[vijayols]

Summer vacations are here and this time its our turn as parents to choose the destination. It’s a big no-no to a beach destination once again much to Smrithi’s chagrin but despite enjoying a kids privilege parents do win once in a while too.

But she did achieve a minor victory when the original plan from a trek to Khopra ridge in Nepal got whittled to a road trip cum trek cum adventure activity cum relaxation trip to the foothills of the Himalayas at Himachal.











The plan was as follows

Pick a date as close as possible to the start of the vacations as possible, check for dates offering best flight rates and car rentals and of-course an itinerary to keep everyone in the family interested.

So the tentative plan was

1) Fly to Chandigarh. Stay for a night and start trip next day.
2) Pick a car and drive to Bir. Spend night there and start for next destination late afternoon.
3) Drive from BIR to Palampur. Stay for 2 nights here.
4) Palampur to Raison. Stay 2 nights here.
5) Raison to Shangarh. Stay 2 nights here.
6) Shangarh to Gushaini. Stay 3 nights here.
7) Drive to Chandigarh and spend night here.
8) Take early morning flight back to Bangalore.

At the blink of an eye it was time to start the trip and the weather prediction was rain and then once again rain though we were betting that the weather men would get it wrong as usual.

DAY 1: We caught a comfortable late afternoon flight which reached Chandigarh by around 6.Had a neighbor Viji who was also travelling to Chandigarh on work who joined us to meet parents of another neighbor Shaifali at Panchkula. The temperature was a pleasant 30 C.
We were spoilt to the hilt with typical Punjabi hospitality and fed yummy food and pampered from the time we reached their home till we bid goodbye the next day morning. Spent late evening going for a long walk in sector 6 with Doctor Saheb and being amazed at the wonderful way the city has been planned and how green the place is.

DAY 2: On the dot at 9 am Raj Kumar from Revv came in with our steed for the journey a Diesel Creta. Must say that we had a great experience with Revv mainly due to the extra mile Raj was willing to take to ensure we had a person on call to help us all throughout be it paying Road tax or anything else.

The Creta on the other hand was a tad disappointing as I expected much better power from the small beast.

The road tax for a rental car is to be paid for days spent at each state which in our case was Punjab where we would travel through half the day and then for the rest of the days spent in Himachal and finally the last day again in Punjab.Raj did the same for us through e vahan app and sent us a copy which was about Rs 240 per day in Punjab and about Rs 2200 for the days in Himachal. Didn’t get checked even once during our entire trip but that doesn’t mean we can take a chance by avoiding the same.

Distance to travel was around 260 kms and expected time as per Google was about 7 hours excluding breaks for lunch and tea and not to forget the yummy stuff packed and sent with love by Shafali’s mom.

The roads were pretty decent and traffic not too much but is was scorching hot and a dry route. Nothing to write about the sights enroute except for the gorgeous Anandpur sahib Gurudwara which we gave a miss as we had visited the same in our earlier trip.

[vijayols]

]We took a small left from the highway at the sign board saying Bir about a km away and checked in at our hotel for the night Chokling Art House.

Bir looked to be a backpacker paradise with a host of hostels and cafes available for short and even longer staycation options with many youngsters either trying to learn to paraglide solo or just chill with a tandem ride.

Bir had a fairly large sprinkling of Tibetans with a few large monasteries and a decent Tibetan settlement. The place had cool cafes the most famous of them being silver lining (to die for Mangofee/bananafee/chocolate brownies and masala chai) /Ava (south Indian cuisine with a terrific filter coffee)/Musafir café(lemon mint iced tea)/Lhakpa Café/Adruk for Tibetan food like Laughin. There are of course so many more with live music all mainly centered around the landing spot.

What do you get to do around Bir and its twin Billing which is referred to usually in tandem as the number one activity the place is famed for is paragliding with Billing being the take off spot and Bir the landing?







