Barot Valley - Himachal Pradesh

 

A project of the 1920s for Shanan Hydel Project is now a traveler point in Mandi district of an Indian state Himachal Pradesh. The place is currently known as the Barot Valley, is a beautiful green place for tourism.  The small town is an amazing picnic spot and is blessed with a thick forest of deodar. There are two beautiful rivers full of trout fishes, makes this place extremely beautiful. There is a government trout breeding center at Barot along with other private centers from where fishes are released into the Uhl and there is a 30 km section of the river which is excellent for anglings anyone can grab fishes for themselves by fishing rod and start angling.

Besides this, Barot is a prevalent backpacker and daytime sightseer destination. Numerous trekking tracks surpass through Barot, including trails to Bada Bhangal, Manali, and Kullu. Most of the day, tourists are captured by the serene environment and affordable accessible of a lodging house. The valley is likewise developing into an angling destination. The Uhl river supports trout breeding and Barot has a few fish farms. Barot also draws up the entryway to the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary which lies cross-ways the Uhl. The sanctuary is home to the monal, black bear, and ghoral. Within it are forest rest house s at Thaltuckhod and Silbandhwari. Through woods of cedar and pine, a trek route cuts across the sanctuary to Kullu.

Climate:

Weather of Barot is very pleasant throughout the year especially summer which is cool, winter is very cold and heavy woolen clothes are required, temperature varies from -5 degree to 30 degrees over the year. there are moderate to heavy snowfall in winter, summer is the best time to visit and explore Barot, please avoid Rainy season as there might be landslides and cloudbursts in the region.

The Barot Valley tourist’s activities

Travelers in the valley can spend their leisure time by performing various activities

Trekking at Barot Valley- It allows for a large extent of treks, these treks provide the glimpse of the local cultural heritage of Himachal, inhabitants are living their traditionalist life and cheerful with that. The natural heritage which provides a selection for bird and wildlife sighting

along with amazing scenes of snow covered mountains of Himalayas.

Paragliding in the valley- The paragliding, site which is known globally for paragliding world cup of October 2015. Trekkers can trek for 16 km to access paragliding take off point from the Barot valley side. This is allowing for large selection of trekking in tribal villages, enjoy wildlife, camping, Cultural heritage and Paragliding in 2-3 days trekking. Anyone can trek such graceful treks and relish the real color of nature and end up with Paragliding from 2400 meters from sea level (20-40 minutes flight)

Angling in the Barot Valley- This is one of the best leisure activities which make everyone delighted. Uhl watercourse is awash of rainbow Trout fish and Brown Trout fish. Instrumentations are easily accessible here by spending a small amount. But never miss getting permission from fishery department which is easily accessible on the pay of 30 INR to them. The stream leads up from Thamsar Glacier which is 50 km upstream.

Mountain Biking- It is always difficult in mountains to do biking, but Barot valley provide a big prism for mountain biking as the roads are less engaged and several are seldom utilized by vehicles. A visitor can cycle for odd 100 km in the valley for dissimilar route and some trails are really very exciting.

Walking in the village- Here, villagers are very helpful and rich in their culture. The locals are shy for talking first, but once they start can give you every single information about the village tourist attraction points. Farming and tourism are their main source of earning. Walking to the village can help you to know more about the valley, it people and culture too.

Wildlife Sanctuary- Cross-ways the UHL watercourse in the valley is an area of the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary is home of Monals, Black bear, and ghoral. Woods of Oak, Cedar and pine forest all around the valley.

Nearby attractions

Not only Barot Valley but its surrounding areas are also world class tourist attractions. After completing their tour to the valley tourists can also visit some other nearby tourist points such as; Mandi, Devidarh, Parashar Lake, janjehli, Rewalsar Lake, Kamru nag lake and temple. These places have various Budhist, Hindu and sikh temples along with beautiful deep blue lakes, pine woods, various adventures activities and many more. 

Tips to be remember

·       Book the accommodation on a prior basis as the room might not be available due to many visitors or peak season from April to August.

·       During winters there could be the chances of pipes owing to freezing temperature. So, travelers should carry some extra bottles with them.

·       It is mandatory to fully fill the fuel tank as there is not much availability for fuel stations.

·       June is the festival season and tourists can enjoy in this month too.

