February Honeymoon Tips Needed :)

AtlantaDesi

Hello everyone,

I am visiting India in Feb-07 to finally give up my bachelorhood & tie the knot! And since we wont have time to visit the cliche'd Switzerland Alps - we are planning to visit the even more enchanting Himalayas for our honeymoon

We had a few specific questions in that regard:

1) Does anyone have CREDIBLE / first-hand knowledge of the weather we can expect in mid-Feb in Manali & Dharamsala? The only major website we found (which the whole world seems to be pointing to) for this was .. "Weather Underground". This is the link for Manali:

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/...t?query=manali

Its showing a Min Temp of upto -15 celcius ?? This has completely put our plans on hold! Infact, abt a week back, the same site was showing low temperates of upto -20 ! Does it really get THAT cold in Kullu/Manali in winter? We can deal with temperatures upto or *just* under freezing. But, -15 is another story, no?

2) We were thinking of covering: Kullu, Manali, Dharamsala (Mcleod Ganj), Kangra (fort) & if possible, Khajjiar & Dalhousie - all in 7 days! Are 7 days too less to explore these places at a relaxed, honeymoon-ish pace? Is it worth driving all the way up to Dalhousie for a night?

To save time, we decided to leave Shimla out - since people are saying its overcrowded & too commercialized etc.. although the toy train journey looked tempting. Good decision..?

3) Starting from Delhi, if we have 7 days to cover these areas, would you recommend first reaching the northern tip (Dalhousie or Dharamsala) and then working our way south towards Manali/Kullu & return to Delhi from Manali.. or the other way round - start from Manali & end the trip at Dalhousie?

4) We LOVE old, historic places. Apart from Kangra fort, can you guys suggest any other cool forts/temples/churches to check out in the vicinity? Any old structures with unique architecture or archeological importance?

Has anyone been to the Sujanpur Tira fort ? The pics looked awesome! But we havent heard too many people talk about it here - so wasnt sure if its worth the time to drive there.

5) Lastly, but most importantly: Apart from the temperature, do you guys think it is a good idea to visit Himachal in Feb at all - given the severe weather conditions? We would love to Ski a bit. But apart from that, would there be any other adventure sports active? Are the streams/lakes/falls usually frozen? Roads closed etc? Is it overall very.. umm.. "DULL" in Feb? Or would it still be worth it?


Any tips/advice you guys can share would be really appreciated! The other option we have, is ofcourse - a Kerala Honeymoon! But.. we generally prefer mountains over beaches/backwaters etc. Was still hoping that Himachal beats Kerala Pls share your thoughts.

Hope you all have a great christmas / new year !

Thanks & regards,
M

Darmabum

I can't speak for temps in Manali at that time of year but I did spend a month in Dharamsala, from early February to early March. I never saw anything like the temps you've mentioned; it did rain a lot, especially in February but days - if clear - had pleasant temperatures as I remember.

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AtlantaDesi

Hey Darmabum,

Thanks for the reply. Pleasant daytime temps in Dharamsala - atleast thats reassuring. But then, lots of rain in Feb huh? Hmmm.. not so good. Yeah, i cant believe those temps myself - maybe they use the "wind chill" or "real feel" ways to determine temperatures - which is why it goes as low as -15 in Manali?

rishabh6296

Hey dude,
dont trust wunderground,it gives totaly insane information,i was in manali last year in 1st and 2nd week of feb and dharamshala 2 years back in winters,and every winter i make it a point to go to himalayas.
1.weather at daytime wud moderate approx 25 degrees celcius and sunny.nights wud be cold touching 0 degrees but at that time u wud be inside ur rooms so no probs dharamsala wud be a few degrees warmer.
2.ur itinerary isnt laidback for sure,manali can be done in 3 days ,2 days for dharamsala,1 day for dalhousie and khajiar and a day for travelling between these places.but delhi to and fro wud be extra ,else it'l become too hectic.Shimla isnt gud enough anymore and if you want toy train kangra valley toy train is a better option with views of snowclad dhauladhars.
3.both the places are almost equidistant from delhi so it doesnt really matter.
day 1-delhi-manali
day2 & 3-manali area sightseeing
day 4-leave early for dharamsala and manage kangra in the way
day 5-dharamsala
day 6-go to dalhousie early approx 3-4 hrs do some sightseeing and come back to dharamsala
day 7-leave dharamsala by 12 noon and u shud rach delhi by 10 p.m

4.
in manali try hadimba devi temple(500 years old),manu temple jagatsukh and arjun gufa.in naggar(25 km. from manali) u can see naggar castle and roerich art gallery
in dharamsala try dalai lama's residence ,norbunglika and st. john in wilderness(church),masroor temple near kangra (rock cut temple).in dalhousie u have a few british era churches.
5.its not dull in feb at all,it isnt crowded and u can try skiing,snowmobile,sledge,zorbi ng and paragliding in manali.
And yes himachal beats kerela anyday.pm me for any other info.
Rishabh

Darmabum

I went to Dharamsala in February specifically for Tibetan New Year - Losar, and the chance to receive the Blessing from H.H. the Dalai Lama. It was crowded, as in reeeeally crowded, Tibetans, of course, Richard Gere, lots and lots of us travelers, and I got one of the last rooms in town. Check your dates, check dates for Losar next year, I'm thinking somewhere around the 18th? I stayed for over three weeks that year and Dharamasala remained full the whole time. You may have trouble finding accomodations if you wait too long. Scott

ranjan154

Yes, definately Manali.. i hope Rohtang Pass is open when you are there..that would be an add on..