The place of action here is the Landing site where you can just sit in the huge meadow petting the friendly dogs as you sit back and relax in the soft grass watching the paragliders landing against the back drop of the gorgeous sunset and the snow clad mountains with many parachutes dotting the skyline.You can sit here for eternity and for us this was by far the most exhilarating sunset on this trip.Take a break to enjoy hot pizzas or hot ginger chai which is bliss in the cold evening weather and then explore the many eateries offering live music just as we did at the Himalayan Pizza near the landing site after it got too dark in the evening. Hmm what an amazing start to the trip.





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Just walking on the street leading to the landing site was fun and is where most of the action is in terms of the crowds enjoying,the live music,the monks and the locals and tourists generally walking around.It truly is a smorgasbord of culture,food and colors.

Day 3: We had booked an early morning paragliding programme for Smrithi and kanthi with Anti Gravity as I was too chicken to try the same being terrified of heights but was assured by both that I had missed an experience of a lifetime.(Anti Gravity- Rakesh-9353699127.Conducts both tandem jumps as well as teach how to paraglide solo in the 3 week course.Tandem was Rs 3K while the course fee is Rs 25K).

Did a quick visit to Chokling Monastery opposite our hotel before heading out for a chai. The chai shops only open by 8 am here and we had a lovely Ginger chai with sandwiches in Kulhad Chai Wala where we say the unique flooring made of small stones instead of conventional tiles or stones.No maintenance/low cost and looks so uber cool.











The team from Anti Gravity picked both by around 9.30 and said that with the 30 mins drive to Billing (at a height of 8k feet) which I was told was an experience in itself and another 30 mins in the air with favorable conditions if Lucky. Diving from the second highest paragliding spot in the world with the snow capped Dauladhar range in your line of vision and the wind blowing in your face as you soar like a bird could I imagine be such as exhilarating experience!

But before that you had to conquer your inner demons and let go as you run down the hillock and keep running till the ground beneath you isn’t there and the wind has propelled you upwards into the sky with just you and the pilot and of course the Go pro recording the experience for eternity.

Kanthi’s pilot did a loop in the sky with her permission as both girls said they saw the Sherabling Monastery and finally landed at the beautiful meadows of Chowgan in Bir where I was waiting proudly for them filming their landing as they kept both feet parallel to the ground and made a smooth landing.The joy on their face and their squeals of laughter said it all about their first ever Paragliding experience.





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[vijayols]

What better way to celebrate the event than having a yummy to die for plate of Mangofee slice and a chocolate brownie at Silver Lining Café with a just perfect Hot Ginger Chai.We also tried the masala dosa at Ava café opposite to this place along with some awesome filter coffee.


Meera@Ava cafe enjoying a tummy rub.

With the high of the paragliding done we checked out of the Chokling Art hotel and planned a couple of activities with a drive to Kahaani Ki Dukaan in Gunehar village an organisation run by Jasmine Kaur and Anoop Chugh where they tell stories to the local kids and entertain them.Was supposed to be a fun time activity but unfortunately we went there on Tuesday their only day off. Perhaps an activity for a future visit.

We gave a miss to trekking to Rajaguda and visiting the Gunehar waterfall due to lack of time as there was a yellow alert warning of heavy rains which we wanted to avoid before we reached our next destination Serenity Farmville @ Kandbari village near palampur.

We however did visit the Sherabling Monastery which was a nice serene experience.





STAY @ BIR- Chockling Art House opp Chokling Monastery- Contact Sayeed- 9888474447.Rs 2500 per night for Deluxe Room Monastery and Mountain view for king size bed with extra mattress for 3.

Clean and comfortable bed and decent size room.Did not try the food there.Can arrange for Paragliding.

Managed to reach Serenity Farmville run by Madhur and his friends Vishi and Komal by early evening just as the sky opened up with heavy rains and a hailstorm.The route through the countryside was lovely with yellow flower fields on either side as we also passed the famed Baijnath Shiva temple. At Serenity we were greeted by Madhur and the extended family of doggies 5 in number who were all over us barking in excitement.Hot snacks and garam adrak chai made in a jiffy was apt for the weather.





