I have been thinking of travelling to Himachal Pradesh some time in the last week of May or first week of June. I have around three weeks of time, and haven’t exactly planned anything about the trip yet. Since it is my first visit to the mountain state, would also want to cover some popular places that are normally called tourist traps. A 3-5 day high altitude trek also would be a nice add on. I am yet to start my research, but do pour in your suggestion if there is something unmissable. Roughly, I am contemplating on starting at Manali, hire a bike there and go around some beautiful places accessible by road in the bike(Spiti/Sangla/Rohtang..?) and also cover a few of the towns like Kullu, Dharmashala and Shimla. I hope to spend some time photographing Himachal’s beauty on the days I am on bike. After 7-8 days of biking, relax for a day or two and head for good multi-day trek in the mountains. This is just things I am thinking of today and might give a shape to a plan after doing some research. I am open to changes and will be looking for inputs.
If anyone would be interested to join me for part of the journey or full, do let me know.
Here is the desktop calendar for April 2007. Click on the picture below to get the image in 1024×768 size.
About the Image
This image was made at Auli, Uttaranchal, India. The mountains seen are the Garhwal Himalayas and far below in the valley flows Alaknanda, one of the tributaries of Ganga. The farthest mountain in the image, a little to the right of center is Mt.Nanda Devi, one of the tallest mountains in India.
Also see
* Images from Auli taken in 2005
* Images from Auli in 2006.
* Auli Trip Report
A few busy weeks have kept me from updating this space as frequently as I used to. Hopefully busy days are past and I am back to spending more time writing on this blog.
Here in Bangalore, summer seems to have suddenly attacked us since the beginning of this week, and sun has been growing stronger by the day. It would be a matter of a few more weeks before northern parts of the country also start getting warmer.
Summer is definitely not the time of the year for travel, at least in the plains of India. But our vast country has always something to offer, and this is the right time to be in the mountains and hill stations. People in the north have options in plenty, with the mighty Himalayas spreading all over north of Delhi. Summer is also a good time for sighting wildlife in North India although weather can be hot in the National Parks. Personally, I have some time off this summer and hope to spend some time in Arunachal Pradesh, and may be a high altitude trek somewhere in Himachal. There is a temptation to get to Sikkim too and that depends on availability of time.
If you are wondering where to go this summer, here are some of the places you can read about in India Travel Blog, suitable for a summer holiday.
NORTH
* Gochela in Sikkim – high altitude trek
* North Sikkim – Driving to Yumthang Valley and Gurudongmar
* Auli, Uttaranchal
* Corbett National Park
* Rajaji National Park
SOUTH
* Coorg
* Munnar, Ooty and Kodaikanal
* Periyar Tiger Reserve
What are your travel plans for this summer?