India Travel
Kibber in Himachal Pradesh
KIBBER (4205m) is reputedly the highest settlement with a motorable road and electricity in the world. Jeep tracks, satellite dishes and the odd tin-roofed government building aside, its smattering of 3 hundred or so old Spitian houses is truly picturesque. Surrounded in summer by lush green barley fields, Kibber also stands at the head of a trail that picks its way north across the mountains, via the high Parang La pass (5578m) to Ladakh. Before the construction of roads into the Spiti Valley, locals used to lead ponies and yaks this way to trade in Leh bazaar. These days only the old folks in the village know the path, which is used by shepherds as a route to the pastures above. Some Manali-based trekking companies offer a seventeen-day trek from here to the lake of Tso Moriri in Ladakh. Shorter routes around Kibber explore the delightful villages in the area and the incredible scenery, and eventually link up with Kaza. A pathway or kora leads all the way round the village to a tiny walled enclosure draped in colourful fluttering prayer flags. In 1983 Lama Serkang Rinpoche (from Tabo gompa) passed away in Kibber and was cremated here. A water source erupted from the rocks at that moment and is still running. Pilgrims come from all over Spiti to drink from this sacred spring and a well-tended garden inside the enclosure defies the surrounding barren land.
Buses run from Kaza, Jeeps are available for hire, or you can walk the 16km. Trails lead down from Kibber to Ki loosely following die road and racing vehicles down is a popular sport. Four guesthouses in Kibber cater to the increasing numbers of tourists and trekkers passing through: the Norling (01906/26242) and the Rainbow (01906/26234), at the entrance to the village, both have terraces, the Resang (01906/26231) and Sargong (01906/26222) are a little further in.
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Ki Gompa in Himachal Pradesh
Set against a backdrop of snow-flecked mountains and ochre and brown cliffs, Ki Gompa, whose white buildings stick to the steep sides of a windswept conical hillock, is a picture-book example of Tibetan architecture, and one of Himachal's most exotic spectacles. Founded in the sixteenth century, Ki is the largest monastery in the Spiti Valley, supporting a thriving community of lamas whose Rinpoche, Lo Chien Tulk from Nako village in Kinnaur, is said to be the current incarnation of the "Great Translator" Rinchen Zangpo. His glass-fronted quarters crown the top of the complex, reached via crumbling stone steps that wind
Kaza and around in Himachal Pradesh
KAZA, the subdivisional headquarters of Spiti, lies 76km southeast of the Kunzum Pass, and 201km from Manali. Overlooking the left bank of the Spiti river it is the region's main market and roadhead, and a good base from which to head off on two- or three-day treks to monasteries and remote villages such as Kibber, Kiato and Dumla in an area famed for its fossils. It is also possible to trek to Dhankar (32km) via Shielding and on to Tabo (43km) via Poh. For the less energetic, the one-day hike to Comic village and Tangyud gompa is well worthwhile. For
Nalagarh Fort Shimla in Himachal Pradesh
If you can afford it, the eighteenth-century fort of Nalagarh converted into probably the finest hotel in Himachal Pradesh, is an excellent place to break the journey between Delhi and Kullu. Overlooking the Punjab plains, the fort lies 60km from Chandigarh and 12km off the main Chandigarh-Mandi road. Towering above the town with the Himachal foothills rising steeply behind, the fort played a key role in the Gurkha wars of the early nineteenth century, and is today filled with memorabilia evoking its military past. An Ayurvedic clinic offering massage and a shop selling various health potions add to the luxury.
Moving on from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh
Indian Airlines fly thrice weekly to Delhi (Mon, Wed, Fri 3pm). HRTC run numerous buses to destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. Most travellers prefer to book "deluxe" buses through operators in McLeod Ganj near the bus stand. Try Himachal Travels (01892/21428) or Potala Tours & Travels, Bhagsu Road, opposite Hotel Tibet (01892/21378). Buses to Pathankot, handy for train connections and road access to Dalhousie and Chamba leave every 30min from the rains bus stand in the lower town. As well as the services listed in the Travel Details on p.589, there are two or three buses a week
Chamba in Himachal Pradesh
Shielded on all sides by high mountains, and protected by forces in Kangra to the south, Chamba was ruled or over a millennium by kings descended from
The castle in Himachal Pradesh
Since it was erected by Raja Sidh Singh, Nagar's central castle, astride a sheer-sided bluff, has served as palace, colonial mansion, courthouse and school. It is now a Himachal-run hotel, but nonresidents can wander in to admire the views from its balconies. Built in the traditional "earthquake-proof" pahari style (layers of stone bonded together with cedar logs), the castle has a central courtyard, next to which stands a small museum, and an even smaller shrine. The Jagti Patt temple's amorphous deity, a triangular slab of rock strewn with rose petals and rupee notes, is said to have been borne here
The Kangra valley railway in Himachal Pradesh
India has five of the twenty or so vintage "toy trains" or narrow-gauge mountain railways in the world - three in the Himalayas and two of these in Himachal Pradesh. Most famous is the Kalka—Shimla line, but the little-known 163-kilometre Kangra Valley railway is also a magnificent engineering feat. Unlike the Kalka line, with its 103 tunnels and tortuous switchbacks, engineers of this route preferred bridges - 950 in all. many of which are still considered masterpieces - that give passengers uninterrupted views all the way from Pathankot to Jogindernagar. The Dhaula Dhar mountains, rising from the valley floor to
Shimla and around in Himachal Pradesh
Shimla. Himachal's capital, is India's largest and most famous hill station, where much of the action in Rudyard Kipling's colonial classic Kim took place. While the city is a favourite spot for Indian families and honeymooners, its size does little to win it popularity among Western tourists who tend to pass through on their way to Manali. It is however, a perfect halfway house if Vo ' heading to the Kullu Valley, or back in the other direction towards the of Haryana and Punjab. It's also the starting post for forays into the rerrtnr regions of Kinnaur and Spiti. Northeast of
Local transport in Himachal Pradesh
Wherever you arrive in Shimla, you'll be mobbed by porters. Most of the town is pedestrianized, and seriously steep, so you maybe glad of the extra help to carry your gear, but bear in mind that most porters double as touts and demand a commission which will increase the cost of your room. Taxis, which line up outside the Tourist Reception Centre on Cart Road, are the best way to get to tne pricier hotels on the outskirts. The mainVishal Himachal Taxi Union rank ("30177/257645) is lkm east of the bus stand, at the bottom of the elevator (Rs5 each
Dal Lake &TCV Triund S Indrahar Pass in Himachal Pradesh
Places to stay include the simple Ashoka (01892/65147) and the Mau (01892/65875), both between the bus stand and town. For more co fort head for the Raj (01892/64062), opposite the bus stand, work pleasant rooms, a good restaurant and bar.