Palampur is a small town in Kangra district famous for its tea estates like Wah Estate as well as the Barot valley nearby and can be a destination by itself with close proximity to Dharamshala and Mcleodganj.Andretta a small village with its claim to fame being pottery is another attraction.There are also many innumerable small trekking trails which our host Madhur was more than happy to guide us to as they themselves discovered with long time work ationer's during the lock down period.

Palampur is a small town in Kangra district famous for its tea estates like Wah Estate as well as the Barot valley nearby and can be a destination by itself with close proximity to Dharamshala and Mcleodganj.Andretta a small village with its claim to fame being pottery is another attraction.There are also many innumerable small trekking trails which our host Madhur was more than happy to guide us to as they themselves discovered with long time work-actioners during the lock down period.

Serenity Farmville itself is a heritage property with a 120 year old mud house on a 3 acre property which has been redone to house 3 spacious rooms.The 3 youngsters have done an amazing job of redoing the place tastefully and maintaining it immaculately which at the cost of being biased you would actually expect only from firang’s. Spotlessly clean linen and dry bathrooms coupled with good food / great hospitality is refreshing coming from youngsters who probably are less fussy than typically hosts of our age group.

















Day 4 &5:We were spending 2 nights here and the weather god was showering us with rains and hailstorms. Between this we managed to take several walks around the village as also visit Wah Tea estate which was famous for its hall of fame with its many celebrity visitors. Enjoyed a good lunch amidst the estate and also did some tea tasting here. Rest of the time we played endlessly with the friendly doggies when not enjoying hot Adrak chai served by Madhur or yummy breakfast supervised by Komal and her staff.Madhur btw is a huge Liverpool fan.

The high point was of course the pottery which we tried at Andretta where we learnt how the clay is first prepared and then moulded to the desired shape and then left to dry for a couple of days after which it is baked in the kiln at 750 C and dried again. Post this varied coloured combos of powdered glass are poured on this and baked at 1500 C dried and then the glazed finished product is ready provided every process was successful to get a blemish less product.

There are workshops for 3 months where many Indians and foreigners stay back to learn the nuances of this art though we did enjoy a quick 30 mins crash course and managed to make our own clay cups.We also bought some glazed cups and bowls for gifting to friends back home.











The Wah Tea estate experience was nice though having done multiple visits down south in the nilgiris to so many tea/coffee estates we were prepared for what Wah Tea Estate threw at us.The photograph with the back drop of the Hall of Fame was cool alongside celebrities like Saif Ali Khan/His Holiness the Dalai Lama among others.







Started pouring again which cut short the plan to visit Palampur town and the many eating joints which included Joy restaurant(papdi chaat)/Gobind sweets(milk cake,rasmalai and badam milk)/Adarsh Bakery(methi khari,sesame-coconut and choco cookie)/S kumar samosa wale/Madhoram and sons(green soda)/thakur momo and Softy corner.

Stay@Sernenity Farmville- Rs 9k for 2 nights for 3 people including unlimited chai but excluding breakfast and dinner which was yummy and reasonably priced.


Day 6: Took us from Palampur towards Raison Village which lay between AUT tunnel and Manali (25 kms before Manali) to the lovely property of Raison D’Etre a distance of about 173 kms which would take about 6 hours with a stopover for lunch near Mandi.

The homestay was on the bank of the River Beas and boasted of a small bar of sand like a beach.Raison is a great alternative to escape the maddening crowds of Manali,the Beas runs alongside with many rafting points starting from here as well as a nearby paragliding spot.

Raison D’Etre which translates to reason for existence is a the name suggests a tastefully built home stay with 4 rooms(for guests) on a 1 acre plot run by advertising professionals Shalini and Nitin who stay in the property with their cats Baarish and Bijlee.

Clean and comfortable the USP is however the Beas running just behind the property with a small private beach and the snow clad mountains visible from the room window.



















