[Ashpillai]

I am a newbie driver. Planning the first serious drive into the mountains. Had planned Manali, but Sarahan is tempting. What would you guys suggest???

Am moving with wifey from Chandigarh in a Wagon R.

[amip]

You could also go to McLeodganj - though it wouldn't be close from Shimla - but its a great part of Himachal to explore.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by Ashpillai

I am a newbie driver. Planning the first serious drive into the mountains. Had planned Manali, but Sarahan is tempting. What would you guys suggest???

Am moving with wifey from Chandigarh in a Wagon R.

Sarahan is a decent place.
not at all crowded.
I would say go for it.

[Ashpillai]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

Sarahan is a decent place.
not at all crowded.
I would say go for it.

Hey Thanks Akshay!! Manali is always crowded...... But I was wondering if the route is not too much for an absolutely new to the hills driver and of course we will have a two year on board. How much time will it take???

[mobike008]

@Watashi, I have exactly the same plan as you of exploring Himachal during this winter. I visit it around once in 2 years and last time i was there during winter in 2006 and went to Kullu,Manali, Mandi, and also visited Rohtang Pass and this was from Dec 25 and returned to Delhi on Dec 31st to celebrate the new year with family.

This time around, i have the same plans and initially i thought of the same as you to drive over but,later on my wife's coaxing and hammering some sense in me that driving will take away most of our 12 day holiday, decided against it and have already booked my flights too ( Dec 24-Jan 4th).

I intent to spend 3-4 days in Delhi with family and remaining plan to spend in Himachal and i too have not decided on the places but it would be the same. Shimla, Kufri, Dalhousie and Chail.

Need some advice from Delhi guys, which are the best places to visit during this time period? I plan to drive down from Delhi to HP.

My advice to you is to avoid driving up from Hyderabad as you will be wasting a lot of precious holiday time driving ( you would spend easily a week only in driving) as you can utilize that time to explore several lovely places in Himachal.

I am assuming your holiday is for relaxation and not for adventure, so you would enjoy it more if you travel by air/rail. Just my 2 cents

[hvkumar]

During the last week of the year, be prepared for heavy fog in most places north of Delhi, and budget extra time accordingly. There may be occasional snowfall in Shimla/Manali/Dalhousie, although chances of disruption are minimal.

The ideal circuit would be Delhi-Dalhousie-Manali-Shimla-Delhi, each sector taking upto 8-10 hours of driving time.

[watashi75]

@mobike, my wife is also trying to hammer the same sense into my head, so I might also be flying down like you! Actually I was planning to get some stuff like camping equipments, car accessories etc which we don't get easily in Hyderabad, and it would have been easier if I had a car.

I guess you will be driving from Delhi to HP in one of your family cars. Unfortunately I don't have that option and the rented car option seems to be costly. So, I am planning to delay buying my flight tickets so that after some time the self-drive option will start looking more "economically" viable!

Our plan seems to be similar infact. I will also be staying in Delhi/Noida for couple of days to visit friends.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by Ashpillai

Hey Thanks Akshay!! Manali is always crowded...... But I was wondering if the route is not too much for an absolutely new to the hills driver and of course we will have a two year on board. How much time will it take???

Route is fine you can easily reach sarahan in a day if you start early with easy driving.
its 177Kms from Shimla.
roads are nice after narkanda barring a few patches.
so a total of 282kms of hills driving.
I would suggest spend day 1 in Narkanda keeping in mind you have kid on board.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by watashi75

@mobike, my wife is also trying to hammer the same sense into my head, so I might also be flying down like you! Actually I was planning to get some stuff like camping equipments, car accessories etc which we don't get easily in Hyderabad, and it would have been easier if I had a car.

I guess you will be driving from Delhi to HP in one of your family cars. Unfortunately I don't have that option and the rented car option seems to be costly. So, I am planning to delay buying my flight tickets so that after some time the self-drive option will start looking more "economically" viable!

Our plan seems to be similar infact. I will also be staying in Delhi/Noida for couple of days to visit friends.

Yes, i will be driving down in my FIL's car and may also have some other family folks joining in other cars.

It is not necessary to drive down from Delhi to HP, there is a nice Volvo service that is over-nighter and you can take that, it would be a very economical option. There would be no need of a car to go around any city in HP as most of them are real small and you can take a cab to check out the places. For e.g Manali can be covered by foot as well

Also, try booking your rooms in HPTDC run hotels as they would be cheaper than private run.

Plus, remember it is going to be winter and there maybe snow around some parts of the state and the roads are quite treacherous in most places in HP ( for e.g Manali to Manikaran ( famous temple) which is 70kms from Manali is really a heart stopping drive with extremely narrow roads and a gorge on one side)

Anyways, you can decide what works best for you.

[rajshenoy]

Driving from hydbad to HP will surely make ur wife hammer you quite literally unless you both are some sort of enthusiasts with a craze for driving(you surely sound like one) but for long drives its better to have some company/drivers who can share the load

I sometimes feel we guys in southern part are not so lucky ..to enjoy the drive in himalayan mountains.. we have to first cover 1000s of kms just to start our actual trip

As mobike pointed out, you can perhaps plan little more and organise a trip by booking volvos, stay+ travel means etc.. so that when you actually reach there..you dont have to sit and bargain wasting your time

[amip]

Also Himachal is very well connected by buses - so you don't need to take cabs for all journeys unless you want to. The bus stops are also well organized & efficient

[watashi75]

Thanks for your suggestions mobike008 and rajshenoy! Will try to finalize the travel plan and bookings by this weekend. The plan is to base out of Dalhousie or Manali and go for short treks to nearby places. Our IT-pampered bodies needs to get some exercise or they are going to turn into vegetables! We also want to do little bit of ice skating (amateurs!) and skiiing.

