Shimla Manali 2024 travelogue
Shimla Manali 2024
This was my second trip to Manali but since hubby and kid had not seen the place, we planned for it. I had not seen Shimla so thought of adding it. What did I think of about adding Shimla....well read on to find out. We generally use Veena world tour as a guideline for planning. However, please note that their tours are solid action packed and if you want a leisurely tour then be ready to drop few or many things from it. We obviously didn't want to be rushed and we definitely didn't want anyone to give us wake up calls so we went on our own. So here it goes....
Day 1 Pune to Chandigarh 4:10 am flight. We left our house at 11:30 pm or so (and hence counting it as a day) spent the night at the airport. Btw, this was the only direct flight available to Chandigarh. All others have a stop either at Delhi or Jaipur. So its your choice on what you want - direct flight with bad timings or a 1 stop flight with suitable timings.
Day 2 - reached Chandigarh at around 6:30am (2+ hours flight), had an amazing brownie and tea at Chaiwala (that's the name of the stall) - a tea stall inside the airport arrival area and yes, it didn't cost a bomb. Our driver was waiting for us dot on time. This cab service was recommended by a friend who has used it frequently and I sincerely thank her for giving us a very reliable and safe guy to drive us around. He was acting as our guide too. We had breakfast at some highway place ahead of Parwanoo. We reached Simla by 12:30.
My kid said that scenery enroute was similar to Sahyadris (in the monsoon) just more greener and he wasn't wrong. We had lunch at our hotel. Hotel had a beautiful view of a valley filled with deodar trees. It was quite chilly that day. Around 4pm, we went for some local sightseeing. We went up the lift to mall road and did some shopping. Missed the chance of going to Jhaku temple because the last ropeway cable car was at 5/6....yes that's the answer we got at the ticket counter (so no idea if it was 5 or 6 or somewhere in between) and we had reached that counter at 4:45. So if it's 5 then might have to come back in the same downward journey of that same cable car. Well we got similar answer on second enquiry, so didn't take a chance. Mall road is fun for shoppers. My favourite brand of winter jackets "Fuel" had it's company showroom called Knits here so I happily treated myself to an overcoat style jacket. Just FYI for my shopper friends, this company shop is available in Shimla, Nainital, Mussoorie and Dehradun and offer exquisite European style jackets. Purchased a sweater for my kid from a local shop plus a beanie. After some snacks and chai we returned to our amazing hotel, rather BnB called The Bodhi tree. Clean, neat rooms and linen, nice hot water and a view to die for. Food is also very good. We had a local dish called Rehru which I can loosely call a HImachali kadhi and it was yum. Do try. I recommend this place. Just one downside, there was nothing nearby for our driver to eat. He had to travel further away for food. However he never told this to us while in Shimla. Our driver pretty well knows the entire North India and Shimla Manali were not exception and we were dependant on him for local inputs. The hotel offers parking. The temperature in Shimla that day was close to 10 or less than 10 degrees that day. However the next day was not cold.
Day 3- Today we went to Kufri. The entire road is green. Kufri has a lot of adventure sports like zip line, rapelling etc. However we are not an adventurous family and although I am an exception, I have already done most of the adventure sports. Only remaining on my bucket list is sky diving. The driver stopped us at a place where all of this were offered but as I said we only chose what we wanted. You can book at these early places or go to that spot and then pay. Both options are available. We took a horse ride to the top which was approx. 20 min one way. On the top you can take photos sitting on yaks, with angora rabbits etc. There are lots of games for kids like rifle shooting, archery etc. Further ahead you can go to step farms and apple orchards. We didn't go there. The place has many shops mostly woolen wear and food. We had some yummy maggi and tea and started our downward horse ride. This is more of an adventure considering the road is full of pebbles and rocks, very narrow and steep. You will be advised how to weight shift so as to remain on the horse. LOL. Back to Shimla, we went to Lakkad bazaar and purchased some items for gifting. Note that Shimla is based on multiple levels of the mountain so you need to keep climbing up and down. So lakkad bazaar is located one level up and you have to climb up. There are a lot of things you can buy as gifts but my brain didn't work on the spot and in hindsight, I feel I could have purchased a lot more as gifts. The wooden containers like casseroles and dry fruit containers or masala dabba were really beautiful but then since I use a dishwasher, I now buy only dishwasher specific items but good as a gift to someone who can use because quality, finish and carving was excellent. The wind chimes were amazing and in hindsight I needed one. I feel nowadays, everyone has everything and buying gifts is a difficult thing. You can't carry bigger size things with you due to luggage restriction and small things can be unnecessary. Back at the hotel room, we saw an amazing sunset right from our bed and Eid ka chand since it was Eid time.
In a nutshell - Overall there aren't many things to do in Shimla. Frankly I wasn't interested in the standard sightseeing like the church. I missed "The Ridge" somehow and dont know how much of a loss it was. You can easily skip Shimla if you like or be very specific on what exactly you are interested in. As I said earlier, in Shimla you need to walk up and down because that's how the city is located and although the corporation has a lift facility, you have to spend some extra minutes buying the ticket and for also for space in the lift. You also need to walk to the lift if your driver cannot find a place to drop you off near the lift. It is a crowded place. On the other hand, Manali is more flat. If you skip Shimla, I have another recommendation in it's place so keep reading on.