We went for walks crossing the bridge and up the hill to the nearby village and then across the main road through the private orchard.What a pleasure walking on these country roads. Dinner was at Roots café where we ordered a Himachal Thali and had a complementary chefs special Mango cheese cake.The other option was to have dinner at Yuthok homestay which along with Roots also had stay options.

Day 7: Spent the morning lazing by the riverside and taking hordes of photos and flying the drone followed by breakfast in the company of Shalini.

The plan for the day as per her suggestion was to drive to Naggar village and visit the palace there,have coffee at the German Café there,visit Roerich Art Museum and proceed to Jana waterfalls,have lunch at the famed Maniramji’s dhaba,visit Jana village and then stop for coffee at the south American café Bread of Life.Finally dinner and shopping at either Mall road or old Manali.

We did manage most of the plan except giving the Art museum a miss.

The Naggar castle was awesome with its stunning architecture and snow capped mountain view.We had apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a delicious choco Rum ball and a cuppa coffee.

[vijayols]

Then it was a drive to the Jana waterfalls the highlight being the scrumptious traditional thali served lovingly with personal attention from Maniramji who is an institution by himself having hosted celebrities like Sunny Deol (a regular there),Nitin Gadkari and more recently Sara Ali Khan.He set up a table by the waterfall specially for us as Shaini had gracefully informed him of our visit.The food and the setting were simply out of the world.How often do we get a chance to enjoy a delicious meal on a table 5 feet from a waterfall and a lovely mountain view behind us.







Maniranji (7876793293) also arranges for treks to Bijli Mahadev temple and other treks nearby.On his suggestion we visited the Jana village to explore the temples there.We need to park the car on the main road and then walk downhill to the village.

It was a cool experience to check the laid back unhurried life at the village where we spent time with the local priest speaking to him and a woman who was weaving a shawl for her family.They seemed to live in a different world from the one we are used to living in an urban city like Bangalore.There are 2 lovely temples in the village built in typical Himachal architecture.









We then drove towards Manali to reach the Bread of life café.The municipality levies a green tax for entry into the city.

The Bread of Life Café is run by a south American and their coffee beans are imported from Argentina and Peru.We had a lemon pie and cold coffee and packed fresh Sourdough bread and a slice of Banana and carrot cake.The food was good but not really extraordinary. My earlier blog on my Hampta Pass trek on Team BHP lists the best food joints in Manali. (A trek to Hampta Pass and Solo Bike ride to Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh)





Seeing the Mall road rush we went to Old Manali instead for dinner and shopping. Old Manali certainly has a unique vibe and was fun to explore on foot unlike the bike ride I had the last time I was here.

The place is a haven for curio shopping and the joy of bargaining for trinkets for friends and family back home.The place also is full of life with live music in the innumerable cafes enticing us to drop in.We had a dinner of wood fired Pizza at Rendezvous with the solo singer entertaining us with Bollywood numbers.

That marked the end of an action packed day.

Day 8: We couldn’t wait to spend quality time by the river before we settled for a great breakfast of aloo paratha and homemade jams and plum chutney.We now were headed to the Great Himalayan National Park(GHNP) territory.There are primarily 3 valleys known by the rivers flowing through them which surround the GHNP.We were going to 2 of them Sainj Valley(Shangarh) and Tirthan valley (Gushaini) while Parvati valley would be something to explore next time around.A World Heritage site the unique forest is spread over 1171 sq km and home to several species of fauna and flora.

The drive from Raison to Shangarh would take about 2-3 hours for the 75 kms which would take us through the valleys alongside the Sainj river.The last 8 kms or so were really rough roads as soon as we entered the GHNP forest range.The pouring rains and the steep climb did not make the drive easier and felt the Creta automatic diesel was a tad underpowered.
Shangarh’s popularity has soared especially on social media over the last few years and there were a host of youngsters opening cafes and homestays especially during Covid times one of which where we were heading was run by a young Woman Vrinda and the other Woodzo is run by Vishal (9999797133).

