Showing posts with label mountains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mountains. Show all posts

Saturday, 7 April 2018

Kasauli - North India's Heaven


It is an outstanding experience to make a trip to Kasauli by Chandigarh Shimla motorway and relax for few days is a mastered weekend getaway with exotic & composed surroundings, along with the great eating choices, not only beside the highway but also inwards the township. At that place, there is multitudinous colouration to catch sight suchlike monkey point, sunset point, sunrise point, Upper mall, lower mall, Dharampur, Barog and many another.



Kasauli is a small-scale town in the province of Himachal Pradesh situated at an altitude of 1,927 m. The town is 77 km from Shimla and 70 km from Chandigarh. As per a Hindu Mythology, it comes up into presence after Lord Hanuman settled his feet here in order to go along to the Sanjeevani hill. The place where the Almighty actually kept his feet is count to be at a hillock which is 300 m high.
Historically, Kasauli is one of those hillock series that was matured by the British Empire during its extreme duration in India. It is one of those places that, despite its loveliness still has yet to encounter itself prominently on the tourist's chart. In fact, it is really superb for all those who desire to spend some time alone with their family or, for that matter, even themselves.


If you have an aspiration to tour the town during the off-season (November to February), it is quite likely that you will not come up to across any person for a long while on your walk. However, you will be attended along with your move by the sweetish and comfy sounds of the birds along with the mild rustling of leaves. For those who are quite the opposite and see for sportiness and risky venture at every step, Kasauli will be dissatisfaction as in that location is barely anything to make. At that place, there are several puny attractions inside and around the town that will preserve you more or less active.
Tourist’s attractions
  • Gurudwara Shri Guru Nanakji is a historical Sikh temple is located inwards Gharkhal marketplace on the chief way towards Kasauli, also having a living accommodations station. In addition, the routine devotion, a sustaining program is held every Sunday and Saturday during early morning time

  • Sunset Point is located around 1.5 km from the motor-coach stand. The Sundown point provides a glorious sight of the close hillside zone, and of plains, Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali, Kalka, Pinjore, Parwanoo, Baddi and Nalagarh all are viewable equally a bird of prey eye view from this intersection point. The Evening hour point has a teeny-weeny eating place which serves freshly processed items for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
  • Manki Point This is the altitudinous point in Kasauli, in that place Lord Hanuman is considered to have set his feet while on his path to give the once over for the Sanjeevani buti (herb). About 4 km from the Kasauli bus stand, at its top, is a place of worship devoted to Lord Hanuman and travellers are not allowed to carry bags or cameras inside. The hiking to the temple can be small indefinite amount rigorousness for those who are not in use to mounting.

  • Christ Church at walking distance to the bus stand, it was constructed by the British people that founded the town of Kasauli itself. It is made with a superb superstructure the form of a cross. Before, theCatholic Church was famed as the Anglican Church. In 1970, it was brought back under the protection of the CNI (Church of North India) and is presently carry off by the bishopric of Amritsar.
  • Timber Trail Resort on two side by side hills and united untidily with a wire car, Timber Trail is a perfect vacation way station. A visitor can relish the ride to and back to the hilltop and move frontward or stop for a time of day at the resort. The spotlight of Timber Trail Resort is Cable Car. The compartment has a capacity of 10-12 people and flies tourer from Timber Trail Resort to Timber Trail Heights, at the distance of 1.8 km and takes tourists to a height of 5,000 feet from 3,000 feet a rise of 2,000 feet.




Staying options
Kasauli is not truly a tramper terminal due to the shortness of affordable settlement. Visit in the forth-period or on working day will retrieve you finer cost. Hotels like Himlay Hotel, Blossom, Kasauli Regency, and Him Darsah Regency are some of those stay options which provide options for tourists to stay within a limited expense.

Chandigarh to Kasauli
Chandigarh to Kasauli is about 60km, by the driveway to the location there are two ways first via Parwanoo and the other one is from Chandigarh via to Dharampur on Kalka Shimla highway and move to left from Kasauli circle. Roads are in good conditions.You can go by bus but no regular bus service is available from ChandigarhFrom the circle frequent road travel services are available.
If travellers are planning for a tour to the city by bus, have to take the bus for Solan/Shimla from sector 43 ISBT of Chandigarh and get the ticket for Dharampur (a small town before Solan District). Moreover, tourists can get numerous buses heading towards Kasauli. Furthermore, tourists with a high budget can hire a cab too.

Shimla to Kasauli
The distance between Shimla and Kasauli is nearly of 3 hours through national highway 5 from Volvo to Himachal roadways buses are providing their services from time to time. Another way to travel is by Taking the train from Shimla to Kasauli to reach nearly in 2 hours. Sonwara is the nearest railway station. It is about 4 km from Shimla airport.

Climate and Ideal time to visit
The Environmental condition of Kasauli is healthy around the year, summertime brings pleasantness and wintertime gentle with infrequent Snowfall. In winter, the temperature can get down just above freeze-drying point when the heavy textile is needed. During summertime, the environmental condition is mild and light woollens or cotton are recommended. The monsoon is particularly pleasing when coltish clouds fall down upon you and the mist surrounds you.

