Plan an amazing family trip to Himachal Pradesh.. BestTrips

Well,hello everyone. I always wanted to sponsor an entire trip for my parents and of course how can I forget my little brother! So I chose the destination to be the "Devbhoomi Himachal" for our one week long family trip. Situated in the Western Himlayas ,it is one of the eleven mountain states offering spellbound landscapes.

Day 1

Dalhousie

Day 1:

On our Day 1 ,we started from Amritsar to Dalhousie ,the famous hill station in himachal.we hired a private taxi for our trip from Amritsar and it took us around 6 hours to reach there.Do not trust the time provided by Google maps since this is hilly area always consider 1-2 hours extra than estimated by Google maps.

Our first stop was khajjar -The mini " Switzerland of India" which is about 24 km from Dalhousie.

It's a magical place with a lake in the middle surrounded with cedar forest. There are many adventurous and fun activities like paragliding,zorbing etc. available for both children and adults. And even if you are not into this, you can take a horse ride along side the beautiful trees or take photos with the cute little rabbits for just rs.10. You should definitely try the roadside chaat and bhutta.

Our second stop was - Kalatop wildlife sanctuary

Entry fee rs. 50 per person.

Here you have to be careful of the people who will try to thug you by saying that only their vehicles can go inside the sanctuary .But trust me, you can take your own vehicle and save your rs.1000 for just 20 min ride .

But be confident that your driver is skilled enough to take those steep turns.

It took us around 30 min to reach there. You can also trek there if you have 4-5 hours. It's a beautiful trail. We saw some school kids trekking to the main point.

It's a very dense forest .You can spot animals if you are lucky. There is a camping site as well if you want to stay.

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sonali

Day 2

On Day 2, We left at 9.00 AM for pachpulla. It is a place where Five streams come together to form a waterfall. It is a picnic spot with some adventurous activities like zip lining . Since we visited at the end of summer , there was not much water at waterfall.Though the natural beauty of this place is amazing.

Photo of Plan an amazing family trip to Himachal Pradesh.. #BestTrips by Sonali

Then we left for mcleodganj, the Home of Dalai Lama. It is the base village for famous Triund Trek. It took around 4 hours to reach there. We visited the famous Dalai lama temple ,Dal lake and the awesome view of Dhauladhar Moutain Range from the famous Naddi view point. We couldn't visit the Tibetian museum as it was closed before we reached.

Day 3

In the morning , After having breakfast we visited famous Bhagsu Naag Temple and waterfall. Bhagsu waterfall is 40 min hike from the temple .

Later we visited the War Memorial at Dharamshala.It is near to HPCA stadium. It commemorates the memory of war heroes who fought bravely for their mother land and sacrificed their lives in its defense. It has the map of India beautifully created in it.

After having lunch, we left for Manali at 3.30 PM. With the heavy traffic and the construction work going on for the Tunnel, we reached Manali at 12.30 AM in the night.

Day 4

Manali , you have my heart!! Offering the awesome views of both Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges, Lush green forests,gushing blue streams and a persistent fragrance of pines and freshness-Manali is blessed with extraordinary scenic beauty.

It serves as a base camp to many beautiful treks like Hamta Pass, Chander Taal, Punjal Pass and many more. It also serves as the first stop to the riders heading to Leh & Ladakh and Spiti valley.

We stayed near the Vashisht temple.I absolutely loved the view from our home stay at Vashisht.The Host Bablu uncle was so caring and kind, he made us feel at home all the time. The food specially the Aloo Parathas made by Aunty were the best.

If you want to get away from the crowd in the main city,I suggest you to stay near Vashisht or old manali . Also the accommodation is quite cheaper here than the main city.

On our first day at Manali ,we drove to solang valley.The drive to solang valley is as picturesque as the valley itself. Solang Valley offers the breathtaking views of surrounding landscape.It is popular skiing destination in winter . In summers , it turns into a paragliding heaven. to reach to the top, there are two options -horse riding or motorbike . I suggest , to go for horse riding as the motorbike cannot go to the zero point.Also make sure to hold your end of bargain, as the prices told are actually the double of the actual amount.

We visited the Hidimba Temple -It is an ancient cave temple built in 1553 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh ,dedicated to Devi Hidimba ,wife of Bhima, a prominent figure in the epic Mahabharata.

The Mall road has its charm over the tourists all the time . Just take a stroll ,have your favourite street food and perfect destination for shopping. Also you can find the cab for rohtang pass here near the permit booking office .You need to book it a day before ,as limited vehicles are allowed per day. The cost of an i10 car for four people will be around rs.7000.If you are solo traveller , you can book the shared cab for almost rs.1800 per person.

Day 5

On Day 5, We left at around 4.00 AM in the morning for rohtang pass. I suggest you should leave early considering the heavy traffic jam on the road to rohtang pass.

Well , the journey was mesmerizing with the views of snow cladded Mountains and the waterfalls .It's the most beautiful place I have have ever been to. You just fall in love with the amazing view it has to offer.

We were freezing as temperature was -6 degrees . You cannot stay here for more than half an hour. A trip to rohtang will take half of day if you leave early in the morning.Otherwise you will be stuck in endless traffic jam as the road condition is not good.

In the Afternoon, we visited the famous Vasishtha temple . It is famous for the hot water spring which is considered to have medicinal properties.

Jogini waterfall was near to our home stay ,so we decided to hike there . It takes almost 1-2 hours to reach at the top.Don't trust the google maps as it says 20 minutes. We couldn't go to top as it started getting dark but we hiked till the Jogini Mata Temple. In route to the waterfall , there is zip lininig route . You should definitely try this. It will cost rs 300 per person.

Day 6

It was all about the adventure - yes , River rafting and paragliding at Kullu Valley. River rafting was one hell of a experience , I would definitely recommend . As for the price , you need to bargain a lot as the prices are told 3- times higher than actual price. Paragliding cost for one person will be around rs 2000.

In route to Manikaran, we passed by the beautiful Kasol situated on the banks of parvati river.

Manikaran is a pilgrim centre for Hindus and Sikhs. It is famous for the hot water springs. The water is so hot that rice can be cooked in it. There are temples of Hindu deities Shiva,Rama,Krishna and Vishnu and a gurudwara.

Day 7

According to my opinion, Shimla is too crowded and commercialized. So if you want ,you can skip this one.

We visited the Jakhoo Temple - An ancient temple dedicated to lord Hanuman situated on the Jakhoo hill , shimla's highest peak. According to Ramayana, Hanuman stopped here to rest while searching for the Sanjivani Booti to revive Lakshmana.There is a huge statue of lord Hanuman (108 feet ) which can be seen easily from all around the Shimla. The place is quiet and has some awesome views to offer. Also be aware of the Monkeys.

You can reach here by a cab or by rope way from the Ridge. If you are here , You should definitely take a stroll along the Ridge .You can also go for Horse riding.Definitely try your hand at bargaining on mall road.