Tour Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala, Kinnaur and Spiti
India’s state of Himachal Pradesh is a storehouse of wonderful hill stations. The Summer Capital of the British, Shimla is the mother of all Hill Stations and a popular destination for Indian newlyweds who favor Shimla, Manali and Dharamsala to escape the heat of the plains, especially during the pre-monsoon period of May and June.
Shimla, the capital of Himachal, still maintains the look and feel of a British era. And for a good reason, Shimla’s landmarks date back to the mid-nineteenth century, and include the Vice Regal Lodge built in 1885, the Christ Church built in 1844, and the Gaiety Theatre where the first beauty contest of world is said took place in 1887. Then there is the Grindlay’s Bank of 1912, the Scandal Point and Shimla’s famous Shopping Plaza of the North, The Mall, the promenade the Indian visitors from all of India stroll much the same as the British once did, to see and to be seen.
Formerly the residence of Lord Kitchener, commander-in-Chief of the British Army, Oberoi Wildflower Hall in Mashobra, Shimla is the luxury 5-star lodge of the region and the top accommodation. Situated at an impressive 8,250 feet above sea-level, the Wildflower Hall resort is surrounded by vast magnificent cedar and pine forests set against the grand panorama of the Himalayas.
The snows of the Himalayan peaks provide the backdrop no matter where one sets out from Shimla. Heading out north-east along the mighty Sutlej river the road leads to the mysterious interior of Kinner Kailash and Spiti, the remote outposts of Buddhist Himalayas. Closed to outside visitors until mid-90s trans-Himalayas journey into Kinnaur and Spiti is not for the light-hearted on account of the dangerous roads that traverse this outlying corner of India.
Indian Himalayas safari to Kinnaur and Spiti can be extended with a side trip yet deeper into the High Himalaya, to the alpine lake of Chadra Tal and across the nearly 5,000-meter high Baralacha La, then return to Kulu-Manali valley via Keylong and through the impressive 4,000-meter Rohtang Pass.
Manali township is a great base for visits to the Hidamba Temple, Old Manali and the Naggar Castle, once the seat of the Kullu Royal Family. Downhill from Manali one drives through Kullu to Kangra “Valley of Temples” en route to Dharmasala, the seat of the Dalai Lama and the headquarters of Tibetan government in exile.
Trip to Shimla and Himachal offers also possibilities to extend the journey to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, or detour to Dalhousie and Chamba and to Kashmir, or head on further north all the way to Leh and Ladakh.