Budget Trip to Dalhousie Snow Trekking & Amritsar from Ahmedabad

Tripoto
4th Jan 2019

Proud to hold Tricolor at Dainkund Peak

Photo of Budget Trip to Dalhousie Snow Trekking & Amritsar from Ahmedabad by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

This was really awaited planned trip since 2017 & finally I could execute in 2019. I'm Backpacker by heart but mind still remains Traveler and I do detail planning for some of my long vacations like this. I had planned this solo but fortunately my few friends shown interest & accompanied me in this trip. This 9 days trip cost (per person for couple / group) includes everything travel expense, food in transit & during stay, leisure, comfortable stay, any local permits etc. except souvenir & personal gifts for family, friends & relatives.

Day 1

We reserved our seats in sleeper coach from Ahmedabad to Pathankot, as it was winter. We also carried some Lunch & Thepla (Gujarati Snack) & other dry snacks which we could eat during train journey as it is about 30 hours. Also bought some more foods on route as we finished all our meal.

3 of 5 reached early at station

Photo of Ahmedabad Railway Station, Sakar Bazzar, Kalupur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Ready to begin Journey

Photo of Ahmedabad Railway Station, Sakar Bazzar, Kalupur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Somnath Express Ahmedabad to Jammu Tawi (Check IRCTC website for details)

Photo of Ahmedabad Railway Station, Sakar Bazzar, Kalupur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Gang of 5 Musketeers😂

Photo of Ahmedabad Railway Station, Sakar Bazzar, Kalupur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Day 2

30 hours not that long when with these people

Photo of Bathinda, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

We reached Pathankot by 5 pm in evening & reached to Dalhousie by Bus around 8 pm. We had booked our Trekking expedition with local group from Dalhousie & our stay started from same night. This cost includes our complete stay along with food till we departed back from Dalhousie.

First Checkpoint @Pathankot Railway Station

Photo of Pathankot, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Day 3

We were lucky to see snowfall when arrived & 3rd day was all set for acclimatization. We did our breakfast & started walking & visiting places in Dalhousie town. Although we were happy but during snowfall trekking is not permitted by local authorities & we were informed incase it won't stop then we may had to skip some trek peaks. That was season's 3rd snowfall. But fortunately by end of day it stopped we were excited for the trek on next day.

(In case you are not carrying snow trekking shoes, ponchos, gloves or any other belongings you can rent at very cheaper rates & return back in approx. Rs. 300.00

In case of damage, you would be asked to pay)

Favorite Selfie of Entire Trip

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Early morning view from Hotel

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Main Chowk in Town

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

During Snowfall

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gandhi Chowk, Moti Tiba, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gandhi Chowk, Moti Tiba, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gandhi Chowk, Moti Tiba, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gandhi Chowk, Moti Tiba, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gandhi Chowk, Moti Tiba, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Subhash Chowk, Moti Tiba, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Subhash Chowk, Moti Tiba, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Subhash Chowk, Moti Tiba, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Day 4

After we settled our body in -1°C from 38°C, we were ready to begin our trek toward Kalatop from our base Dalhousie. The exciting part of this trekking was, our group got the chance to open the Route after heavy snow fall. We geared up with water bottles & lunch packs. We reached Kalatop by evening & atmosphere was too windy & cold in snow lowered to -4°C that night.

View from route

Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Kalatop camp was somwhere behind this mountain range

Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Milestone of Kalatop

Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Views on route

Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Route to Kalatop

Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

With Buddy 🐕

Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Walk through snow streets towards Kalatop peak

Photo of Kalatop, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Preparation of campfire

Photo of Kalatop Campsite, Dalhousie Khajjiar Rd, Lakadmandi, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Bonfire in -4°C

Photo of Kalatop Campsite, Dalhousie Khajjiar Rd, Lakadmandi, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Day 5

After freezing at night in -4°C, next day we were about to trek another peak of Dainkund highest peak in the region. We started trekking by 9 am & opening the route, reached at highest peak about 9600 feet.

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

View from Dainkund

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Opening route in woods

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

This is trekking group going uphills & opening the route

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Going through 3 feet snow

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Dainkund Peak @9600 Feet where we reached after Trekking

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

View from Peak

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

When I Finally got this Badge of Climber 😎

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

🌲🌲🌲🌲

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Tiny Snowman ☃️

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Wooden houses completely covered in heavy snowfall

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Wildlife signs 🐦🌲

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

With Indian Flag on Dainkund Peak 😎

Photo of Dainkund Peak, Rakhed, Himachal Pradesh by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

By evening we returned to Kalatop Camp & stayed for night. Early Morning we trekked down to Dalhousie Base Camp.

