Hola Mohalla, Punjab, India 2019 (including Shimla) · Shimla at 2,100m. You will be boarding the...

For more information contact in the saddle. Tel: 01299 272 997, Fax: 01299 272 935, Email: [email protected], Internet: www.inthesaddle.com

Updated 20 Feb 2019 LD of 9

Hola Mohalla, Punjab, India 2019

(including Shimla)

Wednesday 13-Mar-19

Arrive in Delhi and transfer to Hotel Vasant

Continental. Rooms will be available from midday.

Meet the other members of the group and share

expectations of the week ahead.

This afternoon join a guided tour of Delhi with the

group.

Dinner and overnight at Vasant Continental, Delhi.

Thursday 14-Mar-19

You will be transferred to Delhi train station for a train

departing at 07.40. The train has comfortable spacious

seating as you would find throughout Europe.

Arrive Chandigarh at 11:05.

You will be met on arrival and transferred by vehicle to

Ramgarh (c.22 kms ) and to the Hotel Ramgarh Fort.

www.thefortramgarh.com

The fort was built 350 years ago and is famous for its

huge wooden door, apparently the world’s tallest door.

After lunch at the Fort Ramgarh, you are driven away

from the hustle and bustle of town to meet your horses

which are ready and waiting for you in the Ghaggar

river bed.

The riding today mainly follows the river bed and is a

good opportunity for you to get to know your horse.

Sometimes you climb up onto the banks and ride

through small villages.

You finish riding near to the town of Pinjore and, if

time, you will make a visit (on foot) to the beautiful

Pinjore gardens, one of the oldest gardens in northern

India which is laid out on seven terraces. It is a pretty

place, particularly at dusk.

Later arrive at your tented camp which is within sight

of a Sikh temple, called a “gurudawara”.

Overnight in the Tented Camp

Friday 15-Mar-19

After a delicious breakfast in camp, you set off riding.

You mostly follow the river bed with occasional

detours through small villages. There is much to see as

you ride.

http://www.thefortramgarh.com/



Today, as on each day, the grooms and support vehicle

will meet you about midday. The horses are untacked

and rested and you have a delicious lunch and a chance

to rest.

After lunch continue riding following the river bed. It

is fascinating to pass by the nomadic people, with their

herds of water buffalo, who have set up semi-

permanent homes right in the middle of the river. In

just a few months, they will move on and their homes

will be washed away as the river floods (when the

snow melts in the mountains and the monsoon rains

arrive).

Later arrive at the town of Siswan and to your

accommodation at the lovely Siswan Jungle Lodge.

Tonight you are in for a treat with a delicious meal,

possibly served in the gardens if the weather is good.

Overnight at Siswan Jungle Lodge.

www.siswanjunglelodge.com

Saturday 16-Mar-19

You are likely to have attracted quite a crowd of

onlookers since the horses are corralled almost in the

middle of town just across the road from the Siswan

Jungle Lodge.

Today your ride continues to follow the river bed,

sometimes following the many jeep tracks which cross

back and forth. You can only imagine the

communication problems when the river is in flood.

Many people live along the river bank in very basic

living conditions, but times are moving fast and many

people in modest houses have their own tractor.

Have lunch at a shady spot near to a village.

The smell of marijuana plants pervades. It is

remarkable to see it growing in widespread abundance

everywhere, as far as the eye can see. It is used in tea,

lassis and also its own crushed smoothies. This may

well account for the Nihangs benevolent disposition, as

they consume large amounts of the plant in a variety of

ways.

As you continue riding after lunch you might see some

water buffalo forage and bathe in the shallows. Egrets,

grey herons and a variety of raptors feed off the

abundant fish and meadow rodents.

http://www.siswanjunglelodge.com/



There are beautiful high cliffs on the left of the river

which have been eroded and etched by rain and

waterfall into impressive battlements.

Ride on crossing and re-crossing the river until you

arrive at the town of Nalagarh.

You leave the horses about 3 kms short of Nalagarh

and drive the final stretch up to the Nalagarh Fort (a

heritage hotel). http://nalagarh.in/

Nalagarh Fort is a gateway to Himachal Pradesh and

was built in 1421 during the reign of Raja Bikram

Chand. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas it

offers panoramic views of the Shivalik hills. It is the

most handsome of the many forts in the area and within

easy access to the others (Palasi in the plains and

Ramgarh , Chamba and Malaon in the hills).

