What to experience in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh

Famous for its tea gardens, Palampur is emerging as a major tourist hub because of its perfect location between the Dhauladhar Valley. Located at a height of 3,999 feet, the town is an ideal location for visiting at any time of the year. Winters are quite cold and summers are moderately cool.

The town is spread across a small expanse but offers a vivid variety of experiences. Despite the places that you must visit and all the eating joints that you must try, there are certain experiences that you can have only in Palampur.

Morning walk along the Neugal Khad:

Neugal Khad holds quite a mention in all the articles about Palampur. It is a wide stream of water that marks the lifeline of the town. It is also known as Bundla Chasm in the local language and flows through the town. The bridge constructed on it, has been featured multiple times on daily commercials and series. There are multiple cafes near the stream, where you can enjoy your coffee, dip your feet in the water or go for a run alongside the stream early morning. It will be a pure detoxification exercise.

Aerial view from Birni Mata:

Are you a trekking kind of person? If yes, you must do a day hike to Birni Mata. It would roughly take two hours to reach to the top. The climb is a little steep but definitely worth it. You get to see the complete aerial view of the town with the tiny houses, patches of green farms and the criss-cross streams of water. Wait there till sunset and let yourself be taken back by the beauty of this small town. For those, who are not much into hiking, they can visit Jakhni Mata, which is the base of the Birni Mata hike and get the vibes of the place.

Sleep under the stars:

Want to see the magic of this valley? Grab your mattress and head to the open terrace. Of course, it has to be done in summers only because winter nights are really cold. Get your mattress, pillows and blankets to the terrace and once all the lights are off it is going to be pitch dark with thousand stars staring at you from above and the moon traversing slowly around the earth. Feel your muscles getting relaxed under the full moon and the sweet summer breeze soothing you and softly pulling you into a deep sleep. That is the magic that happens here!

Stroll through Nehru Chowk at 11 PM and have Angelica’s ice cream:

A small town like Palampur becomes really dead after 10 PM. Nearly all shops shut down by maximum 9 PM, people return to their homes, even restaurants start closing by 11 PM. Driving through the town when everybody is asleep is a different experience with pin drop silence, the only lights that will be burning are the street lights. Take a good look at the town at night and to make the experience even more amazing, Angelica’s Ice Cream shop keeps its ice cream parlor open till 12 midnight during summers. This shop has the most creamy, delicious ice cream cones, make sure you have one.

Try Shakti soda:

The old wooden shop painted in a dilapidated blue colour gives a queer chill and tells the tales of old Palampur. This shop was started 50 years ago and is located right in the centre of Palampur’s market. It has under gone very minimal renovation and serves the best soda in town (Squeezed lemon with aerated water and homemade salt).

These are some of the unique experiences that you can have in Palampur. If you are looking for the places to visit, then you can check out Norbolinga Monastery, Sobha Singh Art Gallery, Bhattu Monastery, Saurabh Van Vihar, Paragliding at Bir Billing and some cool cafes at Barot.

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