Day 4- Today we started for Manali. The way is filled with hair pin bends and that took a toll on my kid who has motion sickness. Somehow even the medication given before starting the journey did not work for him. I was worried because you are in the middle of nowhere and going forward is the only way out. Thankfully he felt better after few hours aani aamcha jeev bhandyat padla. If your child too has motion sickness skip Shimla and go directly to Manali because the road from Chandigarh is straighter and its a bigger highway.
On our way, we saw the Sundernagar lake and the Pandoh dam. There is so much road and tunnel work happening in Himachal that the place bears no resemblance to my memories of Manali 20 years ago. We took a chai stop at some roadside dhaba which had a river as it's backdoor neighbour. Although Shimla was so cold, our travel to Manali was a totally sunny day. It was hot.
We took a stop at Kullu at Vimla wools outlet. Kullu has a lot of shawl factories and you can buy some good woolen stuff here. All the things purchased here were used by us so I can say that the quality is really good. Finally, we reached Manali around 8:30 pm. We generally used to leave hotel room after breakfast which in most case was 9-9:30. It took us quite a longer time than usual because of our frequent stops due to my kids health. That is the entire reason why we didn't go with a tour operator. Our life was so much easier because we were on our own. The car was an Ertiga so its spacious. My kid could sleep in it, we could stop when we wanted and where we wanted. We made decisions on the go.
When we reached Manali at night, it was super cold unlike the hot day temperature. Our hotel was very average and not a recommendation and hence not mentioning it here. We were located on Hidimba temple road.
Day 5- Today we did local sightseeing. First stop obviously Hidimba temple and Ghatotkach temple. Here the atmosphere is quite festive. You can wear local outfits and click photos. You can click photos with angora rabbits. One Rajasthani guy was playing a traditional instrument called Ravanahatha, super melodious but I think he knew only one song "ud jaa kale Kawa..." The place was brimming with people and had a long queue for darshan. We took darshan from far. Ghatotkach mandir is an open mandir below a tree so there are no queues here, so do visit. Its just a 2 min walk from Hidimba.
Next stop was Club house. This is a HP government shopping plaza. Nearby you can do adventure activities like river crossing and zipline. We had an amazing lunch at German bakery just outside club house and although club house is not recommended, I totally recommend German bakery. Apart from bakery items, you get full fledged lunch menu and of course food is yummy. I repeat, Club house is a total disaster. Waste of time and energy.
We then went to the best place in Manali..... Beas river. Wow. I loved this place 20 years back and I equally love it this time. I can spend hours by the river side with my feet soaking in the icy cold waters of the Beas. In fact I love the river side so much that I wanted to go there each day so yes its my personal favourite. The riverside has changed drastically - man made as well as by nature. There is so much "new" road work going on by the river side and secondly, last year there was so much water which came down from the mountains that the road was swept off, so the repair work adds to it. It was my son's first time and he was thoroughly enjoying playing in the water and collecting stones. Unfortunately, this time (ie 20 years later on my second visit to Manali), I found very less stones with mica. Manali has stones which contain mica, so next time you see a very shiny stone in Manali, you are looking at Mica. Rub your palm briskly and the mica will stick to your palm adding a natural shimmer on your skin. Maybe I did not look at the correct places.
Our next stop was Vasishta mandir. The temple has been recently renovated. I love this temple because of a personal connection with it. I belong to the same gotra, so in a way it's my ancestors temple. Luckily that evening, the temple had arranged dinner for girls belonging to this gotra who have married into another gotra. This is done on the eve of the janmadin of Guru Vasishta i.e. Chaitra shashthi (3 days after Gudhi padwa). The temple was being decorated for the occasion. It is located in such serene surroundings, beautiful snow covered mountain peaks. The carvings on the temple are awesome. Next to it is a Ram temple and Shiv temple. Also next to the temple are hot water springs.
After darshan, we strolled on the street which has lots of shops and tapri restaurants. Kiddo is currently collecting state animal of every state. So went looking for a mountain leopard either in wood or metal. We found it in a tibetan shop. We then had a local dish called siddu. It was good and I will recommend it. We called it a day after this.
Day 6 - Today we planned for Solang, snow point and Atal tunnel. Solang valley is an open area with mountains surrounding it and a ropeway. Go here for paragliding. We had planned to stop here on our way back. Snow point is a place where you find snow all 12 months of the year (note - it is not fresh snow and is quite dirty). This is much before Rohtang pass. Rohtang pass is open only for a specific period of time so not many people get to go there. Atal tunnel is the latest attraction. We got ourselves suitable snow clothes and boots on rent in Manali itself. We did our bookings for ATV ride, skiing and tube ride in the same shop. There must be a 1000 shops which are govt registered who do this booking. All the mentioned sports are carried out on the other side of Atal tunnel.
