustle. people having their teas and breakfasts at the canteen. We also had our tea and headed towards the Shimla which approx. 350 km.

We started our journey with witnessing wheat ,mustard farms. Travelling through plains we entered the Hilly area of Himachal with its peaks entering into the sky and at the feet rivers are gushing. When we reached Shimla at evening, sky is with full of colours, winding roads , Pahadi houses ,cool breezes giving us glimpse of sheer beauty of Shimla.

After reaching Shimla we took rest as we are going to stroll city in the next morning. We headed towards Kufri in the next morning after breakfast. This is the place in Shimla.

Kufri -

This is renowned place for it's beautiful scenery, adventure activities. But the road to Kufri is very tricky one have to ride horse back on winding roads surrounded with forest. This itself is one kind of experience. Kufri was once considered an important tourist place near Shimla, particularly when Shimla was designated as the British summer capital. Kufri is hub for adventure enthusiasts, with options like Trekking, Ziplining, world's highest go-kart track at Kufri Fun World. Here we did some adventure sports. Kufri is home to snow capped Himalayan peaks with its majestic views is favourite amongst tourists.

Mall Road of Shimla-

On the same day in the evening we went to the Mall road of Shimla which is main financial, commercial and business centres in Shimla. It is famous for woollen clothes, handcrafted works, books and jewellery. You'll find an array of attractions nearby, such as Scandal Point, the Kali Bari Temple, and the Gaiety Theatre or Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex. As Shimla situated on mountain, city administration provided lift service to go to the Mall road. we strolled through roads of Shimla until we find best eatery. We tried Pahadi styled Momos with chutney. Momos are spicy with lots of vegetables we loved it. After this we went to the hotel and had rest because our next destination is calling us ……..Manali !!!!

Road to the Manali

In the Morning, We had our breakfast and started journey towards Manali which is 270 km from Shimla. During this road trip we sighted rivers and mountains. It looking like rivers are washing the feet's of mountains with their freshly melted water. We done some adventure sport near Kullu city. We did Paragliding ,river rafting. In paragliding I saw top view of mountains and rivers gushing in between.it just the pure magic and alluring to mind.

We reached Manali in the evening. Manali city situated in Kullu valley formed by Beas river. So sunset here are very rare. You can view mountain peaks covered with snow and pine trees from any of resort or Hotel. Manali name itself suggest range of mountain peaks.

Manali begins here….!!!!!

Next morning we decided to stroll the city. Early morning we went to the Vasishta Temple, Ram temple. Vasishta temple has hot water spring which has medicinal properties. The vibes here are very spiritual and serene. Beautiful temples and snowy mountains around is treat to the eyes.

Then we headed towards the Hidimba temple. Hidimba temple locally known as Dhungari temple. Hidimba is wife of Bhima, who is one of the pandavas. Locals worship Hidimba Devi predominantly. Temple has carved wooden doors and it has wooden shikharas. There is cedar forest around the Hidimba Temple and We clicked some photos there

Then we went to old Manali café road and had some coffee and then went to the Tibetan market and mall road. We shopped some woollen clothes, shawls. This market is full of local arts and artifacts.

Snow-capped Hills and endless adventure

Next Day, we went to the Solang Valley which is 4 to 5 km away from town. As we are lucky, we got fresh snowfall to see .It is luxury for the tropical people like us. We reached there seeing peaks and trees covered in fresh white snow. We signed for the adventure sports in the valley. We tried skating, ziplining. We came to our car by hiking. Hiking in this area is really fun we walk by road witnessing beauty of nature. In the evening, we came to our hotel all tired. So we rested.

This was our last day of the Manali trip. Manali as city is vary calm and beautiful with it’s snow covered peaks. The whole environment here is very serene , divine. The place is very peaceful perfect for escaping the hustle and bustle of city life. Overall, Manali’s aesthetic is a harmonious blend of natural grandeur and cultural richness, creating a captivating destination that appeals to those who seeks beauty, serenity and adventure.

This trip will always be special to me since this was us first vacation after marriage.