Golden Rules When You Travel

As a traveler, you will have an impact on the environment and culture of the place you are visiting. Learn about your destination before you get there. Read guide-books, travel articles, histories or novels by local authors and pay particular attention to customs such as greetings, appropriate dress, eating behaviors, etc. Being sensitive to these customs will increase local acceptance of you as a tourist and prize your trip.

Follow established guidelines. Take care of the guidelines for limiting tourism's impact on the environment and local culture. Staying on trails, packing up your trash, and remaining set distances away from wildlife are a few ways to minimize your impact in sensitive areas.

Seek out and support locally owned businesses. Support local businesses during your eco-travels to ensure maximum community and conservation benefit from your spending.

Eco-Tourism in India is still at a very nascent stage, but there are for sure conscious efforts to save the fragile Himalayan-Eco System and culture and heritage of the indigenous people, which is probably the largest concentration in the world.

Holiday Camping vis-à-vis Hotel accommodations are gathering momentum amongst the metropolis traveler. A number of holiday camping options are available in the Himalayan belt, where soft adventure tourism is packaged with holiday camping to create an acceptable eco-tourism product.

MANDI

Mandi district of today is the conglomeration of mainly Mandi and suket states of the past .the river Beas flowing first roughly from east to west and then in north westerly direction is the principal river of the district .the district is no less to Tibetans and they call it zahor because of the interesting association with the great Buddhist teacher and missionary , Padmasambhava , (750-800AD) for he went to Tibet from here to preach the doctrine of Buddhism at the request of the Tibetan King.
Mandi town itself (760m) is a very old town built around a sunken garden, first of its type in this site of the country. old bazaar, and exquisitely sculpted stone temples of panchvaktra, ardhnarishwar, triloknath and boothnath attract the eyes of beholder .shaymakali temple at Tarna hills is a 17th century shrine and its town .Mandi has one of the oldest degree colleges in the state and a big play ground ‘padddal’ in front of it .the festival of ‘SHIVRATRI, and a football tournament during rains are the great attractions of the town when puddle hum with activities.

Boothnath temple (760m): this temple is in the midst of the town. Its construction in
‘Shikhar style’ was started by raja Ajbar Sen in the year1527 in which Mandi also started coming up.

Shayma kali temple (850m): Raja Shayam Sen (1664-79) got temple of goddess kali built on a hill top of Tarna hill. Beside the majestic idol of kali, the surroundings of the temple are easy on the eyes

Wander Away From Mandi

Rewalsar Lake (1360):
This lake, is 24 km away from Mandi town, rest on mountain spur and is protected by dense vegetation. Tiny island of reed float over the waters here. Hindu, Sikhs &Buddhist hold the place sacred alike. Guru rim poche, padhmasambhava, lived here and went to Tibet from here to start mahanay Buddhism in Tibet at the invitation of the Tibetan king. Guru Govind Singhji stayed here for a month in 1738 and raja Joginder sen got built Gurudwara here in 1930 .there are three Hindu temples here dedicated to Krishna, Shiva and Rishi lomas.

Parashar Lake (2730 m):
This beautiful lake with deep blue waters is 46 km way from Mandi and considered sacred because Rishi Parashar had mediated here. A three tire pagora –like temple dedicate to the Rishi against the background of snow draped peaks is attractive.

Joginder nagar (1220m):
A town 50 km away from Mandi is an ideal for a quiet holiday in the hotel of hptdc. It is the access point for 40 km away Barot where one can fish for trout in the water of river uhl and visit nagru wild life sanctuary. Not to miss is an herbal museum and a herbal green maintained by the department of Indian system of medicine and homeopathy.



Sundernagar (1174m):
It used to be the capital of suket state and is hardly 24 km away from Mandi towards Shimla .the waters of Beas Satluej project have given it a man made lake .the temple of mahamaya and suket vatika on the near by hills are other attractions.

Janjheli (2200):
The unspoiled village of Janjheli could be the starting point for various treks. It is only 67 km away from Mandi.

Jhatinagri (2130):
12 km from jogindernagar, it is a place surrounded by thick forest .the remains of the dwelling of the former ruler of Mandi are here. A PWD rest house looks after the comforts of tourists.

