In general HP PWD Rest Houses in Himachal are quite good to stay if you are not too much into Service and rely on tasty food. If you can get the booking or on the spot booking, they are real good VFM options to stay in Himachal
-
Value for Money Spent
-
Cleanliness / Hygiene
-
Comfort & Spacious
-
Service & Hospitality
-
Food Quality & Taste
-
Location
Progressing on my efforts for DoW’s vision on economic BUT effective traveling in the Himalayas, this time I will write down and share below everything I have learned about booking a room at PWD Rest Houses and Circuit Houses in Himachal Pradesh as well as Forest Rest Houses (FRH) in Himachal Pradesh.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Can any tourist stay in these PWD Rest Houses in Himachal?
To be very frank, these PWD Rest Houses or FRH, are located at very sublime locations with some great views of Himalayas on offer. These PWD Rest Houses are available to provide convenience to the GOVT. officials traveling for work purposes mostly and can get benefits even for their vacations.
Travel Tip: Do not forget to check my travel guide on Prashar Lake and say in the rest house.
However, in Himachal Pradesh, even a private individual is allowed to make a booking for PWD Rest House or Circuit house or any FRH, if there is any availability. The individual can be Himachali or non-Himachali, or even foreigner but Himachal natives have to pay less as compared to non-Himachalis including domestic as well as foreign tourists.
Benefits of staying at HP PWD Rest Houses
Apart from the prime locations, these Rest Houses are real value for money considering the comfort and facilities on offer. The interiors are fine considering the prices they charge, and you look like to be in a good hotel. Though the conditions and facilities are purely dependent upon place and caretaker.
Regarding the quality of services and food, they are also by and large dependent upon the caretaker/chowkidar of the rest house. If he cooks good food and a good helping chap, then you are in real value for money. Otherwise, ask him for self-service and get some raw food like Maggie, eggs that you can cook for yourself.
Having said that, most of these rest houses are very much fine to stay and you shall consider unlucky if you do not find good conditions and services of these rest houses in Himachal 😉 …
You should always carry your water bottle and refill it as many times as you need water. It will not only keep you hydrated always, but you will also help in saving the Himalayas from plastic garbage. Remember, every tiny step counts and your step in this direction can help save the Himalayas too !! 🙂 🙂
Travel Tip: Do not forget to check my travel guide on Barot Village and say in the rest house.
List of PWD Rest Houses in Himachal
Find below the links to download the list of these PWD Rest Houses in Himachal Pradesh, list of FRH in Himachal Pradesh and their updated charges as per the year 2011.
- List PWD Rest Houses – Himachal Pradesh
- Tariff Rates HP PWD Rest Houses
- List of Forest Rest Houses – Himachal Pradesh
Booking Process – HP PWD Rest Houses OR FRH
These PWD Rest Houses or Circuit Houses can be booked by getting in touch with the respective booking office mentioned in the list above. You can get in touch with them over the phone, or if you are traveling, then you can directly go to the office and book there.
After checking the availability, the PWD office will issue you back a parchi/slip, which you will need to handover to the caretaker/chowkidar at the rest house. Of course, being an independent individual (not PWD employee or Govt. employee), you will get the last priority.
Getting the booking in PWD Rest Houses over the phone is a bit tricky and time-consuming at times, so make it about 10-15 days in time before you are going for the trip. If you try to make it early, then most likely, you will be requested or asked on the phone to come back before a week or so.
Travel Tip: Do not forget to check my travel guide on Tirthan Valley and say in the rest house.
Also, worth noting is the fact that the circuit houses, in particular, are not given the booking easily, so better not rely on them but if nothing is available then try your luck for asking about the availability.
Step by Step Guide
Below I have tried to describe a rough outline on how to make bookings in these PWD Rest Houses, which you can refer as a guide to make a booking for yourself:
- You can call up the respective booking office and try to confirm the availability of the concerned person. It is always better to note the name of the person to minimize the communication gap in the future, and you talk to the same person for future correspondences.
- Two things can happen, either he will tell you the availability and ask you to fax/email the booking request on the email ID or Fax Number. Or, he will not even tell the availability and ask you to send booking requests over email/Fax only. In any case, you need to send the booking request over email/fax, so better confirm the fax number of the booking office from the person.
