Amongst the hustle and bustle of the city, monotonous, stressful life and breathing in polluted air I feel life has become dull and boring. Everyone deserves a monthly or at least a yearly getaway into the laps of mother nature. Winter is personally my favourite season. The soothing breeze that brushes my face, tall and beautiful snow-covered trees and mountains in the hills and fully bloomed fauna, makes you forget every stress of your life for a brief moment and at that movement, one feels free. Whenever someone asks me to choose between hills and the beach, I would choose the hills for its wondrous scenery and the feeling of being on top of the world.
Given my love for the hills, I always make sure to take out some time from my busy schedule to go and rest in the laps of snow-covered mountains. Every year, my friends and I decided to visit a new mountainous region last year. In December, we packed our bags with winter clothes to discover the beauty of Solan. I had very little knowledge about this place, so I looked it up on the internet and found that it was a small town in Himachal Pradesh. I further found out about the locations nearby Solan and how beautiful hill stations and breweries surround it.
We boarded a flight to Chandigarh airport and decided to book a cab from Chandigarh to Solan with Savaari car rentals. We are regular users of Savaari car rentals, and we always rely on them for every trip. We travelled to Solan which was around 70kms from Chandigarh airport. We stopped at multiple places for quick breaks and refreshment. After almost 1-2hr of the journey, we finally reached our hotel in Solan. Our hotel was located in a beautiful location, surrounded by scenic beauty.
We decided to spend the rest of the evening at the hotel. We made plans and listed out all the places we had to visit in the next couple of days. Next day we made it a point to visit the famous Shoolini temple early in the morning and seek blessings of goddess Shoolini. We decided to rent a Savaari rental and drove off to the temple. It was a beautiful temple surrounded by a flower garden and scenic beauty. The temple was so beautiful.
After visiting the temple, our next stop was the Nalagarh palace. After almost 45mins of drive through the beautiful roads and landscape, we reached the magnificent palace. We hired a guide and learned that it was built in 1421. It was situated on a hilltop, and the architecture was a Mughal style which gave it the perfect royal touch. Nalagarh Fort is the most popular heritage hotel located in the state. While strolling around the palace, we saw a beautiful view of the Shivalik mountains and the gardens around it. The palace is clubbed with some modern amenities, which makes the stay even more comfortable. The visit to Nalagarh fort was both an overwhelming and tiring one. So after the visit to Nalagarh fort, we directly came back to our hotel and rested for the excursion we had planned for the next day.
The next day we planned our trip to Kasauli, a beautiful hill station. It was located at a distance of just 13kms from Solan. We went by our Savaari rental car amidst the beautiful road surrounded by pine and cedar trees. Kasauli looked like a magical place covered by victorian building built by the Britishers. We came across the rare species of endangered flora and fauna and also enjoyed doing various activities. The day passed in the blink of an eye, and we returned to our hotel in Solan happy and satisfied that the day was very fulfilling and fun.
My friends and I love going on adventurous trips and given this fact we would not have missed the chance to visit the hiker’s paradise, Chail. It was a small town situated about 2250m above sea level. Next day, we went to Chail by road, and it was located just 12kms away from Solan. We saw mesmerising views and lush green surroundings around us which made our visit to Solan worth everything.
As the vacation was coming to a close, our last stop was the Solan brewery, located near the railway station. We boarded the train back to Kalka railway station and travelled our way back to Chandigarh. We then decided to rent a comfortable Savaari car in Chandigarh with an experienced driver to go back to the pavilion. This trip made me realise how important it is to escape into the serene world of nature to get back more energetic and relaxed to our daily lives.