Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh is a colorful story in itself. Any season you travel there you can capture the same location in different colors and hue through your lens. I recently planned a road trip from Pinjore to Shimla – Kufri – Chail with my family to capture few glimpses of snow white towns. And, luckily I witnessed snowfall and saw Shimla turning white. The whole scene was like a fairyland.
Here I am sharing what Shimla looks like after snowfall in pictures and videos captured by me and Tashi.
It was early morning, the environment was quite. There was no rain, no lightning only clouds and temperature almost freezing. In minutes the snowflakes started falling and covering everything. Check in the video how tiny and beautiful they are.
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In no time, the moto world in Navbahar, Shimla turned so picturesque.
The Navbahar roads got painted in the contrast of white, black, green and red.
The Shimla ridge became so bright, clear and beautiful after hours of snowfall. A happy joyful flock of tourists appeared on the ridge to play with the snow.
In the afternoon we headed towards Kufri and on the way, I captured Sanjauli town. The houses or I should say lego blocks were painted in white by nature.
We couldn’t reach Kufri as the roads were closed that afternoon due to heavy snowfall, so we turned to Mashobra. It had always been on my list but could never visit it.
On the way to Mashobra, I got excited seeing standing road roller and thought of having some adventure with it.
Next day, we started our day for Kufri again. The roads were open and the way was drawn in a combination of lush white and green.
Kufri, 18 km from Shimla is just half an hour drive but we reached in 2 hrs because of the scenic views and numerous stoppages on the way admiring nature.
Seeing so much snow around, my parents turned to Kids. They were more happy and thrilled than us. Dad was excited and busy playing with snow.
Next was Chail on our list but the roads were again closed. So, we headed to Fagu-Theog and saw how mesmerizing the landscaped looked.
I never felt that lost but I was completely lost in the beauty of nature and its colors.
Snowfall in and around Shimla gets exciting and is always welcomed by tourists, travelers, hoteliers, and locals. Initially, it gets smiles to everyone’s faces but it also makes life tough for locals because of water and electricity shortage. Even the local transportation too is impacted. Snowfall in Shimla gets mixed emotions from locals, but tourists and travelers are always happy.
I don’t know how special the falling snowflakes are to you but for me, that whole moment is extremely thrilling. I love witnessing and capturing how the whole colored town gets painted in white color in minutes. It looks so heavenly. I can sit and gaze at the snowfall for hours. They seem like cotton candies of various sizes. Anyways, if you too feel the same and want to experience the live snowfall, then January and February are the right months to rush to satisfy your eyes and soul. And here are the five winter destinations to experience snowfall in Himachal.
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Shimla – Kufri – Chail
Shimla, the queen of Himachal is a colonial town. In winters the slanting roofs of buildings get covered in snow sheets and dancing deodars around it give a Paradise feel. The whole scene is a perfect postcard picture. Kufri a small hill town lies 18 km ahead and it is a famous skiing hotspot in winters. Chail known for its quietness and birds lies further 27 km to Kufri. In winters during snowfall, there is only snow, greenery and the misty surroundings engulfing the whole environment.
Expected Lowest Temperature: -2 to 0 degree Celsius
What to do: Play and walk-in snowfall, build snowmen, enjoy snow games like skating, skiing, and party with bonfires
Difficulties you may face: Water shortage, power trips, road blocks, traffic jams
Special: Winter Sports festival happens around February in Kufri
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Manali – Solang Valley
The Manali town is surrounded by snow clad mountains on one side and Beas River on the other It is beautiful during all the months and imagines how beautiful it will be in extreme winters (December, January, and February) when there is fresh snow with a fluffy texture. Everything gets white, more beautiful, and picturesque. The landscapes get more enhanced and are clearly demarcated.
Source – www.snow-forecast.com
The Solang valley lies 14 km ahead of Manali and is famous among tourists and travelers for ice skating, skiing, and zorbing. The cable car from Solang valley is a beautiful ride and it takes you to the snow point.
Expected Lowest Temperature: -6 to -8degree Celsius
What to do: Enjoy snow games, click lots of pictures, visit old Manali restaurants and party all night
Difficulties you may face during snowfall in Himachal: Water shortage, power trips, roadblocks, traffic jams and high chances of slipping on ice. So carry snowshoes or you can rent it from there.
