Total-10 days tour, hence will a long blog. But it will have all minor details of these places, one would look out for.
Chandigarh: The City Beautiful. A planned city, shared capital city of Punjab and Chandigarh, a city flushed with NRI dollar/pounds. A city best of retirement or people who like to have all comfort of a metro, but is not as crowded as metro city.
But as a tourist, especially if one is from a metro (like me), there is nothing much unique, other than ROCK Garden and the rectangular planned city. Restaurants, pubs, discos of all ranges are there.
Chandigarh is expanding into Mohali in Punjab, Panchkula in Haryana and Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh. It is perfect center/base point for touring Himachal Pradesh (Shimla is just 100 kms). I did cab tour through many of these places.
The best and refreshing place in Chandigarh is Rock garden. It is years/decades of Tapasya of a person called Late Nek Chand Saini. And best part is, it is well maintained, a perfect public space. In fact, one of the best public spaces , I have seen in India. Do read it’s history. We read about Tapasya/ Penance/ Austerity our rishis (monks) did in ancient time, this is actually something happened, few decades ago, in Rock gardens. A must place to visit and appreciate the unique art, hard work and how anger/pain can be turned into a beautiful art. It takes around 3-4 hrs minimum to walk through this place.
Other places of interest was Sukhna lake, right on foot hills of Shivaliks. A good public space for a long walk along the circumference of lake.
Sector 17 market is also famous among localists, but better not to keep of huge expectations.
Weather: Chandigarh weather was comfortable, especially it became cool in evening (1st/2nd May). May be because of cool winds from Himalayas.
Places to stay in Chandigarh: Being a city, it has all options from budget to 5 stars to resorts. So, it is as per your taste and budget and requirement.
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Manali: Hill station at height of ~2000 mts in Himalayas, is overnight road journey (~8 hrs) from Chandigarh. 1000s of Volvos ply overnight, carrying tens of 1000s of tourists. What was a sleepy hill station few decades ago, is not a hot-spot. The tourism impact is clearly visible, with 1000s of hotels. Govt has laid 4 lanes highway, but nature did not like it. Impact of landslides is clearly visible on highway.
Manali, is surrounded by snow cladded mountains. It itself gets covered by Snow in winter. Thus, look wise will be complete different in different seasons.
Places of Interest:
Manali is base for Atal Tunnel (made famous by Modiji), Sissu Valley, Koksar, Rohtang Valley.
Kasol, Manikarnika can also be covered in one day from Manali. Kasol is famous for Marijuana (& equivalent) and hence sees lot of foreign tourists, especially Israelis.
Within Manali: Mall road, Visisth temple, Hidimba Temple, Ghatotkach, Manu temple.
Adventure sports like Paragliding, Hot air balloon, River rafting, Bungee, Zipline, Skiing & many more can be done. But do not expect it to very professional. These are mere for tourists, who are not exposed to these adventure sports. Keep a budget of Rs 15,000-20,000 for family of 3 for such adventure sports.
Also, Manali is starting point for many bike trips to Leh (Ladakh).
Tourist Seasons in Manali: Summer vacations (May, June); Christmas and New year, and long weekend.
Way to commute: Lot of tourists taxi are there. We paid Rs 7000 (Swift dezire) for 3 days. Own driving can be challenging, because of hilly terrain and unexpected, long traffic can be happen anytime, anywhere.
1st day: Noon to 8pm: We covered Atal Tunnel, Koksar and Sissu valley including snow adventure sports in Koksar.
2nd Day: 9 am to 6pm: We covered Kasol, Manikarnika (famous for Gurudwara, hot springs and temples)
3rd Day: we did local sight seeing in Manali: Mall road, Hidimba temple, Visisth Temple.
Atal Tunnel: 9 kms strategic tunnel and a flagship project executed by BJP govt. It was inaugurated by PM, Modiji and hence got very famous. It is alternative to Rohtang Pass, which gets frequently closed due to snow. Geography is completed different at two ends of the tunnel. Manali side is quite green with tall trees, where-as other side (Koksar side/ Lahaul Spiti side) is snow cladded terrain with minimal vegetation. As per driver, tunnel gets closed, if an Oil truck passes through it (surprising). For tourists, it gets closed (from Manali side) from 6pm to 6-7am.
