Shimla

Trip: Delhi > Chandigarh > Kasauli > Shimla > Delhi

My cousins from UK were in India - Naveen, Seema and Rishi. We decided to visit Shimla. Its close to Delhi and thanks to its capital status its accessible through a highway. We booked an Innova and decided to drive overnight to the hill station. It was a mistake.

View from the Lift Shaft @ Shimla

Top 5 travel circuits from Delhi

Delhi - Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Bharatpur - Mathura - Vrindavan - Delhi

Delhi - Sariska - Jaipur - Ajmer - Neemrana - Delhi

Delhi - Haridwar - Mussoorie - Kanatal - Tehri - Rishikesh - Delhi

Delhi - Jim Corbett - Nainital - Mukteshwar - Delhi

Delhi - Chandigarh - Kasauli - Shimla - Kufri - Chail - Delhi

Delhi - Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Bharatpur - Mathura - Vrindavan - Delhi

• Can be covered in 2 days flat 
• Includes 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites 
• Stay overnight at Bharatpur, near the gates of Keoladeo National Park

Bharatpur Bird Sactuary

Kasauli

Trip: Delhi > Chandigarh > Kasauli > Shimla > Delhi

A digression from Parwanoo lead us on a bumpy curvaceous drive towards Kasauli. Evidence of early Monsoon were everywhere as we passed through the lush green Lower Himalayan Range. As we moved up, the clouds would play hide and seek with us making it all the more difficult to drive on the lonely MDR.

Kasauli is a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere. We asked people walking by for a good accommodation. Some dwellers were surprised that we came from Parwanoo instead of Dharampur as the former was supposedly dangerous. With little guidance we managed to reach an HP Tourism Hotel and settled for a brunch.

Post brunch plans were simple - trek around the town-market to burn some fat and cover few landmarks as part of the tickmark tourism. We had two days and Kasauli is not more than a mile from one end to another.

The highest point in Kasauli is Manki Point. It is in the middle of an Air Force camp. Lord Hanuman had put his feet at this place before jumping towards Dronagiri mountain to fetch Sanjivani according to mythology. There are several restrictions to enter the area but it is worth the view from the top. Clouds turn kaleidoscopic here and the ever-changing landscape mesmerizes.

Two days of leisure that was intermittently disturbed by small treks, trip to market to grab eatables and once a customary visit to nearby pub, completed an extended weekend escapade. We returned by the wider roads through Dharampur and managed to have our breakfast at a roadside McDonalds.

Return to Delhi was quick through the newly made bypass expressway from Parwanoo to Pinjore. The roads are really good in this part of Himalayas - not to forget that it links two capital cities - Chandigarh and Shimla.

Rupin Pass Trek - Part 4

Trek Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Upper Waterfall campsite belonged to another world. It was below minus 10 degrees here. Everywhere we could see there was snow. It took some effort just to change clothes and settle in our tents. We were finding it ridiculous to come out and have lunch. Few things are mandatory on a trek and that includes not skipping a meal.

On way to summit, a view of our Upper Waterfall campsite

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

Delhi

Delhi is the heart and capital of India. The royal facades of Lal Quila and ruins of Tughlakabad Fort are enough evidences of the legacy of this ancient city which has now tranformed into a modern cosmopolitan megacity. Humayun's tomb and Qutab Minar are the kind of landmarks on the busy roadside that very few cities can boast of.

Qutab Minar@6 AM

Delhi is, most importantly, the gateway to north India. There are five exits from Delhi for a traveler as numbered from 1 to 5 in the map below.

Barog

We planned on a whim. We were looking for an outing with our pet golden retriever Leo and found a highly recommended AirBnB called Red Roof Homestay in Barog where we booked two nights stay. Barog is less than 7 hours from Gurgaon. We did not want to test our Leo for longer travel for our first trip together.

View from our bedroom