Winter Festival

 

 

C Winter Festival in Manali and Ice Skating Festival in Shimla
In December, Shimla and Manali are the venues for the Ice Skating Festival. Various activities like ice skating, ice hockey and dance performances are held. Come February, Manali shakes of its winter hibernation for the winter carnival. Many winter sports and competitions are held during the festival.

Journey with Buddha

Shimla – Sangla – Rekong Peo – Kalpa – Nako Lake – Tabo – Dhankar – Kaza – Keylong – Manali – Rewalsar – Dharamshala

This circuit can start either at Shimla or Dharamshala which are well connected by air, road and rail. Visit the recently built monasteries in Sanjauli and Kasumpti and continue on to Sangla in Kinnaur District. The Nyingma-pa, Drug-pa and Geluk-pa sects are well represented here and Kinnaur is home to 33 Buddhist monasteries. Visit the recently built gompa in Rekong Peo, and continue on to the ancient settlement of Kalpa to visit the Hu-Bu-lan-kar gompa, said to have been founded by Rinchensang-po. Leave for Spiti valley, which is completely immersed in Buddishm from the footprint of Padmasambhava on a rock near Nako, past monastic villages, ancient monastery complex in Tabo, to the internationally renowned Ki monastery near Kaza. Continue on to Keylong and visit the monasteries in Lahaul Valley most of which are associated with the Drug-pa sect. Guru Ghantal, in Keylong is the oldest monastery in Lahaul and is associated with both the Padmasambhava and Reinchensang-po. Leave for Manali, where there are four recently built monasteries and continue on to Rewalsar, said to be the place from where Padmasambhava left to spread the word of the Buddha in the eighth century. End your journey at McLeodganj/Dharamshala the current residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Shimla Kullu/Manali

 

 

 

Day 01: Chandigarh to Shimla (5/6 hrs)

Drive to Shimla, stopping at the monastery in Solan along the way. Set at an altitude of 2,213m, Shimla was once the summer capital of the British administration in India and is now the capital of Himachal Pradesh. This queen of hill stations still retains its colonial charm in its architecture. Evening walk around The Mall.
Day 02: Shimla sightseeing
Visit Jakhoo, an ancient temple devoted to Lord Hanuman, situated on Jakhoo Hill. This is Shimla’s highest peak and offers panoramic views of the Shivalik Ranges. Go on an excursion to Kufri & Narkanda, popular for their trekking trails, pine-scented air and beautiful views all around. Narkanda is also located close to the prime apple belt and is a ski-resort in winter.
Day 03: Shimla to Manali (8 hrs)
Drive to Manali (2050m) at the Northern end of the Kullu Valley. Manali is surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks and the snowline is never more than a few hours’ drive away. Stop at placid Bilaspur Lake and Hanogi Mata temple set among the mountainous backdrop along the way. Check in to hotel.
Day 04: Manali sightseeing
Visit the Hadimba temple, Vasisht Baths, Manu Temple and Tibetan monastery. Chill in Old Manali, imbibe the local ambience and shop for souvenirs at the Tibetan Market on the Mall. Take a trip to Solang Valley and try your hand at paragliding.
Day 05: Manali-Bijli Mahadev-Manali
Bijli Mahadev is a famous an ancient Shiva temple situated atop a beautiful meadow. It is a 3km walk from Mansari village and offers stunning views of both the Parvati Valley and Kullu Valley.
Day 06: Manali-Naggar-Jana-Manali
On the left bank of the river Beas, Naggar is a pictureque village on the wooded slope. It used to be the capital of the Kullu rajas and you can visit their heritage castle there. Naggar was also home to the Russian artist Roerich, whose house has now been converted into a museum. Visit some of the famous temples in and around Naggar as well and continue on to Jana for authentic and tasty Himachali food. Walk up to the beautiful waterfall there and wind your way back to Manali.
Day 07: Manali – Kasol (trek to Malana and back to Kasol)
This extremely scenic drive takes you from the relatively gentle Beas river to the roaring and angry Parvati. On the way to Kasol, take a detour to Malana. The road goes almost to the village, after which its a easy and picturesque two hour walk. Malana village is a small cluster of around two hundred stone roof houses. Its inimitable culture and the temple of Jamlu distinguish the village whose inhabitants are said to have descended from Alexander The Great. The villagers here, have their own laws and customs, speak a different dialect and dress differently. Drive to Kasol and check-in to hotel.

Day 8: Kasol – Manikaran – Parashar

Continue on from Kasol and reach the famous hot springs of Manikaran, sacred to both Hindus and Sikhs. Walk around this holy town, visit the temples and gurudwara and take a dip in the hot spring baths. Continue on to Parashar lake stopping at the ancient Bajaura temple on the way. This temple is said to have been constructed by the Pandavas when they were in exile. Reach the beautiful lake, in the centre of green hillocks, held sacred to the sage Parashar. A mysterious floating island that keeps changing position throughout the year adds to the charm as does a three-tiered Pagoda-like temple dedicated to the sage. The whole vista is encircled by snow-capped peaks. The lakeside and the nearby villages are sites of various festivals held at different times of the year. Camping overnight at Parashar Lake.

