One winter, I read a post on the web that it was snowing heavily in Kufri and Narkanda. I was enthused by it and thought to bring into action a plan that I had in mind for a long time, to visit Narkanda in winters. Ever since I had been to Kufri and Narkanda, I always wondered how these places would like covered in white. Now was a perfect time to know that.
In the evening, I and the Mrs. went to our couple kitty. During the usual guy banter, I mentioned the snowfall in Kufri to my fellow mates and my desire to visit Himachal to witness falling snow, something which has eluded me in my years on this planet.
Two of my closest mates latched on to the idea and we huddled together and finalized that we three families will leave early tomorrow morning for sure and confirm the program on the way.
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A Trip to Narkanda in Winters
We told our life partners of the impromptu program. They were even more eager for the trip than us. We left the still young party at 12.30 am to pack for the morning trip. Alarms were set for 6 am and by 7.30 am three couples and six children were on on way for the snow quest.
The vehicles were my Vista and my mates Scorpio and Fortuner respectively. The weather was overcast, foggy, and bleak with cold winds. It had rained slightly the previous night and the air was cool, clean, and crisp.
Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Narkanda
Progress was slow till we reached the Himalayan expressway at around 11 am. Thereafter, visibility improved and we could drive a bit fast. Traffic was not too much and soon we were at Kandaghat where we took the Sadhupul-Chail-Kufri road on the right leaving the national highway.
I had read about the homestay/resort The Wilderness in Narkanda and gave them a call to finalize our stay there. One of our teammates arranged for the financial remittance to be deposited into the resort’s account.
Shortly we received confirmation of our stay from Mr.Rajesh, the owner of the above-mentioned resort. So the game was on.
Red Riding Hood with its siblings
Sadhupul
The twisty road from Kandaghat descends into the valley from where passes a small rivulet in the village of Sadhupul – which gets its name from the bridge.
It is a popular stopover for tourists on this route with Dhaha seating arrangements besides and in the river. This time there was no pul in Sadhupul as the old bridge had been dismantled and the new one was not ready.
Did this stop us or for that matter anybody? Not one bit. We gamely drove our vehicles into the flowing river after ascertaining the most shallow part – one which was not beaten down by truck movement.
Crossing the river, we came across a large tract of the open riverbed with new dhabas sprouting by. The kids wanted some water fun so we obliged them. We also had our lunch of Maggi’s and bread omelets here.
Kids had a gala time here collecting various types of shiny stones but were careful enough not to wet themselves in the cold water.
Kufri
With our tummies filled and having a great time at Sadhupul, it was pedal to the metal for Kufri. As we gained height, the weather started getting cold and foggy and we could anticipate seeing snow anytime.
We paid the entry toll at Chail and the toll guys were not in favor of us family guys going to Kufri through this route warning us of the slick conditions and telling us to be cautious.
The roads were a mixture of good and bad in parts but overall comfortable. After crossing Shilon Bagh, the way forward was foggy with light rain. We continued at a reduced pace and then around the corner, we saw what we had set out for – Snow.
What we came to see. Happy families.
We spent a good hour at this point before Kufri town. The children and their mums had a gala time slipping and sliding from small heights, throwing snowballs at each other.
It was especially good to see adults playing like children in the white stuff. After about an hour, my younger son started complaining of numb fingers. Then another kid did the same, and then another.
Suddenly adults were out of our childlike behavior and back to parenting, taking the kids back to the cars and hands in front of the heaters running on full blast.
We reached a crowded Kufri,choc-a-block with enjoying tourists. It was a virtual Mela which we crossed with smiles and anticipation and then hit a small jam caused by a slipping and sliding car on the decline towards Shimla.
Theog
People joined in straightening the car with pushes, shoves, and plain old loud cursing. The decline was our first jittery experience of driving on ice-covered and we inched forward slowly.
After taking the right turn to be back on the Shimla-Narkanda national highway, we had to wait for more skidding and wrongly parked vehicles to be marshaled in line by the traffic police.