- After sending the request over fax or email, in a day or so, call the booking office again. Ask if they have received your email or fax and what the status is. DO NOT forget to write your fax number where you want to receive it in the letter. You should address the request letter to the executive engineer. Continue the follow-up based on the conversation until there is any result: Approval or Rejection. So, it is always better to note the name of the person whom you first had the conversation about your booking, to minimize the communication gap in every call.
- In case if the booking is available, then authorized person (mainly Executive Engineer) of the booking office will approve or already have approved your booking, and you will get a slip/parchi for it.
- A copy of slip/parchi will be sent to the caretaker/chowkidar of the respective Rest House so that he knows that you will be coming. Ideally, you should also get one copy of this slip/parchi, but you can ask it from the concerned person you are in talks with at the booking office. Either he will be happy to email/fax it back to you, or he will say not needed.
- If he says, not needed, well you should be in doubt. Don’t worry politely ask for the contact number of Caretaker/Chowkidar, and few days before the trip, call him up to confirm that if he has got the slip/parchi for your booking. Do call him well in advance so that you can effectively communicate with the concerned office regarding any trouble. If Caretaker/chowkidar says YES, then you are almost in for a party !! 🙂 🙂
Travel Tip: Do not forget to check my travel guide on Sainj Valley and say in the rest house.
Some Caveats & Tips – HP PWD Rest House & FRH
You will be surprised, but if there are so many positives for getting the booking for HP PWD Rest House or FRH, there are some caveats also attached to it. I have tried to outline below some of the caveats along with some tips which you should be aware of before booking these places to stay in Himachal.
- You shall not rely on food & service at these rest houses. So, it is always better to carry your raw food like Maggie, eggs, precooked vegetables, bread, etc. If some dhabha is available nearby, then no issues at all. With some tips, the caretaker most likely will allow you to do self-service and cook for yourself. It is quite fun, though, and I like it this way only. So, consider it as a good, comfortable, beautifully located option of stay or sleep only.
- Most of the local village get-togethers/parties do happen in these rest houses mainly, being the only available and value for money option. Also, being locals, they do have priority for it. So, in case you do not have the slip and even if you have confirmed with caretaker, you might end up in a surprise. So, better to have that slip/parchi with you as much feasible as it can be.
- In case, there is some VIP or GOVT. Official arrives, you might end up losing the booking. However, this rarely happens with confirmed bookings (with slips) because most of these rest houses, I stayed in Spiti Valley, and Kinnaur Valley had rooms reserved for VIPs. So they were not offered to tourists/individuals in any case. So, in case it is some remote guest house, chances of finding an alternative at the last moment are very slim.
Travel Tip: Do not forget to check my travel guide on road trip to Narkanda.
Can I stay at PWD Rest House without bookings?
Well, on the contrary, you can, of course, land up there directly (which I mostly do with my dynamic plans ;)) and talk to Chowkidar/Caretaker, who might allow you to check-in with some tip or even with slip. This on-the-spot booking will be the most economical way as a tip will not cost you much.
Sometimes, there is an Executive Engineer who is in charge of that rest house present there and has the authority to let you in. But, this is only true for night stay types or shorter stay. On a longer stay, you should go prepared with official bookings.
Travel Tip: Do not forget to check my travel guide on road trip to Tosh Village in Parvati Valley.
What happens to my booking in case a VIP comes to stay?
Of course, if someone else lands up there with bookings (slips/parchi) or some VIP comes in, then you will have to vacate the room even in the middle of the night. Many times the caretaker/chowkidar will be reluctant too, to give you rooms because he will be afraid of doing work or providing you with food and all. The bigger the group, the bigger his fear of work. The key is to keep persuading until he agrees or otherwise moves to another location.
Having said all that, you can take a chance or risk BUT DO NOT rely on it completely as it might work and might not work too. I slept in the car with my family once in Kinnaur relying on this funda, but I did not have much daylight left to move around in search of others.
Travel Tip: Do not forget to check my travel guide on road trip to Thanedar.
Conclusion
HP PWD Rest Houses or Circuit Houses or FRH are great to stay with fantastic locations, good facilities, and comfort considering the value for money, etc. However, they do have a little risk associated with them, and one must be prepared for Plan B too. You can mitigate this risk through bookings to quite an extent.
Have a travel question?? You can subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave a comment to ask your travel questions about traveling to the Himalayas.
Special thanks to all the courteous officials of PWD and locals in Spiti Valley who were more than happy to help to provide this information and a reference thread on IndiaMike too linked here (Indracal especially).