Distance from Major Places (Approx):

• Delhi To Barot: 455Km
• Chandigarh To Barot: 266 Km
• Manali To Barot: 176 Km
• Shimla To Barot: 230 Km
• Mandi To Barot: 66 KM
• Jogindernagar to Barot: 40 Km
• Palampur To Barot: 114 KM
• Pathankot to Barot: 192 Km

Transportation

By Road- The valley is well connected via road from all major cities. Barot is situated 25 km off NH 20. The diversion to Barot is at a village, Ghatasani, 14 km from Joginder Nagar and 35 km from Mandi. Barot is connected by public transportations from Mandi, Jogindernagar, and Palampur along with regular taxi services, which are also available at reasonable cost. Buses plying to Kozhikode, Bada Gran and Luhardi also pass through Barot.

By Train- The nearest railway station is at Jogindernagar (Narrow Gauge) and Pathankot (Broad Gauge). A haulage trolley of the British times connects Barot to Jogindernagar. This trolley link was set up to facilitate transport of construction material to Barot for a reservoir on Uhl River for Shanan Power House.

By Air- By air from Delhi to Bhunter(Kullu) or Gaggal(Kangra) airport and then by Taxi to Barot, you can easily reach the Barot.

Contributed by Harneet

Narkanda - Himachal Pradesh - A hidden mountain paradise

All exhausted and sickened by the hustle bustle of the city life, me and family in April 2016  after a period of four years since 2012 decided to take a tour of a place that could fill in the lack of internal peace.

After much searching over the internet and deep discussion with our friends and family, we packed our bags to visit Narkanda, a small town located at an altitude of 2,760 meters in the mountainous region of Himachal Pradesh and it took us almost 8-9 hours to reach there from Delhi.

Being a family of travel lovers we prefer driving down to our destination, you, however, may choose to ride in a bus which is available from Delhi/Chandigarh and some other cities onwards costing approximately INR 900 individually. Additionally, you can travel to Shimla (Kalka Railway Station) and then take a toy train at a nominal cost which would charge you around 500 per person, provided you take the most basic form of tickets. I wouldn't recommend flights as they are expensive; roughly costing around 6000 per head also the airport is quite distant from the main town. 

Please note that these rates are from Delhi onwards.

While most of the hotels/motels are located in the market area and in and around the bus stand, We chose to stay the Hathu Valley Homestay a peaceful place not very far from the market run by a very decent and welcoming couple- The Dogras with the help of two very genuine and considerate staff members and of course my favorite- Jojo, their furry, naughty and amiable spitz. I personally recommend you to choose to stay in the Quietus, such as the Tethys Ski Resort (Costing roughly 7,000 per couple for the standard room), Hotel Hathu (INR- 1,800 for the standard room category), Hotel Snowflake (priced approximately 1700 INR for a basic room) or the one where we stayed Hathu Valley Homestay  (room charges-1800 for a suite and 1500 for other rooms), additionally if you're a camping lover Vanyakaksh in the right spot where you should be (charges around 2500 for a double bedded tent).

To our surprise, the place was freezing cold even during the month of April. With the then temperature being around 6/7-degree Celsius to 18/20-degree Celsius which remains the weather condition there during summers. Concerning the winters, the roads are usually blocked post-October, but if you're lucky enough you may get to experience the merriment of skiing in Narkanda valley.

Coming to the places that one can visit I'd suggest the 

- Hathu Peak and Hathu Temple (leave early to avoid traffic, the road is not very broad)

- Narkanda Peak

- KoteshwarMahadev Temple

- Additionally, you may take a drive around the town to admire its scenic beauty and the apple orchards. 

What makes me want to go back is the affection that people welcome us with, by large the people are friendly and take-in visitors with an open heart.

Although we mostly had the wholesome homemade food cooked by Mrs. Dogra, one may opt to eat at any restaurant/dhaba in the marketplace. Some options for you are Shyam Bhojanalaya, make sure to order their Pindi Chana and the New Himalayan Dhaba where I recommend you try their Tadka Dal, these two places serve quite decent food.

Despite the fact that it has been almost two years since my visit, this by far has been the most memorable trip because of the picturesque beauty, weather, and the people also, the best part is the availability of the police in the marketplace that helps avoid any traffic jams.

Lastly, I'd advise you to carry your inhalers if you suffer from breathing problems since that sort of became a hindrance to our stay, due to lack of oxygen levels at that altitude maybe.

Quick Facts

1. How to reach – Frequent buses and trains from Delhi
2. Nearest Major town – Shimla, about 63 km by road
3. Nearest railway station – Kalka, 148.4 km
4. Nearest Airport – Jubbarhatti, 155 km
5. Places to stay – Hathu Valley Homestay  
6. Best time to visit –Summers and Early Monsoon
7. Things to do – Breathtaking sightseeing, trekking, apple orchards, visiting ancient temples.
8. Is it Child-Friendly - Yes

Contributed By- Vibha Gangal

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