Day 6

We started getting down early morning & reached base camp by afternoon. We got our lunch & moved to Pathankot by bus.

Downside view from Kalatop

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

In between from woods

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Returning to Dalhousie by Road, still covered with 1 feet snow

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Dalhousie town

Photo of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

We left base camp & reached Pathankot by evening as our plan was to check in Amritsar before mid-night.

We got the bus from Pathankot & reached Amritsar by 9 pm. We checked in to our pre-booked hotel & got left for the dinner.

We dined at Fauji Dhaba- one well known restaurant in Amritsar & roamed in town till mid-night.

Photo of Fauji Dhaba, INA Colony, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Day 7

For entire next day, we had already hired taxi for sightseeing. We began our day visiting Jallianwala Bagh.

Location of Shootout

Photo of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, Jallan Wala Bagh, Valtoha, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Martyrs' Well 🙏

Photo of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, Jallan Wala Bagh, Valtoha, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Bullet marks o walls

Photo of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, Jallan Wala Bagh, Valtoha, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Bullet marks on walls

Photo of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, Jallan Wala Bagh, Valtoha, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Jallianwala Bagh

Photo of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, Jallan Wala Bagh, Valtoha, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, Jallan Wala Bagh, Valtoha, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, Jallan Wala Bagh, Valtoha, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Then we went to Golden Temple. It's near by Jallianwala Bagh about 5 mins walking. This place has something magical vibes. You'll feel peace inside your soul. We spent about 3 hours just sitting & listening Raagis singing verses of Guru Granth Sahib. Then we had our lunch at Langar (a community place where free food is provided irrespective of caste, age, gender or wealth position) & left for another tourist attraction of Amritsar.

Golden Temple 🙏

Photo of Amritsar Golden Temple, Golden Temple Road, Atta Mandi, Katra Ahluwalia, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Amritsar Golden Temple, Golden Temple Road, Atta Mandi, Katra Ahluwalia, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Amritsar Golden Temple, Golden Temple Road, Atta Mandi, Katra Ahluwalia, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Amritsar Golden Temple, Golden Temple Road, Atta Mandi, Katra Ahluwalia, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Amritsar Golden Temple, Golden Temple Road, Atta Mandi, Katra Ahluwalia, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

After lunch, we reached to Gobindgarh Fort & enjoyed 7D show of explaining history of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Sher-e-Punjab, "Lion of Punjab")

Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Jail

Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Man with Traditional

Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Warrior pose 😅😅

Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Sipahi

Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Gobindgarh Fort, inside Lohgarh Chowk, Vijay Chowk, Amritsar, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

By evening we reached to one of the biggest attraction in Amritsar i.e. Attari-Wagah border ceremony, lowering the Flags performed by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers near the border gate for 2 hours. Watching this ceremony before sunset is formidable.

Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)
Photo of Attari Wagah JCP Stadium, Attari, Punjab, India by Pratik Shah (Dhannu)

Later evening, we kept vacant for relaxation & settling our expense of the trip.. hahaha 😂😂 Yes also we went to local market in Amritsar for Souvenir and Gifts for Family. After all that's our Indian Tradition. 😂😂

Day 8

Next day, we left towards Jalandhar by bus from where we had booked our return train to Ahmedabad. We reached by 11 am & got our train in afternoon to home.

Here below is the Summary of all our expenses per person.

Day 1:

Train Ahmedabad to Pathankot: Rs. 500

Extra food in journey: Rs. 200

Day 2:

Bus Pathankot to Dalhousie: Rs. 120

Trekking Expedition: Rs. 4500

Day 3:

Alcohol / Liquor: Rs. 300

Rent of Trekking accessories: Rs. 150 (I already have some of my personal trekking belongings available with me)

Day 4 & 5:

Some food & cold drinks during Trek: Rs. 120

From Day 3 to Day 6 all other food & stay expenses covered in Trekking Expedition.

