Shimla is a perfect getaway from Delhi and it also serves as a stopover to people traveling to Manali. Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh and also served as a summer capital for British. Shimla in addition to offering the picturesque of great shivalik ranges also houses the historical British buildings that now serves the govt. of Himachal Pradesh.
Shimla is a popular hill station and has great accessibility from other parts of India by means of roads, railways and airways. Tourists usually make Delhi or Chandigarh as their base for traveling to Shimla. Since Delhi is well connected from all parts of India this post focuses on how to reach shimla from Delhi.
By Roads
Shimla is well connected to Kalka and hence Chandigarh by the Kalka Shimla highway. One can reach Chandigarh from Delhi by the famous GT Road (NH1) upto Ambala and then following the highway to Chandigarh. Kalka shimla highway is busy and buses ply on this route for 24 hours. One can either drive or take taxis or buses which are easily available from Chandigarh and Delhi.
By Railways
The great thing about Shimla is that it is one of the few hill stations that is connected by the railway network. Thus, the journey is a lot more comfortable for those who can't bear mountainous roads. Shimla is connected to Kalka by narrow gauge rail network which is also included in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Toy Trains (not literally) ply on these narrow gauge rail tracks that take you from Kalka to Shimla and vice versa. Kalka is connected to the rest of the country by broad gauge railway network.
Following trains run between Kalka and Delhi on a daily basis.
1. Kalka Mail
2. Kalka Shatabadi (Morning and Evening)
3. Himalayan Queen
4. Paschim Express
Though train ride is more enjoyable but you don't get the benefit of last minute booking because being a popular tourist spot, tickets ain't available easily and must be booked in advance.
By Air
Shimla airport is located at 22 Kms from Shimla. Kingfisher Airlines used to operate on Delhi to Shimla air route but it ceased its operations in 2012. Currently, no commercial flights are available.
Following trains run between Kalka and Delhi on a daily basis.
1. Kalka Mail
2. Kalka Shatabadi (Morning and Evening)
3. Himalayan Queen
4. Paschim Express
Though train ride is more enjoyable but you don't get the benefit of last minute booking because being a popular tourist spot, tickets ain't available easily and must be booked in advance.
By Air
Shimla airport is located at 22 Kms from Shimla. Kingfisher Airlines used to operate on Delhi to Shimla air route but it ceased its operations in 2012. Currently, no commercial flights are available.
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First of all, let me give you some quick details about the trip :
Date : November 28
Destination : Shimla
Mode Of Travel : Indian Railways, Toy Train, Volvo Bus
Budget Type : Low to Medium Budget
When ?
This decision was the easiest of all. My exams are going to finish on 27th and 29th is Saturday. So we decided to go on 29th, the Saturday and return to Delhi by Sunday. But that wouldn't have given us a good time period to enjoy, as a major part of Saturday would have gone in travelling. That's why we decided to travel in night on 28th, the Friday and reach the destination by morning.
Where ?
The major dilemma we faced was the destination. It had to be closer to Delhi but also not too close such as Agra or Mathura and it also had to be a hill station. There are not much hill stations around Delhi that can be covered in a two day time frame. So the list came down to places like Rishikesh, Haridwar, Lansdowne, Nainital, Shimla, Mussoorie and Dehradun. We selected Shimla because none of us had already been there and it was also much accessible than other options by the means of Railways and Roads.
How ?
Shimla can be reached by both roads and railways and we have decided to try both. We are going there by the train and returning back on a Volvo Bus. To go to Shimla by train, you first have to go to Kalka, the last railway station connected by Broad Gauge Railway line on the Delhi-Shimla route and then you have to take the toy train to Shimla from there. Toy train is not literally a "Toy" train, they are just a little smaller than usual trains that we travel on, because they ply on Narrow Gauge tracks that are narrower than the usual railway tracks.
Toy trains from Kalka starts early in the morning around 4 am and the last one departs at around 12 noon. We are travelling by night so the options we had were Shatabdi Express and Kalka Mail. Shatabdi leaves at 5 in the evening and reaches Kalka at around 9:20 pm. Thus it was ruled out as there is no toy train in night and we were left with Kalka Mail that leaves at 9:25 pm. Fortunately, the reserved seats were available because travelling unreserved in a general coach of Indian Railway is in itself an adventure. Kalka mail that reaches Kalka at around 4:30 in the morning also acts a connecting train to Shivalik Delux Express that departs at 5:30. Shivalik Express is like the Shatabdi Express of all the toy trains because all reserved coaches are air conditioned with comfy seats and breakfast served on the seats and charges included in the ticket. Tickets are somewhat expensive when compared with others but then there are other options as well like the Passenger Train. It depends on you how you want your journey to be. So, we booked the tickets for Kalka Mail and Shivalik Delux Express thanks to the much improved IRCTC website.