Source – www.tourism-of-india.com
Haripur Dhar
Haripur Dhar is a small town situated on a ridge overlooking deep valley in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh. It is quiet, serene and not a common tourist destination. The temperature during summers in Haripur Dhar varies from 0 to 5 degree Celsius and in winters it is completely snowing. There are awesome views of snow clad mountains from the ridge top.
Expected Lowest Temperature: less than 0 and can go up to -6 degree Celsius
What to do: Leisure walks, photo shoot mesmerizing views and visit Maa Bhangayani Temple
Difficulties you may face: roadblocks due to excessive snowfall, extreme cold, power cuts and water shortage
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Dharamshala – Mcleodganj
The Mcleodganj located at an altitude of 1700 meters is a home to Dalai Lamas and has a jumbled mix of shops, restaurants, hotels, and cafes strewn along the steep winding alleyway. It lies in the Dauladhar range, 10 km ahead of Dharamshala. Mcleodganj receives a good amount of snowfall in Himachal during winters in January and February. The environment is chilling with the cold breeze and is flocked by couples especially honeymooners. The whole place is blessed, romantic and a tranquilizer in itself, quite different from summers.
Expected Lowest Temperature: 0 to -2degree Celsius
What to do: Visit Bhagsu Waterfall, climb to Shiva Cafe, roam around the local colorful market, Buy local wood and metal artwork, enjoy Tibetan food
Difficulties you may face: Traffic jams, Parking problem, water shortage, extreme cold
Dalhousie- Khajjiar
Dalhousie, a quiet colonial Hill station is named after British General Lord Dalhousie. It is a tourist destination throughout all seasons but in winters during January and February snowfall adds an extra charm and cream to its picturesque landscapes. The white sheet makes the combination of white and green nature more enchanting and beautiful.
Source – www.traveltriangle.com
The Khajjiar town lies 21 km from Dalhousie and is known as Switzerland of India. In winters its huge green meadows get covered with snow sheets and pine trees in backdrop look so poetic and it is like a dream come true.
Expected Lowest Temperature: 0 to -7 degree Celsius
What to do: Visit potato field, Dainkund Peak, Bakrota Hills, leisure walk at Cantonment area and Tibetan market, click pictures of snow clad mountains, and shop at Gandhi chowk
Difficulties you may face: Roadblocks and traffic jams, power cuts, carry extra clothing and take precautions for elderly and children
Source – www.holidfy.com
Word of Caution while traveling to see snowfall in Himachal
Pack well with enough of clothes, gloves, caps, food, and medication. Carry an extra blanket for an emergency
If you are snowbound, stay in your vehicle. It will be easy for locals to locate you and don’t walk out in snow storm
Drive slowly. Accelerating, stopping, turning all takes time on snow covered roads as compared to dry roads
Make sure your vehicle and its tires are in peak operating condition
Keep your gasoline tanks at least half full
Clear snow from windows and lights and check your vehicle’s exhaust pipe is never clogged with snow or ice
If your vehicle gets stuck, don’t overexert to dig it out from snow. Tie a colored cloth to the antenna to make your vehicle visible to rescuers
Apply brakes carefully. As there are more chances of vehicle slipping during snowfall in Himachal
Keep fog lights on and maintain some distance from the vehicles moving ahead of you
Equip your vehicle with basic winter driving equipment like small shovel, tow chain, jumper cables etc when traveling to see snowfall in Himachal
Always keep locals no and your cell phone handy, to call in distress situation
Check the weather forecast before leaving if you don’t want to be struck
Most important is – Don’t panic if you are struck. Calm down and think how to handle the situation.
The Shimla town, constructed by Britishers on mountainscapes, seems like colorful dots during the day and glittering “diyas” during the night to me. In fact, the ethereal beauty of whole Himachal attracts me with its new colors and culture. I have done Shimla trip many times and every time its picturesque landscapes and culture introduced me to something new and this time it was a Himachali head scarf Dhatu also known as Rahide. Inwinters amid cold breeze and bright sunshine, the local people are seen dressed up in colorful clothes with dhatu which makes the whole town colorful.
The colorful Dhatu/ Rahide during Shimla Trip
The Dhatu is a 1-meter long colorful head scarf worn by Himachali women. It protects the head from cold breeze and is a part of traditional attire at places. I bought myself one as a fashion accessory. The dhatu is mostly handcrafted and it comes in different fabrics, colors and patterns. The traditional one comes in crimson color with the golden fringes.
Fabric – The preferable fabric used for Dhatu is wool and there are further varieties of wool in it like Angora, pashmina, yak, sheep etc. The other types of fabrics used in Dhatu making are chiffon, cotton, silk, jacquard, georgette, velvet etc.
