The Winter Carnival, the largest tourism event of Himachal showcasing the local culture and winter sports to attract tourists during the lean winter season, will be celebrated between January 2 and 6, 2020, an official said here. Tourists will get to experience local culture, dance, songs, sports, local cuisines, tableaus, winter sports and many more during five days. While the colourful programmes to woo tourists will continue in the town, winter sports like skiing and snowboarding will be organized at Solang valley near the town. Over 4,000 local women will actively participate in the event to give it a local touch. Aimed to boost the winter tourism and promote local culture, the national level winter carnival will begin with the presentation of over a hundred cultural tableaus and processions. Besides the participation of cultural troops from many other states, the tourists will get to see folk performances of all districts of Himachal while over 120 mahila mandals have agreed to participate. The mahila mandals will present folk dances on the Mall Road here for five days. Tourists will get a chance to dance on the Kullu folk tunes. Winter Queen pageant, where beauties from across the country will vie for the title, will be the main attraction of the carnival. Unlike other beauty pageants where models get a pleasant weather during competition, the participants here undergo cat walk on open air ramp under sub zero temperature. Sometime event is held during snowfall. Apart from western attire and dresses of their choice, the participants will have to come on the ramp while wearing Himachal dresses in one round. Screening to select participants has started at many places. While addressing a meeting to review the preparations of the carnival, forest and transport minister Govind Singh Thakur said people will see a Winter
The Winter Carnival, the largest tourism event of Himachal showcasing the local culture and winter sports to attract tourists during the lean winter season, will be celebrated between January 2 and 6, 2020, an official said here. Tourists will get to experience local culture, dance, songs, sports, local cuisines, tableaus, winter sports and many more
On this page, we shall keep you updated about snow and snowfall status at Rohtang pass, Solang Valley, Manali and other tourist places of Kullu-Manali. (If this page is not loading properly in your browser, click on the above image) Update on December 4, 2019 BRO takes another chance to clear snow from Rohtang pass Manali: Entire Lahaul valley is completely disconnected by road from other parts of the state since November 25 when Rohtang tunnel was closed for vehicular movement due to continuing concrete works and Rohtang pass witnessed very heavy snowfall. Thousands of tribals are now waiting for the opening of the Rohtang pass highway. The Border Roads Organization (BRO), which has cleared snow from Rohtang pass to connect valley at least three times in November, is again clearing snow from the highway. Every time the road is cleared of snow, another spell of snowfall blocks it. BRO jawans are taking another chance to clear snow from the highway. In three days, the organization has cleared snow till Marhi from Manali side while its machines have moved beyond Koksar in Lahaul. The highway is expected to open to chosen all-wheel-drive vehicles in two or three days. A BRO official said they decided to clear snow from the highway for the convenience of the residents of Lahaul valley. “Our jawans and machines are working hard to clear a thick layer of snow under adverse conditions. Working in chilly weather with the possibility of avalanche and landslide is very difficult. We shall keep the highway open as soon as it will be possible,” he said. However, tourists will not be allowed to go to Rohtang pass due to threats like blizzards, extreme cold, possibility of slipping of vehicles on the ice, avalanches and landslides. Tourists can see snow at
On this page, we shall keep you updated about snow and snowfall status at Rohtang pass, Solang Valley, Manali and other tourist places of Kullu-Manali. (If this page is not loading properly in your browser, click on the above image) Update on December 4, 2019 BRO takes another chance to clear snow from Rohtang
In this page, we shall keep you updated about the Manali-Rohtang pass road status. (If this page is not loading properly in your browser, click on the above image)
In this page, we shall keep you updated about the Manali-Rohtang pass road status. (If this page is not loading properly in your browser, click on the above image)