For the return journey, we booked a Volvo Bus of Himachal Roads Transport Corporation on redbus.in. Thanks to technology that we booked an entire trip on the computer.
I'll also write about how the trip went and also about Shimla and places to visit there and food to eat there in a new article. You will find a link of that at the bottom.
Also Read :
1. For all the information regarding how to reach shimla, click here.
Date Of Travel : 16 Aug 2014 to 19 Aug 2014
Mode Of Travel : Indian Railways
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi is a pilgrimage site for many of the Indians comprising mainly Hindus and Sikhs. The temple, also known as bhawan is situated at an altitude 5200 ft in the mountains. The Devotees have to undertake a trek of about 11-13 km from the base camp at Katra. Katra is a small town about 50 km far from the city of Jammu and is easily accessbile by road and railways. Earlier, the yatris (read 'travellers') had to take a bus from jammu tawi railway station but now, rail service has been started from jammu tawi to katra and the railway station is named as "Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra" in the honour.
I visited katra this month with my family. We had a reservation in New Delhi - Katra Premium Express (04401). This train was started specially for the month of august to lighten the burden on newly started Shree Shakti Express Train From New Delhi to Katra.
Below is a log of my journey to Katra.
16 August :
We reached New Delhi Railway Station at around 9:00 pm. The train was scheduled to depart at 9:50 pm. We checked the platform number with inquiry office and boarded the train waiting at platform 11. The Train departed at 10:00 pm. We had our dinner which we brought from our home. Everything was going on as usual, the train was running at its maximum speed, people were chatting, I was looking at the stations passing by. It was around 12:00 am when the train suddenly stopped at some remote station in Haryana. None of the passengers knew of the problem but everybody was speculating his own theory. Some said that the engine broke. The train started its journey again after half an hour.
17 August :
The train stopped once again at Ambala City Station for about 1 hour. The guards at the station told us about the actual problem that a goods train got derailed ahead of Ambala station. But despite all the difficulties, we reached Jammu Tawi station at about 12:00 pm. The remaining two hours of journey was worth all the difficulties we faced. The picturesque of the train travelling in tunnels and in middle of mountains is what one aspires for. The train arrived at Katra Station at around 2:00 pm.
We deboarded the train, took some pictures that I have inserted at the end of the article, exited the platform and reached the station premises. The guard advised us to take the Yatra Parchi from the counter available at the station itself. Yatra Parchi is required for all of the yatris who want to visit Vaishno Devi Mandir. We took the exit from station and took an auto to reach our hotel. Our Hotel was situated near the Katra Bus Stand just opposite to katra taxi stand. The price were raesonable for an AC room (about Rs 1500 per room), although AC was not required considering the weather at that time.
We rested there for few hours and had our evening snack at the Sher-e-punjab restaurant opposite to our hotel. Then we decided to start our trek at around 8:00 pm. We took the auto available outside our hotel and reached Ban Ganga where the trek to vaishno devi temple starts. We entered the Ban Ganga Check Post with our Yatra Parchi. Devotees are not allowed to enter if they dont have their yatra parchi. Ponies are available here if you cant walk uphill about 11 - 13 kms.
We started our trek at about 9:00 pm. We took stairs for most part of our trek because it shortens the total distance by about 2-3 kms but it tires you a lot. We reached the middle of the trek by 11:00 pm. Now, some of you should pay attention here. There are two ways to darbar from here - One via Adhkuwari (6.5 Km) and One via Himkoti (5.5 Km). We took the shorter path via Himkoti. If you are travelling in day, you would find battery operated rickshaw from here to bhawan which would charge you Rs 200 per head. Unfortunately, we were travelling in night, so we continued our trek.
18 August :
We reached Himkoti at about 12:00 am. Here we had our supper at Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Mess or Bhojanalaya. I would advise you to have only Rajma Chawal here, everything else is substandard. We reached the bhawan premises at about 2:00 am. The Temperature was very low than Katra and fortunately my mom brought warm clothes. We decided to have some rest after the long trek and rented four beds at the dharamshala or rest house available there.
We paid our visit to the holy cave in the morning where goddess resides in the form of pindies. There are no statues or idols inside the cave. Then we had breakfast at the famous Sagar Ratna Restaurant which was available at the bhawan premises. The food was unbelievably tasty and affordable but without onion and garlic. You will not find onion and garlic in whole town of katra. Some devotees also pay visit to Bhairon baba temple which is about 3 kms uphill. We started our downhill trek at 1:00 pm and reached our hotel at 5:30 pm. I advise you to take stairs on the return.
We had dinner at the hotel itself and slept early.
19 August :
We had our train scheduled to depart at 7:00 pm in the evening, so to spend our time we watched the then released Singham Returns at a theatre in katra. And then we bought prashad and other stuff from the market. We checked out from the hotel at 6:00 pm and reached the station in time and boarded our train. The train departed at correct time.