![How to prepare for cold weather motorcycle ride in Ladakh or Spiti Valley? [13 Important Tips]](https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/yt_vid_thumbs/ladakh/83.png)
If you ever happened to be at some of the PWD Rest Houses or Circuit Houses or FRH and have any experience with them or pictures of them, please try and share with us here in the blog comments or in DoW – Himalayan Community & Forums thread linked here.
121 Comments
Comments section gets closed in 90 days. To ask your travel questions, you can follow my YouTube Channel for a faster reply or for a much slower reply follow me on Instagram. :)
I want to book pwd guest house/circuit house/forest rest house at manali during 03.11.18 to 07.08.18. How to book the said guest house.
Thank you
with regard
Sajal
Hi , The phone number/s( 01906 – 222252 ) for PWD guest in Spiti seem to be invalid.
Shall anyone provide the latest numbers.
Hello Dhiraj,
I am planning to book circuit house in Manali. Can you please share your experiences about it.
Thanks
Hemant
Sorry Hemant, I have not stayed at Circuit House in Manali. However talking to people who have stayed, it is a decent stay that you expect from any govt. run facility.
Dear Dheeraj Sharma, I am planning to visit shimla & Kinnaur in mid october 2018. Can I book a PWD Rest House or Circuit House There.—- 9007747912
Chinmoy ji, yes, you can surely try to connect with numbers mentioned above and follow the process to book the HP PWD Rest Houses. Early you book, better it will be else you can also book on the spot as well.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am going to Chitkul on 28th of August. I tried calling on 01786 253 303. But it is no longer valid & I am not getting a response over email. Is there any other way in which I can contact? Or do you have a recent no. for the Chitkul Rest house?
Thanks
Sorry Shruti, I do not have any other number. Did you try calling Reckong Peo office? They can also approve the booking for Chitkul. Also, Chitkul has a decent number of private options including nice home stays and few basic guest houses at the economic budget.
I’ll try the Reckong Peo Office. Can I get on spot rooms at Chitkul when I’m there? We are 6 people and require 3 rooms.
Thanks
Yes, less people stay at Chitkul and you should be able to find rooms on the spot as well unless you are not too particular about the stays. For stay options in Kinnaur and Spiti, check the link: Some Good Options of Stays in Spiti Valley / Kinnaur Valley.
Hi Dheeraj,
I tried the Reckong Peo Office on the no 01902-222227. But that no is now with J&K Bank. No luck there too. Now will have to look for room once I reach there.
Thanks.
Thanks for the update Shruti, I am sure you will get something on the spot for sure without much hassle.
Hello Dheeraj
Plz tell me about Dharmshala rest house, what facility of food, how many far from city
Sorry Rajesh, I never stayed at Dharamshala Rest House.
Hi, Dheeraj, what is the procedure to book a PWD Rest House Room.
Hi Satish,
The procedure I know about is already documented in the article above. Try to follow the mentioned process and you may get lucky.
Dheeraj, your block is quite useful for the persons who are living outside H.P. During the ensuing summer vacation I am planning to visit Dharmasala, Dalhousie, Manali and Rothang pass etc. Please guide me in this matter and also inform about the availability of the PWD guest house. I am a central governement employee working in GPO, Mumbai
(Sree Kumar. N )
Sree, you will need to book the PWD rest houses at these locations well in advance. Start getting connected with them as mentioned in the article above. How many days do you have in hand?
Dear Dheeraj
In my previous mail I have inadvertently messaged my mobile no. due to which I am receiving so may calls from all around India for reserving PWD Guest House in Shimla., which is quite disturbing . So, If possible, please delete my mobile number from the site and oblige.
Thanks
(Sree Kumar. N)
I have removed your phone number from your previous comment.
I really like and appreciate your blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
Dear DHEERAJ,
I am central govt. gazetted officer posted at Ordnance Factory ,Nagpur,Maharashtra which falls under Ministry of Defence,along with my family plan to visit Manali & Dharmashala in last week of December 2016.I want to book Govt. rest houses both at Manali & Dharmashala .is it possible to book them for me? Please guide.
Yes, it is very much possible to book them at the Govt. official rates. However, the places you choose are very popular tourist spots in Himachal and hence, you know getting the booking will be difficult. You can try for sure as almost 2.5 months are there still.
