Destination-Jalori Pass

It was around Holi last year when I thought of going to Kullu through Rampur. The weather was cloudy around 7:00 in the morning, as we (me and my friend) set on this remarkable journey. Reached Narkanda (Shimla-Narkanda- 60 KM) passing through kufri, Theog, Matiana and Shillaru around 10:30 AM. Devouring our breakfast at Crossroad Resort, Matiana, we were little sleepy when we reached Narkanda( 2708 metres). Took a nature's break, gathered some munching snacks and set sail towards Rampur.

 The journey from Narkanda is a gradual downward slope and as we get near to Rampur (1350meters)  the weather starts heating up. Just short of Rampur we reach along the bank of river Satluj ( Narkanda-Luhri-28 Km). There is a bridge crossing over River Satluj at Luhri, where the road divides on the other side of the river towards Tattapani in Shimla District and Banjar in Kullu District. We took a right towards Kullu and again started climbing the hill and reached a small town called Ani. This was the only place with a large population on the entire             Luhri                                      Banjar Road.

At Ani, we met an old college friend who was an appointed doctor in a small dispensary and then we started our journey towards Banjar. The route from Ani was a steep uphill road which led to a small place called Jalori Jot (3223 meters)  at the top of the Mountain. This Place is the highest point joining two valleys, hence aptly called Jalori Pass. This place had a very small population with only two or three shops. We reached Jalori ( Luhri-Jalori-50 Kms) around 3:30 PM. 

The Trek from Jalori Jot to Lake Serolsar is a 5 Km Trek one way. The trek starts on a level hill for some distance and then it slopes up and down the hill numerous times amidst  beautiful landscapes, barren lands and thick forests. The trek is very lonely, though we were lucky to see three to four people en route. The entire trek is a treat to the eyes as one gasps through each turn along the route.

At the end of the trek comes the most beautiful part- The Serolsar Lake.

The perimeter of this natural Lake has a narrow walking path covered by perimeter fence on the Lake side and thick tall trees on the outer side. On one side of the Lake is a small local Deity Temple of Nagini Mata. The Devotees worship and offer Desi ghee to the Deity. There is a myth that even if a small leaf falls into the Lake the birds around take them out of the lake and keep the water crystal clear. I can vouch for it and believed it the moment I saw the Lake. There is a small tea stall just before you reach the Lake. This tea stall treats travelers with tea, coffee, some snacks like Maggi, biscuits and pakoras. We were real tired when we reached here and on our way out we ate maggi and had tea.

We reached back at Jalori to our vehicle at around 6:00PM. We immediately started our journey towards Banjar. The slope from Jalori is quite steep and one has to carefully drive on the first gear. After driving for 11 Kms we Reached Jhibi, a small Village. 7 Kms further down we Reached Banjar. Banjar is a small beautiful town along side the tributary of river Tirthan. This small town has a burgeoning population of residing foreigners. The town is very calm and quite and is lush green with surrounding trees and forest.

From Banjar we started our journey towards Kullu. The Banjar road joins the Chandigarh- Manali Road at Aut ( Banjar-Aut-24 Kms). Aut is famous for Larji Hydro electric project and this road enters the 2.5 Km Long two way tunnel on the NH 21. The road after the tunnel is a straight road which led us to kullu(Aut-Kullu-28Kms). This road is along the Banks of river Beas all the way up-till Kullu.

Hasan Valley-Shimla

One of the most amazing places I have been to while staying in Shimla is the Hasan Valley. Hasan Valley is also known as the second densest forest in Asia. Most of the people visiting shimla must have seen a glimpse of this forest on their way to Kufri or retreat. This view is seen from the NH 22 and most of the tourist vehicles stop here for the scenic glimpse of this forest.

View of the forest from NH 22

 

Hasan Valley from the inside is a beautiful place with an authentic feel of a dense forest. The density of the forest is characterized by Long trees like pine, deodar, Oak and rhododendron. The forest has only one way track with deep gorge on one side and a mountain on the other. Vehicles can cross each other at not more than two or three places on the entire track. The track goes some 10 to 15 Kms inside the forest after which there is no road. At the end of the track there is a forest guest house, which is an old pristine property made at the time of Britishers. An old Guard, appointed by the Forest department of Himachal Pradesh treats you at the Guest house. The Place is amazingly beautiful with the eyes of the visitors glued to the dense forest to catch a glimpse of some wild animal. There are quite a few animals ranging from panthers to cheetahs, deers, wild bores etc. and one has to be lucky to catch a glimpse of these animals. Apart from that this place offers a perfect ground for the bird lovers.

The track inside the forest maintained by the forest department

Down below the guest house there is a small village having a water reservoir tank having a capacity of 300000 Lts. It is believed that the water was stored and transported through steel pipes to the then viceroy of India, situated at the Indian Institute of Advanced studies, Summer Hill. The view of the reservoir amidst the trees and flowers is an exotic one. Just above the reservoir there is a small temple of the local deity covered  by wild flowers.

Temple of the local Deity

 

The trip to Hasan valley has to be organized at least one day in advance as the visit requires permission from the forest department. The entry to the forest is right at the beginning of the climb to Kufri, just ahead of a place called Dhalli. There is an entry fee for the vehicle and along with the permission  from the forest department there is a small entry fee per person as well. The permission is for two to four hours and on a bright sunny day the travel to this destination overwhelms one’s heart with the clean and green environment, untouched by Human beings. 