Sainj is relatively less crowded and colder than its more popular cousins Parvati and Tirthan and Shangarh had an amazing topography of Green alpine meadows or Thatch(as per local lingo) surrounded by snow capped mountains and was believed by locals to be owned by the local deities Shanchal Mahadev residing in the 3 temples there. The Pandavas were supposed to have spent their exile in the lovely divine meadows.The villagers have a cute belief that the devta visits a villagers home taking turns and returns back to his abode in the night.He probably enjoys the pomp and grandeur of the procession as he is taken by the residents in his palanquin!
The popularity of Shangarh has taken off among youngsters who chill out while working remotely as the work-action culture spreads especially with the young IT crowd.The Zostel here is perennially buzzing with activity.Seldom do you get to see Alpine meadows in driving range or after a short hike.The weather is also colder than at Tirthan valley and the snow capped views are present practically throughout the year.

By the time we reached House of Stories our destination for the next 2 nights we were famished as we had yet to have lunch.We were given a warm welcome by Butter and Fly the pair of doggies while the co- owner Vrinda and her team quickly whipped up a hot bowl of Poha and piping hot aloo paratha with some sandwiches and hot adrak chai.

We then put our foot up and enjoyed the lovely mountain view from here.The location of the stay is certainly a huge plus!

[vijayols]

Pandavas Stone.

In the evening despite a light drizzle we walked to the most popular place in Shangarh,the meadows housing the Shanchal Mahadev temple.The grass was soaked in water but the views were absolutely spell binding in the evening sun.Acres of green grass,one of the temple in a corner of the meadows and the taller newer temple built in traditional Himachal style on the other and the almost 270 degree mountain view around us.Hmm this serenity usually requires days of trekking before you are treated to a view like this.The cool winds and the carpet of inviting green grass, we could literally lie down for eternity here or so it felt.

We were told that the two stones near the temple were placed by the Pandavas during their exile to divide one portion for the gods and the other for cattle to graze for the mortals.Stories like this makes adds to the legend of the place and seemed to be aptly befitting for the scene.The Shanchal Mahadev god is said to bless couples who run away for love to get married!

The tall temple on the other side of the meadows near the village has engravings of the 10 avatars of Vishnu. The centuries old temple has been rebuilt in 2015.

Shangarh is a paradise for its various trekking spots which invariably have a Thatch around.One could opt to walk to the sunset point, Gajnav Thatch,Pundrik lake or Sara lake or choose to drive to the Manu Rishi Temple,Pundrik Rishi temple,Barshangarh water falls or visit the Deohari village all in close proximity.

Day 9: We decide to do the Gajnav Thatch trek the next morning which was supposed to be a relatively easy 2-3 hour return trek.The path was not laid out but Vrinda gave us directions to reach the place and we set out after breakfast with our rain jackets.

As we climbed up we were greeted by Ashish who was staying at Woodzo another cute and nice stay place owned by Vishal and his lovely handsome dog Bagga. Ashish as we learnt had quit corporate life working at Mckinsey and had decided his calling was here at Shangarh where he was looking to have a small homestay and teach the local kids.

He did not know the way to but introduced us to Vishal who invited us for some hot coffee first and then gave us directions to follow the path leading from his property which would reach Gajnav Thatch.Though the offer was tempting we promised we would stop on the way back after the trek.Bagga happily led us and we thought he would accompany us to pathway across the stream and head back home.But Bagga seemed to take a liking for us and was more than happy to lead us in our trek.He seemed to know his way around and trusting him as a local we followed as he invariably waited to ensure all 3 of us were safe and reached him before he ran further.













