When I decided to travel to the clichéd destination of Shimla-Manali, which has been on the travel list of all Indian families I opted for one of the group travels just to experience the whole affair in the same way as most others do. This way of travel had its own pros and cons and very different from the way I usually travel. Here I list down some of the mesmerizing memories of Shimla-Kullu-Manali
Heritage walks @ Mall road , Shimla:
Once you reach the famous Mall Road, the walk begins from the Christ Church, located at the western shoulder of Jakhu Hill – the highest hill of Shimla, and extends towards east till the Viceregal Lodge, now Indian Institute of Advanced Study. A number of old buildings such as Gaiety theatre, General Post Office, Bantony, Betink’s Castle, Imperial Bank, Railway Board Building, Gorton Castle, Knockdrin, Kennedy Cottage, Sanatorium, Cecil Hotel, Inverarm, and Viceregal Lodge keep your eyes wide open.
Featured in many movies like 3 Idiots, Black etc, your visit to Shimla is incomplete without a selfie at the famous Church.
Apart from the heritage walks Shimla is more of a place to experience the weather than mere sightseeing.
Drive from Shimla to Manali:
It’s a long and breathtakingly beautiful drive [n I mean literally ;)]. The spectacular sights of the Beas River along one side of the road while you travel uphill give you goose bumps. You also pass through a 2.8Km long tunnel. We reached Manali late in the evening and luckily it was a full moon night which provided for beautiful sights of the white waters of Beas River gushing down in the moon light and the first sights of the snow peaks, sparkling in the grey background.
Enjoy snow at one of the snow points:
You can rent out dungarees and trek up to the snow point to enjoy the snow. The sights of the beautiful snow-capped mountains all around you while you trek makes up for the tiring journey to reach the top. Once at the snow point you can play to your hearts content and descend.
Solang Valley:
It was chilling when we reached Solang valley and to top it there were light showers of rain. The ropeway here is world class and a ride in it to reach the top is a must-do thing. The valley in April was covered with little pink and white flowers making it even more picturesque.You will feel as if you have landed in Switzerland with the views of the green pastures and the snow-capped mountains 🙂
Also don’t forget to taste Maggi while you are in Manali and specially during the rains 🙂
Hadimba Temple:
This temple amidst thick deonar trees is a must visit. This temple is dedicated to Hadima devi and the story dates back to Mahabharata time. Here you can do the typical tourists things like ride a yak and click photos in Himachali attire. 🙂 Although very cliched don’t miss on the fun.
==========================================================================
Fact file:
Trip duration: 7 days -6 nights
Hotels:
Chandigarh: Clarion Inn and Sun Park Resort
Shimla: Hotel Dream View
Manali: Sarthak Resort
[All of these hotels are of average rating and cost]
Leave a Reply