The capital of Himachal, it is thronged by lakes of people every year. One of the most popular hill stations, it provides a cool relief to those who come here during summer months. The snowfall during winters is big attraction for visitors who don’t usually get to see it in many places in India. Shimla was once summer capital of the British. Jakhu Temple, Lakkar (wood) Bazaar, Himachal state Museum, Roman Catholic Cathedral, Chadwick Falls, Prospect Hill and Indian Institute of Advance studies are more places worth visiting Shimla offers a large number of hotels and restaurants to choose from. Nestling around Shimlla are the beautiful hill stations of kufri-kasauli, Solan, Kandaghat and Chail which are perfect spots for those who like quieter places.

Access to Shimla:
Shimla is easily accessable by road, rail or by Air from Delhi or Chandigrah.

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Kullu and Manali, 40km aprt, are the two main tourist centers of the Kullu Valley. The Kullu valley, not wider then 2 km at any place, has the Beas river running through it eith beautiful fields on either side. To the north – west is the Solang valley and to its north is the Rohtang Pass, the gateway to the grate Himalayas, which is also famous for its skking activities. The Dhalpur Maidan, a large grassy area, is used as the site for the famous Dussehra festival. Overlooking the town and valley is the Raghunathji temple.

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The cave temple of Goddess Vaishno Devi; Manikaran, 45 km from Kullu, is famous for its Shik Gurudwara and Sulphur water springs. There is also a temple ofgoddess tripura Sundari and the shrine of Gauri Shankar.
Close to the snows pf the Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley, along the wastern banks of the Beas, is the main tourist resort of Manali. It is a showcase of natural scenery that abounds in the valley. The market place here is well developeted and all amenities for a comfortable stay are available.

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Hidimba Devi temple, Manali, was built in 1553 AD. With a four- tiered pagoda shaped roof and a doorway carved with figures and symbols. Here, a small Tibetan monastery, housing several Buddha image, is famous for its carpet weaving and other intricate handicrafts. Arjun Gufa is a legendary cave which lies 5 km from Manali. Rahella Falls is a beautiful picturesque site from where the river Beas hurtles down from a height of almost 50m.

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Located in the foothills, by the banks of the river Beas, and the entry point to the Kullu Valley, Mandi has several important temples dedicated to lord Shiva.The Shivaratri festival celebrations here are a spectacular affair.

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The remote valleys of Lahaul & Spiti, at an altitude of 2750 metres, border Zanskar and Tibet. This area is much drier than the fertile Kullu valet. Despite no monsoons, the valley is green during summer.

Although Spiti is closed to tourists without an ‘Inner Line’ permit, Lahaul is more accessible and during the summer buses ply regularly to eylong, the administration headquarters of the district, 117 km north of Mandi.

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Dalhousie is typical hill resort with its fin-roofed, half timbered houses spread over 13 sq. km of well forested hills at heights between 1525 & 2378 meters and it still retains much of the style of the British Raj. There are regular trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Jammu to Pathankot, (80 km from Dalhousie) from where regular buses and taxis are available to reach Dalhousie. The nearest Airport is Amritsar (118 km). it is also  well connected by bus to Dharmasala and Chamba.

Places of interest in Dalhousie

Local sunviews run to the village of Lakkar Mandi and the meadows of Khajjiar. Amongst the five hills here, the most important are Portreyn, with the Sacred Heart Convent, MotiTibba and Bakrota. A road leads down from Gandhi Chowk past Sat – Dhara (place of Seven Streams), where mica rich springs trickle from the hillside to Panjpula ( Five Bridges) 2 km away.

At Lakkar Mandi there is a wildlife sanctuary called Kalatope (8.5 km from the post office).

Straght on beyond Lakkar Mandi, some 17 km from the post office, is khaijjiar at a height of approx 2000m. it also has a tourist bungalow and a rarely used golf course.

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Chamba is perched on a mountain shelf, 996 meter above sea level, which drops cliff-like to the Ravi River below. The town, just 53 km from Dalhousie, connected by regular bus and taxi services, was once the capital of the former rajas of Chamba. At the centre of Chamba is the Chaugan, a large grassy park which runs for kilometer along the cliff over the Ravi river.

Access to Chamba:
Dharmasala 90km east of Pathankote railway station also has direct buses connecting the hill station with Delhi (470 km), Chandigrah (293 km), Mandi (147 km), Shimla (278 km) and a meter gauge train form Kangra (17 km away)

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Akhand Chandi Palace, an 11 th century Hari rai temple, si the largest of the six temples viz. Lakshmi Narayan temple, temples of Radha Krishna and Lakshmi Damodar, devoted to Vishnu, the temples of Chandragupta, Gauri Shankar and Trimukteshwar, devoted to lord Shiva, in Chamba.
The temple of Chamunda mata, overlooking the town and the river, a km from the Chaugan, is a popular picnic spot. Also fascinating is the Bhuri Sing Museum named after the erstwhile raja of Chamba. Who ruled from 1904 to 1915.

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Dharmasala lies on a spur of the Dhuladhar range of the middle Himalayas. Dharmasala is a hill station split into two. It lies between 1,250 meters and 1,982 one steep mountainside. The lower part, known only as Dharmasala, is 9 km away by road from the upper part, known as McLeddgang. It is surrounded by pine, oak and deodar forests.

Places to see around Dharmasala

The Namgyalma Stupa in the centre of McLeodganj’s small bazaar, a Tibetan handicraft centre, the Namgyal Monastery – residence of the Dalai lama, Kotwali Bazzar. Nechung Monastery and the Tibetan Institute of performing arts.

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About 17 km south of Dharmasala is kangra, situated at the confluence of the Bener and majhi strems and overlooking the Banganga torrent. The countryside here can be best enjoyed by taking a journey on the narrow gauge train which runs its 264km from Pathankote in the west, to Jogindernagar in the east via Kangra and Palampur – the two majore towns in the valley. The track is cleverly aligned and runs along the foot of the hills. From the outskirts of Palampur the line comes within 16 km of the snow, and stays close to it, until it turns southwards to the terminal of Jagindernagar. Nagrakot and Brajeshwari temples are the main places of interest for the visitor.

Places to see around Kangra

A few km out of the town is Al-Hital, the summer retreat of Ranjit Singh. Baijnath, a pilgrim centre with a ninth century temple dedicated to loard Shiva.Jogindernagar, with its hydro-electric plant, is the last stop on the line. 30 km from Kangra and 56 km from Dharmasala is the famous temple of jwalamukhi which has no idol but an undying flame which burns in rock sanctum.