The road shoulders were heavily snowed and the weather was further worsening. By the time we crossed Theog, it was completely dark and foggy.
The traffic thinned out radically with the odd truck crossing us after 5/6 km. My co-travelers started doubting me and asking if I was taking them into a totally isolated area.
I reminded them that we were heading for the resort named The Wilderness after all. There was most probably a power disruption at all the small hamlets we passed along the way made the drive all the more intriguing.
Narkanda
Rain turning to sleet greeted us just before Narkanda. We contacted the resort owner, Mr.Rajesh, after reaching Narkanda, which wore a totally deserted look with nobody on the roads.
He guided us all along to the cut-off of the national highway which descends to Thanedar. Without his guidance, we would have missed it completely in the inky eerie darkness. Thank goodness for mobile telephony.
During the descent towards Thanedar, we made multiple calls to Rajesh Ji who guided us forward diligently. The road was totally covered in snow/ice and my car and my friend’s 2WD Scorpio had multiple small skids as the tires struggled for traction.
We crossed villages enveloped in snow and darkness with nary a soul in sight and were guided expertly on the phone all along by Rajesh Ji. After a descent of about 10 km, we took a sharp upward u-turn to climb towards the village of Tanni Jubbal.
The narrow road and first gear incline on a snow-covered road made me jittery, to say the least. I tried my best to avoid the piercingly edgy looks from wifey dearest. She must be thinking about what I had got the group into.
Going up for about half a kilometer, I saw a torch signaling me to turn up a further incline. Glowing the torch on the resort sign, it was a man sent by the resort owner to guide us.
I heaved a sigh of relief. But as we started again after the resort staff, we experienced serious wheelspin and just about made it to the resort with the Scorpio careening from side to side.
Also Read: Places to Visit in Narkanda & Things to Do
The Wilderness Resort/Homestay
In the darkness, as we alighted from our vehicles in front of the resort, electricity flowed back as if welcoming us and we could see the resort.
What an interesting two and half hour drive from Theog onwards it had been. It was only 7.30 pm – just the right time for “Buddha Baba” Old Monk to flow.
We went inside the resort and it had a nice beautiful feel. We were allotted two rooms in the old wing and two in the new wing.
The rooms were big and three of our rooms had balconies and the view of the lit-up countryside was beautiful. We spent some time loitering around and viewing the fallen snow and taking in the crisp mountain air.
Children and one couple took up residence in the old wing. Two couples moved into the new wing that had no water due to the bursting of a frozen water tap overtightened by another guest.
This water problem was promptly remedied the next morning. We quickly settled the children, got relaxed and freshened up, and headed to start our chit-chat party.
The place had a metal kangri installed in its living room for heating. Bit it was all occupied by other guests and their children so we cozied up in one of our rooms. We ordered snacks for our group and out came the Old monk and the JBL music dock.
Snowfall in Narkanda
Very few moments have had Budha Baba flowed inside into me with such speed as it did that day, warming my cudgels to the core. My friends were feeling the same way for the contents of the bottle diminished at an unprecedented rate.
The ladies, who walked in on us guys were aghast to see my friend pouring from the second one. Our drinks and chitchat session continued till around 10.30 pm.
Dinner was served by the courteous staff. It consisted of both veg and non-veg. All of the homemade variety with chapati and rice was well made. It was non-spicy and tasty.
After a hearty meal, we retired to our respective rooms at around 11.15 pm.
At 11.50 pm came the call from one of our group mates calling us outside fast. We hurried out to see this, Narkanda in winters.
I was grateful to the Almighty for allowing me to witness the falling snow for the first time. I spent nearly an hour frolicking with my groupmates and went back only when the melting snow on the camera body caused some minor snag.
A ‘No Lens Support’ sign appeared on the rear screen. I cleaned the camera body and lens with paper napkins to absorb the water from all nooks and corners.
Thankfully after a reset, the camera was working fine again. Please note that a weather-resistant camera is a boon.
