The Sirmaur District, Himachal

Sirmaur is the South-Eastern district of Himachal, mostly untouched by the commercial development. The district Headquarters - Nahan is a rather quiet place as well. Agriculture is the primary source of income and Sirmaur grows thousands of tons of fruits every year. Rajgarh in Sirmaur is famously known as the Peach Bowl & Peach Valley.

River Giri divides the Sirmour district into two parts and it's many smaller tributaries makes the land fertile. In the picture above you can see farmers washing their Ginger Crop in the river Giri.

Sirmour was an independent kingdom in India, founded in about 1090 by Raja Rasaloo of Jaisalmer, one of whose ancestors was named Sirmour. The reason I planned my trip in this direction is because I am looking for easier alternatives to the 'Beyond Shimla' hilly drives that I am in love with. 

Travel directions from Delhi: Drive up to Karnal on NH1 and from there on you have three options. 

1. If you are Express-way lover, drive upto Ambala and on the Ambala-Chandigarh Expressway you can take a         turn (Right) to climb on NH-72 and drive towards Narayan Garh.

2. If you would like to have a small-town feel to your drive and want to drive at a relaxed pace - take a U-Turn right     after the Karnal (Neelokheri) Toll and climb on to State Highway 7. Join the SH 4 after a few kilometers and         then climb on to NH 72 after about 70 odd kilometers.
3. Or you can take a turn after Shahbad Markanda and climb on to SH 31 which joins the NH 73 from Saha (a         small industrial town) and then get on to the NH 72 near Baragarh.

If you would opt for the second or third route you'd see a lot of agricultural land and breathe fresh air!

The drive up to Kala-Amb is relatively surprise free. From Kala Amb onwards you start getting the feel of climbing on to hills and just after a few kilometers as you move towards Nahan the forests start thickening up.

A few kilometers after Nahan on State Highway 2, you have to take a (right) turn on to Major District Road 1 (MDR-1) which takes you towards the small town of Dadahu.

MDR1 (Major District Road 1, Renuka)

When I traveled (Mid-October '13) the MDR1 was under construction and large part of it was a dusty track only.

However, the 35 Kilometers of MDR1 were full of Natural Beauty

Clear blue skies and great variety of Mountain Flora

And this location is known as Igloo Point, I guess:

The narrow tracks add to the Thrill..

River Giri divides the Sirmaur valley..

There is a wonderful waterfall on way, couldn't capture it completely because of the brimming sunshine:

Ensure that you are on Track:

Drive through the lovely curves

Sit by the sides of Giri for a while

Take rest at the Renuka by HPTDC:

Visit the nearby Zoo, to see... Hundreds of Wild Bats:

An old and tired Lion.. waiting and growling for food

Lush Greenery

Some spectacular views

Couple of Big Turtles and Many fish, in the lake Renuka

A wild cow breed called Mithun

A small Lake with many fishes

An amazing water-fall

And the house that you would love to live ... your retired life

Another journey ends with a dream to go for many more... Maybe Kinnaur, maybe Lahul & Spiti.

Best of Nature Drives in Himachal

Himachal, a large part of it remains unexplored. Call it a blessing or otherwise, tourists in India seem to throng a few popular hill stations only while leaving the rest of the natural beauty unexplored. On one hand it makes the popular Hill Stations over-crowded and takes away the charm of being in the nature's lap, but on the other hand the rest of relatively unknown places remain extremely serene. Thus providing the best of nature's offerings to the solitary tourist who braves to reach these spots.

I wish to list a few of the nature drives that I found awe inspiring:

1. Dhalli - Naldehra - Tattapani (MDR 13, Merging with MDR 22):

This stretch is extremely serene and lush green, in the long stretches you'll find no fellow traveller which makes the ride even more adventurous. The roads from Dhalli Till Tattapaani range from the Narrow to Highway, there are stretches where you can drive easily at 60Kmph, like the one below - which also happens to have a wonderful desert like appearance during the 'Fall Season':

In fact it provides some of the most awesome sights that any hill road  can, truly awe-inspiring visuals (MDR-13):

From Naldehra onwards the road starts getting narrow and one has to drive very cautiously:

And there are stretches passing through small villages which are extremely narrow and requires one to be patient enough to drive at 20 Kmph:

Driving a few KMs more leads you to the road (MDR 22) that runs parallel to the River Sutlej uptill Tatapaani and further, driving through the valley by the sides of Sutlej is an experience in itself.

A drive from Kingal to Tattapaani, which is 75Kms all alongside the Sutlej, should be a delight for any traveller I assume. I haven't tried it yet, but I will do very soon. Below is a glimpse of what it would be like:

Rishikesh

Rishikesh is not just a spiritual or religious destination, or a Rafting hub! it's a great nature-treasure. The hill roads that traverse along side the Ganges, provide breathtaking views of enigmatic Ganges. The last time around that I visited the place, I did not get enough opportunity to capture the breathtaking views as I boarded a Cab instead of trekking through the distances or drive by self. That remains a To Do!

Nainital

India So Far..