Driving Direction --New Delhi to Khara Pathar

shobhit.keral

Guys,
I am planning a trip to Khara pathar this week end.Planned to go by my Hundai i10 (Is it a good idea).....I need help in driving directions.We are a bit cruntchy with time,so want to make the most out of a two day trip.I am planning to leave by 3 AM from New Delhi on Sat morning.Which route will be best?
My friend who is a great biker had suggested me this...


I will start using the same panipat --karnal--Ambala---before Chandigarh i will take right for kalka----cross kalka----cross solong--then there is a small place khandaghat there is a diversion for Shimla and Chail---i will take chail route which will be really narrow but beautiful,avoiding regular Shimla route.and then join back to the same route Faagu and khara pathar

I am not sure how good this idea is.please give me some suggestions.and please guide me to other options also.
I have reserved a PWD resthouse at khara pathar.again avoiding the HImachal tourism hotel Some giri ganga.i know that place is good.but i think it is a bit expensive.resthouse is a wooden structure and we will be carring our own blanket and stuff.i dont know much about this resthouse.i need help on this also....

Secondly i need to be back at any cost some where by sunday night.people have to go to office on Monday.i heard that it really cold out there @ present.BUT no snow.(i will surely miss that).is there any way i catch the snow.

I am ready to make major changes to plan also.i just and a day left.plz help.Thanks

shobhit.keral

Guys Plz suggest i have just few hours left to leave.....please help if you can.

shobhit.keral

Hey Guys....i am back from amazing but a little tyring trip from Khara pathar.....in case anyone needs help....or planning to go there......let me know....i can be of lot of help.....

puchoo

Why dont you put down a trip report and driving advise , sure people would be interested in reading that?

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Indiamike Mod team............

puchoo.wordpress.com

shobhit.keral

Well guys, it was just a last moment plan not much of research done on it .Just had an idea since one of my friend visited Khara Pathar sometime back. So got a weekend and gone. Trusted my new Hyundai i10 Magna.I along with 5 more friends got in for the long trip. I alredy faxed the PWD rest house at Khara Pathar for a booking of rest house there for two rooms. Although every where people suggested to stay at Giri Ganga HPTDC hotel.Going against the advice for a cheaper accommodation and beleving my instincts and went ahead and booked it.

We started From AIIMS New Delhi at 3:00 hours. Straight ISBT and karnal Bypass,tankup there and had a cool ride till Ambala with few flyovers under construction. Finally just before Chandigarh at Zirakpur took right turn via Panchkula headed straight to Kalka. We stopped at a place called Pinjar (i think so)for a while to get fresh. It was a still early morning.We had a plan to go to Chail from Kandaghat.We had an idea that route to Chail is really beautiful but really narrow. Adventure instincts you know cant stop.Inspite being a bit crunchy with time we still went the same way.

Now came the time when the road went round and round, I can’t slow down we had no time. But people on back seat were not able to take it. And then started the puke session, there was no stop to it. Finally made to Chail. Kind of a civilised mountain village. I was quite disappointed with the place as it was not worth the pain. People suggested going to temple 7km from there which is really beautiful. We saw the pictures of it at one shop and decided to skip that place.We had lunch at one of few restaurants there. Got in and moved to Khara Pathar now we were little more late. And now specifically I had no idea how far Khara Pathar is. Still moved. Things went on cool for some time. And then after long drive which was appearing as if we are going nowhere. We managed to reached Theog.Ohh yes I saw this place in Map. Some hope of light. There was no milestone saying Khara Pathar. Everyone was really frustrated since our drive was not coming to end at all. And we had no idea where we are going. And then came the time while crossing Theog i missed out a turn on right to Fagu, Instead went straight.Now on the way milestone was saying Kauirik 300+ km.I was not able to understand,road was getting worst. There was no one whom I could ask. Finally after 15 Km Wrong way we turned back traced back to Theog....Gosh....turned towards Fagu.Journey was now becoming a trauma. Kept on moving up....Road was getting narrower and narrower...no civilisation....still carried on, all of a sudden temperature start falling drastically. Road was getting adventures.

And after N number of hour’s drive we reached Khara Pathar (Thank God this place existed) as we entered I saw a board up on mountain pointing PWD guesthouse....no time waste.went straight up. First hut was of forest dept passed that and just on the top of mountain was the hut of PWD guest house. It was 17:30 hrs.Gosh.....But inspite we were damn tired still that view from that rest house was amazing. It was worth all pain. Guard was already intimated that we will be coming. He welcomed us with hot cup of tea. Rooms were amazing, clean and awesome. It was already dark and we requested Guard if he could cook food for us and he agreed. Amazing food. And then we promised each other that we will get up early morning to see sunlight falling on snow covered peaks. And we betrayed....We got at ease a little late .and then had some early morning photoshoots.Planned to go for trekking to Giri Ganga Temple. We had to trek for 7km to reach there. Chatting together we never realised we are not carrying a water bottle. Which we realised it later, gosh it appeared as if people rarely visit there.After a long trek we reached a huge whiter stone. You can’t dare to stand next to it. There was a deep valley below it,we lied down there and had some photoshoots.We heard a sound of flowing water.