Destination-Shimla

In my last week post on destination sojourn, I spoke about Shimla and places around. On the same note, I bring you to a place called Aamod, just 15Kms Short of Shimla on the National Highway 22. Aamod, situated on a forest hill, just short of Shoghi, offers a very different experience. The resort is amidst this thick forest hill and the entire hill right from the Highway has been blended with the resorts infrastructure. The arrival at the base of the hill has an adequate car parking from where the resort's vehicles ferry the guests to the reception.If the Guests prefer they can walk from the parking to the reception, which is a 200 Mtr gentle climb.  Just short of the reception, a beautifully constructed modern architectural restaurant treats the guest with refreshments. This open kitchen restaurant with multi-cuisine specialties offered through its specialist chefs is quite unique and one of its kinds in such a wilderness.
The Resort offers Log Huts made of teak and deodar wood. The Huts are spaced beautifully utilizing the natural bends and turns of the hill. Each Log Hut is designed to a theme offering all luxuries one can think off. Each hut has a modern bathroom, a private wooden veranda with wooden swings and authentic wooden furniture. The rooms are quite spacious and has all modern facilities like wifi, Personal DTH, Telephone etc and to top it all the roofs of the Huts are blended with thatched hoofs/Straws. The verandas and the doors of each hut open to a thick silent forest.
The entire resort has many activities to its offering. One can drink tea or enjoy the warmth of the sun in the beautifully constructed machans, one can go for wild trekking looking for birds and capturing the beauty of the valleys around or one can do activities like rope climbing, commando rope walking, burma bridge or flying between trees using pulleys. The best part of the resort is that one can organize trainings, meetings or presentations in an open air conference room, situated at the top of the Hill. The conference room is covered from the top using the same blend of thatched hoofs but is open from its sides. The official activities can be planned ath this conference room, which has a capacity of 60 to 80 people.
Last but not the least the Resort has a one of its kind open air Spa and Massage Parlour right at the top of the Hill. The beautiful valley on the other side has golden grass laden hills and a valley which has the ancient toy train meandering between the hills. The experience of staying in this resort is a deeply satisfying one and worth the money. I can assure that one would definitely want to stay one night more or come back again to this resort whenever time permits. Such is the awe inspiring feeling at this wonderful place.
For photographs of the resort please visit their website www.aamod.in.

It had been long overdue, but I am happy that I have started following my passion. Past few years I have been traveling way too much. I would take you through some very exciting trips that I did in search for destinations which are exquisite, Eco-friendly, solitary yet comfortable and deep in the folds of mother nature. I was always fascinated with the beauty of hills, maybe because I was born in the queen of hills or maybe because of spending quite a number of years in different cities, I always wanted to go back to the calm, quite and serene hills.
There are many destinations in Shimla and its surroundings, which a normal tourist is not aware off. Shimla as a destination has something for everyone, but here I would be talking about places best suited for corporate travelers, Students, individual groups and people in search of solitude because I strongly feel that these category of people are looking out for small excursions, way out of their normal routines. For the rest of the people I believe that If you have good company, no matter what place. Jokes apart, these places can be fun if you are in big groups. Secondly, these are places where you reach after a long and tiring journey and hence I believe that a destination is not complete if it can't offer the very basics of everyday life blended with some service. In short these are destinations with luxury and semi luxury offerings.
So I start my destination sojourn with a place called Crossroadresort. This destination is situated bang on the National Highway 22, 45 Kms from Shimla. This destination offers solitude, serenity, homely food, Himachali culture and above all wonderful hosts. The Resort is situated in the crest of humongous mountains on one side and a deep valley on the other. The view of the sunset from the resort is just mesmerizing. At time the valley is covered with clouds and from the resort it appears to be a meandering river. A 10 Km stretch of the National highway is seen from the resort and one can see the snarls of traffic meandering along the mountains. The closest places to see are Narkanda, which is at a distance of 15 KMs from the resort. This place is known for its Skiing slopes, it has a Himachal tourism Resort, which offers great food both indoors as well as outdoors depending on the traffic.
The next good thing to see from here is Tannijubbar lake just 5 Kms from Narkanda. Here again the closeness of the white clad mountains and a quite clean lake provides immense pleasure to eyes and soul. Another place well connected to this place is thanedar, which is approximately 2 hr drive from Narkanda. Here again there is a beautiful resort called Banjara camps. One advise for all those planning to visit these places is that you need to carry your drinks and eateries. Weather here is always a little below normal and hence woolens are suggested, specially for children.
Crossroadresort is also a center point for a beautiful 3 to 4 hr trek to a very well known temple called Hatu Temple. The satisfaction you get after you reach this temple cannot be captured in words. Though now more than half the trek is motor-able, yet one feels refreshing after a small climb. The view from this place of the entire valley is just heavenly.
What more can one ask in a holiday trip of two to three days. The best part about this destination is that it offers all this at very reasonable prices and a group holiday can be planned with all itineraries like conferences, meetings , team building games like treasure hunt, difficult treks with theme puzzles etc. Moreover a suitable customization can always be planned.Hope this information is somewhat useful to the reader and I will try my best to make my further articles more comprehensive.
Regards
Tushar
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