So finally this is it. My first blog and ill start this journey by posting about the first ever trekking trip i went on. It was in june 2010 and the place is called Shikari Devi. And even to this day i can say without a doubt this is one of the best places i've ever seen. The wind on the meadows, the tall deodar trees, the path through the forests, the starry night sky;totally breathtaking.This is a must visit place for people who really want to get close to nature and admire the natural beauty.
Shikari Devi is a temple located in the Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh. The place is known for its roofless temple (hence the name) located on the peak at an altitude of around 3300m. The best part about the place is that you can reach the peak either via a direct road or via trekking. However if you truly want to experience the Himalayas up and close i'd suggest trekking, given it isnt gonna be that easy.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the place would be around june-july. The grass is fresh and green after the rains. The weather is pleasant and the days are long. Do Not even think about a trip to this place in December or January. The weather is extremely cold and chances are that this place would under a foot or two of snow.
Things to carry along
The regulars. Do not pack a very heavy bag as it gets difficult when climbing uphill. Carry one of those intant food packs for sure along with the snacks. Have extra water bottles in your pack aswell. Dont forget a few packets of paper soap. A small steel bowl or sumthing like that if you plan to cook sumthing in the woods. Camera is a must have.
How to get there
To get to Shikari devi you'll have to first reach Shimla. Shimla is some 320 km from Delhi. One can easily find a bus from Delhi. Volvo service is also available at night from ISBT at Delhi. It usually takes around 8-10 hours from Delhi and no there'll be no snow anywhere on the route anywhere till Shimla even during winters. As a matter of fact there's no snow anywhere in himachal in summers or monsoon except the higher regions of the state above 4000m.
There are two routes to Shikari Devi from Shimla.
Route 1 via Shimla-Mandi
Mandi is located 160 km from Shimla. You can also get a bus for Mandi from Chandigarh(located 250 km from delhi and falls on the shimla delhi highway) which completely bypasses Shimla and saves time.
From Mandi you can higher a cab that goes upto the peak of the temple. Though you'll still get to see the view of the mountains you'll still miss out the trekking part and a lot of other things so i'd suggest to go choose the other option instead.
Route 2 via Shimla-Sunni-Bakhrot
This is the road me and my friends took and ill be only covering this route in this post. If you have no idea of the place it is best to hire a local guide rather than getting lost later. You can find one in Shimla or at Sunni or Tattapani. Though you should be good if you have a smartphone with google maps and you'll find many locals on your way to tell you the way but still having a guiding is anyday better than getting lost in the jungles. A lot of buses ply between Shimla and Sunni. From Sunni you can hire a cab till bakhrot or take a bus. You can also find a direct bus till Bakhrot from Shimla, though you'll have to confirm the timing from the Hrtc office at Shimla beforehand. On the way to Bakhrot falls the famous Naldehra golf course that is one of the oldest in the country. Also the road winds through the Sutluj valley. You can also visit Tattapani (given you've hired a taxi as the buses dont stop for long at these places). The place is famous for hot water springs. Also there are arrangements for river rafting in Sutlej and I'd definitely advice you to check it out.
Anyways we took a bus at around 7 in the morning that dropped us at Bakhrot at around 12 in the noon. It is advisable to start early in the morning as the the trekking can take anywhere between 4-7 hours depending on your speed. Once you reach Bakhrot, the real trekking start. A clear view of the Karsog valley is visible from Bakhrot.
It is all uphill journey from bakhrot. The path goes through forests and glades and trust me you'll find many of those. We stopped for lunch at around 2 and then started on our journey again. After around 4 hours of trek we finally started getting tired and the road only got steeper and more tiresome. But it was totally worth it. Once you reach the top of the ridge the entire landscape changes. Meadows surrounded by assorted deodar trees totally leave you gasping for breath (not that the trek doesn't). Feels as if you're in god's own garden which he tends to personally. The grass is neither too short not too long, the trees are just about the right size ,the snow clad mountains in the distance, the wind on blowing on your face; nothing short of heaven.
We reached the summit in the evening by 6. And as it turned out it is actually the best time to reach the spot. Anything later than this and you'll miss out the sunset. The temple at the peak has got no roof over it. We did our photography and explored the area around for an hour or so before having dinner at a dhaba near the temple.
For the night we rented a tent located close to the temple (even if your girlfriend bore the strenuous walking so far she is not gonna find this civic enough, best not get her on the trip). You can get one for 300-400 bucks with warm blankets and an electrical socket (you'll have to make arrangement for the morning chores in the jungle though). There is also a state govt's guest house but you'll have to get it booked from Shimla in advance.
After sleeping well through the night, the next morning we decided to visit another temple called Budha Kedar. The journey ahead was all downhill and as far as i think the landscape only got better as we moved forward.
We found a small stream on the way and did not miss the chance to light up a small fire and cook some maggi that we had packed along. Finally we reached the shrine at around one and after that continued downhill. We saw many small streams and waterfalls on our way somthing that was absent in the first part of the journey the previous day.
