Himachal Pradesh Offbeat Places, Remote Villages, and Unexplored Tourist Destinations:
We conquer ourselves when we visit offbeat, unexplored, and remote places located in the mountains. No matter, you like comfortable travel to spend your weekend and holidays or a junkie traveller who wants to ride on dangerous roads, climb on deadliest peaks; mountains are for everyone.
When you get surrounded by the mountains, hear the chirping of birds and humming insects, and are lost in deep woods, then you find peace, pleasure, joy, and happiness.
About Himachal Pradesh:
Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful northern Indian state in the wonderland of the Himalaya. Whether it is a romantic tour or a chance to escape from a mundane routine, Himachal Pradesh is the perfect hotspot tourist destination.
This Apple state has the alluring landscapes and adventure wildlife that welcome tourists as an arch.
Himachal Pradesh offers green meadow, jungles and whitewash mountain peaks. From snow leopards, thrilling hunters in high terrains to mountainous Yak and Angora Rabbit make this place even more fascinating.
The Budha’s Monasteries in the remote villages of the high altitude passes makes Himachal Pradesh nonpareil.
In Himachal, at the height of 16000ft, it offers its tourists from a large freshwater lake in Kangra to the Rohtang La passes and Baralacha.
Simple Buddhist village of Spiti to Malana village, “the village of rules’ defines its culture and incredible history.
Himachali people believe that humans are mortal servants of God. If they keep doing good things, they get a path to the Heaven, else one day, they wash away.
More than 60% of Himachal’s area is covered with forest reserves, which helps tourists, travellers, photographers, and geographers to experience and explore every dimension of nature into diverse topography.
Why should I visit Himachal Pradesh?
When you are fed up with your robotic life and want some relaxation, nature-friendly blissful atmosphere with untouched beauty, you end up thinking about the Himalayas. For every Indian and Asian traveller, Himachal Pradesh is the home of mountains, Himalayan peaks that can offer every desired thing at one place.
A well-known mountaineer and botanist Frank Smythe beautifully quotes about Himalaya, “There is something about the Himalayas not possessed by the Alps, something unseen and unknown, a charm that pervades every hour spent among them, a mystery intriguing and disturbing. Confronted by them, a man loses his grasp of ordinary things, perceiving himself as immortal, an entity capable of outstanding all changes, all decay, all life, and all death”.
And after his quote I don’t need to highlight more blissful things about Himalaya accept few more things for your to do in Himachal Pradesh;
- Visit Malana- Little Greece of India
- Be the eyewitness of Snow Leopard in Spiti Valley
- Forest camping and adventurous sports activities such as trekking, paragliding and rafting
- Plan your honeymoon trip, vacation or weekend trip
- Have delicious local Himanchali food mix of Indian and Tibetan cuisine
- Rejuvenate your mind, body and soul in the remote villages and offbeat places of Himachal.
- The remote village and offbeat places is perfect for road trips and biking expeditions
Wondering Wildlife of Himachal Pradesh:
The extended boundary of the Himachal state has a vast geographical advantage and home to some of the most beautiful and the rarest animals and wildlife.
From the dense forest of the Pir Panjal Ranges, Western Himalayas, and Dhauladhar ranges to the cold desert and rocky terrain of Tibetan plateau makes this state multifarious.
Some of the rare wildlife animals are snow leopards, musk deer, Himalayan Tahr, wild Yak, black beer, Ibex Ghoral deer, and Tragopan bird. Many other world’s rare species can be seen in the remote valleys of Himachal Pradesh.
Famous Tourist Places in Himachal Pradesh with Interesting Insights:
Himachal Pradesh receives more than 17 million tourists in a year, and it is becoming more popular year by year. Recently after the completion of the Atal Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh came into the spotlight globally.
Now, tourists from around the world can visit the Spiti region for the entire year. Earlier Spiti remained closed for six months due to heavy snowfall and road blockage. But, now the all-weather road and tunnel will boost the tourism of Himachal even more. More than 80% of the tourists in India visit Manali.
