Places to Visit in Himachal Pradesh - A Quick and Handy Travel Guide

I have a habit of celebrating New Year with family and siblings and I love it. We gather together and celebrate in a very religious manner. Our New Year starts with praying to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesh. Then we cut the cake of celebration followed by an amazing dinner. In addition to this, we recollect our old memories and life’s ultimate flashbacks and run those on TV via photo-montage.

In a similar fashion, I celebrated this New Year 2018 as well. However, this time I ended up in planning a fresh trip. I usually travel solo but this time my parents were insisting me to do a family trip. Afterall, it’s being a long time when we all travelled together. That’s why we decided to start this year with a nice family trip. And after an hour or two of discussions, we chose Himachal Pradesh as the destination to start our year.

So many places and so little time to cover!! Bad thing… So here I am sharing my “Ultimate guide to Himachal Pradesh” covering some of the destinations of Himachal Pradesh one should definitely visit once in a life. I’ve visited many of these places. Let’s see…

Himachal Pradesh:

Himachal Pradesh… “The land of snows“, “Snow laden province“, “The land of gods“, or “Epitome of Himalayan landscapes” what should I call? I am feeling like a lilliput in front of its charisma. I know few mere words are not enough for Himachal.

Himachal Pradesh is well known to be one of the gorgeous states in India. After all, the breath-taking landscapes covered with lofty snow-capped mountains and lush green valleys, the enchanting rivers and the glistening blue lakes make this destination a true “the traveller’s paradise”. Moreover, the temples, shakti-peeths and the monasteries are mingling the spiritual in the state.

If I exaggerate a little further, then Himachal Pradesh is also known for a plethora of adventure activities. These activities include trekking, hiking, paragliding, river-rafting and many more. These are some of the hot picks of Himachal Pradesh which makes this state – country’s most popular hill state. Therefore, keeping all these things in mind, I am sharing my ultimate guide to Himachal Pradesh with you.

My Ultimate Guide to Himachal Pradesh:

This ultimate guide to Himachal Pradesh will hit maximum spots of Himachal where we can spend a weekend or can extend to a long vacation. So, get ready to immerse yourself in this worldly state in Roadaviator style. Here we go…

Top Places to Visit in Himachal Pradesh:

1- Shimla:

Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh and is known to be one of the highly recommended hill stations in India. It offers a large number of remarkable attractions which appeal to the visitors to explore them to the fullest. That is the reason why Shimla is everyone’s top pick.

The trip to Shimla starts with wandering on the long magnificent Mall Road where we can find glittering shops and ambient restaurants, a large-old gothic style “Christ Church“, scandal point, the ridge, and the town hall. Then comes the viceregal lodge, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Jakhoo temple, Tara Devi temple, Bhimakali temple and rail and army museum.

Also, if you want to explore nearby places, visit Kufri and Taptapani. Therefore, it is quite easy to plan a nice weekend at Shimla.

2- Manali:

Manali is considered to be the best hill station in India. Afterall, the spell-bounding landscapes and valleys, charismatic temples and hot springs and off-course the roadway to Manali will make us feel like a fairy-tale is going on. A trip to Manali will not only suits the adventure-seekers or spiritual travellers but even to the budgeted, luxurious and family travellers.

If we talk about the spirituality, then Manali has flourished with lots of temples, monasteries and hot springs. For adventure seekers, Manali is well known for the trekking, skiing, river-rafting, zorbing and biking. You can get to these things in both the luxurious way and the budgeted way. These are the spots that give us the glimpse of Manali.

But if you are searching for more thrilling roads which can take your adrenaline to the next level, visit Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley. One can feel the freshness in the air amidst beautiful meadows of Solang Valley (20 km from Manali). Also, the Rohtang Pass is very well known for the bike trip to Ladakh.

Besides, the Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley, there is a sacred Jogni waterfall. You can also visit villages nearby providing some of the best scenic views of Himalayan range. The allure of these villages is capable to captivate your soul. For example, we can head towards Naggar village (21 km from Manali) to see the fascinating Naggar castle and Jana waterfall.

Here are some top picks of Manali:

• Temples: Manu temple, Hidimba temple, Vashistha temple
• Monasteries: Tibetan monastery and Nyingmapa monastery
• A spiritual hot spring is also located on the banks of river Beas.
• Treks: Hamta Pass, Bhrigu Lake, Chandra Tal trek, Hanuman Tibba
• Villages nearby: Naggar, Malana, Jana (Jana waterfall), Jagatsukh, Gulaba and Solang.

3- Kullu:

Kullu is a city located on the banks of Beas River connecting Manali to the rest of Himachal. Truly speaking, Kullu is that destination which sometimes is underestimated by the tourists. People usually skip this destination or stay for a night only and went straight to Manali. But, many of us don’t know what this beautiful city can show us. Kullu is perfectly settled between the mountains covered with Deodar forests providing a perfect getaway to the visitors. It offers a plethora of options to do in and near the city. Let’s see it:

• Temples: Raghunath temple (main temple), Vaishnav Devi temple, Bhekhli Mata temple, Hanogi Mata temple and Gaurishankar temple.
• Trekking points: Tibba, Chandrakhani Pass, Bijli Mahadev trek and Kheerganga trek, Tirthan valley treks
• Nearby town/village: Kasol, Manikaran, Malana, Tosh village, Dash village

A trip to Kullu also offers adventure sports like paragliding, mountain cycling and river rafting. The treks and the landscapes of Kullu are truly a paradise for adventure seekers. One cannot miss these things at all. The above villages provide a stage of nirvana and complete wilderness.

