Date: 16-18 April 2016
Venue: Shoghi, Himachal Pradesh
Done with Shimla? Himachal has a host of other options. During long weekends almost the entire Delhi Gurgaon is looking out for escapades. Consequently finding any peace or for that matter accommodation at popular hill stations such as Shimla or Nainital becomes an arduous task.
Internet searches now throw up alternatives. For instance, given the devastating tourist pressure in Shimla, small places around Shimla are shaping up as tourist spots with government guest houses, private hotels, and as we experienced in our recent trip to Shoghi, homestays. Shoghi is a village in Himachal a few kilometers before Shimla. This place now has some small hotels, resorts, and quite a few homestay options. We booked one such home Stay at Shoghi.
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How to reach Shoghi from Delhi
We started off at about 6.30 on a Friday morning. Looking at the traffic movement on the highway, it appeared to be an exodus, the whole of Delhi is trying to escape. It is therefore no surprise that instead of the predicted 6 hours on the Shimla route it took us more than 8 hours to reach Shoghi from Delhi. The route we took was Delhi>>Ambala>>Chandigarh>>Parwanoo>>Barog>>Solan>>Shoghi.
After Chandigarh, we took a 1 km detour to have lunch at the restaurant inside Pinjore Garden.
Shoghi – Slow Travel In Himachal
We checked in at our accommodation, freshened up, and pottered out. Shoghi, what they say is a hamlet. It is quiet, and serene, and gives you great views of the Himalayas and Shimla city. That apart there were not a lot of touristy things to do. This suited us perfectly since we wanted this to be a slow leisurely trip that did not involve pursuing running after a lot of touristy goals. The well-laid broad roads and little motor traffic made this place apt for long walks. And big appetites.
Places to eat in Shoghi
Dev Bhoomi Himachal is a state of temples. Because of Tara Devi temple and Hanuman temple in this area, Shoghi is also predominantly vegetarian. For locating bread and omelet breakfast we had to walk almost out of Shoghi where we came across Good Luck Restaurant. We had omelets, toast, and tea here. After the period of Navratra abstinence, this was a welcome break and we did not mind the extra oil on the omelet. There are quite a few vegetarian eating places in the main market and most of them looked simple and clean.
Breakfast in Mountains
We were told that the Tara Devi temple was not far. To give ourselves a break from driving, we hired a local who was quite versatile in that he ran a tea stall/general store/car rental service at Shoghi. The temple was about 10 km from our lodging and it was good thinking on our part to be driven by a local for the last few km., was very narrow, steep with a lot of precarious turns. It took us about half an hour to reach the temple and we first visited the Tara Devi shrine. With a neat and tidy setup, we were fortunate at being there after the Navratra frenzy.
Our driver then took us to another temple that was dedicated to the goddess Dudhara Mata. This was almost a kilometer walk and was a pretty stone and wood carving structure in the typical pyramid-like mountain temple style. If not for the driver, we would have missed this temple. This place offered the best views of Shoghi, even better than the place where we were staying. Between Tara Devi and Dudhara temple, our driver showed us various other points such as Chail, Kufri, and his village as well.
People also visit Shimla from Shoghi however we have been to Shimla many times plus we were listening to the weekend traffic jam horror stories on the roads to Shimla, hence we decided to skip it.
What to buy at Shoghi
Fruit production is big in Himachal. The byproducts of fruits are converted into juices, syrups, jam, pickles, and wines. These are low on sweetness and retain a major part of the real fruit in taste and flavor. We bought packs of sugar-free apple juice, fruit wines, apple cider beer, and some yam pickle. Wish we had picked up a few more bottles of the last item.
It was already Sunday, a little too soon, and we were on our way back to face all the odds and evens of Delhi. We had our reservations about this place but are now glad that we took this trip. If you are looking for a quiet weekend getaway in the hills, maybe near Shimla, Shoghi is the place.
Shoghi is a small hill station located in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Things to do – temples and long walks etc.
This Jan I had been to Shimla and ahead to kUfri to enjoy the snow and some cold weather. Shoghi is also a beautiful place. Wish I knew about it when I was in shimla.
I have visited Shimla many years ago but did not get a chance to visit Shoghi at that time. after reading your post felt that it is quite a beautiful place. your purchase of sugar free apple juice sounds interesting to me. and agree himachal pradesh and other parts of north india are good states for buying fresh fruit produce.
Shoghi seems to be a mesmerizing beauty near Shimla. I am gonna plan a trip soon with my extended family and have a gala time
Been to Shimla many times, but dint know about this place. This entire article made an interesting read.
Everything about this place, be it the location was excellent. Such a peaceful place to visit. Overall a very good experience.
Shoghi seems to be a nice off-the-beaten-track place near Shimla. With Shimla and many other popular places tending to get more and more crowded, places like Shoghi do present a more secluded option.
I am really happy to know about this place. I have been to Shimla a few years back but had not heard of this lovely a cozy place around. Would love to visit here on our next trip hopefully soon.
This place is indeed an admirable place to enjoy. Will surely plan a trip.
My parents had stayed here a few years ago and loved it, but I am yet to visit. Thanks for the detailed blog post – it was a treat to read!
People visiting Shimla don’t have clue of the scenic beauty beside. With many tourists at famous places, I look for place that is more calm and serene, thanks for this post.