Koksar: Basically a snow place at edge of a glacier and Chenab river. It is just meant for day tourists and settlements are not allowed here. Weather can go harsh anytime. Few kms from Atal tunnel and Rohtang pass, this is tourist a point to enjoy and play in snow. One has to rent cold wear from Manali along with Snow adventure sport package (Skiing). Cold weather wear + Sports can costs 6k-10k for family of 3. For 99% Indians, this will be an unique experience. Further unique is mobile network coverage, acceptance of digital payments at such heights.
Atal tunnel, decent roads, mobile coverage, digital payments …all happening at such places, shows why people are loving Modiji. Mind you, this will be soon forgotten and more will be expected there-after.
Sissu Valley: Again an unique geography, few kms from Atal tunnel, is a flat land with trees surrounded by mountains, with waterfall. Lot of food stalls waiting for you (actually on a helipad) , all accepting digital payments. Actually, if permission can be obtained, it’s a perfect and safe camping site.
Manali to Atal Tunnel drive is really beautiful with few places of interests, if time allows.
Kasol, Manikaran: 75 kms from Manali, it can be covered in one day. As Manali is getting crowded, foreign tourists are looking for new places to chill out (marijuana). That’s where Kasol has clicked in last 2 decades. Famous for cafes, bars and chill(-um) hangout places, Kasol seems very different in terms of shop, market from Manali. Hebrew language boards can be found almost in all shops. It has many hotels, and if it on other side of river and carrying luggage etc. can be challenging. So, be careful while booking your reservations. But the way Indians tourists are now thronging Kasol, very soon, foreigners have to find another place (Malana could be ???).
Kasol nature park in must place to visit. The tall trees on banks of river is an eye sight.
Kasol is also base for Manikaran, a religious place of importance for both Sikhs and Hindus. It has hot springs and many take bath (& cook). Gurudwara and temples, have proper hot spring bathing facilities. Gurudwara also run langar (free place for food). There is Ram temple, Manikaran temple, again a must visit place , walking distance from Gurudwara. Many people stick to gurudwara and make mistake of not visiting these unique architectural temples. Temple architecture is unique to these parts (Himachal Pradesh), made of wood and stones.
It seemed all these temples were recently renovated and thus were neat, clean and soothing to soul. The story behind Manikaran is must read, and if corelated , it is an unique story telling way to explain Hot springs to children (which in scientific language can be very challenging to explain). I could tell same, as I had to explain hot spring to my daughter, who had seen this for first time.
While returning from Manikaran to Manali, on the way we did zip line, river rafting (7 kms). Again, these river rafting is for “testing purpose” only. 3kms, 7kms, 10 kms route were there. Charges for 7kms was 4000 Rs for one raft + photo/video graphy (800-1600 Rs). Hot air balloon (controlled), paragliding options are also there. Charges are 1500-3500 Rs for 5-7 mins ride.
Manali Sight seeing:
Mall road. As name suggests, it was started by British. This names road will be found in all British times hill stations (Shimla, Nainital, Darjeeling..to name few). This Pedestrian only alley is place for shopping, eating and hanging out. Add to it , it’s next to main bus-station, thus a perfect place to kill sometime, before hopping out to some other place. It is a good place to buy cheap winter cloths (we did not buy, as there is no winter in Mumbai :p ).
Vasisth Temple: what must have been a perfect place for meditation (jungles, mountain cladded mountain, difficult to reach), centuries ago, hence chosen by great hermits, is now a crowded touristy village. Temple architecture is typical to this geography and is must place visit from Manali.
