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The moment we consider our wish as our command, is the moment when we start taking care of our minute desires. Later in time we realize that it is not the money that makes us smile but memories do. So never ever be late in making plans to create memories. This is what we did this time to celebrate the moment and to celebrate us.
The moment we consider our wish as our command, is the moment when we start taking care of our minute desires. Later in time we realize that it is not the money that makes us smile but memories do. So never ever be late in making plans to create memories. This is what we did this time to celebrate the moment and to celebrate us.
It is winters over here, and I always wanted to witness
snowfall which is not possible in Delhi. In spite of knowing that it would be
too freezing in mountainous region, I and Nitin, still planned to go to Shimla
to experience one. This time again road trip with our siblings by our own
conveyance.
Shimla is generally planned in combination of one day tour
to Kufri.
Though Kufri is a small hill station in Shimla District itself, it comes awarded as the highest
point in the surrounding region. It is a Weekend backpack kind of trip to
revitalize us from our busy schedule. We are on one night - two days weekend
trip to Shimla - Kufri.
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Kufri - Shimla On Road |
How We Planned??
Shimla is at a
distance of 350Km from Delhi and Kufri
comes with a distance of around 370 Km. Both the numbers are quiet close. You
might think that we can opt to travel any destination first. But as quite known
to all, every law comes with a loophole. Here exists one too. wink-wink.
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Shimla Town |
While on a road trip to Shimla – Kufri, There is a small
hill station known as ‘Chail’ which comes midway. There are
two roads going from Chail, one
towards Shimla and another to Kufri. Now the fact to be noted is
that most of the time there is traffic jam from Chail to Shimla road.
This is because Shimla is one of the most famous hill stations visited by lakhs
of people around the world every year. Also, the roads of Shimla are little
wider than roads of Kufri. Hence, I just wanted to convey that direct transfer
from Delhi to Shimla can consume lots more of your time in traffic and can leave
you little frustrated too.
What we planned in our
trip is, we headed straight to Kufri from Delhi via Chail road. We had booked
our stay in Kufri for the first
night. First day we did sightseeing in Kufri, and second day after breakfast we
headed to Shimla for the sightseeing. And later in the evening, we left for
Delhi via Shimla road. As obvious, it was highly jammed. But this way we saved
ourselves from getting stuck in Jam for at least one way.
Hidden Facts about
Shimla
Car Parking is a
cumbersome task in Shimla for a newcomer. When we reached Shimla on the second
day, we were looking for a decent parking area which is secure enough for our
luggage as well as car. We also seek guidance of lots of people there. We got
to know about ‘Car Parking and Commercial Complex’.
Besides this, you won’t get anything better. They help you
park your car and allot you the location where to park. It depends upon the
time interval for which you want your car to be parked there. This Complex
right now is under construction (Jan, 2017) when I have visited it. They are
upgrading to to equip lots more vehicles. Later on it will be the only area
where you can park your car in Shimla before moving on to Shimla Mall Road.
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Car Complex - Under Construction (Jan 2017) |
Shimla Committee has restricted entry of any private vehicle
to main Shimla district. So you can say that you are bound to park your vehicle
here.
Visit to Mall Road is
again a task which requires a hiking of almost 30 minutes. There is now a lift Facility
to reach Shimla Mall Road, which is chargeable. This lift is constructed just
nearby to Car Complex Area. It charges you an amount of Rs. 10 per person and Rs. 7 for senior Citizens. Luggage
cost is also applicable.
Also to Advice, there are very thin roads you can see going
up. At the first look it may seem that these roads are for local residents
only. But these roads are going straight to Mall Road Shimla. You can ask any local
resident there and he may guide you. We also did follow this route only. These
roads though need some cleanliness. But yes one of the nice ways to explore
more about local people and local Shimla.
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Christ Church - Shimla Mall Road |
Excited Us!! Let us
start the Journey!!
We were all backpacked a day before we had to leave early
morning for Shimla. As quiet aware about the chilling weather of Shimla, we
packaged one warm jacket, boots, belts, warm socks, warmers, woolen hats, mufflers (if you wear them), gloves and sweater
for extra layer to keep us warm. Besides these clothing items, also make sure
to keep your ID Proofs which are required during check in to your hotels.
We had a plan to leave early morning at around 5 ‘o’ clock
because traffic is pretty smooth at that time. We slept at around 9 PM previous
day so that we can easily get up early morning at 4 o clock and also we wanted not
to sleep all our way to Shimla.
Nitin is the only experienced driver this time. We three had to take extra care of him so that
he doesn’t feel sleepy anyhow. One drawback with Nitin is that he doesn’t like
songs, so all we can do is to play games where we can keep him involved all the
way long. We tried games like Antakshari, but they all went boring
after some time. The only life saving game that kept us fresh both ways is ‘Atlas’. Surprisingly, I found myself
quiet good in this game. Yay.
After Chail, we moved towards Kufri Road,
as per our plan. We already had booked our stay in Toshali Royal View of Kufri. We
reached Kufri at around 1 PM.
Our Stay at Toshali Royal View
As already mentioned, we reached Kufri at
around 1 pm that is a ride of approximately 9 to 10 hours. We as per our
strategy didn’t get any traffic on the way. Traffic was smooth. We were not
even exhausted and were excited to move on for the next adventure. Kufri was our
first stop, which is the highest point in Shimla, so it was quiet obvious that
we were all surrounded by snow.
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Toshali Royal View |
Feeling like getting jammed in Cold, we checked in to our
hotel. They were all quite nice in communication. They helped us resolve our
lots of queries and were giving quite appropriate information. One of the
gentlemen showed us our way to the rooms. This resort is located down in the
basement. Quite a different concept it has, giving one of the amazing views.
