Winter Himalayan offbeat Adventure at Himachal Pradesh

View of Manali from Manali wildlife sanctuary

Hey adventure seeker!!!

Planning your next Himalayan adventure? but all you end up finding is the same old Itinerary of crowded and overly hyped destinations which have lost their charm over the years…trust me you are not alone I have been through the same pain staking process in search for my perfect winter Himalayan adventure.

Lucky for you to avoid your misery of endless scrolling and countless searches I have come up with a perfect definition for your offbeat adventure.

Well buckle up!! and enjoy the ride because adventure is out there…

Snow trek at Hampta Valley

Let’s begin I know your top priority of an offbeat adventure is to escape the madness of endless crowd if so then winter is already a right move so when in winter is the best time you ask let’s see Decembers are crowded so I would skip it and January is bone chilling so its ill advised so we are left with February and March, In my opinion the best time in Winter is from late February to early March let’s see why,

First weather check, in this time the winter is slowly moving aside giving center stage to spring so it’s a beautiful transition time you can get the best of both, Also the life in mountains start to spring up after a brief winter break

Also this time is generally considered off season for regular tourists so naturally its a the best season for an offbeat adventurer,

Enough blabber let’s get to business…

Let me begin with the best alternatives to popular destination usually recommended,

Avoid Shimla try Dharamshala,

Reason even though Dharamshala is a bustling town like Shimla its much more affordable and there are plenty of awesome destinations within short drive from Dharamshala,

Things to do:

Places near Dharamshala to make your visit worth like,

• Short evening drive to tea plantations, this route is scenic and views are out of the world from beautiful sunset to grandest view of Dhauladhar range,

Dharanshala Cricket stadium under shadow of Dhauldhar ranges

• A visit to Dharamshala cricket stadium is quite an experience
• Experience authentic tibetian cuisine

Avoid Dalhousie head to Bir billing

Things to do:

Paragliding experience at 10000+ ft in Bir

• Well the paragliding experience at Bir is hands down the experience which shouldn’t be missed

• After a adrenaline thumping paragliding experience next try the ever so soothing bicycle ride from Bir to Palpung Sherabling Monastic center the ride in itself is a treat and the destination is a cherry on top, the Monastery is a great place to explore Tibetian culture and architecture

Avoid Solang valley try Hampta valley when in Manali

When you just think of winter activities in himachal your search result will be flooded with Solang valley ads, but truth be told when you head towards Solang from Manali all you end up is being stranded in endless traffic of vehicles heading towards Solang so how about a alternative with all the charm and negligible crowd,

Things to do:

• Enter Hampta valley, A destination well known to trekkers but less familiar to travelers, Trek along the Hampta valley, the setting is just like your childhood nature painting come alive,

Childhood nature picture come alive at Hampta valley

• Try a igloo stay at Sethan nearby,
• Try a small hike to Manali Wild life Sanctuary or Psychedelic Valley and thank me later, a hidden gem less known to usual crowd which offers a Birds view of the Manali a great escape from madness of Manali town,

Pro tip:
Check with locals they lead you to so many offbeat locations and trust their wisdom also try the home brewed Rice Beer from locals

Avoid Kasol try Grahan for a unique stay experience

Well travel to Himachal is incomplete without exploring Parvathi valley the sound of flowing river is an enchanting experience,

Parvathi River bank

Things to do:

Popular destinations include Kheerganga Trek and Manikaran, well the trek is mostly closed during winters its worth a visit to Manikaran and enjoy the relaxing bath in Hot springs,

A perfect country side setup at Grahan

• If you want to truly experience the bliss of Himalayan hamlet a trek to Grahan is a must do, The trek starts from kasol within minutes into trek you will escape the noisy of town and enter into divine place and this continues almost throughout the trek
• After a nice trek to Grahan village you will be treated to Panoramic views of Parvathi range and the village in itself feels like a travel back in time and feel awe about the setting.

Grahan village with Mighty Paravthi Parvat in the Background

• After Relaxing and trying out local delicacies head for a short hike to frozen waterfall you will be treated with stellar views and try a dip in the pristine himalayan water it will awaken your soul

Pro tip:
Plan the trek to Grahan in such a way that you start around Afternoon from Kasol and Reach Grahan by Sunset stay at Grahan the night and next day spend time in Grahan

Here’s a rough one week plan from Delhi to Delhi

Day 1: Relax and enjoy Dharamshala and Mcleoad ghanj

Day 2: Dharamshala to Bir billing overnight journey to Manali

Day 3: Explore Manali and head to Sethan and stay at Sethan

Day 4: Enjoy a small snow trek and snow activities in Hampta valley, Sethan and stay at Sethan

Day 5: Start early to Kasol and visit Manikaran and start towards Grahan by Afternoon and overnight stay at Grahan

Day 6: Explore Grahan and Frozen waterfall at Grahan and return journey to Delhi from Kasol

I can already see the travel freak in you is unleashed!!!

Well hope this blog helps make your Winter travel to Himachal worthwhile,
Do share your thoughts in comment and for any queries reach out to me at
hpyashwanth04gmail.com

The blog ends here but let the journey continue…….

Beautiful sunset from tea plantations at Dharamshala

Travel responsibly do not litter that’s the least you can do to thank nature for all its awesomeness