Dalhousie The gateway to the Chamba Valley is the colonial town ofDalhousie. Established in 1854 by the British governor-generalLord Dalhousie, it is a town clothed in stately groves of deodarand oak. Built around five hills, its forest trails overlookwooded hills, springs and rivulets apart from providing amagnificent view of the Chamba Valley, and the Pangi range.

Walking and enjoying the sunshine, snow and greenery. Credit: Debangsu Sengupta

Like Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, Dalhousie still hasa touch of the Raj about it, specially its buildings and houseswhich bring back the flavor of a bygone era. It was originallyintended to be a sanatorium for the British, to escape thescorching heat of the Indian plains during the summers. Manysettled down and the town was built in the fashion of the typicalScottish countryside. So it is not surprising to see that manyof the lodges and old houses sport names like Penshurst, Balmoraland Belmont.

One can enjoy lovely walks in the region. Trails abound in theKalatop sanctuary where, if you are lucky, you can even view aleopard, rare though the event may be.

However this town is also facing problems of its own. In the peaksummers, with tourists pouring in, the town is overcrowded withtourist buses and cars.

Sunset at Dalhousie Credit: Debangsu Sengupta