Contributed by Harneet

Thursday, 29 March 2018

Kalimpong - Paradise in Bengal




On April 2016 as the  four of our family were  planning for a small trip for three to four days ; we  headed to Kalimpong . If it is sounding like a very common place then let me inform you  that I will say you about a place out of track this time. After driving almost two and half hour from NJP  we reached Kalimpong town but did not stop there, we drove 1 km more till we reached Holumba Heaven, a stay for the nature and peace lovers with cottages.The place is away from the town located on the main highway and closest to nature. As we are a nature loving family this place was the best suited for us, away from the sounds and chaos of the town.It is a little expensive but the rooms are nice and really comfortable. We spend the day roaming on the hilly roads and enjoying the beauty. The weather was a little gloomy that day.



On the next day we went to  Delo park 9 km away from Kalimpong , a perfect place to spend the day.The park is really enjoyable with eye catching green views.Here you can revel a horse-ride around the park. One more attraction of this place is , here you quench the thirst of adventure by paragliding. The cost of paragliding is RS 3000/- per head. If this  talk about adventure excites you , I want to suggest  that , go 15 km from Delo, to Chitra ,where there is a rafting spot on the Tista river. There we were taken to the bank of the river along with the rafting boat and two men to help us.The cost of the rafting was RS 1000/- per head.The reckless ride on the rash hilly river was really awesome.It was a thrilling and safe adventure.I bet this will give you a memorable experience of your life, so do not miss it.One can also have more side scenes in the Kalimpong town like the monastery, Kalimpong science centre, cactus nursery ,pine view nursery , temple etc.


We spent the last two days of our trip in Chibo, a village 15 km away from kalimpong.There is only one staying place , Chibo Inn. The rooms and the services here is really impressing . I really felt complete from mind when I reached there.It is a place surrounded by forest and foothills as beautiful as a living dream. It is a small hilly village. The narrow walking roads makes their ways through the green small forests. The sun set and the sun rise in this place gave me the glimpses of heaven.

Through out the trip we got the sky blue and clear, except the day we reached. We were quite pleased with the foods and services offered by the places where we stayed.
I suggest the best times to visit this places are March April.This time the  weather remains really comfortable and clear most of the time. Make sure to have a pre-booking in the staying places  while planning your trip. Three to four days are enough for this trip.These places will leave a indelible impression in your mind.

Tuesday, 6 March 2018

Bonacaud - the Haunted Wonder

It is hard to not to stumble across Bonacaud if you are one among the riders planning on taking a transit to the infamous Ponmudi hill station. Bonacaud is a remote village located in the base station of the Agasthyamala. The place itself is known for holding hostage for a lot of Flora and fauna.   

It's quite easy to reach there if you have a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler. 

As far as I'm concerned, it is better to take the two-wheeler with you, as you don't want to miss fresh oxygen. But, you will need a permission letter from authorities to get past the checkpoint. We were fortunate to have a friend of ours in the tourism sector.  Bonacaud is a one day visit but if you could spend more than one day, I would suggest you take a tour around the place as you will get to see Ponmudi, Brimore, Agasthyamala and another place. Moreover, if you could manage to take some time off your hectic schedule during the monsoon season, then this is the place to go. Why? Well, here is how I spent my monsoon there. Also, you won't find any accommodation in Bonacaud. So it is ideal to take a room in Ponmudi.

The main reason why I grabbed a bunch of my friends to visit Bonacaud is mainly that of the Haunted Bungalow. We were planning to get frightened but, in the end, we got to enjoy one of the most beautiful places. It took us about an hour and a half to get there(from Trivandrum). Once we got there, we got a glass of lemonade that refreshed our minds and got us out of being tiresome. After that we had to handle all the formalities and the plan was to get into the forest to see the Waterfalls and importantly The Haunted Bungalow. It's Rs 100/head to enter the forest.

First stop, the Bona Falls(or Vazhvanthol Falls). Truly a beautiful piece of nature, Bona falls is easily one among the best places the hang out with your friends. I might as well call this place a hidden gem when it comes to Tourism. 

I'm amazed how a beautiful place like Bona falls is unnoticed by people around the world. Totally worth every single penny of 100 bucks, Bona falls is perfect to get a bath as the place is a bit secure and private. 

The next place we got into was that of the Haunted bungalow. With expectations worth a million words, we finally got past one of the haunted bungalows. Once we were there, we didn't feel any superstitious or supernatural power. Once we got back to the checkpoint for return, I asked one of the locals about the haunted bungalow. He was kind enough to explain that the whole "haunted" thing is nothing but a myth. And if we were really searching for a haunted bungalow, we should travel past the thick forest. As we were in no situation to go back we returned back home. 

Bonacaud is a must see if you love and respect nature. While you are there, I kindly ask you not to harm any plants. If you are caught doing the act you will surely be fined by the forest authorities. Make sure to carry lighters and abundant water resources as the place has a lot of snails and other insects. Water is essential to keep you hydrated once you are inside the thick forest. My favorite part of this journey was the trekking to Vazhvanthol falls and hunting the haunted bungalow. I will make sure to visit the “real” haunted bungalow next time I visit Bonacaud. 


Contribution from - Sooraj Ram
https://m.facebook.com/soorajram.js.3?refid=8





Saturday, 3 March 2018

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
https://www.facebook.com/rebelliouslaundia

Bonacaud - the Haunted Wonder

It is hard to not to stumble across Bonacaud if you are one among the riders planning on taking a transit to the infamous Ponmudi hill sta...