[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by rajarams

thanks all for the comments and also for the searching done on my behalf.
From what i see, it is a toss between Simla and Manali, depending on the days/energy i have. So, back to the drawing board now to get more days for this break.
Few things i checked:
- There are AI flights to Bhuntar/Kullu, but the connectivity from Pune/Mumbai is not so good and the total cost is also pretty high.
- I am checking on volvo/taxi connectivity from Delhi/Chandigarh for both Simla/Manali.

Few further questions:
- Are there any offbeat locations a little distance away from the mainstream places e.g. Simla/Manali i.e. off beat enough to have less crowds/more nature, but close enough for easy accessibility?
- Any recommendations on mid-range family hotels in Simla/Manali?

thx again.

In that case you can try Narkanda as well,though as a town it hardly offers anything,but you will find snow for sure,and its about 65Kms from Shimla a 90-120 mins drive.

[animeshb]

Hello All,

We (a couple with a 4 year old boy) are trying to plan a 5-day road trip somewhere near Delhi, possibly snow hunting. We are thinking about Dalhousie or Dharmsala but I am not sure about what kind of road conditions would be during that time and the likelihood of finding snow. Also, guess both Dharamsala and Dalhousie would be more than a 12 hour drive each way. We don't really want to leave anything to chance with the kid around. And we wont really have a big SUV and will have a laura TSI for company.

We are not that keen on Rajasthan as we have been to most places (Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, etc) many times except Jodhpur. They all kind of feel the same as we are not much of sightseers.

Suggestions please!

Animesh

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by animeshb

We (a couple with a 4 year old boy) are trying to plan a 5-day road trip somewhere near Delhi, possibly snow hunting. ... And we wont really have a big SUV and will have a laura TSI for company.

Suggestions please!

Lot will depend on the timings. In Dec you may get to see snow in areas ahead of Shimla - Narkanda, Hatu Peak, Fagu etc. AFAIK, Shimla gets some snowfall in the month of Jan.

About the vehicle, don't doubt it. See where it took .anshuman - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ravelogue.html .

[animeshb]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Lot will depend on the timings. In Dec you may get to see snow in areas ahead of Shimla - Narkanda, Hatu Peak, Fagu etc. AFAIK, Shimla gets some snowfall in the month of Jan.

Dry Ice, Am planning for the timeperiod between 25th-30th. I have done Shimla quite a few times in the last decade and want to visit Dharamshala/Dalhousie/Manali where I haven't been to recently.

[kutts]

Am planning for a Srinagar trip in the first week of February 2014 for 5 days. I understand that it would be winter season. Would need pointers on where all I should visit. I assume that the gardens and such would be closed , so need help chalking out alternative plans.

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by kutts

Am planning for a Srinagar trip in the first week of February 2014 for 5 days. I understand that it would be winter season. Would need pointers on where all I should visit. I assume that the gardens and such would be closed , so need help chalking out alternative plans.

Not much except the walks at Pahalgam, Gulmarg. Per se hardly anything to see at Srinagar.

[vj_torqueaddict]

Bumping up an old thread. Need some help from my fellow Bhp'ians in the wonderful North.

My wife and I are planning for a trip somewhere in North India for snow ( from BLR). Travel time - sometime in March end.

Options considered:

Srinagar ( Jammu)
Pros:
- Direct flight from BLR to Srinagar, reasonably priced fares.
- Nice options for Airbnb. We prefer "Entire house" accommodations with kitchen wherever we go. So we see lot of options on that front.
- Have a heard a lot about hospitality.
Cons:
- Lot of scare mongering about extremism.
- Uncertainty around Covid protocol. Could not find anything concrete on the internet.

Dharamshala
Pros:
- Same as above. Direct flight options.
- Lot of options for Airbnb , albeit bit expensive than Srinagar.
- No covid related restrictions in Himachal is what I read. I could be wrong though.
Cons:
- May not be as snowy as Srinagar ( again I could be wrong here)

Please suggest any other options if I have missed to consider. We do not want to go to regular touristy places like Manali , Shimla etc. However, we are open for suggestions around these places if there are good AirnBnbs' available which eliminates the "crowd" aspect. Also, we would want good air connectivity as much as possible from BLR.

Thanks in advance

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by vj_torqueaddict

My wife and I are planning for a trip somewhere in North India for snow ( from BLR). Travel time - sometime in March end.

There is a difference between seeing snow and experiencing snow, like playing in snow. In March, both places you have shortlisted will only allow the former. To experience snow in March, you have to go higher up from Srinagar, to places like Gulmarg. Similarly, you won’t get much snow in Dharamshala itself. You’ll have to go higher up to McLeodgunj or Triund. Another alternative option can be to fly into Dehradun and go to Chopta or Auli. Or you can fly in to Kullu and go Manali. There will be plenty or snowy excursions higher up around Manali as late as March. You can also consider flying into Leh directly for a few days.

For most of the commercial hill stations in north India, snow season is mid December to mid Feb. March is usually too late and you’ll have to go higher up, unless you get really lucky with western disturbances

Also, pls understand that Srinagar, Dharamshala and McLeodgunj and as mainstream and commercial as the likes of Shimla and Manali.

[//M]

I agree with Shreyans_Jain. March would be too late, if you really wish to experience snow.

The right time is now. Keep monitoring snowfall predictions and take a call accordingly. Gulmarg / Manali / Auli are the usual hot favourites.