Ok. There is another reason really why I wanted to drive. Like many guys here, I too hope to participate in the Raid, probably in the next 2 years!

@rajshenoy, its true, guys in south are at a disadvantage, and guys in Hyderabad even more so! At least those in Bangalore have a few options.

[sudev]

First you are driving up from Hyderabad? That would be four days up and down. Unless of course both of you swap driving and go continuous... 8-(

Advantage of doing it by your own vehicle is that you could be a bit footloose. Spending a night extra at one place or skipping a place.

Have you been to HP before? In two weeks (okay 10 days) you can cover a lot or just explore a small area. Depends on you and your tastes and sense of adventure. Would you want to visit places of pilgrimage? Would you want unspoilt (relatively) countryside?....

Consider:
Kasauli - Lovely sunset views on entire Punjab plains and quaint town.
Naraingarh Fort (foot hill plains) - Heritage fort hotel. Expensive.
Poanta Sahib, Nahan, Renuka Lake - Little bit of Sikh and Hindu religion
Camping at Rajgarh (from Solan) or Shogi (near Simla) - Adventure in apple orchards
Sabathu regimental centre (if you have army connections) - Propah burra sahib treatment!
Baorg - More of weekend getaway. On top of the hill that has more than a mile long railway tunnel below. You can go down on one side (Dharampur) catch a train thru and come back from other (Solan). Now this train ride has made it to world heritage status.
Simla - Need I say anything? Fact: Depending on which side of ridge a drop of rain (or P) falls it can end up in Bay of bengal or the Arabian sea.
Narkanda - Brrrrrrrrr and snow. You can trek or drive (conditions allowing) to Hattu Peak, highest point nearby)
Rampur and Sarahan - Nice drive along the sik route after Narkanda and picturesque mandir

Kufri, Mashobra, Tatta Pani, Dharampur, Timber Trail, Phagu, Chail...... all this is practically along one intrusion point into HP. Dotted with many hotels big and small. Home stays, these are becoming increasingly available. Well appointed and maintained toursim corporation hotels/motels

There are two more - The Kangra and Kullu and some lesser know, but even more appealing areas.

So have I confused you enough. I know tsk1979, hvkumar, rudrasen and phamilyman can add much more spice and excitement to this soup.

If you stick to main highways and lesser heights you can have enough to see and can leave that shovel and chains at home.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by sudev

First you are driving up from Hyderabad? That would be four days up and down. Unless of course both of you swap driving and go continuous... 8-(

Advantage of doing it by your own vehicle is that you could be a bit footloose. Spending a night extra at one place or skipping a place.

Have you been to HP before? In two weeks (okay 10 days) you can cover a lot or just explore a small area. Depends on you and your tastes and sense of adventure. Would you want to visit places of pilgrimage? Would you want unspoilt (relatively) countryside?....

Consider:
Kasauli - Lovely sunset views on entire Punjab plains and quaint town.
Naraingarh Fort (foot hill plains) - Heritage fort hotel. Expensive.
Poanta Sahib, Nahan, Renuka Lake - Little bit of Sikh and Hindu religion
Camping at Rajgarh (from Solan) or Shogi (near Simla) - Adventure in apple orchards
Sabathu regimental centre (if you have army connections) - Propah burra sahib treatment!
Baorg - More of weekend getaway. On top of the hill that has more than a mile long railway tunnel below. You can go down on one side (Dharampur) catch a train thru and come back from other (Solan). Now this train ride has made it to world heritage status.
Simla - Need I say anything? Fact: Depending on which side of ridge a drop of rain (or P) falls it can end up in Bay of bengal or the Arabian sea.
Narkanda - Brrrrrrrrr and snow. You can trek or drive (conditions allowing) to Hattu Peak, highest point nearby)
Rampur and Sarahan - Nice drive along the sik route after Narkanda and picturesque mandir
...... all this is practically along one intrusion point into HP. Dotted with many hotels big and small. Home stays, these are becoming increasingly available. Well appointed and maintained toursim corporation hotels/motels

There are two more - The Kangra and Kullu and some lesser know, but even more appealing areas.

So have I confused you enough. I know tsk1979, hvkumar, rudrasen and phamilyman can add much more spice and excitement to this soup.

If you stick to main highways and lesser heights you can have enough to see and can leave that shovel and chains at home.

I suppose you are reffering to the Ramgarh one(the fort on Panchkula-Naraingarh(its like 60kms from ramgarh) road).

No need to visit places like Barog,Nahan,Paonta sahib(unless you are religiously inclined).

These places hardly have things to offer to tourists,especially if someone is coming from a far off place these places would be a dissappointment.

Since December the places one can explore is rather limited because of weather.

I would recommend Naldehra,Kufri,Chail,Narkanda-Sarahan( chances of snow are 95% in Narkanda and Sarahan).

Manali is a nice option,you can also try and Visit Dalhousie,chamba MCleod ganj.

[sudev]

Ramgarh fort is in Haryana and is barely 20km from Chandigarh. Rajgarh is the apple country off main highway from Solan towards Renuka and has variety of tented acco now on offer. Lovely foot trekks around.
Naraingarh is further up the Pinjore-Baddi road and has a heritage palace hotel. This road connects to Swarghat on the Mandi/Manal highway.