Hidimba and Ghatotkach temple: Hidimba and Ghatotkach are characters from great Hindu epic: Mahabharat. Hidimba was wife on Bhima (pandava clan) and Ghatotkach her son. They would live this place, what must have been mighty forests of tall thick trees. Traces of this forest is still preserved, thanks to this temple, which fosters strong belief about nature, in local population. A very ancient temple and age old hunts of animals can be seen in the temple (horns, teeth, skin etc. of various animals)
Manu temple and Clubhouse can be done together. Clubhouse is erst-while hang out place of British, is now an access controlled shopping place. Tibetan monastery is also a must place to visit and do not miss some local Tibetans snacks/soup (laafi, Thumpka etc.) served around the monastery. Tibetan cutlery, instruments could also be bought from here.
Food: Manali has lot of good restaurants, many dotted along banks of river. Mall road is of course famous of all. Mostly north Indian food and sadly did not find pahadi cuisine, which I was craving for. South Indian food for obvious reasons is very costly. Do try local Tibetan snacks as well.
Places to Stay: Manali and all near by villages has lot of options, of sort of budget. If you have own car, can opt for off-beat stays, away from crowd. But without own car, would be wise to stay as close to town/bus stand. We stayed in Thomas-Villa, close to volvo bus-stand and just 2 kms away from Mall road.
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Shimla: The capital city of Himachal Pradesh is 6-7 hrs drive from Manali. Surprisingly, very few Volvos ply and we could manage to get reservation in the only state run volvo. Lot of construction activity is going on and there are many tunnels to be crossed and one seemed to be under dam waters.
Shimla, in British times, was winter capital of India and thus retains some it’s aura. The city is spread over 3-4 hills and all are well connected by decent quality roads, as well as public transportation.
Places on interest: Mall road, Jakhu temple, Kufri, British era buildings.
Highlight of Shimla, of course is The Mall road, a ferry tale pedestrian road cum market, straight from a British novel, dotted with hotels (up hills), cafes, shops, British era buildings (now converted to govt offices) and centuries old church. It is the postcard of Shimla. It is UNESCO listed site with elevators connectivity from bottom of the hill, being add-on highlight. Eat here, that is must. Early morning or evening to late evening is best time to explore the Mall road.
Jakhu temple, an ancient temple dedicated to lord Hanuman, overlooking Mall road and Church. Also has mammoth 108 ft tall Hanuman statue, visible from all parts of Shimla. Devotees can reach by road, all by 1000 + steps, or by Ropeway. Beware of monkeys and take care of any loose items like specs and food items.
Kufri, some 15 kms from Mall road, has got an picturesque adventure park on the way (~Rs 1500-2500 / per person). Kufri top is only accessible by ~20 mins horse ride, which is forced upon you. There is a temple, offer great view of surrounding hills, apple orchids and some adventure activities. On clear days, Nanda devi is visible from here. We were kind of disappointed, as we were there in summer, so it was kind of bland and may be forced payments was add on pain. I guess, it would be great sight in winter, when snow falls and apple orchids are in bloom.
Other places are British style buildings, most in between Jakhu temple and The Mall road. It can be enjoyed by a slow paced cab tour.
Tourists also take 3-4 hours long narrow gauge train journey between Kalka and Shimla. This is an UNESCO listed.
200 years + old Kali temple, just 1 kms Mall road, Museums are also worth paying visit to.
For fast paced tourists, 2-3 days in Shimla is good enough.
Season: Summers, white winters are peak seasons, besides any long weekend. Things can get 2-3 times costlier.
Accessibility: Hours from Chandigarh, Overnight from Delhi by road. ISBT , some 7 kms from Mall road is the main bus stand. Narrow gauge train connects with Kalka, which in turn is connected with major cities of India by express trains (broad gauge).
Own car is best way to get around Shimla, although parking can be a big issue. Public buses, day rent cabs are other options. 1 day tour (Kufri, Jakhu temple, city tour) costed us Rs 2500 in Swift Desire.
Stay: Being a city, all sort of options from budget to 5-7 star. I preferred to stay walking distance from Mall road, so that I can visit it multiple times. Trust me, it was worth and good decision to make. Although one has to be careful in choosing the hotel in Mall road (accessibility is not always clear in google map). During season and long weekends, hotel rates can be 2-3 times.