Namaste dheeraj ji.thanks for your early replies.we will reached narkanda 8th oct according to your suggested plan.i want book hotel for that day at narkanda.in your list of hotels narkanda is absent.pls pls give hotel name and no. because after 45/46 hour journey we want rest.we need budget hotel.pls answer
Naresh, most of the hotels in Narkanda are not economic and are in the range from 2000-3000. You should either stay at PWD rest house in Matiana, where less people stay so chances are you might get it available or try Theog first. Narkanda circuit rest house is also present which you can also try but many people would be looking for it. So, start trying from Theog, then Matiana and then Narkanda else book the HPTDC hotel “The Hatu”
Dear Dhiraj
Can u please suggest if there is any FRH or PWD in leh or ladakh or near by
Also while going to leh overnight stay is also required, if on the way there is any place
We are planning to go to Leh from 14 th August onwards from Manali
Thank you
Regards
MITESH Desai
9779576032
mitesh.desai@bayer.com
No Mitesh, there are no PWD guest houses open for public in Leh – Ladakh area AFAIK. Above all there are many economic guest houses and home stays in Ladakh so you do not need these guest houses.
Thanks Mr. Dheeraj for sharing this information and it help us to plan our trip better.
As I am planning to visit Losar in the month of October this year, regarding booking of New Rest House at Lossar, I called to number 01906222252, but not able to connect. Pls let me know how can i connect with them to get my booking confirm for my Losar stay.
Thanks
AK, you do not need any prebooking in October. You can land up there and book the room there. If you are doing it from Manali side, Battal makes more sense to stay being lower in altitude than losar where chances of falling sick are less.
Do You have any phone number for stay location in Battal (near Chandratal)? I have read about the PWD Rest House in Battal and a nearby Dhaba , but couldn’t get to a contact number for those!!
Really informative article…could you give an idea about how probable is it that we can get a room at kasol with a prior booking of about 5 days? What are the chances of availability?
Thanks in advance.
I see slim chances and all depends upon luck. Especially during summers, it will be surely slim.
Dear Dheeraj
Can you please provide me the telephone nos of Khoksar PWD rest house ???
Please check the list, you will find the contact info. there. It should fall under Lahaul district.
Hi could you give information on following-
1 Buses for Rekong Peo start from delhi in the evening, so do they travel whole night in mountains also ?? what time it reaches Rekong peo?
2 Are there buses from Chandigarh also for Kalpa or Rekong ?
3 How risky is driving on way to sangla ?
Hi Sandeep,
1. AFAIK, there are two buses one around 6 AM in the morning and other around 4 PM in the evening. Cost is around 225 Rs. It will take about 16 Hrs of time to reach Reckong peo
2. Chandigarh to Reckong peo are also avaulable. From Reckong peo you can go over to Kalpa
Dear sir,
I am not getting the working phone no. Of pwd off Sangla and Kalpa. Could you pl. Help me. My mail I’d is samir.roy69@gmail.com
08444859172
Please refer: http://hppwd.gov.in/report_rh.asp?idno=kinnaur
Please give me the no of pwd Kalpa and sangla
Please refer: http://hppwd.gov.in/report_rh.asp?idno=kinnaur
we are visiting dalhousie on 29th may to 31 may for two night stay, would u plz guide staying in pwd guest house of dalhousie and khajjar? and can i visit to local sight seeing of dalhousie ,khajjar and dharmashala as we shall reah dalhousie by 5 pm on 29 th mayor which places should i visit, we train at 10.00pm on 31 may from pathankot, how we should get to pathankot?
I am not sure in season time you will be able to get hold of PWD Guest House or even FRH at Kalatop. You can try booking FRH at Kalatop in advance. You do not have much time on hand, instead of visiting everything around Dalhousie and Khajjiar, it will be better that you focus on just relaxing in Khajjiar and Kalatop and enjoy the relaxing time and vistas.
hi Dheeraj. am planning to visit Kinnaur Kailash in 2nd week of May via Kullu. we are 4 families. can u suggest a decent PWD accommodation. do we need to book in advance or can we just walk in?
Yes Jatin, you will have to book in advance the PWD rest houses in Reckong Peo
Extremely informative… have stayed many a times at the forest guest house at kasauli following the same procedure..its a lovely place… plus the food generally at FRH is good , like home cooked….
