[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by watashi75

The biggest disappointment was the lack of snow.

It's snowing in Manali now and I'm in Manali. Let's see what best I can capture.

[akshay4587]

its snowing all over himachal

time to be out on roads for snow hunt

[rkbharat]

WOW, I will be in Mohali for a week, and some more trips for office work. Will try to catch some snow nearby.

Originally Posted by akshay4587

its snowing all over himachal

time to be out on roads for snow hunt

[sj_koova]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

It's snowing in Manali now and I'm in Manali. Let's see what best I can capture.

hey, thats great.
Post lots of pics

[Ashpillai]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

WOW, I will be in Mohali for a week, and some more trips for office work. Will try to catch some snow nearby.

Trips to Manali for office work!!! Lucky you man!!!

[kdp95]

Hi everyone.

Though I joined team bhp some year ago, I could not be very much active due to my studies as well as work. (Internships i mean) though I have been following and reading various posts and threads from time to time.

Well I have myself done two road trips, one to South covering 4500 kms in Ford Fiesta which included a Bangalore-Mumbai no halt drive and one to Rajasthan covering about 3000 kms in XUV 5OO.

Well my graduation is about to complete and hence I have decided to do something more adventurous. I am planning to do a Himachal Pradesh tour mostly in mid or early February. I did read many of the tbhp posts but nothing seemed to be of the recent types. Even this thread is dead since 2009.

I plan to have a roadtrip from Navi Mumbai to HP for about 15-20 days. There are four cousins of mine which will accompany me. I intend to have a nature loving trip, enjoy the cold and of course the snow. I have been reading that February is a very cold month in HP, hence a bit confused. Since I have my own vehicle, I want to cover the most of HP enjoying it in and out. Primarily Kasauli, Shimla, Manali, Kullu, Kasol, Narkand are on my itinerary. I have heard that Spiti Valley is very beautiful esp. Tabo, Kaza etc, is it possible to visit it in February? What about places such as Tosh and Malana? Is is possible and worth to do Dalhousie and Dharamshala also? I intend to do all this in my XUV 5OO.

Please advise.

[Shivanshu]

Originally Posted by kdp95

Hi everyone.

I plan to have a roadtrip from Navi Mumbai to HP for about 15-20 days. There are four cousins of mine which will accompany me. I intend to have a nature loving trip, enjoy the cold and of course the snow. I have been reading that February is a very cold month in HP, hence a bit confused. Since I have my own vehicle, I want to cover the most of HP enjoying it in and out. Primarily Kasauli, Shimla, Manali, Kullu, Kasol, Narkand are on my itinerary.

The above mentioned places are approachable in Winters as well. You may be lucky enough to find good snow in some areas, as this year the snowfall prediction is a bit on higher side, which is good.

You can easily manage in 15-20 days.

Originally Posted by kdp95

I have heard that Spiti Valley is very beautiful esp. Tabo, Kaza etc, is it possible to visit it in February? What about places such as Tosh and Malana? Is is possible and worth to do Dalhousie and Dharamshala also? I intend to do all this in my XUV 5OO.

Please advise.

Spiti Valley is indeed very beautiful but February you will not be able to go to either Tabo or Kaza due to snowfall. Your one of the preferred place is Narkanda, so when you reach there do ask the local taxi guy about the road condition ahead towards Rampur, you will have an idea of the road conditions ahead. I am hoping you will find good snow while travelling to Narkanda as well.

Tosh and Malana is also good but I would prefer Dalhousie and Dharamshala.

[kdp95]

Originally Posted by Shivanshu

The above mentioned places are approachable in Winters as well.

Can you suggest some more good places?

Originally Posted by Shivanshu

Your one of the preferred place is Narkanda, so when you reach there do ask the local taxi guy about the road condition ahead towards Rampur

If the road towards Rampur is not motorable, is there any chance that the road from Manali towards Kaza would be motorable?

Originally Posted by Shivanshu

Tosh and Malana is also good but I would prefer Dalhousie and Dharamshala.

Could you please elaborate? Personally i do not know about Tosh and Malana, they have been added as one of my cousins insisted.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by kdp95

Can you suggest some more good places?

Try Chitkul via Sarahan from Reckong Peo, last Indian village before the chinese border. Kalpa, at an altitude from Peo is also a good destination. Chandratal lake, Kunzum pass et all which are beyond kaza are already closed for the year

Originally Posted by kdp95

If the road towards Rampur is not motorable, is there any chance that the road from Manali towards Kaza would be motorable?

Road towards and beyond Rampur is not good but motorable. A 20 km stretch right after Peo is downright scary and the whole route upto Kaza is patchy with a few good stretches thrown in between. The Manali route is a suspension breaker and is already closed for the year

[kdp95]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Chandratal lake, Kunzum pass et all which are beyond kaza are already closed for the year

I am planning to travel in mid Feb. Do you mean that those roads would be closed then or just upto this year end.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by kdp95

I am planning to travel in mid Feb. Do you mean that those roads would be closed then or just upto this year end.

I suppose Feb would see snowfall in those regions so its safe to assume that the high mountain passes would be closed, I do not expect the route to Manali from Kaza (which isnt really a road to begin with) to reopen as early as Feb. Do also check with local residents beforehand for the latest updates

[Shivanshu]

Originally Posted by kdp95

Can you suggest some more good places?

If the road towards Rampur is not motorable, is there any chance that the road from Manali towards Kaza would be motorable?

