Dalhousie is a high-altitude town spread across 5 hills near the Dhauladhar mountain range in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.Dalhousie is a quiet hill station with little night life, best suited for people who want to de-stress, who like the quiet, serene atmosphere, and for honeymooners; ideal for long walks.It is usually warm in the morning and afternoon in June–July, gets cold early in the evening, and is quite cold at night.
How to reach:-
By Air:- The nearest airports are:
- Pathankot at 75 km, with one flight from Delhi to Pathankot and back.
- Gaggal airport at 135 km, with two flight from Delhi to Kangra and back.
By Train:- Pathankot’s Chakki Bank railhead is the nearest railway station from Dalhousie (approximately71 kilometres). Many superfast, deluxe and express trains are well linked with most of the Indian cities including Jammu, Delhi, Jaipur, Bhatinda, Ahmedabad and Jodhpur.
By Bus:- The roads leading to Dalhousie or in and around nearby towns like Pathankot and Chamba are in good condition and will give some best scenic views on the way. You will also get a chance to interact with local people on the way who are nice. Seeing villages having merely 5-10 houses in the middle of mountains is a good experience. Many deluxe, semi-sleeper, luxury and Volvo buses run from ISBT New Delhi covering a distance of approximately 590 kilometres.
Self Drive:- The road distance to pathankot from Delhi is approx 560 km.The route to take is Delhi -Ambala- Chandigarh- Ropar(Rupnagar)- Hoshiarpur-Dasayu- Pathankot.From Pathankot, the hilly terrain starts and the distance is approximately 72 kilometres from Dalhousie.
Things to do:-
Boating at Chamera Lake, Trekking,picnic, Enjoy a ride on the ponies in Khajjiar, Star-gaze the sky is exceptionally clear in Dalhousie at night (bring your binoculars/telescope).
Places to visit in Dalhousi:-
Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary:- Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary is a 30.69 km² animal sanctuary at Kalatop and Khajjiar in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The sanctuary area is well laid out for trekking trails both at Kalatop and Khajjiar.
Panchpula:- Tranquil parkland featuring a small waterfall & a monument to revered patriot Ajit Singh.
St. John’s Church:-Built in 1863, this British-style Protestant church features glass paintings of Saints John & Peter.Whether you are a God-lover, history buff or an avid reader; you would love to visit this church.
Khajjiar:- A stunning valley with a spring in the middle, while being quite beautiful, it gets littered with trash in the peak season of July when a massive number of tourists come. Known as the ‘Switzerland of India’ for the meadowy look.Khajjiar Lake is situated in Khajjiar. It is situated at a height of around 1,920 m above sea level between Dalhousie and Chamba Town. The lake is set in a huge grassy landscape, with evergreen cedar trees surrounding it from all sides
Dainkund Peak:- Picturesque mountain peak with a temple at the top 10 kilometres away from Dalhoussie.You can trek up till here and let the cool breeze sweeping through the trees create that magical sound in your ears. No wonder it is also known as the singing hill.
Garam Sadak:- Bordered by trees, this road joins two of the most popular chowks in Dalhousie- Gandhi and Subhash chowks and a lot people come here for a quick nature walk.As the name suggests, this road always boasts of pleasant and warm temperature
Chamera Dam:- The Chamera Dam is located near the town of Dalhousie.The reservoir of the dam is the Chamera Lake. Large part of its reservoir lies in Salooni sub-division of Chamba.
Chamera Lake:- An artificial lake, Chamera Lake was built as a reservoir of the Chamera Dam which is a major hydroelectricity project located approximately 15 kilometres away from Dalhousie. While the backwater lake is on River Ravi, the fresh water lake is around 5 kilometres away Rang mahal,sach pass,hariraya temple,moti tibba,norwood-paramdham,shubash baoli,jandhri ghat,ganji pahari are few more places to visit.
Best time to visit:-
Summer Season:- The summer season in Dalhousie starts from the month of March till May.Dalhousie where the weather is cold during the beginning of summer but warms up towards June. This is considered the best season to visit Dalhousie as you can go sightseeing to explore the various attractions all around. You can take scenic walks all around this hill town and create some picture-perfect memories during this time.
Monsoon Season:- The monsoon season in Dalhousie starts from the month of June and lasts till mid-September.The whole town comes alive during the monsoon season in Dalhousie as the rainwater washes everything afresh and makes the landscapes even more green.
Winter Season:- While October and November might not be that chilly, the time period between December and February which constitute the winter season of Dalhousie is quite cold.If you love to play in the snow, this would be the best time to visit Dalhousie as snowfall is quite rampant during this time.