Exploring Shimla and Kinnaur

Shimla & Kinnaur districts of Himachal Pradesh are known as the apple country for they are the apple bowl of India, producing juicy red apples that are enjoyed across the globe. Just before the crop is ready to be plucked in August end or early September, all you see on both sides of the road and in deep valleys is apples hanging from the branches of short trees. On a road trip from Shimla to Sangla all along the Sutlej valley, there are so many hidden gems of history and heritage that you can spend years exploring and admiring them. There are ancient temples and churches, each with its own myths & legends, Himalayan ranges that are considered the abode of Gods. Even in peak summer you can see snow shining proudly on their peaks. There are rivers that carry glaciers to the plains and feed them and a million small rivulets merging into these rivers all across their length. There are natural lakes that are nothing but a marvel of nature. Thinly populated, this area has small picturesque villages, each centered around a temple and on a terrain that takes you a few hundred meters up and down. It is the smiling faces of beautiful people of Himachal in their trademark Himachali cap that gets etched in your memory forever.