The snow reminded me of the beauty and mystery of creation, of the essential joy that is life.
Snowfall is not an all-year phenomenon. Unfortunately, tour operators, agents and hotels make false promises and set wrong expectations to sell their packages. Don’t fall prey to such promises, here is a list of 12 places to visit in India to see snowfall in January.
1) Sonmarg
Sonmarg – Meadow of Gold, a beautiful hill station in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. In its vicinity lies the great Himalayan glaciers of Kashmir Valley namely Kolhoi Glacier and Machoi Glacier and many peaks of above 5000 meters. The best period for playing with snow in Sonmarg is mid dec till mid april. Sonmarg is just 3 hours drive from Srinagar airport.
2) North Sikkim
With temperature around -2 degrees, places like Tsomgo lake, Nathula, Yumthang, Yumesamdong, Gurudongmar lake and Katao get tons of snowfall. To reach North Sikkim, you can book a cab from Bagdogra airport or from New Jalpaiguri Station (NJP), in case you are coming in train.
3) Manali
Rohtang Pass, 51 km from Manali gets fresh snowfall starts from mid-September. But Manali and places around Manali gets fresh snowfall in the month of January. It is open throughout the year and every season offers different type of enjoyment to visitors. The temperature can go up to 7 degree and during night it can drop upto 0 degree, even -5 degree.
4) Gulmarg
Gulmarg sees good snowfall in January. Good enough for you to create your own snow man. Gulmarg is a beautiful hill station in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and open year-round for tourists. If you are planning to visit Gulmarg in January, pack heavy woollens as the temperature can drop down till -8 degree Celsius.
5) Ladakh
Normal people don’t visit Ladakh in Jan but adventure enthusiasts like you do. Ladakh is frozen in Jan. During the day, the temperature is around -4 degrees and it can drop to -30 degrees at night. In some parts, the temperature is around -30 degrees Celsius even during the day.
6) Sangla Valley
Sangla is a city in the Baspa Valley, also referred to as the Sangla valley, in the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh, India, close to the Tibetan border. So what are you waiting for? Just pack your bags and leave.
7) Patnitop
Another beautiful hill station in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Patnitop gets good snowfall in the months of November, December, January and February. The maximum temperature during winters are almost twenty four degrees (24°C) and the minimum temperature of the town is around minus fourteen degrees (-14°C). Patnitop is 85 km from Katra and takes around 3 hours.
8) Narkanda
Narkanda, a popular hill station, is 70 km (2 hour drive) from Shimla. Narkanda gets snow fall around last week of december and so attracts a lot of skiers during that time. The coolest temperature during the winters is around minus ten degrees (-10°C) and the maximum temperature tends to be around fifteen degrees (15°C).
9) Munsiyari
Munsiyari, 15 hours drive from Delhi gets snowfall in late December and is one of the favourite “snowfall near Delhi” destination of Himalayan lovers. The average temperature during the day time is around 4 degrees.
10) Pahalgam
If you are looking for playing with snow and making snow man like they do in movies, this is the place. Pahalgam gets good snowfall in the month of December and January. The temperature drops below zero (0) and the entire mountain range as well as the rough terrain is perfectly covered in snow making it a beautiful scenery altogether.
11) Hemkund Sahib
While the valley of flowers trek is closed in December due to heavy snowfall, the route of Hemkund Sahib see some seasoned mountaineer in the month of December. The whole place gets covered in fresh snow and the temperature remains around -10 to -20 degree Celsius.
12) Auli
Auli gets fresh snow around last week of December and sometimes in mid January. Check accuweather.com if you are planning for Auli in December to check for snowfall. Auli is 10 hours drive from Rishikesh and is well connected to roads. The best time to visit Auli is February, as it hosts ski championships every year during this time and people from all around the world come to participate.
Originally posted on my blog here.
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