Winter cravings? Visit Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh from January to March and you won’t be disappointed…AutoCar (Feb. ’09) took a road trip all the way from Mumbai to Tiger Falls, Khara Pathar and Tani Jubbar lake in Himachal Pradesh…here is their adventure record…

Mumbai to Himachal Himalaya’s is around 2,000km and the continuously improving Golden Quadrilateral had the AutoCar team doing 1,150km from Mumbai to Ajmer in one driving day and Delhi in time for lunch the next.

From Delhi, the route taken was as follows – Delhi – Karnal – Yamunanagar – Chakrata – Tiger Falls – Tyuni – Hatkoti – Jubbal – Khara Pathar – Theog – Narkanda – Tani Jubbar Lake – Thanedar.

AutoCar took the NH1 from Delhi to Karnal and once one has cleared the traffic in Yamunanagar and the small section of broken road till the Haryana-Uttarakhand border, the entire drive is easy going after that. The road from Chakrata to Tyuni is absolutely Himalayan, meaning dirt track and narrow with astounding views of valleys and peaks. The corners are absolutely blind and traffic is usually caused only at corners. Two cars will not pass at most places so some backing up is needed…driving cautiously is the watchword here.
At Chakrata – the Tiger Falls is one of its best kept secrets. Hidden behind a cliff, viewing it involves a 30-minute trek down the hillside into the valley and a knee-deep wade to the far back of the stream. But the very sight of thousands of cubits of water cascading down the 312-foot vertical drop is worth the effort says the AutoCar team.

The road from Tyuni to Khara Pathar is quite good and here one will definitely find snow on the higher reaches nearing Khara Pathar. The view from the Giri Garg Resort where the AutoCar team stayed was magnificent and white – picture card perfect. The road was white without even a hint of tarmac showing – it was the kind of white that washing detergents could use as a benchmark – enthused the AutoCar team.

On the last leg of the trip, on NH22, from Theong to Thanedar – the road is wide and fast, but one has to be careful of slippery roads and hence using snow chains is beneficial.  The AutoCar team stayed at the Banjara Orchard retreat at Thanedar, near Tani Jubbar Lake.

The lake by itself was scenic and idyllic with clear blue skies, snow-capped peaks at touching distance and white-washed hillsides reflecting in the still waters of the lake.

Do go experience winter at its best signs off AutoCar (Feb. ’09).