Thanks Amit, yeah, completely agree with it 🙂
Quite informative… thanks for sharing. 🙂
HOW CAN I BOOK REST HOUSE ROOM IN SHIMLA
Rakesh, it will be quite difficult to get in Shimla. Best bet will be Theog, Matiana and Narkanda following the above procedure.
CAN NE1 TELL ME HOW CAN I GET A MOTORCYCLE IN PATHANKOTE OR DALHOUSIE FOR A TRIP WITH MY 11 YR. OLD SON 4M PATHANKOTE TO DALHOUSIE , DHARAMSHALA AND BACK TO PATHANKOTE IN 7 DAYS. RENTAL.
Mr. Dheeraj Sharma, the details you have provided are very good n helpful. 🙂
i am gonna travel to Dharamsala and Palampur with my family on 10th July by Bus from Delhi.
So could you please tell me the exact address of PWD Guest House in dharamshala n palampur, so tat we can ask the taxi driver to drop us their.
And also i have an doubt that if we reach directly at the guest house for stay without booking … we will have to talk with the booking office or the Chowkidar only ??
Thanks.
Rajiv, I do not have the exact address but everyone will know about PW Guest House once you will reach there and ask. If you directly land up there, then ask the chowkidar only but do read the caveats too.
Brilliant details. I have stayed in HPPWD rest houses many times and have varied experiences. This article talks about most of the important facts about bookings with HPPWD rest houses in Himachal.
Thank you VJ.
suggest me some budget hotels in mcleodgang plz? i m travelling vid my family and wants a budget hotel near some tourist place like any dal lake or BHAGSUNAG ?
Shubham, go for Pink House Guest House, here is the review: Pink House | McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)
Hi Dheeraj,
Plz send me a contact number for booking Forest Guest/Rest House at Kala Top as i have not received any reply mail from them.
Sorry Rahul, I have only these contact or numbers
HOW CAN I BOOK REST HOUSE IN MANALI. PLEASE TELL ME THE PROCESS.
Vijay, the process is outlined in the article above.
Mr Dheeraj Sharma,
Can you please send me your contact number.
We want to visit Sarahan, sangla and kalpa shortly and want to stay at PWD guest house.
Regards.
Sanjay Sanyal
Sanjay, you can get connected with Pritam Ji HP Pwd at 098 16 629377. He is caretaker at Jeori PWD Guest House, may be he can help you out.
Hi, need some information about the rest house in Chindi. Whom do i need to contact to get a booking done?
Priya, either you can walk-in with some risk associated or else get connected with E.E. Karsog 1907 222229 ee-kar-hp@nic.in for Rest House at Chindi following the process detailed in the article above.
Thanks a lot for the prompt reply, will follow your instructions.
Going to shimla first wk of april 15.want to stay sarahan. Chitkul. Narkanda. Souja pwd accomodation. Need u r suggession.
Sandeep, good enough. I think you can stay at PWD Rest Houses at all these locations. If Narkanda circuit house not available then there is one at Matiana and theog too.
which pwd rest would you prefer if be in April in manali.
Sandeep, not sure what you mean here. I will say in whichever you can find booking 🙂
How to book Dalhousie PWD rest house or any other best?
Sanjay, the process is detailed in the article above.
Very useful information.lets see if it works.
It does not work always but sometimes do work 🙂
is there any info on JKTDC or JK FRH guest houses too ?
Yes, there is JKTDC Bungalows as well and PWD Rest Houses in Kashmir too.
I WANT PHONE NO. REST HOUSE PWD OR FRH PLEASE GIVE ME ..RAJGARH HP
Amit, the list I have is already attached, you can search the Rajgarh one in it. If it is not present in the list, I don’t have any other.
Great effort friend , in putting all the info at one place . Planning to go to Dalhaussi khajiar in mid October , let me try based on info given by you here , if I can get some accommodation in guest houses.
Regards
Best wishes for the trip Sunil, a lot of people are able to see through PWD Guest Houses. I will check and see if someone in the community have a number of caretaker or not.
Dear Dheeraj,
It does not quite work, too difficult to cut through the red tape. Called the EE office, they asked me to send a mail that I did . As there was no reply to it, I called after a week and the officer told me that booking is not done in advance these days as some VIPs come in the end and there are problems then .
He however said on last day if no one comes the allocation is done if accommodation is available . As I am traveling with family booked with a hotel.
never the less the information given by you is mighty useful for individuals traveling to explore the country side rather than visitors who like it well planned .
