Hills & roads are my two best buddies. This Photo Journey is from very special region of himachal pradesh, which is little away from hustle bustle of tourists and preferred by adventure lovers.
Himalayan state of India has lot to explore and especially the rural areas which are comparatively less explored. Definitely, such places are not meant for all the travelers but those who like peaceful places would never miss the opportunities. I am sharing this post for the benefit of such people. We usually hear about such places through word of mouth and folks travelled these trails would have lot to share.
Jibhi, Shoja and Banjar are popular amongst adventure lovers, motorsport buffs, bikers and backpackers. There are two routes to hit this part of Himachal Pradesh. Most preferred route is through mandi which diverts from Aut.
Jibhi is a beautiful place in Banjar Valley of Himachal Pradesh, which offers you some exceptional landscapes. If you are a Photographer or painter, you would love to be around these hills & capture the beauty in your canvas.
Jibhi can be approached from Chandigarh-Manali Highway. There is a small detour in right just before the tunnel at AUT. Banjar is approximately 30 kilometers AUT and you need to follow the road following the river. If you are coming in overnight Volvo, get down at this cut and take local bus. This region is well connected through private buses. Jibhi is another 8 km from Banjar town towards Jalori Pass.
We spent most of the time driving around these villages which are connected through temporary roads. There are many villages which are not directly connected through roads.
While compiling this post about this region, I read more and came across a very detailed post. I recommend you to also check this post for planning your trip to this region.
Jalori pass and Sarolsar lake are must go places in this region. There is a small trek to reach Sarolsar lake but it's fun to walk through forest.
Every now and then you get magnificant views of snow covered hills when driving around this region of Himachal Pradesh. There are plenty of easy and medium level treks around this region of Himalayan State of India.
The villages in this part of Himachal are different. The architecture, sizes, locations, placement, colors etc. On the way, we randomly stopped at few houses and one family also offered us tea and packed few apples.
Such terrains make to realize about simplicity of life in Himachal. Things are simple, time is passing slowly, everyone has time for each other, compassionate people and there is no race. Most of it may sound cliched but that's true. One must explore these terrains to get closer to reality of life. One of the best terrains for explorers.
While driving around Jibhi, Shoja & Kalori Pass, we met different folks on our. This gentleman works with HPPWD and was coming back home. He was walking and there was hardly anyone around. We asked if he needs lift. He smiled that said that he needs to visit his fields on the way, which are not actually on roadside. We spent some time with him and it's his regular routine. He hardly uses vehicles to commute from home to work. Most of his work is in surroundings. There are few moments when HPPWD trucks come and pick all these workers to take them to work-site which is at distance.
Sunset hues hitting these high deodars make these terrains more beautiful. Our campsite was planned at Shaij and this place was nearby. We spent some time here and then headed towards the camps. In future, I want to go there our own tents and other camping equipments. This region is safe and best suited for camping.
Above photograph would give you some sense about roads some of the villages have. Here idea is not to say that roads are in bad shape, but to highlight that many of the villages are getting connected. Its practically difficult to have equally good roads in all terrains. So it's better to keep improving situation over time. First goal should be to connect these villages. 'PradhanMantri Sadak Yogana' started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee helped lot of villages in India to get connected through roads.
Now, it's easy to find home-stays around Jibhi, Shoja & Banjar. Drop here a comment, if you have visited this place and planning it soon.