Barot (1830):
It is a quiet place 40 km away from Jogindernagar via jhantingari and 12 km by haulage trolley .the reservoir on river uhl for hydel power station at Jogindernagar adds to its charm.

Shikari Devi temple (2850m):
It is a temple without roof .all attempts to cover the goddess with roof have failed .a trek to this ancient shrine is enchanting.

Trekking in the Wonderland

Experience the spirit of the great Himalayan outdoors with Wonderland Himachal. Be it a trek in the Himalayas, river rafting on, a jeep safari, we assure you of a once-in-a-life time experience. Meticulous planning, tremendous emphasis on safety and "Eco-sense" form the foundation of each of our trips.

Add to that the efficient staff, state of the art equipment and excellent camp cuisine and you have one of our typical trips. Our well-planned itineraries also offer a keen insight into the culture of a country dating back to the dawn of civilization. Most of the adventure activities can be extended as per your interests.

All our tour packages intend to introduce you to the varying charms of Himachal Pradesh - its beauty, culture and adventure. As such you have plenty of sightseeing options along with opportunities to get adventurous.

Though the mountains in Ladakh are dry and arid and have very little snow on them, for many this high altitude region is a completely magical place with its myriad hued mountains, high passes ancient monasteries and friendly people.

The destinations of the entire packages are chosen with extreme care so that you get a glimpse of the best of Wonderland Himachal Pradesh during your long trip. In parallel enough time is also kept so that you can relax and go out on your own if you so desire.

In brief, the packages are perfect for those who want to enjoy Himachal's different attractions to the maximum.

So, go through all packages and decide whether if this is exactly what you have been looking for in your package.

Culture and Village

The mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh is a multi-religional, multicultural and multilingual state. Nestled in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, Himachal is blessed with some of the most spectacular landscapes. The culture of Himachal Pradesh is extremely rich, which is reflected in the day-to-day lives of the local people. Noted for their colorful dresses and distinguished physical features, the people of Himachal Pradesh exhibit a very warm and friendly nature and the ‘untouched’ simplicity about them constitute an integral part of the beautiful Culture of Himachal Pradesh.

 

The culture of Himachal Pradesh is also evident from the languages spoken in the state. Though Hindi is the state language, Pahari – a deviation of Sanskrit and Prakrit is spoken by many people in Himachal. There are many tribal dialects spoken in Himachal Pradesh too – including Chambyali, Pangwali, Lahauli, Kinnauri and others.

 

The typical house in Himachal Pradesh is constructed of clay bricks, with roofs being made of slate. In the traditional village houses, the lowest storey is used for household cattle, the middle for storing grain, and the top floor forms the living area.

 

Himachal is considered to be the abode of the Hindu God Shiva and Goddess Parvati – there are numerous temples of Shiva and Parvati scattered all around the state.

 

Music and Dance form a very important part of the Culture of Himachal Pradesh. Both these art forms revolve mainly around religion in Himachal Pradesh. Some of the popular dance forms in the state include Losar Shona Chuksam, Dangi, Gee Dance and Burah dance, Naati, Kharait, Ujagjama, Chadhgebrikar and Shunto.

 

Eco-Tourism in Himachal Pradesh

The Indian State of Himachal Pradesh is a mostly mountainous area, neighboring Tibet and China in the East, the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir in the north and northwest, Punjab, Haryana, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh to the south. It has a geographical area of 55,673 sq. Kms. and a population of 6.1 million people and is located at altitudes ranging from 350 to 7000 meters (1050 ft. to 21000 ft.). Nestled in the Western Himalayas, it has provided refuge and abode to the Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan followers. This majestic, almost mythic terrain is famous for its beauty and serenity.

 

The forests of Himachal Pradesh (H.P) constitute two-thirds of the state’s geographic area and are crucial to the region’s environmental and economic well-being---a storehouse of rich bio-diversity, vital in preserving the fragile Himalayan eco-system, and a primary livelihood source for its rural population. The ‘forest sector’ encompassing the entire biophysical and environmental components, highly sensitive to the uniqueness of the mountain environment, must place its people at the centre.

 

Accordingly a new course has been charted to shift forest policy in a way that recognizes the ecological and social value of environmental services as well as its economic values. Tapping environmental services through eco-tourism offers a way to lighten poverty and enhance livelihood options.