Whenever we think of having holidays in the hill stations, the first two names that pop in our mind are Shimla and Manali. Being the capital of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla is extremely popular not just in India but also across the world. However, there are beautiful unexplored places near Shimla, which are a must visit.
Lying at an elevation of 2205 meters above sea level, Shimla is blessed with all possible natural beauty having snow covered Himalayan ranges in the background accompanied by dense green forests and manicured farm fields.
While Shimla is full of tourist attractions at every turn, there are some unexplored regions located in and around Shimla that are literally a paradise on earth. So let’s have a look at those stunning unexplored locations near Shimla.
Best Unexplored Places Near Shimla
Skip the mainstream hill stations and make your holidays memorable with the unexplored heavenly destinations near Shimla
Offbeat Places Near Shimla Within 100 Km
Fagu (20 Km from Shimla)
Fagu is a beauty beautiful village in Shimla that stats from the Hindustan Tibet road and expands up to the Tibetian border of Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh. It has a painted scenic beauty offering mesmerizing views of the countryside villages, fruit gardens, gorgeous landscapes intercepted by the Spruce and cedar trees along with apple orchards and floral field which bloom beautifully during the months of May to October giving an edge to the beauty of the location.
The ambiance of the destination is extremely romantic perfect for the honeymoon couples to spend some quality time in the beauty of nature. The destination looks extremely beautiful in winters being covered with blankets of snow and the majestic snow covered Himalayan ranges in the backdrop. It is one of the most beautiful unexplored places near Shimla within 100 Km.
It is also an amazing destination for the adventure addicts, nature lovers as well as the photography enthusiasts. Some of the best attractions of Fagu are -Banthia Devta Temple, Katir, Theog Town and many more.
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Kiarighat (25 Km from Shimla)
Kiarighat is a beautiful hill station of Himachal Pradesh that is also an amazing stopover at Kalka Shimla national highway. The destination lies at 27kms from Shimla and is a famous tourist spot. Kiarighat has a magical scenic beauty lined by the pine, deodar and oak trees at a towering altitude of 1750 meters above sea level surrounded by the breathtaking Himalayan ranges.
It was initially a Dak bungalow before evolving into a popular tourist destination. The destination offers many luxurious resorts and accommodation for the tourists for overnight stays accompanied by luxury dining facilities serving mouth-watering Indian, Chinese, Continental, and Himachali delicacies along with bars featuring a long list of wines and cocktails.
The summers here are vibrant green and beautiful accompanied by the panoramic Himalayan ranges under the blue sky while the winters are quite freezing. The premium tourist attractions of this location are – Maharaja’s palace, Apple Cart Inn and Barowalia Resort.
Naldehra (25 Km from Shimla)
It is a hidden paradise in Shimla famous for its highest golf course at an elevation of 2,200 meters featuring 9 holes. The golf course is an ancient one influenced by the Scottish link courses and was built was Lord Curzon. The destination is also famous for its breathtaking scenic beauty surrounded by vibrant green vegetation, valleys and plant species intercepted by the tallest Pine trees in the painted background of the Himalayas.
It is also famous for its remarkable two festivals- Joton ka Mela and Sipi Fair. While the former one is celebrated in the month of October, the latter one is celebrated in the month of May.
While the Golf course is what Nalhedra is known for, there are several other gorgeous sightseeing attractions like-Tattapani, Kogi Mata Temple, Mahunag Temple, Mahakali Temple, Shaily Peak, and Chabba. Both nature and adventure lovers can enjoy the paradise location of Nalhedra. The perfect time to visit Nalhedra is from May to September.
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Unexplored Places Near Shimla Within 200 Km
Shoja (156 Km from Shimla)
It is a quaint little village situated at a 5 kms from Jalori pass in Shimla. The village looks extremely beautiful covered in the blankets of dense deodar forest with snow-covered Himalayan Mountain ranges peeking in the background. The ambiance of this place is very calm, fresh and serene perfect to enjoy a break from the busy city life.
The destination is not popular among the tourists at all but is nothing less than a magical secret beauty nestled between the majestic Himalayas. The climate of this location is pleasant throughout the year which makes extremely comfortable for the tourists to explore its natural beauty and try the adventure activities.
Jalori Pass and Tirthan valley are the prime attractions of this place and if you take a walk of 1km, you will be welcomed by a mesmerizing shimmery waterfall. Another beautiful attraction of this location is the Serolsar Lake which is dedicated to Goddess Budhi Nagin. Shojha is a perfect destination to spend quality time in the lap of nature.
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Karsog (110 Km from Shimla)
Karsog is a wonderful hill town situated at an altitude of 1,404 meters above sea level in the Himalayan Pir Panjal ranges. It is an eye feasting destination covered with temples having religious importance from the period of Mahabharata. The premium attractions of Karsog are the Kamaksha Devi and Mahunag Temple.
It is situated 100 km from Shimla and can be reached via Tattapani. Karsog is comprised of several small beautiful villages each having mesmerizing scenic beauty, but the one that will leave you speechless is the Chindi village featuring several winding streets accompanied by the chilly breeze and panoramic scenic beauty accompanied by the chirping of various migratory birds that is extremely captivating.
Karsog valley is different from the mainstream hill station featuring lots of cafes, restaurants, malls rather it is more restricted to beautiful farm fields, manicured valleys, orchards, breathtaking snow covered mountains, mysterious temples and most importantly calm and serene atmosphere away from the tourist crowds.
