Himachal Pradesh is a tiny hill state whose pleasant summers make it a popular holiday resort. The Raj still lingers in Shimla, the state capital and former summer capital during British rule.

Kullu-Manali are neighbouring resorts, surrounded by pine covered hills and lush meadows. Himachal has, in addition to popular resort towns, a series of secluded hill retreats ideal for interested anglers, trekkers and those wanting a quiet getaway.

Many of these include: from Shimla - Mashobra, Kufri, Naldehra; those around Kullu-Manali include Manikaran, Naggar and Brighu Lake; the barely accessible valleys of Lahaul and Spiti are a trekker’s delight.

The state of Himachal Pradesh is made up of ten districts with a total area of 56,019 sq km. The northern border of Himachal Pradesh is bounded by Tibet, in the north-west it borders Kashmir, in the south lie the plains of Punjab and the eastern border is common with the hills of Uttar Pradesh. The state is rugged and mountainous, and the valleys of Lahaul and Spiti are the dream of mountaineers.

Lahaul and Spiti is a desolate region in comparison to the lush Beas valley of Kullu, also a popular mountain area of the state. Spiti, which overlooks Tibet across the Sutlej river, is Tibetan in landscape and in the character of its few inhabitants. Kullu and Lahaul are good areas for mountaineers practising both alpine style ascents and ski-mountaineering. The jagged ice peaks of Kullu offer good routes for the 'tiger' as well as the less ambitious mountaineer. A popular peak in this area is Deo Tibba (6,001 m) which is visible from Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, and indrasan (6,221 m), a challenging peak of steep red granite which can be climbed from four different routes.

The Menthosa snowpeak in Chamba at 6,445 m has never been totally conquered, nor has Dharmasura (6,446 m) in the Bara Shigri glacier region, though they provide opportunity for some excellent mountaineering.

A close cluster of the M&KR series in the Milang river basin has more than a dozen peaks over 6,000 m high worthy of the hardiest ridge runners. Himachal may well hold the track record for peaks that have defied a first time ascent. For example, the Chandra Bhaga watershed and the Parvati valley have several over 6,000 m peaks, most still unclimbed.

Winter Sports:
Narkanda lies forty miles north of Shimla on Kipling's famous Hindustan-Tibet road at a height of nearly 9000 ft. The nearby peak, Hathu, dominates the great watershed of India, for from here you can see both the Sultej and the Giri which flow into the indus and Ganges systems respectively.

The skiing season in Narkanda starts in January and lasts into the first week of April. While you may have six to ten feet of snow, the motor road to Shimla usually remains open and this makes Narkanda a very convenient destination from the cities of north India.

The slopes will appeal to the cross country skier for Narkanda is set amidst fine conifer forests. A short distance to the west of a PWD bungalow are the beginners' slopes in a clearing and a tow bar (or T-bar) has also been installed. The Hathu slopes on the east delight those who want to get away from it all, and it is possible to ski down towards the famous Stokes (the apple kings of India) country at Kotgarh. The government-run classes provide their own equipment. The beauty of Narkanda is that being only an over-night's journey from Delhi one can fit in a skiing weekend at rates easily the lowest in the world and against a backdrop of the finest forest and mountain scenery. While Narkanda is quite developed, skiing at Kufri is still taking off, and has the advantage of proximity to the plains. The Manali region offers scope for both winter as well as summer skiing.