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AtlantaDesi

Thanks for taking the time to send the detailed reply. Moderate weather sounds encouraging. You mentioned .. nights we would be in our rooms anyways so nighttime weather doesnt matter. True. However, that brings up another question we had:

Is there any such like .. "nightlife" in these areas at all? And obviously we are not expecting clubs with fifty dance floors or a major entertainment district etc. But, still, maybe bars with some music .. open till 11pm .. ? Which areas are best for such things? Manali & Mcleod, maybe? Any idea?

A very hectic itinerary - yes, thats what we feared too - we are desperately trying to squeeze out one extra day - but its hard with so many wedding-formalities to attend to. Anyway, it seems like there is a lot of do/see around Kangra. You said: manage Kangra (during the day) on the way to Dharamsala. Is it possible to cover : Kangra toy-train, Fort, Palampur - all in the same day before we reach Dharamsala?

Do you think we should drop Dalhousie & spend more time in Kangra vicinity instead? - Visit Jwalamukhi & Baijnath, maybe?

Also, any input on "Mani Mahesh" lake? Is it close enough to Dharamsala? Is the "Triund" peak hike easy enough & accessible in Feb?

Everything sounds exciting again! "skiing,snowmobile,sledge,zorb ing and paragliding" - YES! Himalayas it is going to be.. Kerala is officially dropped for this trip! Maybe some other time..

Thanks again!

- M

AtlantaDesi

Thanks for the heads up! Gotta lookup their new yr schedule then.. we were just assuming everything would be deserted in Feb.. with enough rooms available. Would be awesome in Dalai Lama is in town - but would obviously need better planning on our side. Will check.. thanks.

AtlantaDesi

Thought there is NO way Rohtang Pass would be accessible in Feb?? From what we have read so far, "Kothi" or "Snow Point" (?) is as far as we will be able to go in Feb.. right?

SANJAY_DEL

I think you should drop Dalhousie as you will not find it worth much after Dharamsala hills. Make time for Jwalamukhi, its a nice shrine. For Mani Mahesh you have to go to Chamba first. I'm not sure if the trek is do-able in Feb. The traditional time for the annual fair over there is mid-August.
Have a nice honeymoon in Himachal! Sounds good!!

AtlantaDesi

thanks for the tips & good wishes sanjay

Btw, i just looked up the Masroor temples that Rishabh suggested - it looks very interesting. Definitely on our to-visit list!

- m

rishabh6296

Hi ,
there isnt a great nightlife at both the places but you do have a few bars which remain open till 10-11 p.m in both manali and Mcleodganj.
you can manage the fort and palampur plus norbunglika but not the toy train as it is way to slow,what you can do is cover 1 or 2 stations in toy train to save time .
I'd say a day trip to dalhousie and khajiaar would be good,khajiaar is a very beautiful meadow and dalhousie has its own charm.
manimahesh lake is very far from dharamsala,in a remote corner of chamba,moreover the place would be inaccessible and snowed down.I wouldnt recommend triund as well since that place would be snowed down and the way which is very narrow would be very slippery.
Rishabh

AtlantaDesi

Thanks again, Rishabh.

Any recommendations for a nice, upscale Honeymoon-type Resort? Cottages in or around Manali? Preferably with a fireplace, heated jacuzzi & an attached balcony with a hammock & a direct view & soothing sound of the the river flowing beneath? Asking for a bit too much huh? :P

Whole world seems to be talking of only Ambassador Hotel/Resort. Does it really live up to its name?

Any idea abt this one: manaliresorts.com ?

thanks!

rishabh6296

hi,
there are a lot of good places to stay in manali like http://www.ushashriramhotels.com/hot...or-manali.html,or http://www.manaliresorts.com/ or http://www.travelmasti.com/resorts/b...rts_manali.htm or http://www.himachalhotels.in/Johnson...hnsonlodge.htm or http://hptdc.nic.in/cir0203.htm#hhami.Once youn reach there you can have a look in all these places and choose the one which you like as all of them would be almost empty at that time.
Rishabh

doru

i will be going to mcloudganj towards start of march and although it is past losar time - it is dalai lama teaching time

so i'd better get there a bit earlier (or reserve a hotel in advance )

when u were there - mid february 2005 ? what was the weather like ? how cold (i come from a warm country ..) ? raining ?

thanks a lot