I went to Solang Valley, a very beautiful place located in the lap of Himachal Pradesh, about 580 km from Delhi, which is called Solang Valley and the height here is 2450 meters. Beyond Solang, the door to the land of Lahaul-Spiti and Ladakh opens. I like this valley because it is connected by road and sitting in the window of the hotel located here, it feels as if you can touch the Hanuman Tibba visible in front of you, whose height is 5980 meters.
collage created in adobe photoshop
There are many valleys in the Indian Himalayas and some are even more beautiful than Solang, but Solang is my favorite among all the valleys I have seen. And there are many facts that make it a favorite, like paragliding happens here, you are jumping in the air from about 3500 meters and landing at 2450 meters. By riding the ropeway present here, you can reach 3400 meters directly and in front of you you can see Mount Patalsu, which is 4250 meters high.
If the weather is clear, we can see Diyo Tibba (6001 meters), Indrasan Mountain, South Parvati and Shirgan Tung Mountain. There are many types of adventure activities here which include river crossing. While crossing the river, tourists cross the Beas River which comes from a pond located about 15-16 km from here, which is called Beas Kund in the local language. Apart from this, there is zorbing here, skiing in winters. In winters, ski competitions are also organized here.
If I talk about trekking, then the routes to Patalsu Peak, Hanuman Tibba Peak, Beas Kund, Friendship Peak, Bhrigu Lake, Rohtang Pass, Lamadug, Khampri Tibba, Hampta Pass, Dashaur Lake etc. start from here. I have trekked almost everywhere and have also summited many peaks here. I have even written a blog on Friendship Peak which I once summited in 33 hours. In winters, so much snow falls in this valley that the roads get blocked. But it is good that nowadays the roads are cleared with machines so that tourists and locals do not face any problem.
While staying here for a few days, I trekked to Anjani Mahadev (2850 meters) which is 5 kms. In winters, when snow falls, then drop by drop water from Anjani Mahadev waterfall forms a Shivling which is very popular among the locals. Vasishtha Kund is also located about 5-6 km from Solang Valley which is famous for its sulphurous hot water. People take bath here to relieve their thirst and get blessings from the Lord.
Snow scooter facility is also available to reach the temple. Devotees who are unable to walk are dropped at the temple gate by this scooter so that they can worship the Lord. In the evening, the atmosphere here becomes even more beautiful with the rays of the sunset. The Friendship Peak visible in the distance, which is situated at the confluence of the Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar mountain ranges, is shining among the clouds and is making its presence felt from a distance.
I see paragliders flying in the sky and the clouds hovering over Bhirgu Lake which are probably talking to the mountain. Cold wind has started blowing and light rain has also started. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I quickly come to the hotel where I sit by the window and drink a cup of hot tea while looking at the mountains. Looking at the Patalsu mountain I am saying that how much fun it would be if this evening came every day… I can continuously live this moment coming again and again.
Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi and I have used Google Translator to tranlate the Hindi text in English. All the photos have been clicked by me from POCO F1 android smartphone and edited in Lightroom/photoshop.