Where's nice up north?

Ok I am leaving for India in 3 weeks and am starting to circle places on a map of india.

I am set on definately going up north But where in the north should I go?

I know Leh is probably off limits but who here has gone north and what places are nice?

WHat did you do up there? It looks pretty quiet and cold...

Cheers

Leh isn't off limits at all... I'm going there in July... see you there.

Everywhere's nice up North!

Are you thinking about any particular area? I'm sure there will be at least one person that's been everywhere...
and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before "Shimla" suggests Shimla..

Not quite, guerik! About my automatically suggesting "Shimla", I mean!! In fact I agree with you when you say that Everywhere's nice up North. Shimla is just an individual favourite, but there are plenty of destinations in H.P., Kashmir, Uttaranchal, U.P., Punjab and Haryana which are worth visiting.

Chamba and Brahmour are nice and are more off the usual tourist trail in Himachal Pradesh.... the Minjar Mela in Chamba in August is fun.

Chamba's very pretty and there are some nice simple treks in the area if that's your thing. (There are probably less simple treks also, but that's definitely not my thing so I didn't check it out.) Lots of interesting temples in the area also, and Orchard Hut (just outside of town) is a gorgeous place to chill out for a few days.

Shimla's beautiful, a nice place to chill out for a few days (and literally, it can be very cold and even snowed there last year). It was the summer capital during the British Raj so there are a few interesting sites around town in that respect. The tourism industry in Shimla seems to be more focused at Indians rather than foreigners, which can be a nice change

Is it possible to stay in temples adn stuff like that? Basically what i want is to go to the north alone, and find a mountainous place where I can stay in a temple for a few days and chill out (big time), then walk to town or walk in the mountains.

I thought Leh was in Jammu/Kashmir. Thats why i thought it was off limits...

You could stay in an ashram, but I'm pretty sure sleeping in temples are out.

There are ashrams all over the place, some are yoga focused, some meditation, some religion. I don't know much about them other than that to be honest, but if you have an LP there are a lot listed in the towns near the ganges (Rishikesh, Varanasi, especially)

Persoanl favs are Gangotri trek ...the whole region of Uttar Ranchal is incredible ...See post about the sanctuary I posted

Parvati is amazing in the higher reaches of the valley
Manali has its charm if you can see past the hoardes

Dharamshala is m personal favourite
Kashmir is God's own country

Ladakh is simply unique

DArjeeling is quaint in a very British raj way ...Think rural Engkland in the 30s transplanted to the himalaya

I hear Sikkim is untouched and stunning

Thats but a few to get you started ...The rest is also amazing
The himmies can't be beaten as my poll showed ...Most Imers prefer the mountain regions

Bryan