Shimla

Shimla was the Summer Capital of India during the British Rule. It is a beautiful hill station in the southern western region of the Himalayas. We went there for the summer holidays. We travelled to Chandigarh by flight and took a toy train from Kalka to Shimla. The toy train ride takes around 5 hours but due to the forest fire in Kasauli our train got delayed by an hour. 

Shimla

Forest fire in Kasauli

In Shimla, we stayed at Oberoi Cecil. The hotel has a history of its own. The hotel was established in 1884 by the British and later purchased by one of its employee Mr. M. S Oberoi (founder of the Oberoi hotels).

Oberoi Cecil 

The interior design of the hotel is very good. They have an indoor swimming pool, and it was fun swimming there. My daughter enjoyed playing Table Tennis and Carrom which was in the activity area of the hotel.

Interior of Oberoi Cecil

Indoor Swimming Pool 

We explored the nearby places on Day 1. On Day 2, we went to explore the Viceregal Lodge which was around 20 minutes' walk from our hotel. Walking in the roads of Shimla was fun as there were footpaths on our way to the lodge. The lodge is inside the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. It was the resident of the British Viceroy of India. Later, after Independence, it was Rashtrapati Bhawan. The president later decided to give it to the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. Photography inside the Viceregal Lodge is not allowed. A guide is there to give information about the museum.

Viceregal Lodge

In the evening, we went to the mall road. 

Town Hall @mall road

Night view of Shimla

Christ Church @ mall road

Next day, we went to the nature walking trail in the Glen Forest. The hotel arranged a guide for us who helped us in hiking the forest trail. It was a 3 kms trail and super fun. 

Glen Forest 

In the evening, we went to see the traditional Himachali dance in one of the hotel restaurants which is located just opposite the hotel. 

Traditional Himachali Dance

Next day, we booked a cab in which we went to see the Jakhu temple, Sankat Mochan mandir, Annadale ground, and finally we did some shopping at Lakkar bazaar. 

Jakhu Temple

Sankat Mochan mandir

View of Shimla from the Sankat Mochan Temple

Annadale 

Annadale ground

Though many people stay in Shimla for a day and then go to Manali but our trip was just about relaxing and enjoying the Himalayas - the mountain views and climate. After exploring Shimla, our next destination was Theog (which is around 2 hours' drive from Shimla).  

On our way to Theog, we explored Kufri and went to see the Rashtrapati Bhawan in Mashobra. This Rashtrapati Bhawan is the summer home of the President of India. It is now open for public visit. Photography inside is not allowed. We also visited Oberoi group's hotel - the Wildflower Hall on the same day for lunch. This heritage property also has a Strawberry trail near it. One can take an easy walk for about an hour and enjoy the views. As we visited in the month of May, we could see only strawberry flowers, but the whole experience was one to remember. 

Rashtrapati Bhawan @ Mashobra

View of Wildflower Hall, Oberoi 

Strawberry Trail 

Wildflower Hall, Oberoi 

In Theog, we stayed at Taj. The hotel is located in an isolated place where you almost feel like being on the top of the Himalayas. The views of the Himalayas from our room were awesome. And the weather was cold. One can spend some time walking in their gardens and on the road, outside the property. Actually, I didn't feel like leaving that place.

Theog

Theog

Taj Theog

Himalayas

Overall, the trip was one of the best in my life!

Velavadar Blackbuck National Park

 In March last year, we went to Velavadar Blackbuck Sanctuary. This was our second trip to this national park. We went to this place earlier in first week of March in 2020.  That time we went to Bhavnagar and, on our way, back we saw this park. This park is in Bhavnagar District.

Velavadar Blackbuck National Park is around 120 kms from Ahmedabad. It takes around 2 hours to reach by car. We stayed at Blackbuck Safari Lodge. 

Blackbuck Safari Lodge

 The sanctuary is open throughout the day and everyone is allowed to take their own car inside. Hiring a guide is mandatory. 

Blackbuck

Blackbuck

Blackbucks

Blackbuck Sanctuary

  

We saw groups of Blackbucks. Few were crossing roads just in front of our car. This National Park also have other animal species like Hyenas, Foxes, Jackal and Jungle cats but we could not see them. Many bird species are also easily seen. There are few places in the park where people are allowed to get down to click pictures. 

Beautiful view indeed

Group of Blackbucks

It is a place worth exploring.