Breathtaking Dalhousie

Dalhousie, one of the most picturesque hill station, is located in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh . It is located at an elevation of 7000 ft above mean sea level. It came into existence in 1854 when it was named after the then governor general of India under British rule, Lord Dalhousie. It was developed as a summer retreat for British officers and troops. Till now the historical connections can be seen in mansions and churches of Victorian age. The hamlet was built on and around five hills namely ,Kathalagh, Potreyn, Terah, Bakrota and Bhangora covering an area of 14 sq. kms.

How to reach Dalhousie:

By Air: Gaggal airport in Kangra is the closest airport to Dalhousie located at a distance of 130 kms. Flights from Delhi can be boarded to reach here. Once at Gaggal , one can hire cab or take a bus to reach here.

By Train : Pathankot, located at a distance of 75 kms from Dalhousie is well connected to other cities through trains operated by Indian Railways. Its also the most convenient way of reaching here. One can get various trains being operated to and fro from pathankot. On reaching Pathankot, one can get buses – both private and government buses to reach Dalhousie. Taxi service is also available and one can book a cab to cover the distance.

By Bus: Dalhousie is well connected to other towns and cities by road. One can get buses to dalhousie from Pathankot, Delhi, Dharmashala. Delhi is located at a distance of 565 kms from Dalhousie and one can reach here in almost 11 hrs via NH 1.

Best Time to visit:

Dalhousie generally has a moderate weather and can be visited all through the year.

It has pleasant summer which lasts from March to May with maximum temperatures reaching upto 35 degree c. Monsoon season lasts from June to mid September and keeps the weather pleasant. During this season , all the mountains will be covered by clouds and you won’t get a chance to have a view of the snow capped mountains. Winters in Dalhousie are pretty chilling with minimum temperature hovering between 10 degree c and 1 degree c. Dalhousie receives snowfall in the month of January and February and visitors can get the spectacular view of snow covered hamlet during this time.

Summer season with pleasant weather sees large tourists inflow and snow fall season also encounters huge tourists influx.

Noteworthy points:

• Dalhousie houses a number of hotels , around 600 . But you need to book in advance or you may have to pay more or waste your effort on the same.

• Regular buses ply between Pathankot and dalhousie. But try to board a government operated bus as the private operator takes around 3 hrs to cover 75 kms , halting and picking passengers enroute.

• Since you will need to trek to visit the spots , take enough buffer time to have rest and resume your trip , else you may feel fatigued.