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

Ponmudi - The Golden Peak

Placed in the Southern part of Kerala, it's easy for me to find some interesting and unknown
places since most of the southern strip are mostly coastal region and the rest being hill stations.
As a huge admirer of both hiking and swimming, I always love revisiting such places whenever
I feel dull or bored. Ponmudi is one such hill station which I had pleasure visiting thrice this year
alone. 55 km away from the capital city of Trivandrum, Ponmudi is blessed with a beautiful topography which will taunt you to come back again. Thanks to a perfect terrain and roads, it is never that hard for one to travel there.

My trip to Ponmudi was a memorable one and I still remember my
first road trip with a bunch of my friends. Having been visited there for a past couple of times, a
Bike Ride to Ponmudi with my friends was the best. Starting the journey from Trivandrum in the
morning, we were able to reach the destination after 2-3 hours of driving and refreshment.
The Hairpin curves were scary at first, but once we started climbing up, we started getting views
that continued to cherish us until we reached the peak. After clearing the legal formalities, we reached the spot and began walking towards the viewpoint. One has to climb the three-storeyed
concrete structure to get a nice view. Taking your children with you is not advisable as the place
itself is quite dangerous.

We got off and the next thing we did was to spend some quality time trading stories and jokes amonst ourselves. In such a perfect place for get-togethers, we spent almost an hour talking and couldn't believe that we strayed ourselves from gadgets for that much time. Just as the evening darkness began subsiding, we decided to get off the place as it is a bit dangerous to climb down the hill after 5 PM as the evening fog begins to congest the roads. 

Ponmudi is a place which serves as a perfect spot for those who love long rides and trekking. If you love hill stations, Ponmudi is a place worth visiting at least a dozen times as one doesn't get enough of it. So, grab a bunch of your friends or relatives and head to Ponmudi to spend your holiday right, instead of being occupied by the four walls of your house. 

Quick Facts about Ponmudi

1. How to reach – Frequent Buses from Trivandrum, well-maintained roads make it easier for two wheelers and four wheelers to reach the spot without much difficulty

2. Nearest town – Palode

3. Nearest railway station – Trivandrum, 59 kms 

4. Nearest Airport – Trivandrum, 65 km 

5. Places to stay – KTDC Hotel

6. Best time to visit –Monsoon 

7. Things to do – Get the view of your life from the Ponmudi viewpoint and spend your evening there to experience breezy and refreshing air. Perfect for picnicking and get-togethers. 

8. Is it Child-Friendly - No

Contributed by Sooraj Ram