Best time to travel these places from April to October. April and May are the flowering season. The Gurudongmar area becomes very windy as the day progresses towards the noon and the weather becomes unpredictable...
From Udhampur we didn't take much time to reach our first destination Patnitop. The tour organizers already booked our rooms at in Hotel Patnitop. Today we would take rest here and start tomorrow early morning for much awaited Kashmir valley...
If you like—come, stay for at least one night, roam around on foot, drive along the roads on both sides, be one with yourself and nature and finally take back something with you that will always remain valuable to you...
On the plains evening descended, and then night fell. The car streaked ahead through the night towards a small bubble of light, warmth, food and company—our home in Jammu. Far behind up in the mountains, Khajjiar lay dreaming in the lap of its mother.
This is the Pir Panjal mountain range running from east-southeast to west-northwest across Himachal Pradesh. The highest peak in this lower Himalayan range is Indrasan (6221m). Further to the right should be Dhauladhar behind the bend.Nowhere in between I could detect any sign of human civilization—it seemed to be all the way wilderness...
It was dusk at Khajjiar, a day had ended, evening was about to drop its shroud. It was leaving time. Within an hour at most it will be dark and all the human figures would take shelter in their warm enclosures. Nature would again be left to itself...
Three of us stood together watching the scene. At first I couldn’t comprehend clearly what I saw. Not often a natural scene takes my breath away! The expanse so vast, the carpet of short soft grass so inviting, the soft curves all around so soothing! The light green of the grass merged nearly at the horizon with the dark green wall of deodar trees...
I didn’t like the sound of the name, “What a name—Khajjiar! Nothing sweet or beautiful in it.” He smiled patiently, “We call it mini-Kashmir here. You will like it.” I have no special fascination for Kashmir or any other so-called most beautiful tourist place. Anywhere. For me a span of wilderness with deep green cover...
We had reached the Gurudongmar lake. Wherever you could see, it was all white and covered by fresh snow. Just below the hump was the Gurudongmar lake. On the right side of the lake, stood the majestic Gurudongmar peaks which seemed to grow out of the lake shining against the deep blue sky punctuated by sporadic white plumes of cloud...
