Adventure in Himachal

The spectrum of rivers, forests and snow covered mountains, alpine meadows, in Himachal lends a wide range of activities to the adventure-minded tourist. The adventures in the natural playground include:

Skiing: Narkanda, above 2700 meters above sea level, is a like a paradise for the skiers for some three months in a year during the winter season. It is about 64 Km from Shimla. Winter and summer skiing is also done in Manali's Solang area as well.

Mountain Cycling: Tourists also enjoy the adventurous expedition of cycles through high passes. Mountain cycling is often accompanied with camping. The best routes for mountain cycling include the lower regions of the State-Kangra. Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur. For longer rides one can go to Trans Himalayan tracts of Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur.

Mountaineering: The main areas for mountaineering in H.P are around Manali. The Beas Kund region and lower raches of Hanuman Tibba, the Manali and Shitidhar peaks around the source of the Beas river and the Dec Tibba area are advice able for beginning with some experience.

Trekking: The trekking is most commonly conducted in the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges,which routes over the passes between Shimal region and Kullu valley. The other areas are in Kullu, Himalayan regions of Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti. Most trekking areas are between 1,500-6,000 meters.

River Rafting: River rafting attracts many tourists every year and has made Himachal a focal point for the water sport. Rafting is conducted on the Sutlej near Shimla, the Beas near Kullu, the Ravi near Chamba and the Chandra in Lahau.

Para Gliding: Bir Billing in Kangra Valley is the core for aerosport enthusiasts and is one of the best sites for Para Gliding and Hang Gliding. The other regular paragliding spots are Bundla Dhar near Bilsapur, in Kullu valley and at Inkali in Pabbar valley near Rohru.

Heli Skiing: For high mountain adventures nothing surpasses heli-skiing. The heli-skiing areas includes the areas bound by Hanuman Tibba, Rohtang pass, Deo Tibba and Chanderkhani pass, near Manali.

Safari: To explore the beauty of Himalaya the best option is jeep, car or motorcycle safari's. One can drive out from Manali, cross the Rohtang pass (3980m), and move through arid Lahaul to Leh and Ladakh, or from Shimla, through Kinnur, you can also drive through the haunting landscapes of spiti.