This was really awaited planned trip since 2017 & finally I could execute in 2019. I'm Backpacker by heart but mind still remains Traveler and I do detail planning for some of my long vacations like this. I had planned this solo but fortunately my few friends shown interest & accompanied me in this trip. This 9 days trip cost (per person for couple / group) includes everything travel expense, food in transit & during stay, leisure, comfortable stay, any local permits etc. except souvenir & personal gifts for family, friends & relatives.
We reserved our seats in sleeper coach from Ahmedabad to Pathankot, as it was winter. We also carried some Lunch & Thepla (Gujarati Snack) & other dry snacks which we could eat during train journey as it is about 30 hours. Also bought some more foods on route as we finished all our meal.
We reached Pathankot by 5 pm in evening & reached to Dalhousie by Bus around 8 pm. We had booked our Trekking expedition with local group from Dalhousie & our stay started from same night. This cost includes our complete stay along with food till we departed back from Dalhousie.
We were lucky to see snowfall when arrived & 3rd day was all set for acclimatization. We did our breakfast & started walking & visiting places in Dalhousie town. Although we were happy but during snowfall trekking is not permitted by local authorities & we were informed incase it won't stop then we may had to skip some trek peaks. That was season's 3rd snowfall. But fortunately by end of day it stopped we were excited for the trek on next day.
(In case you are not carrying snow trekking shoes, ponchos, gloves or any other belongings you can rent at very cheaper rates & return back in approx. Rs. 300.00
In case of damage, you would be asked to pay)
After we settled our body in -1°C from 38°C, we were ready to begin our trek toward Kalatop from our base Dalhousie. The exciting part of this trekking was, our group got the chance to open the Route after heavy snow fall. We geared up with water bottles & lunch packs. We reached Kalatop by evening & atmosphere was too windy & cold in snow lowered to -4°C that night.
After freezing at night in -4°C, next day we were about to trek another peak of Dainkund highest peak in the region. We started trekking by 9 am & opening the route, reached at highest peak about 9600 feet.
By evening we returned to Kalatop Camp & stayed for night. Early Morning we trekked down to Dalhousie Base Camp.
We started getting down early morning & reached base camp by afternoon. We got our lunch & moved to Pathankot by bus.
We left base camp & reached Pathankot by evening as our plan was to check in Amritsar before mid-night.
We got the bus from Pathankot & reached Amritsar by 9 pm. We checked in to our pre-booked hotel & got left for the dinner.
We dined at Fauji Dhaba- one well known restaurant in Amritsar & roamed in town till mid-night.
For entire next day, we had already hired taxi for sightseeing. We began our day visiting Jallianwala Bagh.
Then we went to Golden Temple. It's near by Jallianwala Bagh about 5 mins walking. This place has something magical vibes. You'll feel peace inside your soul. We spent about 3 hours just sitting & listening Raagis singing verses of Guru Granth Sahib. Then we had our lunch at Langar (a community place where free food is provided irrespective of caste, age, gender or wealth position) & left for another tourist attraction of Amritsar.
After lunch, we reached to Gobindgarh Fort & enjoyed 7D show of explaining history of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Sher-e-Punjab, "Lion of Punjab")
By evening we reached to one of the biggest attraction in Amritsar i.e. Attari-Wagah border ceremony, lowering the Flags performed by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers near the border gate for 2 hours. Watching this ceremony before sunset is formidable.
Later evening, we kept vacant for relaxation & settling our expense of the trip.. hahaha 😂😂 Yes also we went to local market in Amritsar for Souvenir and Gifts for Family. After all that's our Indian Tradition. 😂😂
Next day, we left towards Jalandhar by bus from where we had booked our return train to Ahmedabad. We reached by 11 am & got our train in afternoon to home.
Here below is the Summary of all our expenses per person.
Day 1:
Train Ahmedabad to Pathankot: Rs. 500
Extra food in journey: Rs. 200
Day 2:
Bus Pathankot to Dalhousie: Rs. 120
Trekking Expedition: Rs. 4500
Day 3:
Alcohol / Liquor: Rs. 300
Rent of Trekking accessories: Rs. 150 (I already have some of my personal trekking belongings available with me)
Day 4 & 5:
Some food & cold drinks during Trek: Rs. 120
From Day 3 to Day 6 all other food & stay expenses covered in Trekking Expedition.
Day 6:
Bus Dalhousie to Pathankot: Rs. 120
Bus Pathankot to Amritsar: Rs. 150
Hotel (2N/2D): Rs. 850 (3 rooms shared by 5 person)
Dinner & liquor: Rs. 450
Day 7:
Taxi: Rs. 300 (Shared by 5 friends)
7D show & other amusement in Gobindgarh Fort: Rs. 700
Dinner: Rs. 400
Day 8:
Bus Amritsar to Jalandhar: Rs. 60
Train Jalandhar to Ahmedabad: Rs. 500
Food in train journey: Rs. 300
Day 9:
Food in train journey: Rs. 200
Total Expense: Rs. 9,920.00
We reached Ahmedabad by evening & our journey ended. I hope that this itinerary will help to plan your own journey.
Please note that this mentioned expense is kept minimum considering advance booking from 4-5 months and as per our comfortableness, luxury and availability. This may differ based n your inclusion or exclusion of activity & location. In case if you would like to know more detail experience & other do's don'ts, please feel free to connect with me on mentioned contact details. Thank you for reading this Trip's Experience.