So after a satisfying and eventful day, we slid into the quilts with a smile, a thanksgiving prayer, and the promise of a white morning.
Tani Jubbar Lake
We got out of bed due to the sunlight streaming in at around 7.15 am and could see the magic woven by nature last night in all its glory. I put on my shoes and man, were they glad to go walking into the white wonderland, Narkanda in winters.
Mesmerized by the picture-postcard surroundings, I continued my leisurely stroll and was soon at the raison d’etre of Tanni Jubbal and my visit here – its small lake.
It was almost semifrozen from last night’s snow. It looked stunning. I walked around its perimeter and was so taken in by the beauty that forgot to click it from all angles.
I was seeing the freezing of a large water body for the first time. It triggered all the geography lessons learned in childhood. I was picturing the freezing of rivers and glaciers even higher up in the mountains and the continuous water cycle in my mind.
In my eagerness to head out to see the lake, I hadn’t quite packed myself well enough. As the shooting craze subsided, the cold crept in and made me go back to my room.
Family Fun in the Snow
I woke up my still sleeping family and friends. We had two rounds of chai and morning gup shup while standing in the snow-filled environs of the resort. Then we got drawn into a snowball fight with the kids.
I was at a lower height than them and my rivals outnumbered me too. So I got hit multiple times and had to concede defeat.
The kids and their mums made a snowman outside our room.
After the playtime, all of us got ready properly packing ourselves well to handle the vagaries of the weather.
The sun was shining bright but the wind, when it picked even a little speed, was bone-chilling cold. We headed out for a little walk as the breakfast was being readied.
After spending some time shooting around the sunlit lake, I was about to go back to the resort for breakfast when this little fellow appears from nowhere, and man was he in a playful mood!
This little fellow wanted me to follow him as he lead me onto the slopes. I was game for it for I get to see new vistas.
Following the four-legged fella worked up my appetite. I head back to the resort but he follows me there wagging his tail like anything and is pals with everybody in an instant.
After a hearty breakfast in the snow-filled environs of the homestay, we started discussing the itinerary for the day with the owner of the place-Rajesh Ji.
He was supervising the ongoing repairs of the water pipes. He suggested going to Narkanda for skiing or to do the Hatu peak trek.
Also Read: When is the Best time to Visit Narkanda
Skiing in Narnkanda
The trek was immediately shot down by the kids who still bore a grudge against me for taking them on the Triund trek and making them toil all day. No way they were ready for a trek again.
Also amongst all adults, the consensus was skiing. No trekking after a super heavy breakfast said the ladies and so off we were to Narkanda, to enjoy some fun activities for tourists in Narkanda in winters.
The roads covered with snow were a beauty to drive on and we gingerly made our way toward Narkanda. In the nearly 10 km stretch to the highway, we met only one on-coming bus and a single car. Looked like people were relaxing in the snow too.
We reached Narkanda and the family convoy rushed to the ski area renting gumboots on the way. The kids had a gala time on the rented ski which cost us Rs. 500 each set for 30minutes. Skiing is the most sought-after tourist activity in Narkanda in winters.
The adults just loitered around soaking in the views and admiring nature. We spent a good three hours at the ski ground and had Maggi and egg Bhurji lunch. It was followed by a couple of rounds of tea and coffee from the makeshift stalls on the ground.
We moved only when the kids had had enough of playing in the snow.
We spent some more time near the market area of Narkanda and returned to the resort. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing in the snow, and chitchatting with friends.
We called it an early day as it was going to be a long drive back home tomorrow. Our trip to Narkanda in winters finally was coming to an end.
Narkanda in Winters – Conclusion
Our trip to Narkanda in winters was great fun and I finally saw what I had been waiting to see for a long time, a snowfall. Since then, I had seen several more snowfalls in different parts of the Himalayas but this first one in Narkanda still holds a special place in my heart.
I hope the travelogue and pictures above of our trip to Narkanda in winters were of help. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below. You can also follow me on Instagram and chat with me live or subscribe to my YouTube channel and ask a question there.
