Visiting Dalhousie For Your Next Vacation: An Ultimate Guide

Dalhousie is a town in Himachal Pradesh, India which was set up as a summer retreat by the British. It has a notion of colonial hint. Dalhousie is located 2400 metres above the sea level spread over a total of 5 hills. The town has spectacular locations one can get lost to, being surrounded by snow covered peaks.

Dalhousie is less commercialized relative to other popular hill stations like Shimla, Darjeeling and Manali and at most camping locations you'll find less of people and litter. Serene ambiance is an additional reason for choosing to visit Dalhousie.

Dalhousie has a lot to offer ranging from the lush green cover consisting of Pine, Deodar and other Tundra vegetation to architectural places. Dalhousie was set up in 1800s and speaks of Victorian architecture with churches, buildings and camp houses. Peter W Smith Construction explains that Victorian architecture is denoted by the towers and turrets that give a building or house that "castle" type feel. The town is subjected to extreme cold in winters and most of its locations covered by heavy snowfall can be a visual feast.

Quick Overview:

1.     Trekkers and Adventurers: If one is looking into adventure sports and other activities, Dalhousie can be a great destination for beginners. There are multiple passes, 11.3 km passing through mountains from Kalatop to Khajjiar which looks exactly like the dark forest of Happy Potter, 4 km from Kalatop to Dainkund and 3 km from Kalatop to Talati.

If one gets a chance to visit during winter, trekking goes along a path with 2-3 feet snow accompanied by bright snow covered pine and deodar trees. This is not recommended for beginners.

Para-gliding and assisted Para-diving is available at Khajjiar following a 500 - 700 metre fall. One shouldn't miss this while being there.

For camping there are enough sites at Kalatop, Talati, and at the town itself.

2.  Families and Casual Travellers: Dalhousie offers moderate weather in summer and it is advisable for most to visit the place during March and June. Temperatures are moderate with minimum going to about 6-7 Degree Celsius during night rains. 

Trip to Dalhousie starts at Pathankot Junction for most travellers. Travel from there to Dalhousie is steep through mountains and illness due to cold weather and height may follow. During winters temperatures fall to as low as 0 - 5 Degree Celsius in the town itself, while even lesser at higher altitude locations like Kalatop. Extra precautions are required for kids and aged members during winters.

Dalhousie can be an attraction considering the snowfall during winters, to be visited during Oct - Jan.

Best Places to visit at Dalhousie:

·      Dainkund Peak:
It gets the name after the word 'Dyan' which translates to 'Witch' ( Actually there is no precise word for Dyan in English ). Dainkund is situated at about 9000 feet and is the highest peak in all of the area. 360 Degree view of the entire valley can be captured from Dainkund. snow clad peaks at a distance can clearly be seen even during summers.

There is a temple nearby the peak. Locals believe that Dyans visit the Temple during night from where it gets the name.
View from the peak is spectacular with 5 major peaks in the nearby region visible. It is considered in the high-altitude range as it is located 2000 feet higher than that of Dalhousie's altitude.

·      Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary:
kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most popular and visited places for sightseeing and trekking at Dalhousie. There are ready tracks from Dalhousie to Kalatop, from kalatop to Khajjiar and from kalatop to Dainkund. The tracks are easy to conquer and eventually pass through beautiful valleys and streams. One can find pleasant gallery of images on the internet for these locations.
Wildlife is abundant in the whole area surrounding Dalhousie, let alone the Kalatop Forest. Himalayan Bear are seen in large number in the area, mostly sighted after dark. Other than that, Leopard. Deer,  Jackal, Languor etc animals are also seen. 
Kalatop Peak hosts a Forest Resort with a great view. The place is less visited relative to the main city and Khajjiar but its surely worth the effort.

·      Khajjiar:
Khajjiar is known as Switzerland of India. In the year 1992, vice chancellor of Switzerland visited the place and gave it this name. It is one of the 160 places on earth to be awarded with this title.

Khajjiar consists of a Lake, Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges with heighted trees. During winter, Khajjiar looks breathtakingly stunning with a central meadow surrounded by Oak, Pine and Deodar trees covered with snow. There is a golf course at Khajjiar for those into the sport. There is a central lake at Khajjiar surrounded with dense forests.

The town and lake are situated 22-23 km away from Dalhousie at an altitude of 6400 metres. One can hire popular public transport like jeep or bus to reach the place.

To witness the best of Khajjiar, visit during winter months from November to February. Despite this fact, summers too are extremely delightful there.

·      Gandhi Chowk
The place is a popular shopping destination in the main city with abundant shops to browse through. As per traditions to many, shopping is inevitable while travel visits. There are plenty of food restaurants and stalls to choose from for foodies. Cultural items as well as collectables including items to be needed in return trip can be purchased. The market is embedded with historical and religious places such as churches and old British establishments that one can visit.

Other popular locations that are worth a mention:

·      Bharmaur

·      Central Park

·      Rang Mahal

·      Subash Chowk

·      Satdhara Falls

Guest Post by Divyaraj Jhala, Blog: Talecup

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