Date: March 26-29, 2015
Venue: Dalhousie and Khajjiar, Himachal Pradesh
Contents
Dalhousie
Recently, we drove to Dalhousie from Delhi, breaking the journey at Chandigarh. It took us about 13 hours each way. On the way up, we followed the route recommended by Google maps. This route bypassed all the cities (Pathankot – Ludhiana – Ambala etc.) but involved about 6 hours of hill driving on patchy roads in Himachal. The sight of the snow capped Dhauladhar ranges kept our spirits up. Nonetheless, the journey was exhausting. Hence, on the way back, we stuck to the conventional route via Pathankot. The return took us about the same time (13 hours) but involved only 4 hours of hill driving on way better roads.
We took a stopover in Chandigarh on our way to Dalhousie.
Instead of the typical NH1 route we took another route suggested by Google maps. Though the road wasn’t great, the route had state highways with lush green fields on sides.
We had online prior bookings with the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department (“HPTDC”) accommodation at Hotel Manimahesh in Dalhousie. However, since this was off peak season, accommodation was also available on the spot. The rooms here are spacious and the staff very hospitable. The chef served tasty food, customised to our requirements, at very reasonable charges.
The ManiMahesh by HPTDC at Dalhousie
Dalhousie is a place for those who are looking for freshness, peace and a break away from the noise, pollution and hum drum of the city. This is not recommended for people who look for discos, malls and multiplexes. In fact, with a few British era churches thrown in, Dalhousie exudes an old-world charm and it seems that the town is yet to catch up with modern times.
St. Francis Church at Subhash Chowk, Dalhousie
There are not too many sight seeing activities and we spent our time walking up to the local markets at Gandhi Chowk and Subhash Chowk, clicking the churches and pottering in the Tibetan Market.
We spotted this board on our walk from Subhash Chowk to Gandhi Chowk. Exactly our sentiments.
We also drove down to Panchpula and trekked up for about 1.5 km to visit a Kali temple. There is a stunning waterfall on this route. Although this is an interesting activity, given the narrow pathway on the hill, it may not be fun for the faint hearted.
The stunning waterfall en route to Kali Temple at Panchpulla we trekked up to. The trekking was breathtaking in every sense of the word.
Khajjiar
From Dalhouise we drove to Khajjiar which is about 25 kms higher. On route, we were pleasantly surprised to come across snow at various spots on the Dhauladhar range. This was perhaps the last trace of winter on these mountains and we found tourists making the most of it by posing with snowballs for their coolest FB pic!
On the way to Khajjiar from Dalhousie we spotted snow at various places
Once in Khajjiar, we were taken aback by this stunning valley, surrounded by pine forests, with a saucer shaped lake in the middle.
Khajjiar is breathtakingly beautiful, and with the random cattle and sheep grazing on the meadow, it is an illustration straight out of an Enid Blyton book. No wonder, it is called ‘Mini Switzerland’.
Here too we had a booking at the HPTDC accommodation Hotel Devdar. This was a log cabin and like most other HPTDC properties, the rooms were excellent and the window opened to the pine forests and the Dhauladhar range.
Hotel Devdar by HPTDC at Khajjiar. Located right in front of the meadow, Hotel Devdar has the best possible location in Khajjiar
Their intercom system has broken down for some months and for room service we had to call on the designated staff’s mobile number. We actually found this cute and in line with the quaint charm that Khajjiar, as a British era hill station, exudes. However, IT has found its way up here as well and the dining room of the hotel had a free WIFI connection for the guests. A couple of other hotels have also, but these did not look enticing.
Hotel Devdar by HPTDC. A log cabin with window opening right to the meadow and mountains. Right for a perfect relaxing vacation.
By way of activities, we walked around the lake and the thick pine forests, had tea at one of the stalls in the meadow and visited the Khajji Nag temple. This is a 12th century temple dedicated to the Khajji Naag. In fact, Khajjiar is eponymous to this deity. Local drums and trumpets are played during the morning and evening aarati here and the melodious notes can be heard from far.
Khajji Nag Temple, Khajjiar
It rained on one of the days that we spent in Khajjiar and the mist covered meadow seemed surreal.
There are various hill stations in Himachal and we have visited many of them. However, the picturesque and still not touristy Khajjiar was a completely new experience. If there is a heaven on earth, it would probably look like this.
what a jampacked and complete tour in Khajjiar. I hope i can see this terrific place soon.
Sorry for the super late reply. Hope you managed to see Khajjiar.
What if we want to visit Dalhousie via Dharamshala? would it make it a long way?
A lot of people do it from Dharmshala too. Do it only if your time permits. We generally like to explore one place in one trip. Since Dalhousie and Khajjiar are nearby they should be done together. Moreover, there is so much to do in Dharmshala, we would not do another hill station with that. Besides, it gets tiring after a point.