Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is one of the most popular tourist destinations. The high mountains pull your attention towards them. The state is blessed with ample of flora and fauna, mountain resorts, adventure sports destinations and many more which works as a magnet for broad range of tourists. It has end number of attractive tourist policies and ideas for the tourists. Traditionally famous as the "Devbhumi" (Land of the Gods), it is an attractive and stunning hill state, situated in north-west area of Western Himalayas. Himachal Pradesh is bordered with Jammu and Kashmir to north, Tibet to the east and Punjab to the west. The state is well-known for the winter sports it offers during the season. It organizes many competitions in mountaineering, skiing, and winter festivals. The state positions itself very differently from the neighbour state, if compare to its complete landscape range and overwhelming untouched natural beauty, flora and fauna.
Location
Himachal Pradesh is located in the northern region of India. Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh and the most popular tourist spot in India. Himachal Pradesh is bordered with Jammu and Kashmir to north, Tibet to the east and Punjab to the west. The location of the state is very convenient and easily accessible. The state is blessed with the stunning and pleasurable weather because of the high altitude.
Places to see
Loosen up yourself in the calm environment of Himachal Pradesh. It is the ideal place to unwind, calm down and getaway from the outer world. You can enjoy your holiday in the hilly cities of on the state. You can book city tour to get pleasure from the most picturesque panorama. It is more like a honeymoon spot. You will get the opportunity to observe the biggest fascination fruits orchards. The pure air and amazing sight seeing will take away all your stress and you will be just amazed.
Rural Attraction : Get yourself to rural areas and have fun in several rural places in Himachal Pradesh that have preserved the stunning culture of Himachal for century. Paragpur village of Kangra district is the first heritage village of India. Rukhala and Naggar are also the good options if you like villages. These village of Himachal are the major tourist places for tourists. You can see monuments and fruit orchards and several temples which have been discreet as of now.
Wildlife : The state has popular wildlife sanctuaries, so coming to Himachal and not visiting to sanctuaries, would not be fare with your holiday. These sanctuaries have kept many subtle and mysterious creatures of the nature. You can plan a trip to Pin Valley National Park or Great Himalayan National Park. These national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are the perfect approach to discover the rare wilds. These sanctuaries are very famous spots to visit in Himachal Pradesh.
Adventure : If you are an adventure lover then Himachal Pradesh is the perfect destination for you, the state has reserved a different position for itself all over the world. The land offers end number of adventure sports in Kufri and Manali. There are rivers and streams where you can enjoy rafting and many other water sports. Several other adventure activities like paragliding, camping, trekking can be explored by captivating adventure tourism package.
Monuments : Get monumental trip and observe the end number of monuments, forts which are wide in the state. When you plan to travel to Himachal then do not forget to list down Kangra Fort and many other forts of the state which are famous and world known for their architectural styles. Other forts and monuments that you should not miss are Colonial Buildings made by British.
Rohtang Pass : You can not miss visiting high passes of the state that have achieved huge popularity. Rohtang pass is the world’s highest pass where you visit by Jeep or other vehicle. Apart from Rohtang Pass there are several other passes that have gained the label of best passes all over the world. You can book an exclusive trip to enjoy the various type of tourism that Himachal Pradesh offers to its tourists offered by the Government or any good travel agency.
How to reach
There are five major places which pull the highest number of tourists, these are – Shimla, Kullu and Manali, Dharamshala, Palampur, Dalhousie. A broad variety of staying facility such as hotels, guest houses, rest houses and bread and breakfast scheme are available in these places.
By Air: Shimla is well connected with Delhi. Jubbarhatti airport is there which only 23 Kms away from Shimla is. You can get cab or taxi from the airport.
By Rail: If you want to travel to Shimla through rail then you must get a train from Kalka, 90 Kms away from Shimla. It takes hardly six hours from Kalka to Shimla, but you will get the lifetime opportunity to enjoy the finest landscape of the state. Government has recently launched a luxury coach where only six persons can travel together. You can find a deluxe train named Shivalik Express.
By Road: Shimla is very well linked up with all the major cities of North India. You can get taxi or cabs to Shimla from Delhi, Ambala, Kalka and Chandigarh. You can even book Himachal Tourism Development Corporations' Volvo bus from Chandigarh and Delhi. Road trip can offer you to enjoy the beautiful sight-seeing.
What to do
The best thing to do in Himachal Pradesh is to enjoying end number of adventure sports. The state offers every kind of attractions. Doesn’t matter you are a natural beauty lover, fond of monuments and forts, great lover of adventure and adventure sports. Even the Government organizes many adventure sports in the season; you can take part and win fabulous gifts and most importantly recognition. If you do so well then the organizing agency contact you in every season. You can visit end number of temples, forts along with stunning picturesque. Visiting Himachal Pradesh is a lifetime experience for the explorers, because the land offers you each and everything. This is the favourite tourist destination in summer for the people of Delhi and other neighbouring states, because it takes hardly six-seven hours to reach Himachal from Delhi.
Adventure lovers can enjoy end number of sports here, such as water rafting, Para gliding, skiing, trekking, golf, ice skating, angling, rock climbing, and many more. You can come here for camping and then you can pedal the high mountains of the state in a group, this is amazingly enjoyable and you would definitely love doing this. Water sports and rafting are organised in Maharana Pratap Sagar. Precisely, there are countless activities and visiting places here, exploring Himachal Pradesh is a lifetime experience for tourists.
Best time to visit
The state possesses very different geography. The northern part of the state is located at high altitude, so it is extremely chilly and freezing during winters and this part of the state is blessed with only hills and mountains. On the other hand, the southern part is at lower altitude and has similar climate as the plains of the country. April, May, June are the peak months when maximum number of tourists come here. The state is also a weekend getaway, so several tourists come here during weekends. On the other side, if you want to enjoy the snowfall then December and January are the most preferred time to observe snow. But Rohtang pass is closed due to heavy snow fall during the season. So if you want to visit the high passes at the same time then you need to re-plan your holiday. If you are the lover of greener then you are advised to visit the land during July to September. You can even witness the rainbow at this time, because these months are the monsoon months. To enjoy the winter, visit Himachal in the months of October and March.
History
The state is also known as "Dev Bhoomi". There are several proofs available, which tells the existence of God in this part of the country. The Rig Veda tells about the existence of Nishads and Dasyus. Later Aryans visited the place long back, even before the Rig Veda. Then Aryans settled here everlastingly and because the Aryans were great warriors, so they defeated the local people. Aryans maintained friendly relationship with the Maurayans. But as the Guptas were rising and the Aryans lost their liberty. After Guptas several emperors came and established their kingdom here. In early 19th century, British influenced their power here and they established several hill stations here. British declared Shimla their summer capital. There are several buildings and houses which narrate the story of British Empire.
Climate
The state is blessed with diverse climate. The northern part of the state is located at high altitude, so it is extremely chilly and freezing during winters and this part of the state is blessed with only hills and mountains. It’s amazing to witness the snow fall in this part of the state. On the other hand, the southern part is at lower altitude and has similar climate as the plains of the country.