Paragliding is as safe as you make it. The safety checks, quality of equipment, preparedness, wind, air pressure and visibility are the main factors that decide how safe the flight would be. With a large number of paragliding sites came up in recent years, Himachal has emerged as the top destination for paragliding in the country. With nearly a lakh tourist trying hand at (tandem) paragliding, Kullu-Manali tops the list in terms of number. And the Kullu district is also topping the list of most fatal paragliding accidents. Five persons have died in four accidents this year only while many have sustained injuries. Human error is the main reason behind maximum accidents. Tourists generally go for a tandem flight but nobody asks pilots for their license, registration and quality of the equipment. In many accidents, pilots were found to be flying without a valid license and registration with the tourism department. The pilots, who always remain in hurry to finish the flight to catch another customer, never brief the dos and don’ts to the customers who always remain in suspense that what to do next. Almost 100 per cent of the clients here are tourists. On Monday, a tourist from Chennai was killed in similar accident where tourist slipped off the safety harness and fell on the ground from altitude of hundreds of feet near Falayan in Kullu. He died on the spot. The matter, according to police, appeared to be negligence in safety check. Similar incident had happened in May 2015 when a Mumbai tourist had died of harness failure at Solang valley. Falayan, Solang, Majhach, Diyar and Kharahal are the main paragliding spots in Kullu district where thousands of tourists enjoy joy-rides. The most operators at these sites are not following the proper safety procedures. While some are
Paragliding is as safe as you make it. The safety checks, quality of equipment, preparedness, wind, air pressure and visibility are the main factors that decide how safe the flight would be. With a large number of paragliding sites came up in recent years, Himachal has emerged as the top destination for paragliding in the
Heavy snowfall in parts of Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti and Mandi districts left traffic interrupted in many major roads while nearly 200 tourists stranded near Manali on Thursday. Hundreds of tourists had reached Gulaba and Kothi to see snowfall on Thursday morning. As it was snowing fast, tourists were asked to descend down to Kothi. Ignoring warning, many tourists stayed below Gulaba. Some tourists walked along the highway towards Gulaba. Later vehicles started slipping on the road and they got stranded. After getting news about tourists getting stranded, local administration, police and rescue volunteers rushed to Gulaba to carry out relief operation. All tourists were brought back to Manali by late evening. Manali sub-divisional magistrate Raman Gharsangi said tourists were not allowed to go beyond Gulaba on Thursday but some tourists were reported to have stranded below Gulaba. “The road had become very slippery. The tourists were brought to safe place with help of police, taxi union and other volunteers. Situation is under control,” he said. Solang valley and Kothi near Manali have experienced season’s first snowfall. Both places have received nearly 10cm of snow. Entire Lahaul valley is also covered with a thin layer of white blanket. Jalori pass in Kullu district that connects Anni and Nirmand sub-divisions with the headquarters has also witnessed season’s first snowfall, blocking the highway. Manali-Rohtang-Keylong highway has again closed after heavy snowfall. Rohtang pass has received over 60cm of fresh snow. Over 75cm of snow on Baralacha pass has blocked Keylong-Sarchu road as well. Heavy snowfall on Kunzum pass has blocked Gramphoo-Kaza road. The high hills of Mandi district including Shikari hills have also received snow. The temperature in the state has dipped sharply after snowfall and rains. The minimum temperature of Keylong has dipped to minus 0.6 degree Celsius. Temperature of Manali (3.6), Shimla
Heavy snowfall in parts of Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti and Mandi districts left traffic interrupted in many major roads while nearly 200 tourists stranded near Manali on Thursday. Hundreds of tourists had reached Gulaba and Kothi to see snowfall on Thursday morning. As it was snowing fast, tourists were asked to descend down to Kothi. Ignoring warning,
