Blogs from Chamba Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

The past couple of weeks has taken us up North away from the crowds and pollution of Delhi and into the foothills of the Himalayas. It's been very laid back and relaxing; certainly a very different India than what one sees on the typical Golden Triangle route. Our first stop was Shimla, the former summer capital of the British Raj. We travelled along the Kalka-Shimla railway on what's known as the 'toy train'. It took us about 6 hours to cover the 96km distance and brought new meaning to the term 'scenic route'. Remarkably, the train climbs from a starting elevation of about 650 meters at Kalka all the way to nearly 2100 meters at Shimla with no less than 864 bridges and 103 tunnels along the way. We spent the next day in Shimla soaking ... read more

Chamba is a fascinating town set in a valley on the edge of a rushing river. It took one hour on the bus to get here from Khajjiar and it was a scary trip! The bus arrived from Dalhousie absolutely packed and had about a dozen young men sitting on the roof - all singing and whistling - in very high spirits and looking forward to day out on the field in Khajjiar. Just as we were leaving Khajjiar, as were walking through the forest to the bus stop (our hotel was set amongst the trees) we disturbed two baby snow leopards playing. What a thrill that was! The area is a forestry and wildlife reserve. The bus trip to Chamba was all down hill and the bus conductor stood at the back of the bus ... read more

Chamba is bounded on north-west by Jammu and Kashmir, on the north-east and east by Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state and Lahaul and Bara-Bangal area of Himachal Pradesh, on the south-east and south by the District Kangra of Himachal Pradesh and Gurdaspur District of the Punjab. The Chamba District is situated between north latitude 32° 11΄ 30″ and 33° 13΄ 6″ and east longitude 75°49 and 77° 3΄ 30″, with an estimated area of 6528 square Kilometers and is surrounded on all sides by lofty hill ranges. The territory is wholly mountainous with altitude ranging from 2,000 to 21,000 feet. Regarding the early history of this region it is believed that this area was at time inhabited by certain Kolian tribes, which were later, subjugated by the Khasas. The Khasas too after a time ... read more

The time in Orchard Hut was amazing relaxing, away from the intense heat and hassle of the cities. On the second day there I chose to do a trek up the mountain to where they have another building which people can use as a base when walking. Three hours up, which was hard because of the heat (it was still hot there!), but I was rewarded with great views of a Himalayan Ridge which begins with 'P'! Also was nice walking past the houses scattered on the mountain side and receiving curious, but not unfriendly, looks, which always turned into smiles when I said 'Namaste'. When we got back down I rewarded myself with a swim in the pool...well, more like a game of water volley ball (does that have a proper name?) in the ... read more

Day I After a rather sleepless night, I caught the Sahoo bus to Chaminu and was met by the side of the road - luckily the bus conductor knew where I was going! One of the guides helped me carry my bags up to the Orchard Hut (1325m)- 30mins uphill before breakfast! I arrived flushed but wide awake and it was just as I had hoped, an elegant timber and mud house perched on the side of the mountain, with an open balcony, colourful garden, hammocks, swimming pool and amazing views looking over the village below and green Saal Valley - a perfect spot. I was welcomed in the traditional pahadi style; a red dot was placed on my forehead, mountain cap, mouth freshener (a combination of coconut, cardomon seeds and various other unidentifiable substances… umm ... read more