Regards and thanks for wishes.
Sunil, yeah, it does not quite work all times but that’s just the process. Unfortunately. However, it does work at times, so never mind giving it a shot. Else walkin to these offices and get the slip done yourself while going on to destination.
Hi ,I plan to travel to Manali during 1’st week of November with my family.is it advisable to take a trip to Spiti with a 11 yr old boy and 4 yr old child.How will the weather be during that time?
Tina, this is HIGHLY NOT recommended to travel to Spiti Valley at that time of the year. It will be quite cold conditions, rough/dry cold with most of the hotels as closed. Also, very very high danger if you follow Manali to Spiti route at that time of the year. Please stick to your normal plan to Manali and around areas.
very use full guidance .I plan to visit in the last week of sept.14 for 6-7days .can I apply now any way. how will be weather condition. how I can travel by bus. pl guide
regards
Weather will be pleasant in hill during September.
Dear Dheeraj,
Your information are very useful and handy. Thanks for all these and others on other bolgs as well.
regards,
Munish, glad to know that all the info. present on DoW was useful for you.
Dear Dheeraj,
Thanks a lot for all the detailed description of Manali Circuit House, and I must say that it is really helpful. As per your instruction, I have tried to call the the given number, however no one responded even after several attempts. Finally I have shared the travel dates and guest details with them in the given email address. Do you have any idea, will they respond to my email really?
Regards,
Kanchan
Kanchan, that’s the sorry state we have. I highly doubt for any reply 🙁
i want to book rest house @khajjiar, but the server says contact number provided here is not correct.
i will be trekking alone from kalatop to khajjiar, and most probably i vl reach there @night
if i don’t get my room confirmed is there any possibility of getting the rest house on tip basis(only for night stay)
Avish, if the FRH is not booked at Kalatop, you will be able to get the room there. But, if it is occupied then you will end up in soup there 🙁 … It is better to confirm the booking. Did you try to email them?
No I din’t tried the email coz am pretty sure that they won’t reply to it
and pls tell if there’s any other place their which is economical like FRH
There are no options of stay there at Kalatop, AFAIK apart form the FRH.
Hi Dheeraj,
Good that you have provided so much info on rest houses, which we rarely find at any of the sites. I, along with my wife have booked Chail PWD Rest house for the coming weekend . Any idea if this is better or the circuit house? Do you have any photos for the Chail PWD rest house by any chance. Sometimes these properties are not well kept up so in double mind regarding staying there. Thanks & Regards, Gaurav
Sorry Gaurav, I do not have any photo of that rest house. May be if you can once you back, will help others for sure. Yes, you are right that some times these are not well maintained and that’s the risk that you have to take it.
thanks dheeraj ji for your quick response. we will be having a three day stay in himanchal and we will travel by our own car straight from allahabad. thanks again for your effort nd i think its better to choose one or two destinations and explore them fully rather than visiting lots of places in a short time trip. after my visit i will come up to this blog and would like to share my experiences.
have a good time ahead mr. dheeraj
Srajan, Best wishes for the trip and we will wait for your pictures and trip report back in the community. If by chance you happen to be happy to help the local community, please try and support the DoW Causes up there. You can check more details about them at: DoW – Causes | A Step Towards Responsible Travel
thanks a lot Mr. Dheeraj 🙂 yoour blog made us to choose himanchal over uttarakhand. but have some querries and will be thankfull to u for helping us.
we r four frnds nd we will be on a three day trip to himanchal by our car from allahabad. we all are 25 age group ppl nd bachelors so we want to explore our life with some adventures and youth life styles. so pls guide us over following points…
1. as we are bachelors nd not very high on budgets( though we accept that we are fools and spending more on fuel than our visit but it has its own fun too 😉 ). and we want to leave all famous sightseeing of himanchal for our married life nd currently we want a trip for someoffbeat places and want to have some thrill in life.like theerthan valley…so plz suggest some.
2. dont want to stay in hotels nd rest houses so will the tents we are carrying help in nights nd is there any problem regarding authority from forest or govt.
3. are the roads safer in himanchal?
4 . any recommendations and advice from your side .
sorry ….m very silly with writing so please excuse for that..hope u got our point..
looking forward for your valuable reply. by the way we r leaving on 12 march .