The rooms are spacious and comfortable, reflecting its

heritage status. There is also a pool, a large communal

dining room, and lovely gardens and quiet corners that

meander around the hilltop as the fort was added to

over the years. The rooftop offers some spectacular

views over the surrounding hills with the twinkling

domes of the Gurudwaras (Sikh temples) in the

distance.

Weather permitting you might have dinner on the

rooftop. Overnight at Nalagarh Fort heritage hotel.

Sunday 17-Mar-19

After breakfast drive back to the horses and ride out

back to the river bed.

It is a fairly short morning ride with a couple of

opportunities for fast canters along the tracks until you

come close to the ruins of Palasi Fort.

You climb up to the Fort for your lunch stop. There is

grass for the horses, broken battlements to explore and

shady corners to eat and rest in after lunch.

After lunch there may well be an opportunity to

explore the village, visit a hindu temple and perhaps be

invited into one of the village homes. Everyone is very

welcoming.

http://nalagarh.in/



After lunch set off riding again towards Bharatgarh.

Eventually you ride along the side of the canal and will

start to see heavily laden motorbikes and lots of

tractors pulling trailers full of people. All are flying an

orange flag. These are Sikhs either coming from the

temple or going to Hola Mohalla.

Your destination tonight is Bharatgarh Fort.

www.bharatgarhfort.com

Bharatgarh was built in 1783 and was the most

important stronghold of the Singhpuria missile as its

location over the banks of the Satluj river gave it a key

strategic position.

The area of the fort is about 7 acres and it has 100

acres of forest land. Bharatgarh Fort remains with and

is occupied by the descendant family and operates as a

private family-run hotel with its own unique charm.

The fort is small and compact, well maintained and

with wonderful views from the roof-top. The rooms are

comfortable and pretty. One very much gets the feeling

one is staying in a rather unusual bed and breakfast.

Overnight at Bharatgarh Fort

Monday 18-Mar-19

Ride out after breakfast from Bharatgarh Fort.

You are now on the home run to the Hola Mohalla and

will be riding alongside the canals. These canals run

from a huge dam called Bhakra – one of the highest

gravity dams in the world. The dam holds excess

waters during the monsoon and releases it into this

huge network of canals which provide irrigation and

run all the way to western Rajasthan – almost 500kms

away. The water in the canals flows very fast and is a

bright blue.

The back–up vehicle will also negotiate the trails along

with increasing numbers of motorbikes and small

http://www.bharatgarhfort.com/



trucks going to the festival. You may encounter fellow

pilgrims who have pitched camps along the canals

offering tea and refreshments to any and all who pass

by.

You break for lunch at Kiratpur a short distance from

the river and the grooms are able to bathe the horses in

the shallows.

After lunch continue riding along the canal, past a huge

dam and to the town of Anandpur Sahib.

As you get closer to the town you can hear a huge roar

of music and voices coming through loud speakers, as

well as the throbbing engine noise and air-horns from

turbo-charged tractors and bikes that people are using

to get to Anandpur Sahib.

In the late afternoon you arrive at your tented camp

near to Gogamedi temple, just on the outskirts of the

town of Anandpur Sahib.

All being well, after an early dinner, you may be able

to drive into town just to experience a little of the

excitement. Everything is lit up with a million fairy

lights and there is a huge carnival atmosphere.

Overnight in tented Camp for two nights.

Tuesday 19-Mar-19

In the morning, after breakfast, you will be driven into

the town of Anandpur Sahib.

You should take the opportunity to visit Virasat-e-

Khalsa, the beautiful museum of the Sikhs. The

museum, opened in November 2011, celebrates 500

years of the Sikh history and the 300th anniversary of

the birth of the Khalsa. The architecture is stunning and

the exhibits fascinating.

The rest of the day is spent visiting various aspects of

the Hola Mohalla. You will visit the main Gurudwara

temple where people are relaxing and listening to

teachings and music.

At some point in the day you will return to camp for

lunch.



In the afternoon, you return to town. There may be the

opportunity to see some displays of horsemanship or to

see the martial arts displays.