So reiterating, our plan was to stop at Solang on our way back and first stop was supposed to be Atal tunnel and the adventure sports. There was a landslide much ahead of Solang on the way to Rohtang and hence we got caught in a major traffic jam. We reached Atal tunnel post 2 pm. The place is a must see for its natural beauty. There was fresh snowfall two days back and hence we could see white snow as against the dirty black snow before the tunnel. Once you cross the tunnel, you actually enter the Lahaul-Spiti area. It was freezing cold. We first had lunch at a cafe which was badly managed taking a lot of time for simple orders. The reason everyone was choosing this cafe was clean washrooms. Be ready for a queue. Dont underestimate the time in that queue. The place was packed with tourists. Finally we went for our adventure rides after 4pm or so. By the time we were done with it, it started raining and ice particles started hitting our face. It was like God was throwing crushed ice on us, just the orange or cola flavour was missing. Ice Gola ban jaata tha LOL. It was time to head back. It must have been past 6 pm easily but I didn't check the time. No time to check the time. I didn't even want to leave the place. There was so much left to be admired. There was rive flowing behind this adventure area, wahan to gaye bhi nahi.
Now for my recommendation instead of Shimla. You can go to a place called Sisu lake which is located after Atal tunnel. I can only imagine it's beauty. The place we had gone was so very beautiful and I heard Sisu is way more beautiful than that. I have heard that there are hotels available to stay but please do some research before going. Remember, this is Spiti area which we are talking about and it is a high altitude place so you may have to read on that too.
Due to traffic jam even on our way back, we were left with no time to stop at Solang for paragliding. We also wanted to pick Pine cones. This is not really the season for it but we had spotted a place where we could pick them. However the rain too had become heavy and we just decided to head straight back to the hotel. Also, in Himachal, although you have a dedicated vehicle at your disposal, doesn't mean you can stop wherever you want. The roads are so narrow that when you stop, you can cause a jam.
Atal tunnel is a must visit, totally recommended. People, just because we lost a lot of time in traffic jam doesn't mean you too will encounter the same. The effort is worth it. Full marks to the natural beauty. The sports is just a side dish.
On our way back we stopped for some steaming hot momos and tea, and they were awesome. The rain was full on. As per our driver, the mountain peaks had snowfall. He mentioned that if you see the peak covered with what seems like a cloud then it is snowing there. Well you have to see it to differentiate it.
Guys, I am recommending our driver too. If you are planning for a trip to any part of North India, any state right up to Ladakh, you can hire him. He drives safely and is reliable. I can give you his contact details.
Day 7 - The rains from yesterday had not stopped and had no signs of stopping. Today we had planned on Naggar castle, Knoi waterfall and Sajla Vishnu temple and waterfall. We dropped Sajla all together because of the rains. The Sajla waterfall is a small trek from the main road and we had no plans to walk in the rain. The way to Naggar is full of apple orchards. The plants were in full bloom making it picture perfect. This is not the apple season. We had a good time taking photographs. We saw many traditional houses on the way. It is now difficult to spot traditional architecture in Manali. Traditional houses have roofs made of slate rocks which are thinly cut. The house has a plinth which is around 2 feet tall made of stones and wooden beams. The rest of the house is made of wood or combination based on the financial strength of the person. Most of these houses store wood in one area (for fire). I did see few of these traditional houses in the Vasishta mandir area too.
The Knoi waterfall is visible from the road itself. You can obviously go there and spend time if you want but for us it was raining heavily so we did not go near the waterfall and took a photo stop from the road itself.
Naggar castle houses an art gallery....bullshit. Don't fall for it, there is a tiny room which has a small village setup. If you are traveling for that, then don't go. The castle itself is a beautiful piece of traditional architecture and sculpture, very tastefully done and was /is still the residence of the king of Kullu. It now has a hotel and a fine dining restaurant. The food is really good and if you are visiting you can try it. There are lot of tiny restaurants/tapris outside the castle too so it's your choice. The view from the castle is really good. You can spend a lot time admiring the sculptures in wood and also the view from the castle.
Today, we only did half day sightseeing and returned to the hotel to relax and to do packing because next day was our return journey to Pune. We missed visiting Manikaran sahib gurudwara. This is in a totally different direction towards Kasol but we had put it in our plan. The road to Manikaran generally has traffic issues. There are hot springs in Manikaran too. We couldn't squeeze it in our itinerary although it was part of our initial plan because we didn't want the kid to again face motion sickness because of the winding road and secondly, we had a flight to catch and it was a risk with the traffic. Our decision proved correct since we heard there was a 4 hour jam that day.
Once we entered the border of Punjab, we took a quick stop for lassi. It was on my bucket list to have lassi in Punjab. It was good but frankly, we do get that kind of lassi even here. I don't recall where in Pune I had that lassi. Chandigarh has a defence airport but it is very tastefully done and it's huge. Also compared to Pune, there were very few travellers. So that's all folks. We enjoyed our time in Manali thoroughly. So long Manali, until next time.
Himalayas keep calling me but my kid said "No more mountains". Looks like I may have to do some solo trips :) Anyone wants to join me?
Labels: Travel
posted by Anagha @ 6:42 AM
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