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Nainital: From Shimla we went to Nainital via Chandigarh. It took almost 4 + 10 hrs by bus. 4 hrs from Shimla to Chandigarh and 10 hrs Chandigarh to Nainital (via Kathgodam). Whole of route was surprisingly 4 lane highway. Volvo buses would stop at Kathgodam and from there, one has to go by Taxi. My whole journey was booked with bus ticket (that’s more convenient, rather than negotiating with taxi driver).
Nainital is also British era hill station, revolving around Naini lake. Most of the places of interest, including hotels, restaurants and shopping is in and around the circumference of the lake.
Things to do: Walk the complete circumference of lake, boating in lake, again Mall road for shopping and eating. Most beautiful part: Temple, Church, Mosque, Gurudwara all in one place, right on the edge of lake. Naini temple is one of the Shakti peeth and can get very crowded on auspicious day.
Nainital is base for Kainchi dham, which got famous because of monk Neem Karoli baba ashram. This small village gets crowded due to pilgrims who believe in Neem Karoli baba. It too has few staying options and is connected by public buses from Nainital bus stand. Do try Pahadi thali (Rs 350) in Annapurna restaurant, walking distance from temple.
Other places are Tallital, Sukhital (Tal means lake) and there are few more. There are many adventure activities (paragliding, zipline etc.). Most tourists cover with Jim Corbett national park or come because of Naini temple and/or Kainchi dham.
Stayin options: Nainital is the main town with lots of options. I preferred to stay near Naini lake. While touring, i realized, best place to stay in actually Bhowali, to cover all places of interest. It is also well connected with Kathgodam.
Accessibility: Kathgodam/Haldwani is bus stop and railway station, which is well connected with major cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Dehradun. Nearest Airport is Pant Nagar airport. Nainital is connected by taxi and local buses with Kathgodam /Haldwani.
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Learnings from my hill visits (Manali, Shimla and Nainital):
- Any British time hill station will have Mall road and it will be the center point of the town.
- Try to get staying options near Mall road, but beware of walking distances (google map can be misleading).
- If coming with personal vehicle, parking issues can be there (unless hotel has it’s own)
- Accidents, landslides, Snow, Rain, breakdown, tourist traffic.. all can result in hours long jam (luckily we did not get any in our week long hill tour)
- Weather can change anytime, thus do carry full body cover wear, even in summer (especially for kids).
- Some research and negotiations needed for taxi tours.
- Carry medical pouch (vomit, headache, stomache, constipation, body ache, cold)
- Did not find any issue in Mobile (mine was Jio) network coverage/ digital payment acceptance.
- People are lovely and are dependent on tourists money. So, be mentally prepare to shell out.
- Ecology is really fragile and our discipline/respect for nature helps to preserve it. But the way things are, we are loosing it out. Sad, but true.
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Delhi: From Nainital, we headed to Delhi by Volvo bus (from Kathgodam). It is overnight journey (9-10 hrs) and road is mostly 4 lane highway, again. Although, have visited Delhi earlier, but this time saw new places, i had not covered earlier:
- National War memorial: again a display of ways how Modiji hacks EVM. Why it was not built all these decades-dear Congress?
- Agrasen ki Baoli: Century old water well, again an example, where which shows how we Indians have forgotten science and civic sense our ancestors knew of and practiced.
- Pallika Bazaar market, in Rajiv Chowk. Copy of all brans will be available.
- Jantar Mantar.
- Chandni Chowk, Gurudwara, India Gate, Red fort (outside).
All above done in 4-5 hours, with Rajiv Chowk metro/Chandni Chowk being the center point. Now, won’t write much on Delhi.
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That was my 2024 Summer holiday vacation. Thanks for reading. Be a respectful, responsible, explorative tourist (not an exploitative one). Respect people, culture, language, food, customs, clothing. Do not trash.
Please comment back on your experience of these places. And if you have any questions, write me, will be glad to help to best of my knowledge. Wish you safe journey and exploration.
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