Srajan, please find my replies below:
1. There is Tirthan Valley, Kasol, Manikaran, Pabbar Valley, Kinnaur Valley, Dharamshala/Mcleod Ganj, Dalhousie, Chamb, Khajjiar, Barot, Parashar Lake, etc.. You can opt for any one of the following. Not sure how many days you have in hand.
2. Better stay in some basic guest houses, for tents you need to find a spot, could be private land where you can pay for your stay for a while.
3. Not sure about this but they are just like other mountain roads all over except Kinnaur Valley above which are a bit more treacherous.
How are you planning? Public Transport?
Kudos Dheeraj!!!
Very detailed and informative article.
Helped a lot. Thanks
Ankur, glad to know that the info. present in the article helped you in planning trip to Himachal in some sense. Feel free to ask any queries you have 🙂
very informative. And also helpful. Budget traveling just got better!!
Yes, they are very effective in making budget travel trips to Himachal. Yet, they offer very good comfort + views. Majority of time when I travel, I stay with PWD Guest Houses only in Himachal, with or without bookings, doesn’t matter but they always comes the first choice 😀
At outset kudos to you for taking pains in preparing such info and sharing it with everyone ……
Could you also give your advice on few of nicely located guesthouses . Basically I travel quite often and prefer absolutely secluded places with nice view ….. Will request you to advice couple of such places ( should be around 10 hour driving distance from Delhi )
Deepak, within 10 Hrs from Delhi, there is Narkanda, Chakrata, Rajgarh, Chail as few options in Himachal Pradesh. Rest of them are about 12-14 Hrs of drive from Delhi.
Hey Dheeraj, do you have any idea of PWD rest houses in the Allahabad-Patna stretch? Require help as I will be traveling solo by bike from Delhi-Assam, so more economical the night stay the better !!
PS: I have my tent too; can I pitch tent in these stretches?
Suraj, I have never traversed that route, so not sure about it. Also, I am not aware if any other state has opened PWD Rest Houses for stay for tourists. Himachal is just one exception I know. Regardin pitching tents, I feel you can pitch them as long as the place is safe enough. My best bet is to put camps near by some villager farm or open land close the civilization so that you have sense of protection always. They charge you to minimal as well.
Yes, agreed Dheeraj. Other than HP, only states I know accomodates PWD rest houses are Arunachal Pradesh and certain areas in Assam.
If your advice is sought as to a new tent budgeting around 3000rs. which would you go with? And any other cautionary for tent stay other then staying away from water bodies, use of insect repellants?
Hi Suraj,
Aah, that ways. I have least knowledge of North East so was not aware of the fact. Bhai, you can go with some tents in Sadar Baazar, Delhi Cantt which are good enough. Also, you can check with pashupati tents at Rajinder Palace. They have some good options. Regarding camping, you should also take care the direction of wind blowing and pitch it where there is less wind presence. Keep your eatables packed so that open food does not attracts stray animals. IN the end, only leave your footprints behind 🙂 … A good sleeping bag is always good thing.
Regards
Dheeraj
Tnks Since I had bn travelling very frequently to HP and staying in Govt rest/Circuit / FRH only you shall get B L Dinner pocket and Gala tarrrrr kar do.
Could not understand what yo mean here.
thanks deeraj. it is rather impressive how you have tried really hard to cover the human element, indian work ethics, probability theory and several others things but still being so enthusiastically hopeful..i love it. thanks much.
Thanks alot prema, glad you the info. present was useful for you 🙂
Very useful post. The Govt guest houses have best view and are safest to live in remote areas. A post worth bookmarking…
Thanks alot Prasad!! Yeah, since there was a lot of confusion over these HP rest houses and booking so I thought better compile the article under one roof. Thanks for the bookmark too 😀
Good one, dheeraj. But my suggestion is to avoid it when hotel options are there. PWD rest houses are more easily accessible than FRHs. However, the FRH at Shongtong is superb but the caretaker is not so, unless well tipped or peer pressurized from some forest official.
Ravindra ji, yes very true. This risk about caretaker being good or not is always there. Actually, I see they are afraid of work may be that is why they do not allow. Otherwise, if there isn’t any booking then I feel they should always allow if in any case it has been opened for tourists 🙁 … Next time I visit Spiti, I will surely stay at Shontong.
Quite informative, surely gonna try this out
Thanks Suman, but make sure you feel about risks highlighted 😉
it will be very helpfull in planning our tour
thanks
Thanks alot Manish, glad it proved useful for you.