Chail

• Visit during March-April for 3 days. Nights are cold but it is less crowded and more pleasant weather wise.
• Stay at Chail Palace for a royal experience. Plan a visit to nearby market for lunch as the lazy morning and cold evening are mostly to be spent inside the resort.
• Drive / trek to Kali Tibba, Cricket Ground and Wildlife Sanctuary. Chail is small town for a relaxing weekend. 

Taking a detour from Kandaghat, it takes one hour to reach Chail - a small hill town near Shimla. Being small works in favour for those seeking seclusion amid a decent infrastructure. We had booked two rooms in the Himneel Block of Chail Palace which is an actual palace converted into a hill resort by the Himachal Tourism. We were the only ones staying in this block and the sense of freedom this gave us was a very happy one.

Sunset from Chail Palace

We reached late afternoon and refreshed ourselves. A quick route from back of the resort took us to Chail Chowk where most of the shops and restaurants are located. We ate parathas with egg bhurji for lunch and bought essentials including bread and butter before getting back to our rooms. The Hotel maintains basic equipments if one wants to play TT, badminton or billiards. We went for TT. An hour later all of us were exhausted.


Few of us went for a bath while others just relaxed in the warmth of the dying sun. It was time to settle for drinks and chitchat. As we had started early, we went to sleep early after an agreement that we will go for a trek to Kali Tibba. Its a hilltop 4 miles away with a 360 degree panoramic view, tripadvisor told us.


Next day we woke up late and settled in the warm morning sun. Night gets cold in Chail in March. The pleasant sun delayed our hunger till 11 by when it was almost closing time of the Palace restaurant. We ate scrambled eggs with bread, keeping things light for the trek. We started at 12 noon and refilled at Chail Chowk on our way to Kali Tibba. The trek is mostly on road and takes 2 hours.


View from top of Kali Tibba is indeed stunning. The ice capped mountains on one side and deep valley on other side create a visible contrast. A Kali temple has been constructed on top which has extended terrace to hep enthusiasts take photographs. We took some and then started downhill trek. By the time we reached Chail Chowk, we were exhausted and hungry. Hence we settled for a quick lunch.


Night was cold but luxuriant. We settled in our room with heaters and blankets and mostly chatted. This time however we talked and were drinking till midnight. There was a plan to play poker but we never opened the set. Morning was again going to be a lazy one as we were not planning to leave before noon and had nothing else to do. We were thankful for the excellent weather and timing of our stay which made it a perfect outing.