The beauty of an unknown jungle trek is that there are so many paths and every one seemed to be the right one.Didn’t take us too long to figure we were lost and Bagga probable did not know where we were heading!Not a soul in sight but the trek was so damn beautiful as we crossed streams and wisely kept heading upwards.Finally we spotting a huge bunch of nets wrapped around apple trees and a house probably looking after the orchard.As I walked up with Bagga to enquiry about the way to Gajnav,Smrithi and Kanthi stopped to get their breath back in the small meadow patch.Managed to spot a person who told us we just needed to continue upwards and pointed us to a cowherd with is 2 kids and a dog who were heading that way for his cows to graze.The grass must be sweeter there for sure as there was plenty of grass in the small meadow down too.So now we had a guide to take us to the thatch though Bagga want mighty pleased with the cow herds dog around.

It started pouring as we reached the thatch and we gleefully shared some snacks and chocolates we had with the cowherds family and of course the 2 dogs as we took shelter under a tree.

As the rains slowed down the cow herd went ahead after informing us that the road beyond the meadows would lead us to Shangarh.We had a blast chasing the birds in the meadows with Bagga and taking photos of the 360 degree mountain view now much more up close. The many skeletons of dead animals did give us a chill about the possibility of a leopard prowling around but the presence of Bagga was reassuring.











We followed the well laid out path as we first reached another stream and a tree which looked like a temple as there were many metal offerings making us realize we were on the right track.Soon however like multiple choice questions many paths appeared and we were selecting paths randomly (or was it generally the path Bagga chose?) We were lost once again and this time the mantra was follow the road going downwards.

The ground was slippery and the twigs from the pine trees made it much more slippery in the wet mud as we all fell multiple times.There was no maps or directions to fall back on as we also got hungry.Bagga suddenly chased what looked like a pair of foxes and now the surrounding tall trees looked a tad scary.

Smrithi’s phone suddenly showed a glimpse of the route in offline mode with the main road showing 40 mins away and the last chalet resort 5 mins away but with no path visible.We decided to take a chance with the unknown 5 mins walk which turned out to be an illusion but probably the right choice as about 15 mins later we did spot the silhouette of a house.The path was all downwards and slippery but we did finally spot a road ahead and saw the Woodzo stay much to our relief.Boy did we need that hot coffee now.

Vishal and Abhishek were around rolling with some locals as we all sat around a wood fire stove.The cook served us hot Maggi and a nice cup of instant coffee which I swear never tasted better ever.Hot rice and dal for all was being prepared as we warmed ourselves exchanging life stories and managed to have a brief tour of the property which was a great place to stay with its options of A frame wooden houses (Rs 5.5K per night),warm and cozy cottage rooms (Rs 2.8k per night)n and basic tent stays (Rs 600 per night). They are also on Instagram. Vishal 9999797133.

[vijayols]

Bagga followed us to the meadows which we walked to once again as Smrithi had not been there and then just before we got back to the house of stories we managed to give him the slip.Dinner in the house of stories was socializing time as we all huddled together in the dining room and enjoyed hot fresh food.We had a bonfire too this night.

Stay @ House of Stories Shangarh - Rs 3150 per night for 2 nights with no food for 3. Stay at 750 per night for solo travellers. Bed and the room was decent. Vrinda - 9811803439.

Day 10: Morning we went for a quick walk to the sunset point for the sunrise.What an irony huh!And guess whom did we meet on the way and who made his displeasure on us ditching him known? Lasted a small while only as he stuck with us till our car pulled away from Shangarh as we made our way towards Gushaini and Raju Bharti Guest House.





Day 13: Did our final packing as we unfortunately had come to the end of the trip.We started after breakfast for our long drive to Chandigarh where we were spending the night at Ginger Hotel near Chandigarh airport for our early morning flight back home via a Lucknow stopover.

Stay @ Raju Bharti Guest house Rs 1800 per person per night inclusive of all meals.Ph - 9459833124. – Varun Bharti. His brother Karan also runs a newly started Guest house just 5 kms away 9625211848.
Hospitality, food and bed as well as cleanliness-top notch.

The drive to Chandigarh was nice and the experience with Revv Cars was nice and as a kind gesture they even offered a Rs 2000 voucher for our next trip with them.Stay @ Ginger was comfortable.