Designs & Patterns – The Dhatus come with colorful designs and prints, which depict the rich flora and fauna of the Himachal state. The most common were mythological images, floral patterns, fruits and random designs.
History of Dhatu
It is centuries old accessory; handcrafted by women. In upper Himachal women wear it as a part of culture especially when they visit their ancestral places. Some wear it to protect themselves from cold. Also heard a myth that it is also worn to protect men from seeing women’s hair as men get crazy seeing them.
How Dhatu is worn
It is extremely simple to wear Dhatu, just like a Bandana. The scarf is worn around the forehead and is knotted behind at the head. Else, you can also carry it as neck scarves. Their awesome prints and patterns can make any of your dress look bright.
Maintenance of Dhatu
Dhatu in silk and georgette fabric should be dry cleaned whereas those of wool and cotton can be washed with the mild detergents. Don’t soak it for longer periods as they might lose some colors.
Price range
The price for this head accessory varies from 150- 1000 Rs. It completely depends upon the material and design. I bought this beautiful red colored woolen accessory in just 250 Rs. (Remember to bargain, if you can).
So, I added a one more bright colorful accessory to my collection during this Shimla trip and I wish to keep on traveling and adding more such amazing things each time.
It’s 31st December the last day of the year 2016. Everybody is busy planning what to do and where to party tonite to welcome the new year 2017 ahead. But look at me. I am sitting and scrolling through my travel book. I want a glance of the memories and photographs I took in the year 2016.
The year 2016 was a real miracle for me. I was a person who loved traveling but never knew how passionate I was for it. My Love Tashi Aggarwal helped me in finding out my hidden talent. I realized every travel place is unique in itself, each road says its own story, there are natural and so beautiful places where poems are written by itself; people don’t need any music to fall in love, and just traveling together can do all the work.
Anyways, the point is 2016 showed me a path of travel blogging, photography and here I am in front of you all. I did almost 8-10 long road trips, few weekend trips and 2 air trips in 2016.
Here are few of the glimpses of my travel book 2016.
Road Trips – Travel book 2016
The year starts with winters in North India and it was fun experiencing snowfall at Tosh, Himachal Pradesh. The snowfall seems like cotton candies and it always gives me a thrill all over. I can get lost in this white ceramic natural beauty like I did in the beginning of 2016.
The day trip to the UNESCO’S world heritage sites in and around Delhi, especially during winters, is always exciting. It gives me a chance to click a lot of pictures with sunlight falling on them. And one such trip was to Humayun’s Tomb.
Another Day trip was to the World’s finest Wonder Taj Mahal, at Agra. Here is the picture of white Taj across Yamuna river from Mehtab Bagh.
The hidden gem and UNESCO’s site – Fatehpur Siki has a splendid architecture.
The Longest trip of the year was to Spiti valley. The valley opens it the gateway for tourist around April – May. The wind, land, mountains each one in this valley has its own aura and check the innocent traffic jam. I don’t mind waiting here for clearance as got some time to admire the beauty and click pictures.
And when there so many long weekends in 2016, so how could I skip the single chance. The first one was for Nainital (Always on my weekend getaway list) and I always enjoy staying at the earls Court, Nainital for their hospitality and courteous staff.
And the next nearby weekend getaway from Delhi is Rishikesh. I enjoy spending time at cafes around the Ganges and dipping feet in the water. In the evening this places seems ethereal.
The other closest summer weekend getaway is Danaulti, just 30 km from Mussoorie but much more quite and green. These stairs seem like taking you to heaven and actually at the top you get beautiful views.
And yes there were two adventure trips too – the first one was to the place where Lord Shiva has meditated for years i.e. a Trek to Hot water Spring, Kheerganga. (Click to read the complete post)
Who says Monsoon is not the good time to visit Goa. I was there in July and agree the beaches are rough then, but it was awesome too. Everything was vacant, reasonably priced and got the chance to explore Goa without bumping into crowds. Rains make Goa clean, fresh & green and look how beautiful Hacienda De Goa Resort (Near Vagator Beach) has turned in monsoons.
Last but not the least trip during off seasons was to the amazing beaches of Thailand.
My all the trips were a big celebration in themselves, so big cheers to 2016 and looking ahead for more travel with health and happiness, to create a better travel book for the year 2017.
Wishing everyone lots of fun-filled travels in 2017!! Keep reading and enjoying.
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