Into Kinnaur valley - April 2006

Himalayan journeys April 2006

Christ Church, Shimla.

One of the oldest church in north India.

The Mall, Shimla.

The British nostalgia.

Kufri hills.

View of Shali peak, one of the highest in Shimla.

Hatu peak, Narkanda.

Crested with temple dedicated to local goddess and 360 degrees of panorama.

Kotgarh, from Hatu peak (3400mts.)

One of the major apple growing belt of India.

Admiring a stunning panorama of Himalayan ranges.

Hansbeshan range, is the closest Himalayan range visible from Hatu peak

A knowledgeable guide is recommended to make your Himalayan voyage a memorable one.

Being a part of middle Himalayan range, it snows till April also.

Sutlej river, carving its way down to the plains of Punjab.

A pre-Himalayan river originating form Tibet.

Sarahan, known for its Bhimakali temple complex.

Enroute Old Hindustan Tibet Road.

Local vegetarian cuisines delicious in the Himalayan countrysides.

A temple on a cliff top and below flows Sutlej River.

The course of Sutlej river has been diverted for hydro-electric projects in the valley.

River crossing to reach school!

A bridge on Sutlej river.

Lunch break.

A hydro-electric project on Sutlej river at Karcham, a bifurication to the left opens into Baspa valley

Mountain Biking in Himalayas!

Riding with the Himalayan breeze!!!

Mountain biking, as the name strikes mind, one get thrilled with its thought . In recent years we received and met numerous adventure lovers. This is the only reason why, this small colonial town based in the lap of Himalayas, has successfully hosted two successive events covering hundred of kilometers of mountainous terrains. As this sport requires rough terrains, so foothills of Himalayas becomes a perfect base for mountain biking. The breeze filtered through the sweet smelling pines invites anyone who enjoys nature.

In addition to these episodes, we, team of my nature lover friends this month on 13th May rode from Shimla through some stunning landscapes, meadows and streams to reach a small hamlet at the base of river Satluj. Though the start of the event was bit late but after a some short intervals we started biking from Shimla to Mashobra (15km), a small village, and we were ready to storm down into a lush green valley.

At an altitude of 2130mts Mahasu ridge bifurcates further into two, thus creating Mashobra and Shimla ridges. Mashobra, admired by artists, writers and thinkers, is a small village overlooking Himalayas. After safety briefing by our senior member (Coco Bhai), we suddenly disappeared down into the valley. Through a stunningly beautiful oak and coniferous forest cover, which sometimes blinked with the snow capped panorama of Himalayan ranges, we stopped a small circular meadow.

The old Cedar cover now gave way to sweet smelling pines and number of deciduous trees. The team was astonished with the views of adjoining valleys dotted with small villages practicing traditional step farming. The team members now geared and after 45 minutes we were on the flat part of the section which kept us working for another 30 minutes. And soon the mighty Satluj River became visible and day slowly turned into a golden dusk shining on the golden shores of Satluj. As we all reached our finish point, the small village of Tattapani was ready to to host us at the bank of river Satluj. A dip into the hot sulphur baths right at the river bank refreshed us again. After a delicious dinner at at a small cafe we all drove back to Shimla with adventurous memories of the ride.

Some photos of the ride.