A group of 13 adventure sports instructors has set a world record by rafting the Beas from close to its origin till its end point in Himachal Pradesh in four days. The feat was achieved by rafting day and night. Two rafts and three kayaks were used in the expedition. All the participants were the instructors from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, led by director of the institute Colonel Neeraj Rana, who wanted to prove their mettle in the adventure sport besides popularizing water sports in Himachal. The expedition starts from Manali on October 23 and ended near Pong Dam in Kangra. Formal announcement of the record would be made by Limca Book of Records in a few days after analyzing the video footage and other records. “This was much difficult than we had imagined. I am extremely happy that my team has made it to the record books by being first to raft from Manali to Dehra in four days,” Col Rana said. He added that the total distance calculated by the expedition was 210km. “None of us had knowledge about the river flow, depth, falls, speed and entire geography. It was full of adventure and two days we had to raft in night time – one day till 2:30am as well – to achieve the deadline of four days.” Rana added that contrary to their belief that the stretch between Manali and Kullu has the most challenging rapids, the stretch between Mandi and Sandol had the grade-4 and grade-5 rapids. He further added that with the fast flow, high rapids and tight gorge, this area challenged them where it was difficult to maneuver the rafts. As a large number of tributaries meet the Beas, its water level keeps increasing. While water was
A group of 13 adventure sports instructors has set a world record by rafting the Beas from close to its origin till its end point in Himachal Pradesh in four days. The feat was achieved by rafting day and night. Two rafts and three kayaks were used in the expedition. All the participants were the
As Himachal is preparing to host Asian Rafting Championships next year, a 13 member team of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) has set out on a 230km-long rafting expedition on Beas on Wednesday. Aiming for a world record, the team will raft across the length of the Beas river in Himachal from Manali to Dehra in Kangra. Led by ABVIMAS director Col Neeraj Rana, the expedition was flagged off by forest, transport, sports and youth services minister Govind Singh Thakur from Manali. The minister himself experienced the thrill of rafting in wild rapids of Beas in first 15km stretch. “The team has challenge to complete the expedition in four days. Nobody did rafting in majority of the stretch of Beas till date. They are confident to set a world record. This will popularize water sports in Himachal. They are using two rafts and three kayaks,” Thakur said. The sports minister informed that World Rafting Federation has given its nod to Himachal for hosting Asian Rafting Championships in 2020. “We shall leave no stone unturned in smooth conduct of the championship on the Beas. This will open doors for Himachal to host World Rafting Championship. Our 25 rafters are going to Serbia to get advanced training,” he added. Rafting is forbidden for tourists in some stretches of Beas where rapids are high and water flow is fast. There are some stretches where water is deep but water flow is almost still. Shallow water and sharp edged rocks are another challenge. Col Neeraj Rana said the boys are full of enthusiasm and want to accomplish the task as soon as possible. “We have to reach Dehra bridge on October 26. We are taking care of our safety. We will be lifting our rafts and kayaks to the
As Himachal is preparing to host Asian Rafting Championships next year, a 13 member team of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) has set out on a 230km-long rafting expedition on Beas on Wednesday. Aiming for a world record, the team will raft across the length of the Beas river in
As the administration is allowing tourist vehicles to ply the Manali-Rohtang highway in the daytime, hundreds of tourists have made a beeline to Rohtang pass to enjoy the fresh snow. Rohtang is covered with 10 to 20cm of powder snow which will last for few more weeks. Earlier this month administration had stopped tourist movement to Rohtang pass after some vehicles had stranded in snowfall. The Manali administration is now allowing tourist vehicles to go to snow point at Rohtang pass in day time. But the tourists need to leave Rohtang for Manali in the afternoon before icing of the road in the evening time. A large number of tourists are thronging Rohtang every day. “We were given a surprise in the form of fresh snow at Rohtang pass. This was one of the best surprises we ever received,” a tourist from West Bengal Deepak Ojha said. He added that they had booked the tour to Himachal a long back and had not expected to see snow in Manali in October. “We were surprised to see the whole area covered with white blanket. We had a lot of fun all the day.” Another tourist from Delhi, Amit Rathore, said he and his wife planned trip to Manali after hearing news about snowfall at Rohtang pass. “This is our second trip to Manali. Last time we could not see snow. We left Delhi for Manali on Sunday morning and visited Rohtang on Monday. It was an amazing experience. There were no traffic jam and no maddening crowd as we had faced last time,” he said. Most of tourists visiting Himachal these days are from West Bengal. The hoteliers, who complained about weak summer tourist season this year, are still complaining of lean season. Tourist inflow increased since Dussehra but hoteliers say
