Dalhousie - Khajjiar - Mcleodganj: How I Explored the Best Of Himachal in Rs 3000

Our first stop at Dalhousie was St. John's Church. Located in the middle of lush green landscapes and pine valleys, the church is the main attraction of Dalhousie. It is the oldest Church in Dalhousie and considered to be the most magnificent one. An interesting aspect to this church is the built in library within the church.

We headed towards the mall road of Dalhousie to get some food and shop from the local market. Cafe Dalhousie was our stop for lunch and had some amazing warm Gulab Jamun at the mall road, and let me tell you - they are not be missed. Also, things are available at a very cheap price at Dalhousie mall road. I tried my hands on printed shawls and loved them. They are available for as cheap as 250 bucks. What can you ask for more?

After that, we moved towards Panchpula (meaning - five bridges), at a distance of 3km from Dalhousie, is one of the most beautiful places in Dalhousie. It is a mother stream that flows through various parts of Dalhousie, feeding water to several other water bodies. It can be seen as a picnic spot where you can also find adventure activities like burma bridge, flying fox, boating.

After spending the evening at Panchpula, we came across a place called GanjiPahadi, where we could set up our tents and stay during the night. The name Ganji Pahari literally means bald hill. This is one of the most popular nature walks in Dalhousie and the place offers mesmerizing views of the surrounding snowcapped hills and valleys.

The trekking trail from Panchpula to Ganjipahadi goes through a rugged and uneven route to the top of the hill. This climb is about 3.5 kilometres and offers a beautiful view of the natural landscape that surrounds Ganji Pahari.

Remember:-

1. As there are no shops and hotels found on the trail, it is better to carry food and water for the trek.

2. The climate during the day is quite pleasant. However, it gets freezing after sunset so ensure you carry enough woolens.

We started our trek at around 6 in the evening, and it was getting colder by the passage of every minute. By the time we covered more than half of the trail, we came across a local's house and we requested them to let us stay at their roof. These locals were so humble that they not only allowed us to put our tents on their roofs, provided us with wood for bonfire and blankets since it was freezing at night. We spent the night at their roof gazing stars, enjoyed listening to soft songs and bonfire.

In the morning we started the rest of the trek to Ganjipahadi for witnessing the sunrise. We took another 20 minutes to reach the peak, and found mud houses over there, but no one was staying in those mud houses. We spent an hour or so at the peak and enjoyed the cool and fresh breeze and pleasant weather.

Then we went back to our tents, packed up and had breakfast at the local's house only and we trekked down to Panchpula to fresh start our 2nd day.

After having tea and biscuits at Dainkund peak, we moved towards Khajjiar, a small hill station located in Chamba District. It is often called 'Mini Switzerland' because of the wide grassy areas that meet dense forests of deodar and cedar forests, with cottages dotting them at occasional intervals, lend them an appearance similar to the Swiss countryside.

One should visit this quaint and dreamy place to simply celebrate its existence. Just walk wherever you want, breathe freely, feel the touch of the soft grass or walk as far as your legs take you. Khajjiar is incomplete without its lake, which is known as Khajjiar Lake. It stands right in the middle of the meadows that are surrounded by thick cedar forests. Other adventures activities here include horseback riding and zorbing. We had lunch at khajjiar, also one can shop for souvenir from here.

We have heard about Rang Mahal, as top tourist attraction in Chamba, so decided to visit it but let me tell you, it has been taken over by Himachal Government and you will not find anything here. Instead visit Laxmi narayan temple in Chamba, one of the oldest and largest in Chamba.

After that we headed to Mcleodganj (approx 4.5 hrs from Chamba) while enjoying the scenic views. Spent the night time at the mall road of Mcleodganj experiencing some bakery points with a pinch of shopping. For the night, we headed to a relative's place at Dharamshala.

There’s nothing more exciting than hitting the road with the windows down, volume up and a bunch of friends in tow. There is a whole world out there. Pack your backpack and just go. I am always inspired by -

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Rosalía de Castro

So, here are some tips that made us complete the trip in Rs. 3000 per person:-

1. Accommodation : Instead of booking hotels for stay, we carried our tents and preferred to stay at relative's place. This saved our major expense of accommodation.

2. Food: We tried the local food at the mall road, and dhaba's during the entire journey, that saved a major portion of the expense. You can find mall road at every hill station.

3. Shopping: Try to bargain as much while shopping. I bargained for as low as 50% which the other person quoted at first.

4. Pack properly: Make sure you pack everything that comes to your mind resulting in savings while on trip.

5. Research is the Key: Before heading to any location, read about it. Plan how you will be spending. Go ahead and do whatever works for you.

6. Moving Around: Find out the best way to move around. You can opt for public vehicle. We moved in our personal vehicle and that's where we spent our major amount.