4- Manikaran:

Manikaran is located in the midst of Parvati valley, lying on the banks of Parvati River near Kullu district. Also, Manikaran is located close to Kasol village (4 km) and considered as a religious centre of North-East Himachal Pradesh. The site is a pilgrimage centre of both Hindu and Sikh. This holy site has major temples like Lord Shiva temple, Shree Guru Nanak Devji Gurudwara and Lord Ramchandra temple.

Manikaran is also famous for its hot springs as it is said that if you dip into the hot spring, it will cure your muscle pain and diseases. Moreover, Manikaran is the starting point for various scenic treks like the trek to Tosh village, Kheerganga trek and Malana.

5-Parashar Lake:

Parashar Lake was my pick of the day. It is one of the best trekking options in Himachal. This picturesque lake is located on the top of the Dhauladhar range and at an altitude of 8900 ft. Parashar Lake is located at a distance of 50 km from Mandi and nearly 70 km from Kullu. The lake is surrounded by snow-capped Himalayan ranges. The lake has a temple by its side which is dedicated to Parashar Rishi. The spot experience heavy snowfall in the months of Dec-Feb providing an exceptional adventure to the travellers.

However, still, only a few people know about it and only those who love to do trekking or exploring new places visit this Lake. That’s why the spot has a little fewer options to stay and eat. It is recommended to put a camp there if you didn’t get room to stay. Honestly, Parashar Lake is a road-less-travelled destination. In a similar way, this Roadaviator also stayed there and experienced it to the fullest.

• Also Read: Places For Camping In Himachal Pradesh

6- Mandi:

Mandi is a popular commercial city of Himachal Pradesh which lies on the banks of river Beas and 50 km from Kullu. Mandi is also known as “Choti Kashi” as the city has a large number of temples established in and around. It also serves as a gateway to Dharamshala, Kullu, Manali and Lahaul-Spiti and that is the reason why it is highly commercialised.

But this commercialisation doesn’t affect its paradise nature. Mandi also has a lot of attractions to flaunt the tourists. For example,

• Temples: Bhootnath temple, Trilokinath temple, Bhimakali temple, Panchvaktra temple, Neel-Kanth Mahadev temple
• Tranquil Lakes: Rewalsar Lake, Kamru-Nag Lake and Pandoh Dam.
• Treks: Parashar lake trek, Shikari Mata temple trek

Lastly, the best way to see Mandi deeper is to roam the streets of Mandi. This will give a feel of the old age colonial period. Even more, you can do shopping also at the famous Indra-shopping complex. The crazy thing isn’t it…

7- Dharamshala and McLeodganj:

Dharamshala is a hill station located at an altitude of 1475 m from sea level, in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The hill station is nestled perfectly in the midst of beautiful Dhauladhar mountain range providing the scenic views of green forest area and the lofty snow-capped mountains. Dharamshala becomes popular after the great spiritual guru – Dalai Lama took a residence here. Interestingly, Dharamshala has an international cricket stadium – HPCA, which has further raised up its popularity. The stadium is known to be the highest stadium in the world.

Talking about McLeodganj, it is at the distance of 9 km from Dharamshala. It is the main centre of attraction for the tourists because of the presence of Dalai Lama temple (dedicated to Dalai Lama himself). Moreover, McLeodganj is also famous for several treks which starts from here itself.

Both of these hill stations are also known for museums, war memorial, lakes, ancient temples, monasteries and churches. Some of these include:

• Temples: Bhagsunath temple, Chamunda temple, Kunal Pathri Mata temple
• Monasteries: Dalai Lama temple, Namgyal monastery, Gyuto Monastery
• Church: St. John Wilderness Church
• Treks: Triund trek, Kareri Lake trek, Naddi village
• Lake: Dal Lake, Kareri Lake

8- Dalhousie and Chamba:

Dalhousie is one of the coldest hill stations of Himachal Pradesh located in the Chamba district. It is 51 km from the main Chamba city and at an elevation of 1,970 m. Dalhousie is built on 5 hills of Dhauladhar range and in old Britisher Victorian style. Dalhousie got its named after the British Viceroy “Lord Dalhousie” who founded this place. Other than the British style, Dalhousie sets a whole natural world full of dazzling landscapes, snow-clad mountains and pin-clad valleys. Moreover, Dalhousie is enchanted with spring of Subash Baoli. However, it is not at all maintained now. That’s why Dalhousie is listed as one of the favourite summer hill stations in India.

This natural world of Dalhousie is supported by the charm and history of Khajjiar (20 km from Dalhousie) and Chamba. Khajjiar is also known as “The little Switzerland of India”. There are a lot of things to do in Dalhousie and Chamba:

Some of the top sights in Dalhousie are:

• Temples: Jagdamba Mata temple, Khajjiar Nag temple.
• Church: St. John church, St. Francis church
• Waterfalls: Satdhara and Panchpulla
• Scenic walks and wildlife: Kalatop wildlife sanctuary, Khajjiar, Bakrota and Dainkund peak trek.

Top sights in Chamba:

• Temples: Lakshmi Narayan temple, Hari Rai temple, Sui Mata temple, Chamunda Devi temple
• Museums: Bhuri Singh Museum
• Lake: Manimahesh Lake, Chamera Dam

So, these are some of the must-visit destinations in Himachal Pradesh which I preferred while planning a 2-week itinerary. It is also true that I’ve not included few of the above places in my final itinerary because no one can cover all these in just 2 weeks. Maybe some other time, I’ll visit those also. Also, here, I’ve not included the major temples and some more off-beat destination of Himachal Pradesh. I’ll show you that in my upcoming blog. So stay tuned.

That’s the end of my Ultimate guide to Himachal Pradesh: must-visit destinations. If you have gone to these places please comment below and share your thoughts with me.