Could you please elaborate? Personally i do not know about Tosh and Malana, they have been added as one of my cousins insisted.

Sorry for the Late Reply.

From Manali to Kaza it would be shut down in the month of February. As it is this season we are expecting heavy snowfall.

Tosh and Malana are more of a tourist hub for people who love smoking pots that is what its known for, though I am sure, the natural beauty out there would be beautiful. I would not be able to tell you much about these places as I haven't been there.

Yes if you want good adventure you can go to Manali, stay there and roam around nearby places. Do remember at this time of the year not all accommodation are open, so carry tent and some eatable with you.

But if you want to do Tosh - Malana - Kasol - Manali it would be good.

Another route which comes to my mind would be :

Kasauli - Shimla - Kufri - Fagu - Theog - Hatkoti - Rohru - Chirgaon - Chakrata - Poanta Sahib

Sending you the link for the google map:

http://*******.com/zor92sf

You can see what suits you best.

And let me know if I can be of any help.

[kdp95]

Originally Posted by Shivanshu

Sorry for the Late Reply.

Another route which comes to my mind would be :

Kasauli - Shimla - Kufri - Fagu - Theog - Hatkoti - Rohru - Chirgaon - Chakrata - Poanta Sahib

Sending you the link for the google map:

http://*******.com/zor92sf

You need not be sorry , the trip is in February. I guess there would not be much snow in the other route you suggested. There is some problem with the url, however i managed to have a look at the route . I would stick to Shimla, Manali and others.

How much time would be required to go to Dharamshala/Dalhousie from Manali?

[Shivanshu]

Originally Posted by kdp95

You need not be sorry , the trip is in February. I guess there would not be much snow in the other route you suggested. There is some problem with the url, however i managed to have a look at the route . I would stick to Shimla, Manali and others.

How much time would be required to go to Dharamshala/Dalhousie from Manali?

No you will be able to find snow from Kufri onward, as I said before this year the snowfall prediction is more. So, from Kufri to Theog you should find good mixture of snow as well as black ice on road. Yes the road conditions is basically not that good but Rohru and Chirgaon are famous for their Trout Fishing. But your wish.

For Dharamshala/Dalhousie; Dalhousie is above Dharamshala around 120kms so with the scenic beauty and photo stops you should expect around 5 hrs of driving.

Dharmshala to Manali is around 230kms so expect around 10 hrs of driving with photo stops, breaks, etc.

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by kdp95

Hi everyone.

Though I joined team bhp some year ago, I could not be very much active due to my studies as well as work. (Internships i mean) though I have been following and reading various posts and threads from time to time.

Well I have myself done two road trips, one to South covering 4500 kms in Ford Fiesta which included a Bangalore-Mumbai no halt drive and one to Rajasthan covering about 3000 kms in XUV 5OO.

Well my graduation is about to complete and hence I have decided to do something more adventurous. I am planning to do a Himachal Pradesh tour mostly in mid or early February. I did read many of the tbhp posts but nothing seemed to be of the recent types. Even this thread is dead since 2009.

I plan to have a roadtrip from Navi Mumbai to HP for about 15-20 days. There are four cousins of mine which will accompany me. I intend to have a nature loving trip, enjoy the cold and of course the snow. I have been reading that February is a very cold month in HP, hence a bit confused. Since I have my own vehicle, I want to cover the most of HP enjoying it in and out. Primarily Kasauli, Shimla, Manali, Kullu, Kasol, Narkand are on my itinerary. I have heard that Spiti Valley is very beautiful esp. Tabo, Kaza etc, is it possible to visit it in February? What about places such as Tosh and Malana? Is is possible and worth to do Dalhousie and Dharamshala also? I intend to do all this in my XUV 5OO.

Please advise.

Kdp 95, congratulations in advance for your upcoming graduation.

Undertaking a road trip such as this is quite an endeavour that will be demanding both on your body & vehicle however if properly planned it can have therapeutic effect on your soul.

First off, February is not the month to visit a few of the places that are on your list such as Spiti, Chitkul, Tabo, Kaza etc. Most of the mountain passes get snowed out in late December and open only by June. If you’re trying to get to Chitkul, you will not be able to get beyond Karcham as roads beyond will be undriveable on account of heavy snowfall etc. till May.

For getting to Tabo and Kaza you will not be able to get there from Manali side in February as Kunzum pass does not open till May end. Even if you want to get there via Shimla/Rampur/Pooh route most of the roads beyond Rampur will be snowed out till almost end of April.

My suggestion is to wait till June end if you’re keen to go to Chitkul/Spiti/Tabo/Kaza.

You can do the Kullu/Manali/Kasol/Malana/Tosh in February. Manali does get quite a bit of snow but most the roads are cleared quickly. You may not be able to get to Rohtang pass as that road normally gets very heavy snowfall throughout the winter.

If you’re keen on undertaking this trip to Himachal in February you can visit Kasuali/Shimla/Narkanda & then on to Dharamshala/Dalhousie going Via Bilaspur/Hamirpur/Kangra route that is quite scenic & is winding mountain road.

Driving time to Dharamshala from Shimla is around 10 hours and it will take another 6 hours to drive to Dalhousie.

Please carry a good quality tyre puncture repair kit & a good air compressor as a many of these roads have broken surfaces that will test the strength of the sidewalls of your tires.

Drive safe & enjoy.