By 2.30 we were finally back into civilization at a small village (cant remember the name after this long). From there we got a bus up to Mandi. We rested in Mandi for a day and boarded a bus to Shimla the next morning. Actually at this point in journey you have several options to choose from. You can visit Kullu Manali as it is near by, or if not you can avoid shimla and get a direct bus for Chandigarh or Delhi from Mandi.
So this was all about my first trekking experience. Not only did it bring me close to the nature but it was also provided a much needed break from the monotonous city life. My appetite for such trips only grew after this, many of which ill be sharing on this blog. Lemme know if you have any queries or questions about Shikari devi. Ill be more than happy to answer them.
Shikari Devi is a temple located in the Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh. The place is known for its roofless temple (hence the name) located on the peak at an altitude of around 3300m. The best part about the place is that you can reach the peak either via a direct road or via trekking. However if you truly want to experience the Himalayas up and close i'd suggest trekking, given it isnt gonna be that easy.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the place would be around june-july. The grass is fresh and green after the rains. The weather is pleasant and the days are long. Do Not even think about a trip to this place in December or January. The weather is extremely cold and chances are that this place would under a foot or two of snow.
Things to carry along
The regulars. Do not pack a very heavy bag as it gets difficult when climbing uphill. Carry one of those intant food packs for sure along with the snacks. Have extra water bottles in your pack aswell. Dont forget a few packets of paper soap. A small steel bowl or sumthing like that if you plan to cook sumthing in the woods. Camera is a must have.
How to get there
To get to Shikari devi you'll have to first reach Shimla. Shimla is some 320 km from Delhi. One can easily find a bus from Delhi. Volvo service is also available at night from ISBT at Delhi. It usually takes around 8-10 hours from Delhi and no there'll be no snow anywhere on the route anywhere till Shimla even during winters. As a matter of fact there's no snow anywhere in himachal in summers or monsoon except the higher regions of the state above 4000m.
There are two routes to Shikari Devi from Shimla.
Route 1 via Shimla-Mandi
Mandi is located 160 km from Shimla. You can also get a bus for Mandi from Chandigarh(located 250 km from delhi and falls on the shimla delhi highway) which completely bypasses Shimla and saves time.
From Mandi you can higher a cab that goes upto the peak of the temple. Though you'll still get to see the view of the mountains you'll still miss out the trekking part and a lot of other things so i'd suggest to go choose the other option instead.
Route 2 via Shimla-Sunni-Bakhrot
This is the road me and my friends took and ill be only covering this route in this post. If you have no idea of the place it is best to hire a local guide rather than getting lost later. You can find one in Shimla or at Sunni or Tattapani. Though you should be good if you have a smartphone with google maps and you'll find many locals on your way to tell you the way but still having a guiding is anyday better than getting lost in the jungles. A lot of buses ply between Shimla and Sunni. From Sunni you can hire a cab till bakhrot or take a bus. You can also find a direct bus till Bakhrot from Shimla, though you'll have to confirm the timing from the Hrtc office at Shimla beforehand. On the way to Bakhrot falls the famous Naldehra golf course that is one of the oldest in the country. Also the road winds through the Sutluj valley. You can also visit Tattapani (given you've hired a taxi as the buses dont stop for long at these places). The place is famous for hot water springs. Also there are arrangements for river rafting in Sutlej and I'd definitely advice you to check it out.
Anyways we took a bus at around 7 in the morning that dropped us at Bakhrot at around 12 in the noon. It is advisable to start early in the morning as the the trekking can take anywhere between 4-7 hours depending on your speed. Once you reach Bakhrot, the real trekking start. A clear view of the Karsog valley is visible from Bakhrot.
We reached the summit in the evening by 6. And as it turned out it is actually the best time to reach the spot. Anything later than this and you'll miss out the sunset. The temple at the peak has got no roof over it. We did our photography and explored the area around for an hour or so before having dinner at a dhaba near the temple.
For the night we rented a tent located close to the temple (even if your girlfriend bore the strenuous walking so far she is not gonna find this civic enough, best not get her on the trip). You can get one for 300-400 bucks with warm blankets and an electrical socket (you'll have to make arrangement for the morning chores in the jungle though). There is also a state govt's guest house but you'll have to get it booked from Shimla in advance.
After sleeping well through the night, the next morning we decided to visit another temple called Budha Kedar. The journey ahead was all downhill and as far as i think the landscape only got better as we moved forward.
We found a small stream on the way and did not miss the chance to light up a small fire and cook some maggi that we had packed along. Finally we reached the shrine at around one and after that continued downhill. We saw many small streams and waterfalls on our way somthing that was absent in the first part of the journey the previous day.
By 2.30 we were finally back into civilization at a small village (cant remember the name after this long). From there we got a bus up to Mandi. We rested in Mandi for a day and boarded a bus to Shimla the next morning. Actually at this point in journey you have several options to choose from. You can visit Kullu Manali as it is near by, or if not you can avoid shimla and get a direct bus for Chandigarh or Delhi from Mandi.
So this was all about my first trekking experience. Not only did it bring me close to the nature but it was also provided a much needed break from the monotonous city life. My appetite for such trips only grew after this, many of which ill be sharing on this blog. Lemme know if you have any queries or questions about Shikari devi. Ill be more than happy to answer them.