P.S. : This trip meant a lot to me because it was a time well spent with my family and I had blessings from Mata Vaishno Devi ji as well.
I hope this article helped you in some manner and will help you in planning your trip to the holy town of katra.
Mode Of Travel : Indian Railways
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi is a pilgrimage site for many of the Indians comprising mainly Hindus and Sikhs. The temple, also known as bhawan is situated at an altitude 5200 ft in the mountains. The Devotees have to undertake a trek of about 11-13 km from the base camp at Katra. Katra is a small town about 50 km far from the city of Jammu and is easily accessbile by road and railways. Earlier, the yatris (read 'travellers') had to take a bus from jammu tawi railway station but now, rail service has been started from jammu tawi to katra and the railway station is named as "Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra" in the honour.
I visited katra this month with my family. We had a reservation in New Delhi - Katra Premium Express (04401). This train was started specially for the month of august to lighten the burden on newly started Shree Shakti Express Train From New Delhi to Katra.
Below is a log of my journey to Katra.
16 August :
We reached New Delhi Railway Station at around 9:00 pm. The train was scheduled to depart at 9:50 pm. We checked the platform number with inquiry office and boarded the train waiting at platform 11. The Train departed at 10:00 pm. We had our dinner which we brought from our home. Everything was going on as usual, the train was running at its maximum speed, people were chatting, I was looking at the stations passing by. It was around 12:00 am when the train suddenly stopped at some remote station in Haryana. None of the passengers knew of the problem but everybody was speculating his own theory. Some said that the engine broke. The train started its journey again after half an hour.
17 August :
The train stopped once again at Ambala City Station for about 1 hour. The guards at the station told us about the actual problem that a goods train got derailed ahead of Ambala station. But despite all the difficulties, we reached Jammu Tawi station at about 12:00 pm. The remaining two hours of journey was worth all the difficulties we faced. The picturesque of the train travelling in tunnels and in middle of mountains is what one aspires for. The train arrived at Katra Station at around 2:00 pm.
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We deboarded the train, took some pictures that I have inserted at the end of the article, exited the platform and reached the station premises. The guard advised us to take the Yatra Parchi from the counter available at the station itself. Yatra Parchi is required for all of the yatris who want to visit Vaishno Devi Mandir. We took the exit from station and took an auto to reach our hotel. Our Hotel was situated near the Katra Bus Stand just opposite to katra taxi stand. The price were raesonable for an AC room (about Rs 1500 per room), although AC was not required considering the weather at that time.
We rested there for few hours and had our evening snack at the Sher-e-punjab restaurant opposite to our hotel. Then we decided to start our trek at around 8:00 pm. We took the auto available outside our hotel and reached Ban Ganga where the trek to vaishno devi temple starts. We entered the Ban Ganga Check Post with our Yatra Parchi. Devotees are not allowed to enter if they dont have their yatra parchi. Ponies are available here if you cant walk uphill about 11 - 13 kms.
We started our trek at about 9:00 pm. We took stairs for most part of our trek because it shortens the total distance by about 2-3 kms but it tires you a lot. We reached the middle of the trek by 11:00 pm. Now, some of you should pay attention here. There are two ways to darbar from here - One via Adhkuwari (6.5 Km) and One via Himkoti (5.5 Km). We took the shorter path via Himkoti. If you are travelling in day, you would find battery operated rickshaw from here to bhawan which would charge you Rs 200 per head. Unfortunately, we were travelling in night, so we continued our trek.
18 August :
We reached Himkoti at about 12:00 am. Here we had our supper at Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Mess or Bhojanalaya. I would advise you to have only Rajma Chawal here, everything else is substandard. We reached the bhawan premises at about 2:00 am. The Temperature was very low than Katra and fortunately my mom brought warm clothes. We decided to have some rest after the long trek and rented four beds at the dharamshala or rest house available there.
We paid our visit to the holy cave in the morning where goddess resides in the form of pindies. There are no statues or idols inside the cave. Then we had breakfast at the famous Sagar Ratna Restaurant which was available at the bhawan premises. The food was unbelievably tasty and affordable but without onion and garlic. You will not find onion and garlic in whole town of katra. Some devotees also pay visit to Bhairon baba temple which is about 3 kms uphill. We started our downhill trek at 1:00 pm and reached our hotel at 5:30 pm. I advise you to take stairs on the return.
We had dinner at the hotel itself and slept early.
19 August :
We had our train scheduled to depart at 7:00 pm in the evening, so to spend our time we watched the then released Singham Returns at a theatre in katra. And then we bought prashad and other stuff from the market. We checked out from the hotel at 6:00 pm and reached the station in time and boarded our train. The train departed at correct time.
P.S. : This trip meant a lot to me because it was a time well spent with my family and I had blessings from Mata Vaishno Devi ji as well.
I hope this article helped you in some manner and will help you in planning your trip to the holy town of katra.
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