—Categories: himachal pradesh, himalayas, nature

Himachal questions

I posted some questions about Himachal Pradesh in a forum, but could not get any answers. I am looking some information on travelling in Himachal Pradesh before I head that way next month. Below is what I posted on the forum, if you know anything about these, please do drop a comment and let me know.

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I am planning to rent a bike in Manali and drive around in Himachal Pradesh for a week. From whatever research I have done, it is possible to rent Bullet 500cc or 350cc bikes, but I did not see mention of modern bikes. I am not too particular to hire a Bullet and would rather prefer a Pulsar or equivalent and if they are not available, may be smaller bikes. Bajaj Avenger is my ideal choice though.

I will be on Manali approximately on 5th of June.

Now the info I am looking for.

1. I am wondering if any of these bikes can be hired in Manali or Bullets are the only available choice.

2. I have nearly a week for biking ex-Manali. I am thinking of riding to Darcha and back to Manali, and then via Kunzum La to Kaza and back. I presume road to Darcha would be bikeable anyway, but how about the road to Kaza? Is it worth taking? Or should I simply head to Leh instead?

3. I also want to bike to Sangla, but doing it from Manali would be too much. Will there be any bikes available for rent in Shimla?

Thanks in advance for all the information.

—Categories: himachal pradesh, himalayas, mountains, nature, trek

Contemplating Himachal..

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.