Day 14:Had a normal uneventful flight back home leaving us with a superb memory of the time we had in Himachal.
The mountains just keep calling you back and perhaps offers you a taste of heaven as we perceive it to be.








The short distance of 79 kms took us 2 hours but with the lovely countryside view who was complaining?
This was the second time I was going to stay at the iconic Raju Bharti Guest House(after my last trek blog A trek to Hampta Pass and Solo Bike ride to Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh) and couldn’t wait to experience the amazing hospitality again.

Both Smrithi and Kanthi had heard me describing my last stay here with the apple trees laden with apples to be plucked off but sadly this time the rains had delayed the cherry bloom by a few days.The entrance to the guest house is as always grand with the crossing across the Tirthan river in a bucket though this time there was a wooden bridge too to get across.The river though was no where as fierce as the last time around in the monsoons.
The green around the house never fails to bowl you over and Bunty was ready with a hot cup of chai for us with the customary box of biscuits.

Today was a day to relax as we first explored the property and the riverside by the homestay.We also got to meet the other guests including a fellow Bhpian and his family @skrmv2.Small world I guess.They were doing the exact opposite of first staying at Gushaini and then proceeding to Shangarh.And they were heading for a trek to the GHNP the next day morning (same as us)though they were staying back over night.We also met another couple Diganth and Mansi and their adorable boy who entertained us with his lovely full throated laugh.







Dinner time is again a socializing event and couldn’t wait to dig into the homemade jams and juices plum/apple and apricot.Must try to convince Varun to sell me some to take back home to friends and family.Bunty was always around to refresh the food in everyone’s plate.

Day 11: Next day we were all set to do the trek to the GHNP gate which was about 19 kms from the Guest House. Sunil and family had already started their for the overnight stay which needed a permission arranged by Varun.For us too he arranged a guide which Kanthi insisted after our last adventure on a trek without a guide. Dabe Ramji (9418494606) who charged Rs 800 for his services was a sweet guy and stayed from a nearby village working as a part time authorised guide.Gattru the youngest of the dogs from the Guest house took it on himself to be our companion in the trek. The plan was to visit the Hippo falls just outside the gate of the park and of course go to the park entrance beyond which we were not allowed without a permit.

It started drizzling a bit as we crossed the Ropa village and headed towards the park. It was all uphill but was not too difficult a trek. Would probably rate it as easy.

The rains made the soft mud slushy and slippery but seriously the sheer beauty of the place and the smell of the forest was an experience simply out of this world.













The views were so mesmerising and though through the phone camera we did manage to capture part of its splendour it was hardly able to convey the essence of the moment.The soothing roar of the clear Green tinged Tirthan river flowing underneath, the amazing hues of the lush green trees,the chirping of the colorful birds, the smell of the pine trees hmm was just magical and something only our eyes/nose and ears could vouch for. Perhaps one day we could get a camera which could capture the experience and recreate the same for eternity.

After a couple of hours we reached the highest point of the trek and then a short distance away we saw a board saying Hippo Waterfalls for which we had to take a slight descend.And there in front of our eyes was the clearest, greenest water you could wish for. We just sat mesmerised admiring the falls and then took some drone pics. The park was just a stones throw away and perhaps next time we could plan a trip only to trek through it. There are trails which can be planned for an overnight,3/5 or 7 day trek too depending on the appetite we have to explore.The park was inhabited by bears, leopards, deer and home to a variety of birds.











The trek back was quick though cold due to the steady rains and we were glad to reach the resort though it was past lunch time.
We spent the evening by the riverside and then post dinner had a roaring bon fire going.







Day 12: Went for a early morning yoga along the riverside and then went for a walk uphill for the Guest house.The day was spent lazing around and generally doing nothing. That’s a nice way to spend your day during vacation I guess just not doing anything!