Shimla, Dharamshala, Bir, Chamba, Kasol, Manikaran, and Palampur drive the highest traffic from India and the world.
During the season, heavy tourist footfalls in Himachal Pradesh become a huge traffic problem.
Avid travellers want a peaceful holiday in a pleasant environment but, due to the continuous increase in the popularity of this place, everybody wants to travel to the best visiting places in Himachal Pradesh.
Nowadays, travellers, tourists and photographers are fascinating more towards the remote villages and offbeat places of Himachal Pradesh. In offbeat locations, they can avoid traffic, crowd and equally enjoy the blissful beauty and discover the Himalayan wonderland.
Why should you visit and experience Himachal Pradesh offbeat places and remote Villages?
- Offbeat remote places in Himalaya are the hidden gems of nature that are untold and unexplored by most travellers and tourists. Here, you enjoy every moment with yourself or your loved ones due to less crowd, noise, and hustle.
- Though Shimla and Manali are also very beautiful and pride of Himalaya but now it is crowded and a bit commercialized with hotels, restaurants.
- Natural beauty lies in real nature, and real beauty in nature is in secret places. You will get no industry, pollution, cruelty as it is still away from the rest of the modern world.
- The offbeat destination, remorse villages of Himachal Pradesh are the best getaway from the daily hustle and bustle of life. It rejuvenates and refreshes your mind and soul from any depression or distraction.
- Offbeat valleys of the Himalaya teach many life lessons. The deeper you go, the more you learn and introspect.
- You experience the remote locations, history, tradition, culture, and the lone survival of the Pahadi people.
Himachal Pradesh Offbeat Places & Remote Villages: 13 Unexplored Tourist Destinations are;
Hatu Peak- Alluring Natural Beauty and Vast Meadowland:
Here your all travel dream will come true when you will drive on historic Hindustan-Tibet road. It is also an International trade route.
Border Road Organization (BRO) is still maintaining the road’s charm. Hatu peak is the second highest peak in the Shimla district at 11152ft (3400m). You enjoy the short ride from Shimla to Narkanda-Rampur road that is covered with snowy slopes and mountain peaks.
This beautiful place is not very popular to the world as it is less explored and an offbeat destination in Himachal Pradesh.
Kaza- Himachal Pradesh (Sacred Valley of Buddha):
Kaza is located in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. It is also the capital of the Lahaul and Spiti District.
Kaza is the commercial hub of the entire valley, situated at an altitude of 3,800 m above sea level. It is surrounded with snow-capped mountains and rugged terrain, Kaza is a dream place and a beautiful picture for one’s eyes.
Kaza and Lahaul are among those places that remain cut off from the rest of the world for six months in a year due to heavy snowfall, and cold weather.
This remotely located unexplored place in Himalaya is the ocean for geographers, photographers, surveyors, and avid travellers.
Tosh, Himachal Pradesh- Zion of Cannabis and Hippie Backpackers:
Tosh, a paradise on earth that is snuggled in the arms of Parvati valley. Here the natural beauty meets with the cultural beauty that converts it into an amusing village.
Tosh is a heavenly place for youth that offers forest camping, moderate trek, next-level experience of life, epic wildlife, species, meadow trees, cannabis plantation, and the dense forest.
Beautiful village in Himachal Pradesh, Tosh is above the Kasol village (mini Israel of India). In Tosh, every minute your life experiences new things. People admire hippie culture the most.
Shrikhand Mahadev- One of the most powerful abodes (Linga) of Lord Shiva:
Shrikhand Mahadev is known as one of the most challenging pilgrim sites of Lord Shiva in the entire world due to the extreme height of the temple.
Shrikhand Mahadev temple is located at 17150ft (5227m), and this is the most giant Lingam of Lord Shiva,, roughly 75feet tall.
The 30-35km one side long trek starts from small villages Gaon Gaon and Singarh. Usually, it takes 4-5 days to complete this trek. Only fit and healthy people can complete the trekking successfully due to rough rattan and lack of oxygen in the high altitude peak.
