~~Escaping or living life ?
Uncertain of either of this,
When it came to having long
week off on Christmas, 2018
My heart couldn't think of being
at any offbeat place , in company of
Either truly by myself or with someone I love!!~~
The best was my best friend got convinced to come to Delhi. So, now we were really confused between Auli ( kuari-Pass Trek) and Narkanda (Hatu Peak Trek). We talked to few local tourist operators and enquired about both the places. Due to time and budget constraint we decided on Hatu Peak Trek.
I was super excited for this trip.
Don't we plan out going on vacation with our bestie during school days??And, in my case finally it was happening. Yay! It has to be special.
Day 1: We booked train in Tattkal from Delhi to kalka. (Time: 7-8 hours train journey)
Day 2: We wanted to enjoy lush green meadow and breathtaking views on the way , so we agreed on having one way toy train ride till Shimla.(Duration: 6 hours)
We reached Shimla by 4 pm. Checked in hotel. Took short nap. And then went on to explore Mall road of shimla.
TREKKED TILL JAKOO TEMPLE and THE RIDGE.
On our return we explored street food and hot choco Lava cake. Must try Momos, hot choco lava cake or rum cake there. We had best mouthwatering Aloo tikki chaat.
DAY 3: Next morning we woke up late and it was Christmas so we wanted to go to church too, which we went. But we gave up on the idea of going to Narkanda by local bus to save money and reduce our trek from 6kms to 3kms by hiring personal cab. On the way we did skiing at kufri which was not in our list. But trust me it added beautiful experience, amazing pictures and most joyous moments from our shimla-Narkanda trip. But unfortunately it came with a price. Cuz we couldn't complete Hatu peak trek on the same day. We started our trek quite late around 4pm and were only 900 mtrs away from the peak but then since it was getting dark so we decided to come back. On the go, we had breathtaking views on our 2.1 kms trek to hatu peak and amazing sunset view. The sneak peak of magical splurge of golden and Orange sunset colours in the blue sky was truly stunning and soothing. Though the tall deodar trees were hiding this glorious sunset, still it was no less than a treat to our eyes.
So in case ur planning your hatu peak trek, do check out from hotel early in the morning. Be specific to your itinerary. Lol 😉 Though we enjoyed going out of our itinerary and had fun all along. Its good sometimes, you know🙈ðŸ¤
We met an amazing local tourist operator named Vasu who not only organised our cheap stay and personal cab till Narkanda during peak season but was also very cordial and his driver was trusted too. If your traveling to shimla or anywhere in Himachal u can contact him at 9418560204(Vasu). You can bargain on price and tell ur preferences to have best experience within budget. Trust me this is unpaid promotion.
Total expenditure: ₹3400 to ₹3600( cuz we were only two)
From: Delhi-Kalka-Shimla-Kufri-Fagu-Narkanda-Shimla(ISBT)-Delhi
385(tatkal tickets, U can save 100 bucks here, if pre-planned) +250 toy train chair car( You can save here by traveling in general in just 10₹ to reach Shimla from kalka.)+ ₹700(Skiing, u need to bargain here)+ 3000 personal cab( including 1 night hotel, pickup from shimla till Narkanda and drop till Shimla ISBT bus stop: you can save here by going in local bus from Lakkhar bazar opposite to mall road in Shimla and trek for 6 kms to reach Hatu peak)+400(food for 2 days) 440( HRTC bus till Delhi). In case ur going by Local bus, Make sure you enquire about bus timings thoroughly and plan your trek accordingly. Its 65kms far from shimla which is 2-2.5 hours ride.
If you have time constraint avoid toy train instead take bus. It takes 8-9 hours from Delhi to reach Shimla. But still Toy train journey is like "must have experience" atleast once.
People with Budget constraint can do this Narkanda Hatu peak trek within 1500₹-2k for 2 days and one night.
Fagu Valley-Narkanda is an offbeat location from Shimla , really quite for rejuvenating our souls and nourishing it with some fresh air and soulful music.
Thankyou for your precious time in reading this.
Happy Trip-ing and Beyond.😊