As the administration is allowing tourist vehicles to ply the Manali-Rohtang highway in the daytime, hundreds of tourists have made a beeline to Rohtang pass to enjoy the fresh snow. Rohtang is covered with 10 to 20cm of powder snow which will last for few more weeks. Earlier this month administration had stopped tourist movement
A 13-member team of adventure enthusiasts from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, will attempt to set a world record this month by scaling the length of the Beas river riding two rafts and three kayaks. ABVIMAS instructors under the leadership of director of the institute will start the arduous journey from Manali on October 23. The challenge is to reach Dehra in Kangra district in four days after covering distance of about 230km. So far nobody has attempted to do this. Limca Book of Records officials will closely observe the expedition. If successful, it will be a world record. The river is wild and fast with high rapids and sharp boulder between Manali and Raison, while water can be shallow and slow at some places. The Beas river has two reservoirs – one at Larji and another near Pandoh in Mandi where rafts and kayaks will be lifted manually to the other side of the dam from where the members will start rowing their rafts. The team did a recce of the Beas and discovered that they will have to lift the rafts and kayaks for 5km beyond Larji dam as the stretch has very shallow water due to all waters being diverted through reservoir to generate electricity. Most stretches of Beas are dangerous for rafting and only a few stretches have been approved by government where tourists enjoy rafting. ABVIMAS director Colonel Neeraj Rana said each raft will have five rafters while three kayakers will give them the company. “The kayaks will ensure the safety of the rafters. Our target is to reach Dehra bridge on October 26. If we feel that we are unable to cover the distance on time, we shall travel in night time too. It’s a big challenge but
A 13-member team of adventure enthusiasts from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, will attempt to set a world record this month by scaling the length of the Beas river riding two rafts and three kayaks. ABVIMAS instructors under the leadership of director of the institute will start the arduous
The World Tourism Day 2019 was celebrated across Himachal Pradesh by welcoming tourists at bus stations, airports and hotels by offering them flower garlands, bouquets, Himachali caps and mufflers. The tourists were taken for a surprise after they received such unexpected welcome everywhere. Private hotels also welcomed tourists in traditional style. Special cultural programmes ere organized in the hotels. Some hotels even offered special discount on room tariff. This year the theme of the World Tourism Day is “Tourism and jobs: a better future for all” and India is a hosting country. As chief minister Jai Ram Thakur could not attend the seminar on WTD in Delhi, forest and transport minister Govind Singh Thakur represented Himachal. The CM attended Himachal Apple Festival – 2019 at Gaiety Theatre in Shimla. The festival is organized jointly by tourism and horticulture departments. The CM said that on the occasion of World Tourism Day, the tourism department has adopted “Himachal Apple Festival” as theme which shows the importance of apple in the economy of the state. He said apple cultivation and apple orchards could prove an added attraction to tourists visiting the state. “The horticulturists of Himachal are adopting latest technologies which are proving a boon to them as they are getting good prices for their produce. The apple growers should also go for latest varieties of apple to compete with the apple coming from other parts of the country and abroad,” he said. The CM crowned Shivankita Kanwar as Apple Prince, Deepanshi Thakur as Apple Princess, Yogesh as Apple King and Vanshika Katoch as Apple Queen on this occasion. He then cut a biggest apple cake, measuring 4.5ftX3.5ft and weighing over 200kg, prepared by tourism department alongwith Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Kufri. The cake has entered into the India Book
The World Tourism Day 2019 was celebrated across Himachal Pradesh by welcoming tourists at bus stations, airports and hotels by offering them flower garlands, bouquets, Himachali caps and mufflers. The tourists were taken for a surprise after they received such unexpected welcome everywhere. Private hotels also welcomed tourists in traditional style. Special cultural programmes ere