Pin Valley and Spiti Valley- Sacred place of wildlife and rare species in Himalayan Wonderland:
Pin Valley and Spiti Valley are the places with tranquil landscape, enrapture mountain peak and plateau between the valleys. It is an incredible place of generous people, spiritual monks, and exquisite wildlife which is still less explored than the rest of the world. You must visit Pin Valley National Park and experience the remote lone survivor of Spiti valley.
Pin Valley and Spiti Valley make are the most challenging places to survive in winter after the Gobi desert, Mongolia and Siberia, Russia.
Chitkul- The Last Indian Village in Himachal:
Chitkul is the last Indian village and a captivating tourist place in Himachal Pradesh, India. It has a strategic importance for India and one of the offbeat places of Himachal. After Chitkul, the boundary of Tibet (illegally occupied by PLA China) begins.
Roads were extremely rough and equally dangerous. Due to heavy water crossing and rocky surface, only 4×4 vehicles or high powerful motorcycles can take you to Chitkul. You will experience the survival instinct of the villagers, and the divine beauty of nature, in the gigantic mountains.
Killar- The deadliest road in the world:
Killar is a nightmare adventure, an unexplored and offbeat location in Himachal Pradesh. It is a place where you drive between death and life.
Driving on Killar is not everyone’s cup of tea. Here, you see how absolute your breathing process and courage is. Even a single mind diversion, eye destruction or silly mistake can put your life at stake.
The road route from Kishtwar to Killar is 120km drive. It is a nightmare road for crazy travellers, riders and bikers. It has a single narrow street in the 1000ft cliff above the Chandrabhaga river bank. And because of these ferocious things, Killar is least unexplored by most of the travellers across the world.
Miyar Valley- Landscape of tough Himalayas:
Miyar Valley,a hidden place in Himachal, is still untold by most of the travel media networks.
The beauty of Miyar Valley lies between Pir Panjal range, and Zanskar range. Miyar valley is covered with 50% glacier, and the rest of the place is either plains field or rocky slopes. and a few villages around the route from Udaipur and Keylong which are above Manali and the The best route to follow is from Manali- Atal tunnel- Keylong- Sisu- Udaipur- Zanskar- Miyar. The entire circuit is approximately 200km and took at least 4-5 days including stays, exploration of nearby valleys, trekking and other activities.
Hikkim- World’s highest post office with epic saga:
Have you ever tried something exciting or adventurous in the mountains? Himachal Pradesh tags India’s highest post office, Hikkim located at the height of 14400ft (4400m) above the sea level.
It is an interesting story and incredible life of a postmaster about delivering the posts from the last 35 years.
Many big media houses featured him how the entire population of Hikkim including monks depend on a single postmaster at an altitude above 4000m.
Hikkim is a must-visit place if you are in the Spiti region. Komic village and Komic monastery are the offbeat places where you can spend quality time with historic Buddhist books and monks.
Reo Purgyil- Beneath the Shroud:
Reo Purgyil is one of the highest mountain peaks of Himachal Pradesh located at 22362ft (6816m). It is also known as Leo Pargil and Leo Paragial near the western Tibetan valley.
The expedition begins from Nako village on Hindustan-Tibet road. You can imagine the height of the peak when you see the Tibetan boundary (Illegally occupied by Chinese military).
With binoculars, you can see the villages on both sides of the country as well. Till date, only ITBP and a group of 8 people from Bengal reached the peak of Reo Purgyil.
Dubling- The World’s most treacherous road:
You may see a rocky road between the mountains and the road on the wall side cliff, which looks like watching an animated movie.
But here in Dubling, you experience a real road journey on the route of Pooh- Dubling- Khab- Nako. It is a narrow, stunning and life changing experience.
Buddhist monasteries, Gompa (Domb) and the world’s most treacherous road are in Dubling. The first time when you start your journey on this road, you may be afraid. But, practically the dangerous road of Dubling is one of the best routes in Himachal Pradesh with a lesser crowd.
