Memorable Winter in the Upper Himalayas

Travelling in the upper Himalayas sounds adventurous but in the winter season when the heavy snowfall covers the mountains and roads are inaccessible then it sounds crazy! But believe me, the winters I have spent in the mountains were magical. One of the experiences I witnessed in January was when I visited a beautiful hill station in the upper Himalayas known as Chakrata. This beautiful hill station is located in Uttrakhand state of India.

It took almost 7 hours to reach Chakrata from Delhi. On the way to this hill station, there are many places, and temples to see and surprisingly there are two beautiful snow treks for all the trek lovers.

The Journey

So, I planned this journey with my wife and I decided to drive to this place with small breaks in between. We started early in the morning at 4 with all our utilities and required stuff in the boot. I have travelled in most of Uttrakhand but this part is going to be a new memory for me. While crossing all the cities and small villages on the way. We reached a place called Khalsi, which is around 50 KMs from Chakrata. We see many cars are parked by the side, so out of curiocity I also stopped the car and enquired about it. We came to know that a relic at the time of Ashoka is placed in a open space and people are visiting it.

Rock edicts of Khalsi/Kalsi

ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) preserved rock inscriptions written by Emperor Ashoka around 250 BCE, written in Greek and Aramaic are placed here. This is the first time I have seen something so closely. If I could understand the language I would definitely stay there for a day and read each letter written on it. But I lived the time thinking by visiting it. This place is worth visiting for those who are hungry about the history of this nation.

Stay in Chakrata

Stopping by some Maggi and Momo shops we finally reached Chakrata. I have already made a booking in advance. This time I am with my wife so obviously a luxury room is needed. The place which I booked is good. It cost me somewhere 7-8K per night. This wooden cottage has all the facilities and is a good place to stay.

Tiger Fall

Near my place, there is a waterfall which falls at 312 ft and is counted among the top 5 falls in India. We visited this magnificent place which is just a 10 KM drive but truly the weather on the way made us stop to click photos.

Reaching Tiger Falls we parked our car and started walking towards it, it’s a 1.5 Km walk and easy. It took another 20 minutes to reach.

Most people like to visit Manali, Shimla or some other crowded hill station but if someone is looking for a less crowded with good properties option to stay you can consider this place. The best part of this hill station is roads are well-maintained, almost no crowd, less options to eat (so no confusion), complete peace and no market to shop at. So nobody is in between you and nature.

But the story is not finished yet. We did a snow trek too.

How to Reach

By Train: Dehradun is the nearest railhead to Chakrata and the distance is 92 km. There are buses which ply directly to Chakrata.

By Air: The nearest airport to Chakrata is Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun. Take a Private taxi or local city bus.

By Road: The GT Road serves as the best option between Delhi and Chakrata.