Some trips are very close to your heart and this trip is one of those. My husband took me on a surprise trip to Shimla in December 2018. We took a Volvo from Mandi House, New Delhi and it took us 9 hours to reach Shimla.
Mind you most of hotels are on Mall road and you have to take an elevator to reach there and this elevator is operational from 9:30 am to 10 at night. Unfortunately we arrived in Shimla at 7 in the morning. We hired a coolie and walked (or I must say trekked) to mall road. It was exhausting i must say and I realised how low stamina I have.
We checked in Bridgeview Regency at 12 pm, we settled down in our suite which had a spectacular view. The hotel is decent and has nice rooms though I must say it lacks lot of basic amenities.
We decided to take stroll at mall road and ridge. Shimla is one of the very cleanest hill stations that I have visited. The church on ridge is pretty and has peaceful vibe.
Day 2: Naldhera, Fagu Vally and Kufri
It was my birthday yay! Our trip to Naldhera, Fagu Vally and Kufri were pre-booked. A normal AC bus can cover your entire day. For breakfast we visited a small and cosy cafe called “Hide Out“. They serve amazing sandwiches, pies and coffee.
Our guide advised us to ride on ponies for Naldhera Trek but I and my husband preferred to trek. It is 4.5 hours trek and has Asia’s oldest golf course. It was a moderate trek considering difficulty level. We walked slowly syncing in natural beauty that surrounded us, taking breaks and relaxing through trek. By the time we finished trek it was lunch time and we ate at a small restaurant nearby.
Our next stop was Fagu Valley and it was covered with snow. I love snow especially playing with it. On our way we also saw Green Valley which was covered with lush green pine trees.
Our last stop was Kufri, it has a zoo and Chini bungalow. The bungalow has been transformed into a restaurant now. There is nothing to see in zoo except for a leopard and bear.
The birthday lunch was at Cafe Shimla Times. We enjoyed live music along with wide variety of drinks and grilled food. Food was fantastic and delicious. It was best birthday ever!
Day 3: Shimla to Manali
Ok, so this was not part of plan we just made an instant decision to extend our trip. It takes 10 hours to reach Manali from Shimla by a bus. We were stuck in traffic several times as the route is under construction.
Never the less we reached Manali at 7 in evening and just crashed at hotel for 2 hours. We booked a room through OYO Rooms so it was a small, intimate wooden room. Mind you Manali was freezing the temperature was -9 degrees Celsius. We just took a stroll at Manali market for an hour enjoying street food like hot momos and tikkis. We got our dinner packed from Sher-e-Punjab.
Day 4: Exploring Manali
So we skipped Solong Valley because we had a Volvo to catch in evening for Delhi. In fact we decided to explore Kullu instead. This tour included rafting and paragliding too, we skipped rafting as it was freezing.
Next stop was Hidimba Devi , it had 7 floors and view from top was breathtaking.
Our next stop was Dhakpo Shedrupling Monastery; this monastery surrounded by the mighty Himalayan Mountains is located on a hilltop at the Kullu Manali highway. This monastery is not only a picturesque delight but also a very serene place to be at to revive your inner peace. From the chirping of the birds and whispering of the winds from the distant mountains to the prayer chants sung in unison accompanied by cymbels, bells and drums. The aura and feel of this place is so positive and calming to the soul.
After this we headed for Jogini Waterfall. Jogini Falls is quite difficult to reach as it involves dangerous trek but it is worth it. There is a local stall that serves tea and local snack Siddhu (steamed momo but bigger and made from wheat).
Second last stop of our trip was International Roerich Memorial Trust. This place is simply lovely and is extremely well maintained. The gallery of paintings by Nicholas Roerich is interesting. The life of the man is worth knowing about. The institute's activities and its association with a new-born India should fascinate many. The lovely walk up to the Tribal Art Gallery is also great. I would recommend a visit to people who are interested in our immediate past.
Final destination of this magnificent trip was Nagger castle. This is situated on the Manali naggar road. The road to castle form Manali end is very beautiful with Deodhar trees on both sides. The castle once housed the royal Kullu family.
This castle has now been converted to hotel with accommodation facility. This is open for tourists for site seeing as well. Few famous Bollywood films have been shot at this castle. It is fully built in wood and looks classic.
In evening we boarded our Volvo to Delhi. This trip was perfect way to say goodbye to 2018
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