Our rooms were facing the breathtaking scenery. Mountain all around covered
with snow and cloud seems like soon to attack them to shower some more of snow.
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Scenic Beauty From Room at Toshali Royal View |
As we entered the room, we were pleased by the spacious room
and all the amenities it provides. Besides a double bed, it was equipped with a
sofa set and a 4-seater dining table. A small kitchen was also there (that was yet another fascinating thing
present in the room). One Heater was also present in each room to keep us
warm and cozy in such cold weather.
There was one sports room giving you the facility to play
carom board, chess and many more games which can be enjoyed by kids. Another
interesting this was the presence of Billiard Room (with availability of varied
drinks). We spent almost an hour here. Presence of Billiards made our
day, seriously. This is one of Nitin’s favorite and I enjoyed learning from
him. It was an immense pleasure.
We had our dinner at the resort only. The food was decent.
After enjoying sports, we headed straight toward dining hall. The dining hall
as per me needs some enhancements, but the food was decent. The food can be
served directly to room also. It was quite dark and chill. We headed straight
to our rooms.
We four had a plan to stay in one room all night and play games.
So we shifted both the heaters in one room and made a comfortable seating. We
played cards at night for long and had lots of fun. We already had arrangement
for our snacks and drinks in the evening when we were out for Kufri sightseeing.
Places to Visit in Kufri
Mahasu Peak is
the highest peak in Kufri which can be reached by riding horses. The horse
owners have already created muddy and adventurous road for the same purpose. They
charge
600 to 700 rupees per person for the return trip which includes your
gum boots too. Bargaining is also possible there. It takes approximately 45 to
50 minutes to reach Mahasu peak. This ride of approximately two hours
both ways is truly amazing and was quite a different experience for me. This peak
also provides you the view of Kedarnath and Badrinath ranges.
Kufri Fun World is
located at the top of Mahasu Peak. It is one of the highest amusement park and
famous for its highest go-kart track. Reaching here is already an adventurous
trip as already mentioned above. The more you reach closer to the place the
more you can hear the fun filled voice of public already enjoying there. You can hear music all time and see the smile on
the faces. Enjoy your go kart ride. Make sure to experience the zip-lining of
Kufri.
Lots of Maggi vendors are available there to enjoy snacks in
between your play. Many other different swings are there for the kids to enoy. Kufri
Fun world is open all days of the week from 10 A.M to 6 P.M.
It comes with an entry fees though. Price depends upon the
type and count of activities you wish to perform.
Kufri Zoo or
Himalayan National Park is yet another tourist attraction sport in Kufri. Varied species of bird and uncommon
mammals can be seen here, including Musk Deer and Snow Leopard. It comes with
entry fees of Rs. 30 per person. You can easily spend your one hour
witnessing the mammals and enjoying the snow here.
![]() |
Kufri Zoo - Viewing Musk Deer |
![]() |
Musk Deer |
Places to Visit in
Shimla
Viceregal Lodge, also
known as Rashtrapati Niwas is located at distance of 3 kms from Shimla Mall
Road. It is found to be closed every Monday. It is open for public from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. It comes with entry fee of
Rupees 20 for adult and Rupees 50 for foreigners. This place has now been converted into Indian Institute of Advances
Studies.
Himachal State Museum
can be visited after a hike of around 1500m. It consists of rich collection
of anthropological items, miniature paintings, oil paintings, and many other
varied items. The museum is situated on a hill.
Jakhoo Temple also
spelled sometimes as Jakhu Temple, is
a place for Hindu Devotees. This Temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman, for which
a very huge sculpture of Lord Hanuman rests here. This sculpture is quite
visible when you see on top of that hill. You need to hike for about half an hour
to reach this temple. You will encounter lots of moneys on your way to the
temple. It is advised not to carry any food or expensive item on your way to
temple, and do carry a stick with you to keep them away from you. But yes to
add on further, these moneys won’t harm you in any way. There are just present
there to protect the temple. If anyhow they reach you, do not panic because they
will only take away the food or any other item from your pockets. It did happen with us. When we were just
about to step into Temple, Monkeys came to us. My Sister was carrying a
handkerchief in her hand and chocolate in her pocket. They managed to take both
the belongings from her. What you need to do is just stand with both hands
raised up. They will check you up and leave you to go further. Yeah. This is exactly
like you get yourself checked by humans while entering any protected area like
mall or stations.
![]() |
Jakhoo Temple |
The Restaurant is
one of quite decent place to lunch or dine at while on your way to Shimla from Kufri. Don’t get confused by the name of the restaurant, it is
named as ‘THE RESTAURANT’ only as can be seen by the advertisement they have
done. Both vegetarians and Non- vegetarian’s options were very nice taste wise
and I even liked the way the food was cooked. Even the tea was prepared like at
home. Not to miss place as per my suggestion.
![]() |
Kufri - Shimla On Road Restaurant |
Cake Masters is
not the place for proper dining located at Shimla Mall Road. But I would
recommend trying it once. We ordered Aloo patties, Paneer Patties and one Brownie.
Patties were amazingly very crispy and fresh. The taste is like ‘No One can Eat
just One’. We actually ordered two more.
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Cake Masters - Shimla Mall Road |
Hotel Combermere is
located at its best location in Shimla, I would say. Shimla market is easily accessible
from here. It has really good food and even better coffee shop. The interior is
also very fascinating. You can get your stay booked at this hotel only. I would
suggest that too. It is really a very nice property.
![]() |
Hotel Combermere - Shimla Mall Road |
Nature has lots to offer only if you are willing to invest
your time and money. After spending
two days in Shimla, all I would say is that this place is not less than Heaven especially
during Snow time.
Wow it's really helpful article:) Thanks nitsa travel for sharing your experience.
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