[swapnilchandra]

Just wrapped up a beautiful 7-night family trip to Himachal, and I thought I'd pen down our experience for anyone planning a similar escape. This is a just a quick glimpse of the trip along with a few snaps.

We flew out from Pune to Delhi and then took a train to Chandigarh, where an Innova Crysta was waiting, prebooked for the entire trip. Having the same car and driver for the whole ride made things smoother, especially when you're traveling with family (and a fair share of luggage!).

Our full route - from Chandigarh to Chitkul and back via Cheog.


First stop: Narkanda (2 nights)
We left at around 10 am and reached by 7.00pm. The drive was scenic with a lunch stop midway.
We stayed at Yarrows, a lovely little property tucked away near Tani Jubbar Lake. The approach road’s a quite bumpy, but the view and the staff made up for it.
We had booked a family suite, which was basically 2 adjacent rooms with a door partition in between. Good thing was that it had a long balcony which stretched along both the rooms, so mornings came with a view.

The food? Surprisingly good. We tried Negi Dhaba at the Narkanda market. It was highly rated, but we ended up liking the hotel’s food better. Don’t miss trying siddu, a local Himachali snack, kind of like a fat momo.

We visited Hatu Peak, St. Mary’s Church (built in 1872), both serene and peaceful. Oh, and our first flat tyre (out of two!) happened here... which meant a halt at Rampur (on the way to Kalpa) for a new one.








Kalpa (2 nights)
This stretch was almost of 8 hrs (12pm-8-pm)
Here our stay was at Kinnar Kailash (HPTDC), with jaw-dropping views of the Kinnar Kailash range from our room.
The rooms were quite big, with electric heaters available. Here also the food was decent.

I could see the Hu-Ba-Lan-Kar Monastery & Chandika Devi Temple from the hotel room and were in walk-able distances. These were hidden near the houses but really lovely places.

We also visited Suicide Point (scenic despite the name), some beautiful streams along the way, and Rekong Peo for local snacks.
Route near the suicide point is really lovely which lot of photo (and Insta) worthy spots.










Chitkul (2 nights) – The Highlight
This was a more relaxed drive oveall. Distance is not much, we left after breakfast (around 11.30).
Quick stop in Sangla for lunch before reaching Chitkul. Stayed at Escape Camps: cozy Swiss tents, electric blankets, and views all around.
The electric blanket here was a god-send. Both nights here, the temperature was 0 to -1.











Highlights include:

• Baspa River walks
• Endless strolls in the Meadows
• Short hike to the snow point
• Last dhaba near the Indo-Tibetan border
• Hot pakoras in -1°C rain!

Cheog (1 night) – Wind down stop
The stretch from Chitkul to Cheog ook us 8+ hours.

We chose Woodvista Cottage for peace and views, away from the Kufri/Fagu crowd. Just lazed around and took it slow.
Here also the approach road was non-existent, but since the property was in the woods, not having a concrete road added to the whole ambiance.
The property was almost empty (due to the Ind-Pak tension), and we pretty much had the whole resort to us.
Our breakfast/dinner was served in the rooms (instead of the buffet spread).




Trip Highlights
Most scenic drive: Kalpa to Chitkul via Sangla
Best stay: Escape Camps, Chitkul
Favorite food: Kinnauri rajma & mutton at camp
Fun chaos: Delhi storm almost made us miss our train
Top moment: Sipping coffee + pakodas with mountain views in silence

Almost all the road travel took us more than expected time, this was because there were so many places to stop and appreciate the nature. Countless points where you could just sit and relax.

[Aditya]

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