The Kullu Valley Trekking in Himachal Pradesh
Portunides range from day-hikes up the Beas River's side valleys, or nalas, challenging long hauls over high-altitude passes and glaciers. Away from the tiffs, you step into a medieval time warp little altered since the days when the lulus Valley was one of the most remote places on earth.
Pathankot in Haryana and Punjab
The dusty town of PATHANKOT, 270km north of Chandigarh and 101km to the northeast of Amritsar, is an important cantonment and railway junction close to the frontier with Pakistan and near the borders with Himachal Pradesh and Jammu. Many travellers pass through to pick up bus connections to Dharamsala, Dalhousie, Chamba and Kashmir, or to take the slow train east through the picturesque Kangra Valley.
Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh
Your best bets for Indian and Western dishes are the Hotel Dliauladhar and the City Heart in Kotwali Bazaar. There are several cheap and cheerful dhabas serving decent Indian food including Rajinder at the main crossroads. For Tibetan food around Kotwali Bazaar, try the Potala, a small but clean cafe with a sins pie menu.
Mandi to Dharamsala in Northwest Himachal Pradesh
The road northwest from Mandi skirts the edges of the hills, passing through thick pine forests and lush tea gardens. While most visitors make die six-hour journey to Dharamsala in one go on one of the nine daily buses, those with more time can pause at the small towns of Baijnath and Palampur, or pick up die narrow-gauge train as it trundles slowly through the fertile valleys between Jogindernagar and Kangra.
New Manali in Himachal Pradesh
Situated a couple of kilometres south of Manali on the left bank of the Beas, the developing strip of hotels here include the Holiday Inn (01902/52262), Manali Ashok (01902/53103), Honeymoon Inn (01902/53234), Imperial Palace (01902/53330) and a couple of cheaper ones such as the Evergreen (01902/53038) and the Narayan (01902/53133).
Moving on from Delhi
Delhi has good domestic and international travel connections. Anyone heading from the south to the western Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh, Kullu. Manali, Ladakh) will pass through Delhi; it seldom takes more than a day to arrange the onward journey. Scores of travel agents sell bus and air tickets, and many hotels (budget or otherwise) will hook private buses for you; touts, concentrated at the top of Janpath, waylay tourists with promises of cheap fares, but can't always be trusted.
Keylong in Himachal Pradesh
Lahaul's largest settlement and the district headquarters. KEYLONG, 114km north of Manali, is a good place to pause on the long road journey to Ladakh. Although of little interest itself, the village lies amid superb scenery, within a day's climb of three Buddhist gompas. One visible on the opposite (south) side of the grandiose Bhaga Valley. A couple of stores in the busy little market sell trekking supplies if you are heading off towards Zanskar.
Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh
Few places on earth can mark so dramatic a change in landscape as the Rohtang Pass. To one side, the lush green head of the Kullu Valley; to the other, an awesome vista of bare, chocolate-coloured mountains, hanging glaciers and snowfields that shine in the dazzlingly crisp light. The district of Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal's largest, is named after its two subdivisions, which are. in spite of their numerous geographical and cultural similarities, distinct and separate regions.
North and east of McLeod Ganj Eating in Himachal Pradesh
McLeod Ganj is one of those places where sitting, chatting and philosophic in restaurants is the favoured activity.Tibetan dishes such as thukpa and tna are prominent, along with Chinese egg noodles, chow inein and stir fry’s Frp h baked Tibetan bread and cakes are widely available, and you'll also come arm omelettes, chips, toast, veggie-burgers and plenty of Israeli dishes I Dharamsala, there's no shortage of snack stalls, but less choice of cuisine
The Town in Himachal Pradesh
Although Shimla and its satellite districts sprawl over the flanks of five or more hills, the centre is fairly compact, on and immediately beneath a shoulder of high ground known as the "Ridge". From here, a tangle of roads and lanes tumbles down in stages, each layer connected to the next by precipitous stone steps. The Mall, the main pedestrian thoroughfare, curves around the south slope of the hill, above the warren-like bazaar. Cart Road, the highest road open co motor traffic, circles the base of the town.