There is colour and excitement everywhere.

Later this evening, depending on how much you have

seen and how tired you are, you might go back again to

town to see further displays.

Overnight at camp.

Wednesday 20-Mar-19

This morning those leaving for home will be driven to

Chandigarh in time for a train to Delhi.

Those continuing to Shimla will depart by vehicle

(about 2 hours’ drive) to the town of Kalka and to the

train station.

Shimla is famous as the former summer capital of the

British Raj. From the 1860’s the Viceroy of India

would move the entire administration between Calcutta

and Shimla, a journey of some 1000 miles, to get away

from the heat on the plains. The railway between Kalka

and Shimla was opened in November 1903. Some

facts: it is 96kms long, goes through 102 tunnels and

over 886 bridges and climbs from Kalka at 655m to

Shimla at 2,100m.

You will be boarding the Himalayan Queentoy train

which departs Kalka at 12:10 and arrives Shimla at

17:20. The transfer vehicle will continue by road to

Shimla and so you only need to take onto the train

what you need for the journey.

The train, which is pulled by a diesel engine, doesn’t

travel very fast (25kms/hr) and there is plenty of

opportunity to watch the world go by. You may have

short stops at some of the stations and it is sometimes

possible to get off for a quick leg stretch.

There are many highlights – Bridge 541 is the highest

arch gallery bridge in the Indian railway. It has a total

of 34 arches in a four storey construction.

After a relaxing and fascinating journey you see

Shimla in the distance, a sprawling town stuck onto the

hillside.

On arrival at Shimla you will be met by your guide and

vehicle who have made the journey by road and will be

transferred to your hotel.

Depending on availability, accommodation in Shimla

will be in either the Clarkes Hotel or Woodville Palace.



Clarkes Hotel is a short walk from the Mall in Shimla

and so you are within easy access of many shops and

restaurants.

Woodville Palace is built in the style of an English

Country Manor and has twenty-seven rooms.

Each room has a separate theme and no two rooms are

decorated alike.

Dinner to your own account in Shimla.

Overnight Shimla for three nights.

Thursday 21-Mar-19

Today is Holi - the Hindu festival of colour. Almost all

of the shops, museums and places of interest will be

closed because of the merriment which will take place.

Your guide will accompany you or you are free to

explore on your own.

Shimla is a great place to celebrate the festival of

colours. You are recommended to wear clothes which

you don’t mind getting completely covered in coloured

powder. It should wash out, but just in case, don’t wear

your best shirt and trousers.

Young people and adults purchase bags of different

coloured powder which they throw over anyone they

might meet.

It is recommended that you put cold cream on your

face to create a barrier between your skin and the

powder and also makes the Holi colours easier to wash

off. You will probably also wish to have a scarf to

protect your hair from the worst. But rest assured, it

does wash off.

Some shops may re-open later in the evening; the

Shimla mall is famous for its shops selling everything

from books, to expensive fabrics to jewels.



Lunch and dinner to own account. Overnight Shimla.

Friday 22-Mar-19

Day to explore Shimla. You will have a guide and

vehicle at your disposal but you could go and explore

on your own if you prefer. The main things to visit will

be the Jakhu (Monkey) temple, the State Museum and

the Viceregal Lodge.

The monkeys at the temple are a real nuisance so do

take your guide’s warnings seriously.

Lunch and dinner to own account. Overnight Shimla.

Saturday 23-Mar-19



You will drive from Shimla to Kalka (which will be

quicker than the train).

Arrive in Kalka in time for the Shatabdi Train which

departs Kalka at 17:45 and arrives into Delhi at 21:55.

You will be in premier class and be served dinner

during the journey.

You will be met on arrival at Delhi and transferred to a

hotel where those flying later have the opportunity to

wash and change.

Later transfer to the airport for your homeward flight.

Your flight should depart very late evening on

Saturday 23 March or in the early hours of Sunday 24

March. If you would prefer to or need to overnight in

Delhi, then we can make these arrangements for you.

Hola Mohalla, Punjab, India 2019 (including Shimla) · Shimla at 2,100m. You will be boarding the...

Documents

Transcript of Hola Mohalla, Punjab, India 2019 (including Shimla) · Shimla at 2,100m. You will be boarding the...