Moving further passing through forest we saw a stream for water flowing down. We all got too excited. Jumped off the route and went down the river. Wide our imagination water was extremely chilling. We had some good fun there and back to road to temple realising in a short while that the temple was on the river bed. We visited the temple and head back. We had a good lunch at a Tibetans dhaba.We started back at 17:30 Hrs from and took straight Fagu road via Kufri and Theog to Shimla.We reached Shimla by 20:00 hrs.spent some good 2 Hrs at Mall Road. And started back from Shimla and straight overnight Drive from Shimla to Aiims New Delhi. Reached there at 06:00 Hrs.Gosh it was a long drive for me. Overall an amazing place to be. Excellent place to stay. In short awesome.


PWD GUEST HOUSE Telephone Numbers—+911781-252004

Guest House Guard Melaram Mobile Number--+91-9805265306

Total Distance from New Delhi via Shimla-450 Km Approx.

Room charges-250 per room at PWD rest house. (Food and tea Extra)

Giri Ganga HPTDC hotel had minimum 1000 bugs Rooms although.

shobhit.keral

karnail

Now this place is on my radar.
and Where are the Pix?

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http://karnail.blogspot.com/

shobhit.keral

I tried posting imageshack links.....they are not coming as images....thats what i tried on abouve post....do i need to upload them as attachment.....if someone can help me a bit

Vagabondtales

hi
I am travelling on 24th June09 to Khara Pathar and plan to stay till 27th June morning. Although this time I am travelling with my mother also along with my wife & two kids. Just want to spend some quite time in these 3 days..... de-stress time.

Thus need few advice on travel route... although i have used the Shimal Fagu road while going to Rekong Peo in 2007 and been to Chail in 1997. So is it better to go through the Shimla road then chail road as I drive a bigger vehicle i.Scorpio?

If yes, what is the distance difference?

Also is this place ideal for camping also ... is there is good spot you can suggest on the trekking route you guys did for over night camping with kids.... i have a good 6 man coleman tent...

Do reply

cheers

shobhit.keral

Although i have mentioned every thing about Khara Pathar in the post above,Still
-No there are no camping sites there as far as i remember.Even the trek to Giri Ganga mandir was not that fun,Not many people go there.We realised it only when panditji told us that people come hear with ashes of there dead ones. (We played in that ice cold water )
- I would still suggest that the best place to stay there is the PWD rest house.It is there on the top of the mountain above the forest guest house.Really beautiful and calm.Do carry some wood stics on the way for the borne fire if u want.Worth spending some good time.
-DONT EVEN THINK OF TAKING A CHAIL ROUTE.IT ELONGATES YOUR JOURNEY FOR ATLEAST 2-3 Hrs.

Hope you enjoy you visit.
In case u need any more help,do PM me.
ENJOY

__________________
http://www.ghumakkar.com/2008/08/18/...p-to-gangotri/

Vagabondtales

Thanks Shobit. I almost forgot about your tips after coming back.

Well finally we stayed in the HPTDC as i told you i was travelling with my wife, kids and my mother (as she is quite ill). During that time there was lack of water in the hills due to delayed monsoon and HPTDC did arrange water tankers. PWD would have been difficult.
Well the road from Theog onwards is in very bad condition now as it is expanded ( albit by US based Engg consultant and a chinese contractor!!!). So that part of the journey was quite painfull.

Anyway we just chiiled 3 days there... went to Jubbal ...saw the beautifull locked palace and also to the khaskoti valley....

Also went up the hill opp PWD guest house for a quite evening sundown... enjoyble quite holiday as we had planned

Would advice all others to go there after 2011 as road expansion project will get completed by then

cheers
Vagabond

anupmathur

Shobhit and Vagabond, nice reading your accounts of Kharapathar.

We had gone there mid-May this year and the road from Theog to Kharapathar was indeed a mess! This has now become more or less the standard scenario wherever you go in Himachal! These hydro projects and their road widening shoddy works!

We stayed at HPTDC's Giriganga, after confirming that water woes were not part of the history of the place. We were assured that water is aplenty.
Lies, all lies. The second morning there was no water and there was no hope of receiving any before 1400 hrs!
We packed our bags and moved, having already seen Hatkoti (the Hateshwari Temple is quite beautiful), Rohru and the Giriganga temple (took our Scorpio right up to the temple)!










The weather was HOT at Kharapathar and worse at Hatkoti and Rohru! This year has been drought conditions all across Himachal, except the Manali area, it seems.

Metaller

Hi guys,

having a nature of exploring new places within our own country . i keep on travelling twice every year. so this time, i
was searching about some info on kharapathar and found this thread. really usefull. i am planning a trip to kharapathar at the end of this month. i read every post in this thread and everyone is suggesting route via ambala and kalka and so on.

however, i am planning to take a different route and want to confirm if anybody has heard or taken that route. its

Delhi->Shahabad->nahan->rajgarh->kotkhai->kharapathar.

has anybody heard of this route? its totally bypassing ambala and all that futher route to that. its a sort of semi diagonal route. this year there is problem of water even in hills (GREAT) . last month had gone to lansdowne, and it was terrible without water there. so i ll check beforehand in kharapathar.

any suggestions would be welcomed.
regards
metaller\m/

anupmathur

Metaller, I recall seeing a road joining up to the Theog-Kharapathar road. There was a sign that said Solan.
Is that the road you plan to take?

shobhit.keral

Solan was below kandaghat....i have no idea of any road from there.