Nalah- Hidden Gem of true nature in Pahari village with total of 29 families residing:
Nalah, a dense forest and a perfect offbeat destination of Himachal is still unexplored for the world.
It is a true Himachali village where you experience a real rural Pahadi life. The total population of Nalah is less than 200 People who are living in the meadow forest.
This place still does not exist in google maps.
Chaprani, Bagair, Jalag, Dalana, and Bogra are some small villages where you can reach in the middle of the jungle.
In Himachal, you can make documentaries on these remote locations, Jungle camping, wildlife, and Pahadi people’s survival.
Maharana Pratap Sagar- winter home of Siberian migratory birds:
Many people may have seen the iconic beauty of Dal lake in Srinagar. Similiarry, Maharana Pratap Sagar is the Himachali Dal lake.
Snowclad mountains always do a great job for wildlife photographers, geographers, and tourists.
Maharana Pratap Sagar Sanctuary is the home of barking deer, blackbuck, and many bird species. Every year Siberian birds migrate through the Himalayas because of the fierce temperature in the Siberian forest. Due to the worst temperature, these birds travel for more than 2000km and reach all the way to Maharana Pratap Sagar.
Also, Maharana Pratap Sagar is India’s longest dam. The place is only 90km (150-minute drive) from Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
FAQs About Himachal Pradesh Offbeat Places, Remote Villages, and Unexplored Tourist Destinations:
Q. 1. Is Himachal Pradesh offbeat places and remote villages are safe to travel solo?
Ans. Yes! the people of Himachal are kind, helpful and honest. They will help you in every possible manner. You must remember that for locals, nature and forest are like God. So, you should not throw waste, polythene or any other garbage.
Q.2. Can I visit Malana village alone?
Ans. Yes!. You can visit Malana village alone. But you should follow the guidelines before visiting the village. Do not harm or touch the locals’ belongings. It is a punishable offense.
Q.3. Can an International tourist rent a Bike/Car in Himachal Pradesh?
Ans. Yes! you will get a bike/car on rent at super affordable rates. A copy of passport and visa are necessary to complete the documentation.
Q.4. What are the best solo road-trip routes in winter for me?
Ans. A. Kalka-Shimla-Kufri-Narkanda-Reckong Peo
B. Chandigarh-Mandi-Kullu-Manali
C. Kangra- Dharamshala-Palampur
Q.5. Can I climb Reo Purgyil or Reo Purgyil I?
Ans. Yeah! You should have the fitness, and permission from local administration. There are high chances of not getting permission due to surmounting of tension at the India-China border.
Q.6. Why are people not talking about Miyar Valley and its surrounding beauty?
Ans. Due to high terrain and limited oxygen, Miyar Valley is not suitable for all. A very few courageous and fit people can visit Miyar Valley. It is still a highly unexplored offbeat place in Himachal. Most of the time Miyar Valley remains closed due to bad weather.
Q.7. Best hotels to stay in Kalpa village?
Ans. On the bank of Sutlej river valley, Kalpa village offers limited but decent accommodation. Some of the best hotels in Kalpa village are Hotel Tab Exotica, Wild Trails by living stone, and FarmVille homestays.
Q.8. Best trek and mountain peak that an average person can plan a trip in Himachal Pradesh?
- Triund Trek in Mcleodganj
- Kheerganga Trek in Kasol
- Indrahar Pass Trek in Dharamshala
- Beas Kund Trek in Manali
- Pin Parvati Valley Trek
- Prashar Take- Kullu
- Bijli Mahadev Trek
Q. 9: What are the best offbeat locations and visiting remote places in Himachal Pradesh?
Ans: All the above mentioned 13 offbeat destinations and remote villages of Himachal Pradesh can be breathtaking, and blissful and mesmerizing. You must not miss visiting Kaza, Tosh, Nalah, Chitkul, Hatu peak, Miyar Valley and Spiti Valley.