Day 13: Did our final packing as we unfortunately had come to the end of the trip.We started after breakfast for our long drive to Chandigarh where we were spending the night at Ginger Hotel near Chandigarh airport for our early morning flight back home via a lucknow stopover.

Stay @ Raju Bharti Guest house Rs 1800 per person per night inclusive of all meals. Ph -9459833124. – Varun Bharti. His brother Karan also runs a newly started Guest house just 5 kms away 9625211848.
Hospitality, food and bed as well as cleanliness-top notch.

The drive to Chandigarh was nice and the experience with Revv Cars was nice and as a kind gesture they even offered a Rs 2000 voucher for our next trip with them. Stay @ Ginger was comfortable.

Day 14:Had a normal uneventful flight back home leaving us with a superb memory of the time we had in Himachal.
The mountains just keep calling you back and perhaps offers you a taste of heaven as we perceive it to be.

[aah78]

Note from Support: Thread moved to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

[denzdm]

Beautiful pictures and a great photo blog. Himachal is indeed a beautiful sight to the soul. I stayed at Raju Guest house way back in Aug 2012 and your pictures brought back the nostalgic moments. Its always great to see such home stays being maintained immaculately by the wonderful hosts and give a glimpse of the real place which a touristy hotel cannot.

[kushagra452]

Originally Posted by vijayols

1) Fly to Chandigarh. Stay for a night and start trip next day.
2) Pick a car and drive to Bir. Spend night there and start for next destination late afternoon.
3) Drive from BIR to Palampur. Stay for 2 nights here.
4) Palampur to Raison. Stay 2 nights here.
5) Raison to Shangarh. Stay 2 nights here.
6) Shangarh to Gushaini. Stay 3 nights here.
7) Drive to Chandigarh and spend night here.
8) Take early morning flight back to Bangalore.

Amazing travelouge. How much this entire trip cost you? Thanks!

[vijayols]

Originally Posted by denzdm

Beautiful pictures and a great photo blog. Himachal is indeed a beautiful sight to the soul. I stayed at Raju Guest house way back in Aug 2012 and your pictures brought back the nostalgic moments. Its always great to see such home stays being maintained immaculately by the wonderful hosts and give a glimpse of the real place which a touristy hotel cannot.

Couldn't agree more @denzdm.Both me and kanthi prefer staying at homestays as it gives us a more personal touch and there is so much more that most homestay owners can suggest to enjoy the essence of the place.

Raju Bharti takes it to a new level of hospitality and am always amazed how they refuse to take payment in advance especially as bookings need to be done well in advance due to their popularity.

The great escape Tirthan is now another venture started by Karan Bharti and would be worth visiting too.

[vijayols]

Originally Posted by kushagra452

Amazing travelouge. How much this entire trip cost you? Thanks!

Do not have exact figures but off the ball point it is appx Rs 1.2 lakh for the 3 all inclusive.

[JaiHanuman]

In the photo with the dog, for a sec i thought it was Mark Ruffalo the actor who played Hulk in Marvel movies. In that picture you have a striking resemblance with the actor

[vijayols]

Originally Posted by JaiHanuman

In the photo with the dog, for a sec i thought it was Mark Ruffalo the actor who played Hulk in Marvel movies. In that picture you have a striking resemblance with the actor

@Jaihanuman I should show this to my daughter Smrithi.She would be thrilled but would definitely disagree .

Thanks for making my day though

[Sunny_7937]

Amazingly written and great photos. Thanks for sharing the names of home stays along with their number. Makes job bit easy if someone wants to plan / visit the same. In this scorching heat these photos makes one eager to plan a vacation ��.

[sukhbirST]

Great drive with interesting places which, even local people have not seen. Will surely add to my must visit list. Andretta has also the famous art gallery made famous by noted painter, Sobha Singh. Irish theatre artiste and environmentalist, Norah Richards settled here in 1920 and made Andretta famous. Gurucharan Singh, a noted potter who started the Delhi Blue Pottery in the 1952, established base here. Full marks for an excellent travelogue.