Unexplored Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh

It was not planned. We had reserved our birth at one of my friends resort at Mussoorie. But due to the heavy rains, we cancelled the trip to Mussoorie, and booked a resort at Kasauli.

And the next morning we took off at around 6. Due to the morning start, we could circumvent the Delhi traffic quite comfortably. After having a light breakfast on the way, we drove nonstop. The road to Shimla after you cross Ambala is fascinating. Now you don’t need to go via Parwanoo and Kalka, the new bypass will welcome you whole heartedly after you cross the busy Delhi-Chandigarh national highway. You are already happy inside.

Soon enough you drive into the hilly terrain. We stopped to have a roasted “bhutta” from the roadside. You will find a lot of such street vendors doing great business in this road, offering a variety of different stuff. Hills are not secluded as it used to be once.

For Kasauli, you first have to reach Dharampur, and then turn left leaving NH22. The straight NH22 leads to Shimla, which is almost 60 kilometers further away. From Dharampur it is a mere 10 kms drive to Kasauli.

Kasauli is a relatively small town, a british cantonment establishment. Our resort was at Chabbal on Garkhal to Jagjit Nagar Road. The road is rather narrow, be cautious with your car while crossing the market place. In my case, there was a truck carrying pile of garbage appeared from the opposite side. And with cars in both sides, took quite some time to make the way. However, by around 2 PM we were at our destination.

We enjoyed the rest of the day just by relaxing in the resort, in the small play area. Witnessing the sunset from the balcony was quite tranquil for all us after some 7 hours of voyage.

The main attraction of Kasauli is that there is no tourist attraction. But precisely that was the main reason for us to visit there. Next morning, we went for a small trek to the nearby woods. Fortunately for us, the jungle area was quite in a stone’s throw away from the resort.

We spend a good 2-3 hours just roaming around in the dense pine forest. Sometime you walk, sometime just sit on the ground, sometime you lie down on the grass staring at the sky, at those long and tall pine trees. And wonder about the beauty and creation of Mother Nature.

Opportunely, we visited Kasauli during the cloudy season, not exactly during the rainy season. That offered us beautifully cool climate. It was not cold, it was not hot. At the same time, the rains did not also intervene our schedule. At that blissful climate, spending those hours in the middle of pine trees was a cherished experience.

After returning back to our resort, we found us enquiring about such more places in close proximity. Our hotel manager informed us about a little stream around 20 kms away. We decided to visit that place as it was more or less aloof from the standard tourist crowd. The name of the spot is Gambarpul, by the name of the bridge there. After a before time lunch we took off.

The drive was not very pleasant in terms of the road condition. But the lush green natural beauty in both the sides of the road made us forget about any materialistic problem.

We crossed a rocky watercourse on the way.

The Gambarpul water line is not very big river, it is just a hilly water stream. But it is perfect for a day out picnic. We did not bring any required material for that, but I suggest we go prepared. Kids won’t be disappointed. Just be cautious about the stones underneath, they are quite sharp and spiky.

While coming back we had a little snack on the road itself. The place was so secluded; we feel you are the only living things around.

We came back at around 6 in the evening. The expedition was quite entertaining and exhilarating. You will find a couple of temples and ashrams also on the way. Again, very quiet and isolated. Just stop there, take your breath for a few minutes, you will find yourself nearer to the nature, nearer to the creator.

Next morning, we decided to pay a visit to Shimla. It is around 77 kms of drive. For a change, I didn’t want to spend the time driving, rather engaged a local taxi for the day. The journey was typical as you would expect. However, still the weather made our day. It was gloomy and overcast throughout, yet not raining.

On the way, we enquired for the Toy Train ride. Visited the Shimla railway station. However, unfortunately could not find any suitable train to match our timings. For everybody’s benefit here is the train timings as posted in the station.

Upon reaching Shimla, as usual, we struggled to get into the sole lift and reach to the famous Mall Road. Even though the main Shimla is very much over crowded now-a-days, the beauty of the Queen is not yet descended.

We had our lunch at Hotel Combermere, wonderful food and ambience.

We also visited the signature spot of Shimla, The Ridge. A usual formal visit, but the place always makes you feel good.

Even though you don’t have to do anything, but roaming around the Mall Road, the Lakkar Bazaar, the Tudorbethan styled Library will spend your day fabulously. After a brief shopping exercise, we started our return journey. On the way we stopped at Solan, one of the biggest town and district head quarter. I holidayed in this place a couple of years ago, now was surprised to see the growth these places are witnessing. Sometimes, the growth is abnormal, un-controlled, un-monitored.

However, we reached back at around 7 in the evening. Enjoyed the rest of the day just by relaxing and unwinding. Tomorrow is our end of this short trip. Time to be back to home.

The nature didn’t deprived us from anything. Next morning, we started our journey, we were fare welled by light rain and drizzle throughout the hilly terrain. On the way back, we stopped over at The Haveli, Karnal.

The Last Words.

Quite quaint and calm place is this, Kasauli. Expect nothing except of natural beauty and the place won’t let you down.

A few suggestions though.

• Book a hotel or resort at the outskirts of main Kasauli. Those places are not very far from the main market, yet very much serene and peaceful in the nature.
• If you happen to decide to go to Gambarpul, double check your vehicle, you won’t be getting much help on the way.
• If you are one of those nature lovers, prepare your itinerary in such a way that you have time to roam around in the pine woods, without a hurry, and essentially aimlessly.
• In case the Toy Train is one of your target attractions, please plan well ahead. The train timings change without notice. Surprisingly, the most suitable train for tourists is either during very early in the morning, or very late in the evening.

Happy Exploring !!!