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Auli (170 Km from Shimla)
Surrounded by the snow-covered Garhwal Himalayan ranges and intercepted by orchards, pine and oak trees, Auli is an epitome of beauty and a fantastic skiing destination near Shimla that leaves the visitors speechless with its awe-inspiring beauty.
Auli lies at the highest point of 2,500 to 3,050 meters above sea level. Not just limited to training, visitors can also enjoy 4km cable car ride, ski lift and chairlift to the specified point above the panoramic mountain ranges of the region which is an experience beyond beautiful and also a spine thrilling adventure.
Acing the beauty of the snow-covered location is the Auli Lake which is a manmade lake offering mesmerizing views of the sunrise. Another unique attraction of the location is the Nanda Devi peak which is located so much closer to Auli that visitors often feel like the snow peak is just a hand full of distance. It is definitely one the most beautiful unexplored places near Shimla within 200 Km.
Sirmaur (152 Km from Shimla)
Sirmaur is an amazing destination lying in the Shivalik ranges bordered by Shimla in the eastern region, Haryana in the Southern region, and Solan in the North Western region. It has the course of the biggest Giri River of the region dividing the district of Srimaur into two parts-cis-Giri and trans-Giri.
The Sirmaur district comprises of 6 divisions knows as Nahan, Shillai, Renuka, Rajgarh and Paonta Sahib. The most famous attraction of the destination is Churdhar which is among the highest peaks in Himachal Pradesh located at a height of 3,646 meters above sea level which is also considered as the abode of Lord Shiva.
The destination has major religious importance as it is believed to be the famous mountain from where Lord Hanuman took sanjeevni booti to heal Lakshmana. It is also a very famous trekking spot. Other attractions of this place are- Renuka Lake, Haripur, Nahan, Habban Valley, Haripur Dhar, and Bhureshwar Mahadev.
Sarahan (165 Km from Shimla)
Sarahan is the nature’s most blessed destination situated in the Sutlej Valley of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh. The picturesque location lies at a towering altitude of 2165 meters nestled perfectly on the banks of Sutlej River having the snow-covered Shrikhand mountain in the backdrop with other Himalayan ranges and covered in the velvety lush green pine forests accompanied by manicured terrace farms with apple orchards.
What makes the majestic Shrikhand peak unique in Sarahan is it never gets covered with snow at the tip while the remaining parts are buried under the thick layers of snow. As a result, when sunlight falls on the peak the beauty is charismatic and a sight to behold.
The winding streets of the destination are extremely beautiful with numerous smaller streams and mountains regions covered with Pine forests. The destination is also famous for the 800-year-old Bhima Kali Temple which looks quite similar to a monastery while the other attractions include Bird Park and Bhaba Valley.
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Unexplored Places Near Shimla Within 300 Km
Tirthan Valley (205 Km from Shimla)
The valley is a breathtaking combination of unexplored painted villages dominated by the massive Himalayan ranges and gorgeous green valleys lying at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level. It is also an important gateway to Great Himalayan National Park that makes the destination popular among the tourists.
As the name suggests, the valley has the course Tirthan River flowing through it which has its source at the Tirth and end point at Larji. It is an unspoiled a natural wonder in the Kullu district perfect for trekking or just relaxing under the Pine trees admiring the creations of nature.
The mountains in this region are often seemed to be kissed by the floating clouds which is a million dollar view forming the backdrop of the greenish valley. Some of its famous attractions are-Tirthan River crossing, Serloskar Lake, Trout Fishing, great Himalayan national Park trekking, JALORI Pass, Jibhi and Waterfall point. Adventure lovers can also opt for rock climbing in this region. It is one of the most amazing unexplored places to visit near Shimla for nature lovers.
Kanatal (300 Km from Shimla)
Kanatal is a stunning location lying in the suburbs of Mussourie at a distance of 136km from Shimla. It has very less tourist crowd and also unpopular but a great destination for the adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers due to its panoramic scenic beauty accompanied with beautiful colorful floral vegetation. The location is influenced by the Garhwal culture.
In the summertime, it looks vibrant green perfect for strolling through its meadows and valleys as well as pony riding up to the hilltop while the winters turn the destination into a snow wonderland perfect for skiing, forest trekking in Kodia Jungle, rappelling and indoor adventure games at the luxury resorts.
You can also go for the spine thrilling valley crossing adventure in among the dense forests as well as rock climbing and Jungle Safari. It is also famous for Sukandari Devi Temple where the head of Goddess Sati is believed to be fallen. The destination is paradise for adventure lovers with its thrilling attractions.
Dharamshala (237 Km from Shimla)
Dharamshala is a popular tourist destination in Himachal Pradesh which is widely known as the residential area of Dalai Lama. It is situated at approximately 238kms from Shimla and lies in the Kangra district. The city has a mesmerizing scenic beauty partitioned into two divisions- the upper division known as McLeod Ganj and the lower Division known as Dharamshala town area.
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The entire destination is situated at an altitude of 1,475 meters lying in the gorgeous stretch of Kangra Valley having majestic snow-covered Dhauladhar ranges in the backdrop that leaves the visitors spellbound with its natural scenic beauty.
The most premium attraction of this destination is the Dalai Lama temple situated in the upper area of McLeod Ganj while the other attractions are St.John’s Church, Dal Lake, Namgyal Monastery, Mcleodganj Town, Bhagsunag Falls, Trinud, Dharamkot, War memorial, Jwalamukhi temple, and many others. It also houses various mouth-watering eateries, pubs, and restaurants that will make your vacation extremely happening and enjoyable.
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