Couple of pictures from my trip to Sethan (near Manali) last week. We monitored the snowfall predictions and enjoyed every bit of the fresh powder !

[vj_torqueaddict]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Also, pls understand that Srinagar, Dharamshala and McLeodgunj and as mainstream and commercial as the likes of Shimla and Manali.

Thank you Shreyans, thats a valuable insight. We can mentally prepare ourselves for the same.
And my apologies as I was not clear about the expectation with snow. I am aware that March is not the right time to "experience" snow. One has to be really lucky (Like I was few decades ago in Gangtok). Hence, we just want to see the snow. My wife has not seen the snow, hence we were planning for the same.

Thanks again for the inputs.

[vj_torqueaddict]

Originally Posted by //M

The right time is now. Keep monitoring snowfall predictions and take a call accordingly. Gulmarg / Manali / Auli are the usual hot favourites.

Thanks, but unfortunately we cant travel right now due to work commitments, we have taken off during March end. Thanks for sharing the pictures, its beautiful.

[RM Motorsports]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

One of the things we would like to do is to go to a place where there is snow (first time for our families).

Which places do you suggest?

Its on Yahoo today. Kindly check this link

https://in.style.yahoo.com/best-plac...152300286.html

[spiler]

Hi All, Bumping the thread again. I am planning a trip along with family (2 adults and a kid) from Bangalore to the North to experience snow. Planning this during the 10 - 20th of January. This would be my daughter's first time experiencing snow. Place that i am thinking are Shimla, Naldehra or Manali.
Will be flying from BLR to Chandigarh and then take the road option.

1. Will there be snow in Shimla or Naldehra during this time?

2. Manali - Which is the best option from Chandigarh to Manali (Bus, Taxi)? Is the probability of road blockages due to snow / landslide there?

3. Open to any other location with snow. Main criteria is to not to spend too much time on road but also know for finding snow this is unavoidable.

Request your opinions or suggestions. Thank you.

[//M]

Originally Posted by spiler

Hi All, Bumping the thread again. I am planning a trip along with family (2 adults and a kid) from Bangalore to the North to experience snow. Planning this during the 10 - 20th of January. This would be my daughter's first time experiencing snow. Place that i am thinking are Shimla, Naldehra or Manali.
Will be flying from BLR to Chandigarh and then take the road option.

1. Will there be snow in Shimla or Naldehra during this time?

May be. May be not. It actually depends a lot on the weather predictions around that time. With changing climate, it is difficult to ascertain a specific period wherein you will find snow in Shimla or Naldehra. However you will most certainly find snow at Hatu Peak near Narkanda around mid January.

Originally Posted by spiler

2. Manali - Which is the best option from Chandigarh to Manali (Bus, Taxi)? Is the probability of road blockages due to snow / landslide there?

You will find plenty of buses plying between Manali and Chandigarh, some overnight ones as well. Due to road construction work from Pandoh to Aut and usual traffic, it takes close to 10 hours to drive from Chandigarh to Manali during the day however overnight buses cover this distance in a considerably lesser time. Alternatively, you may also hire a self drive rental car from Chandigarh, preferably a 4x4, to help you access places around Manali like Sethan, Solang Valley. 4x4 will be a boon on snow covered roads. One such rental agency is RBTS in Chandigarh. They have the new Thar, V Cross, Endeavour, Fortuner amongst other options. You won't find snow on your way to Manali from Chandigarh so there should be no issue of road blockages due to snow but landslides are a different ball game - unpredictable but usually a rare phenomenon during this time of the year.

Originally Posted by spiler

3. Open to any other location with snow. Main criteria is to not to spend too much time on road but also know for finding snow this is unavoidable.

Manali should be a good choice. Sethan and Solang Valley as well as Gulaba / Kothi will most certainly be snowed out. If you feel a little adventurous, you can also hike to Rani Sui Lake and Friendship Peak, two places which will guarantee snow. If not Manali, your other options are Harsil Valley and Auli (near Joshimath) in Uttarakhand as well as Gulmarg in Kashmir. Amongst this, Gulmarg is the most easily accessible. You can simply fly down to Srinagar, take a 1-1.5 hour cab drive directly to your place of stay in Gulmarg. Since it is a winter ski destination, there should be plenty of snow in the slopes.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by spiler

1. Will there be snow in Shimla or Naldehra during this time?

2. Manali - Which is the best option from Chandigarh to Manali (Bus, Taxi)? Is the probability of road blockages due to snow / landslide there?

3. Open to any other location with snow. Main criteria is to not to spend too much time on road but also know for finding snow this is unavoidable.

Request your opinions or suggestions. Thank you.

Shimla-Manali in mid to late Jan. Maybe not in the towns themselves but in the upper reaches, yes. Chances of snow are good. Places like Solang or Gulaba or Sethan in Manali and Kufri and Narkanda ahead of Shimla have the highest odds of snow.

Shimla circuit is far more convenient to access than Manali. Manali is much further away from Chandigarh. You’ll be better off flying into Bhuntar (Kullu). Note that Manali circuit gets ridiculously overcrowded during the snow period with long traffic jams and overpriced everything.

If your idea behind the trip is simply seeing snow, may I suggest that you just fly into Srinagar and take a cab to Gulmarg. That will be logistically most convenient and Gulmarg is one of the best places in India for the white winter experience.