Day 6:

Bus Dalhousie to Pathankot: Rs. 120

Bus Pathankot to Amritsar: Rs. 150

Hotel (2N/2D): Rs. 850 (3 rooms shared by 5 person)

Dinner & liquor: Rs. 450

Day 7:

Taxi: Rs. 300 (Shared by 5 friends)

7D show & other amusement in Gobindgarh Fort: Rs. 700

Dinner: Rs. 400

Day 8:

Bus Amritsar to Jalandhar: Rs. 60

Train Jalandhar to Ahmedabad: Rs. 500

Food in train journey: Rs. 300

Day 9:

Food in train journey: Rs. 200

Total Expense: Rs. 9,920.00

Day 9

We reached Ahmedabad by evening & our journey ended. I hope that this itinerary will help to plan your own journey.

Please note that this mentioned expense is kept minimum considering advance booking from 4-5 months and as per our comfortableness, luxury and availability. This may differ based n your inclusion or exclusion of activity & location. In case if you would like to know more detail experience & other do's don'ts, please feel free to connect with me on mentioned contact details. Thank you for reading this Trip's Experience.

Related to this article
Weekend Getaways from Dalhousie,Places to Visit in Dalhousie,Places to Stay in Dalhousie,Things to Do in Dalhousie,Dalhousie Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Khajjiar,Places to Visit in Khajjiar,Places to Stay in Khajjiar,Things to Do in Khajjiar,Khajjiar Travel Guide,Places to Stay in Kalatop,Things to Do in Kalatop,Kalatop Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Kalatop,Places to Visit in Kalatop,Weekend Getaways from Ahmedabad,Places to Visit in Ahmedabad,Places to Stay in Ahmedabad,Things to Do in Ahmedabad,Ahmedabad Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Pathankot,Places to Visit in Pathankot,Places to Stay in Pathankot,Things to Do in Pathankot,Pathankot Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Amritsar,Places to Visit in Amritsar,Places to Stay in Amritsar,Things to Do in Amritsar,Amritsar Travel Guide,Places to Stay in Jalandhar,Places to Visit in Jalandhar,Things to Do in Jalandhar,Jalandhar Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Jalandhar,Places to Stay in Attari,Things to Do in Attari,Attari Travel Guide,Things to Do in India,Places to Stay in India,Places to Visit in India,India Travel Guide,Places to Visit in Gujarat,Places to Stay in Gujarat,Things to Do in Gujarat,Gujarat Travel Guide,Places to Stay in Punjab,Places to Visit in Punjab,Things to Do in Punjab,Punjab Travel Guide,Places to Visit in Punjab,Places to Stay in Punjab,Things to Do in Punjab,Punjab Travel Guide,Places to Visit in Himachal pradesh,Places to Stay in Himachal pradesh,Things to Do in Himachal pradesh,Himachal pradesh Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Ahmedabad,Places to Visit in Ahmedabad,Places to Stay in Ahmedabad,Things to Do in Ahmedabad,Ahmedabad Travel Guide,Places to Visit in Gujarat,Places to Stay in Gujarat,Things to Do in Gujarat,Gujarat Travel Guide,Things to Do in India,Places to Stay in India,Places to Visit in India,India Travel Guide,Places to Stay in Punjab,Places to Visit in Punjab,Things to Do in Punjab,Punjab Travel Guide,Places to Visit in Punjab,Places to Stay in Punjab,Things to Do in Punjab,Punjab Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Pathankot,Places to Visit in Pathankot,Places to Stay in Pathankot,Things to Do in Pathankot,Pathankot Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Dalhousie,Places to Visit in Dalhousie,Places to Stay in Dalhousie,Things to Do in Dalhousie,Dalhousie Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Chamba,Places to Visit in Chamba,Places to Stay in Chamba,Things to Do in Chamba,Chamba Travel Guide,Places to Visit in Himachal pradesh,Places to Stay in Himachal pradesh,Things to Do in Himachal pradesh,Himachal pradesh Travel Guide,Places to Stay in Kalatop,Things to Do in Kalatop,Kalatop Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Kalatop,Places to Visit in Kalatop,Weekend Getaways from Amritsar,Places to Visit in Amritsar,Places to Stay in Amritsar,Things to Do in Amritsar,Amritsar Travel Guide,Places to Stay in Attari,Things to Do in Attari,Attari Travel Guide,Places to Stay in Jalandhar,Places to Visit in Jalandhar,Things to Do in Jalandhar,Jalandhar Travel Guide,Weekend Getaways from Jalandhar,