Day 09: Parashar – Rewalsar

Continue on down to the scenic Rewalsar lake, past the town of Mandi. Lying in a mountain hollow, the lake is held sacred to all three communities, evidenced by the three shrines – a Buddhist Monastery, a Sikh Gurudwara and a Hindu Temple. The lake is famous for its floating islands which, according to the myths, can be moved by prayer or breeze. Stay overnight here.

Day 1o: Rewalsar – Chandigarh

Drive down to the plains from Rewalsar. Drop-off at hotel in Chandigarh.

Spiti Valley Tour

                        Manali-Spiti-Kinnaur-Shimla Tour (10 days)
Manali – Lossar – Kaza – Tabo – Kalpa – Sangla – Shimla – Chandigarh

Spend a day visiting local sites and sampling Himachali home-cooked fare in Naggar/Manali and set off across Rohtang Pass to Spiti. Visit the high altitude Chandertaal Lake and spend the night at the quaint village of Lossar in Spiti. Take in the harsh and dramatic landscape of Spiti from the heights of world famous Ki monastery and the high altitude Kibber village. From the mountain deserts of Spiti travel through Tabo with its well-preserved and ancient cave paintings to the intense green of Kinnaur valley and take in the snow-capped peaks of Kinner-Kailash in Kalpa. The detour to Sangla valley before continuing on to Shimla and Chandigarh is well worth it and one of the highlights of the trip.

Day 1: Manali sightseeing
Visit the Hadimba temple, Vasisht Baths, Manu Temple and Tibetan monastery. Chill in Old Manali, imbibe the local ambience and shop for souvenirs at the Tibetan Market on the Mall.
Day 2: Naggar local sightseeing
On the left bank of the river Beas, Naggar is a pictureque village on the wooded slope. It used to be the capital of the Kullu rajas and you can visit their heritage castle there. Naggar was also home to the Russian artist Roerich, whose house has now been converted into a museum. Visit some of the famous temples in and around Naggar as well and continue on to Jana for authentic and tasty Himachali food. Walk up to the beautiful waterfall there and wind your way back to Manali
Day 3: Manali to Chandertaal. Stay at Lossar
Travel over Rohtang Pass to Batal and walk to the crystal clear waters of Chandertaal lake. Overnight camping at Chandratal lake or drive from Batal over the Kunzam Pass (4558 m) to enter the starkly beautiful Spiti Valley stay at guesthouse in the first village as you enter Spiti Valley – Lossar.
Day 4: Lossar to Kaza
Drive past small villages of little whitewashed houses with flat straw roofs and reach the relatively large town of Kaza. Check-in to hotel at Kaza.
Day 5: Kaza – Ki, Kibber, Komic (Day Excursion)
In the morning, visit the Ki monastery which looks like a higgledy-piggledy anthill of buildings stuck together from afar, and is a labyrinth of rooms and corridors inside. This centuries old gompa at one time also acted as a fort. It houses valuable thangkas and offers a panoramic view of the area. Continue further up and feel on top of the world at Kibber and Komic, which have the distinction of being the highest permanently inhabited villages of the region. Return to Kaza and spend some time in the local market shopping for turquoise beads, silver jewellry, singing bowls and prayer flags.
Day 6: Kaza to Dhankar and Tabo
Drive to Tabo, dropping in at Dhankar gompa along the way. Dhankar gompa rests high over the valley and served as a fort to the ruler of Spiti. Tabo, built in 996 AD, is renowned for its breathtaking murals and stucco images and is often called “The Ajanta of the Himalayas”. Return to hotel in Kaza.
Day 7: Tabo to Kalpa
Enter the intense green of Kinnaur valley and take in the snow-capped peaks of Kinner-Kailash in Kalpa.
Day 8: Kalpa to Sangla. Overnight Saran
Enter the gorgeous Sangla Valley and drive upto Chitkul which is the last village before Tibet.
Day 9: Saran to Shimla and stay overnight
Drive to Shimla.  Set at an altitude of 2,213m, Shimla was once the summer capital of the British administration in India and is now the capital of Himachal Pradesh. This queen of hill stations still retains its colonial charm in its architecture.Visit Jakhoo, an ancient temple devoted to Lord Hanuman, situated on Jakhoo Hill. This is Shimla’s highest peak and offers panoramic views of the Shivalik Ranges. Go on an excursion to Kufri, popular for its trekking trails, pine-scented air and beautiful views all around. Evening walk around The Mall.
Day 10: Shimla to Chandigarh
Take a city tour of Chandigarh. The Rock Garden, created by a humble road inspector called Nek Chand is the pride of the city. Its a marvel of urban waste material transformed into creative patterns and art objects. Other attractions in Chandigarh include Leisure Valley, Sukna Lake and Rose Garden.