Capturing the Scenic Beauty of Shimla Hills - Part 01

The morning of June11, 2019 was an exciting one for me as I had to go on an outing. My route lay from Darlaghat to Cheog, the former being my workplace and the latter being my native place. I didn't want to lose this opportunity of capturing the panoramic and engaging views as I had to drive through Shimla City and several other spots of unparalleled scenic charm.

The surroundings of Shimla has lots of worth-seeing locations that attract tourists from all over the world all the year round. I knew it was my chance and with a view to making the most of this journey, I picked up my camera having ensured that it's battery was full of juice so that I could capture as many pics as I want to use them subsequently to incorporate in my blog.

Also known as the Queen of Hills, Shimla has always been the favorite destination of tourists who just flock to this hill-station and its captivating surroundings with a view to be enamored of its unmatched scenic charm. Though Shimla Hills attract visitors all the year round, during summers people throng this amazingly beautiful hilly area with a view to having respite from the scorching heat of the sun, thanks to the cool climate that this heavenly location is bestowed with all the year round.

Before heading towards Shimla, I clicked two pics from the roof-top of my rented accommodation at Darlaghat that is at a distance of 45 km from Shimla on Shimla Dharamshala National Highway. Let me share the pics here:

First I had to reach Shimla and by driving through the city of Shimla, I had to move towards my native place Cheog through such fascinating and eye-catchy locations as Hassan Valley, Kufri and Fagu.

Having left from Darlaghat at about 9 AM, the first location that I reached was Ghanahatti. Located at a distance of 13 km from Shimla towards Darlaghat, this place offers an engaging view of hills, mountains and lush-green forests. Here I put my car to a halt and clicked a few images of the panoramic view that can fascinate even the stone-hearted by its incomparable scenic beauty.

Ghanahatti is a small town filled to the brim with nature's bounty. The labyrinthine road cruising through the green hills keeps you hooked to the fascinating view all around. If you happen to come to India, you must visit Shimla and its bewitching surroundings to be captivated by the nature in its most amazing form. Let me show you the view of Ghanahatti and its surroundings:

Having had my fill of the nature's charm, I resumed my journey and kept humming the Bollywood songs that I had played upon in the stereo of the car. I entered Shimla city at about 10:30 AM. The cool air of this wonderful city welcomed me by striking gently against my face. It kept creeping in through the half-opened window of the car and I could feel the refreshing and exhilarating effect of the air.

When the scorching heat is at its acme during the month of June, visiting a hill-station like Shimla is not less than inhaling a breath of fresh air. Sitting inside the car with cool air blowing against my face, I could understand why tourists from every nook and corner of India and abroad flocked to Shimla during the summer season. When the entire India is engulfed in the excruciating heat , Shimla is one of the few cities in the country that offers a pleasantly invigorating climate to people and visitors.

Lost in the thoughts about the plenty of nature that Shimla proudly boasts of, I drove through the city till I found myself amidst a crowd of vehicles. It took me no time to realize that I had got stuck in the traffic jam. The only problem that has emerged as a sort of bane recently in this hilly area is the issue of traffic jam that becomes a pain in the neck quite often when you are driving through the city.

It took me about one hour to get out of this irritating blockage and the moment I found myself at a point where I could stop my car for a while beside road, I lost no time in getting out of my vehicle with my point-and-shoot camera in hand and captured some more pics of the eye-catchy hills and valleys with nothing except sky above them. The place where I clicked these pictures is Dhali that is the last section of Shimla city. The view was simply heart-warming and nothing less than a feast for the sore eyes.

Having had my fill of the sumptuous view all around, I moved further towards my home and within the next 15 minutes I reached a location that is one of the most famous one among local people and tourists. This place overlooks a lush green forest that is known as 'Hassan Valley'. If you are in Shimla and you don't visit this site, your visit is incomplete. I made it a point to capture a few pics here which I share for you to see:

Named after a tourist guide 'Hassan' who used to escort tourists to this place, this valley offers an unparalleled view of lush green forests that look like a green blanket over the entire hillside. You just can't help being bewildered by the exceptionally bewitching charm of this scenic view.

The account of my journey is still incomplete. I have to share the account of three more place that are Kufri, Fagu and Cheog respectively. These locations offer breathtaking and mesmerizing views of the nature at its best. Let me share the pics of these three locations respectively so that you get an idea of their unsurpassable scenic charm.

Hoping that you will like to go through what I have to share with you, I have put down a detailed account of what I saw during my drive from my workplace to my home. This is the 'Part-01' of my journey and the second half of the journey is about to follow in the next blog that I will post within a day or two.