Internet is full of articles about main places to visit, top things to do, what to eat, how to commute to a particular place. Today I attempt to share about the places/things you can skip while in Dalhousie. Wondering why this thought came to my mind? Many times, we don’t have much during the vacation and we don’t want to rush just on the name of 10 points to be seen around a place. Recently I was in Dalhousie and spent 4 days there, but didn’t go out for 3 days. During the visit, I realised that as a traveller you have different kinds of experiences and as a blogger it’s a responsibility to highlight things which can be skipped to save time & money.
There can be multiple reasons to choosy about it. It can that you want to enjoy the main places and don’t want to rush through multiple things. Everyone has own style of exploration. Some like peaceful place more than the hustle bustle and for some a trip is not complete without shopping. Here I will try to categorise the post for different kinds of needs. And please do read explanations and don’t skip mentioned places blindly. There is a reason why people visit them and those reasons can be important factors for you as well.
First let me talk about the places you can skip, if you intend to enjoy the vacation at your own pace without rushing through it. Wherever needed, I will try to provide details why I think a place is avoidable.
1. Chamera Dam : First of all, have you heard of it? If not, you are good. Are you crazy about boating? If not, you are good. If you have heard of it then it’s important to know why it can be skipped. It’s a huge lake in the middle of mountains. You need to drive to the place where boating happens and it would eat your half day. It’s only recommended if you like boating and that too in such a lake. Please also note that they don’t have pedal boats, so you would be riding the bigger motor-boat with strangers. And it’s expensive. You can choose to enjoy speedboating, but cost increases accordingly. I have done speed boating at different places and personally don’t like those 15+ seater boats.
2. Kalatop : It’s Wildlife sanctuary without wild animals. Please note that you are allowed to walk from entry gate to Kalatop Guest-house which is deep inside the forest. Does it mean, there are no animals or it’s just the carelessness. I would assume, there is no animal. 8 years back I had walked through it and didn’t encounter a single animal. Saw few birds, but you can see them around Dalhousie/Khajjiar forests as well.
3. Shiva Temple (near Khajjiar) : Over the years a Temple has become popular near Khajjiar Lake. There is a huge Shiva statue. It can be skipped unless you have religious reasons to visit. At times it’s misleading when popular travel websites start showing these as main tourist spots.
4. Boating at Panchpula : This is biggest flop show. And if you are going to Panchpula for boating, please don’t waste your time. Since it’s just 4 kilometres away from Dalhousie town, people prefer going here for boating. When I say no, it’s for boating. But you can certainly go there to see beautiful waterfalls. Especially if you are there during Monsoons. Waterfalls look beautiful during Monsoons.
5. Ganji Pahadi : There are various treks around Dalhousie and Ganji Pahadi is one of them, which is clearly visible from various parts of Dalhousie. Why am I saying no to this trek? It can tiring and then you have better options to trek. When I say better options, I mean other treks like Dainkund can expose you to better landscapes with relatively lesser effort. If you are in group, there is high probability that all of those can do Dainkund while Ganji Pahadi can be stressful for some. If you are a passionate hiker, just do hiking wherever you can and skip all those fancy places :)
6. Rock Garden on the way from Dalhousie to Chamba : Personally I like the initiate by one of the local Panchayats to build this rock garden on the main highway which connects Dalhousie with Chamba, but it’s not very interesting place to spend time. And if you are someone who is not bothered about specific places and have some time for tea, take a break here and see what it is. If you visit, please do share your experience here in form of comment.
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