Offbeat Destination Khajjiar , H . P .
In summer
Mini Switzerland of India
Khajjiar
Khajjiar is a hill station in Chamba district , Himachal Pradesh , India , located approximately 24 km from Dalhousie .
Khajjiar sits on a small plateau with a small stream-fed lake in the middle that has been covered over with weeds . The hill station is surrounded by meadows and forests . It is about 6,500 feet ( 2,000 m ) above sea level in the foothills of the Dhauladhar ranges of the Western Himalayas and peaks can be seen in the distance . It is part of the Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary .
Khajjiar can be reached from Dalhousie , the nearest major town and hill station , by bus in an hour or so . It has a rare combination of three ecosystems : lake , pasture and forest .
On 7 July 1992 , Mr . Willy T . Blazer , Vice Counsellor and Head of Chancery of Switzerland in India brought Khajjiar on the world tourism map by calling it “ Mini Switzerland ”. He also put a sign board of a yellow Swiss hiking footpath showing Khajjiar ’ s distance from the Swiss capital Bern-6194 km . Khajjiar is among the 160 locations in the world that bear topographical resemblance with Switzerland . The counsellor also took from Khajjiar a stone which will form part of a stone collage around the Swiss Parliament to remind the visitors of Khajjiar as a Mini Switzerland of India .
There is a hotel and some cottages run by HP Tourism at
Khajjiar where the tourists can stay . Besides that , there are two rest houses one each of P . W . D . and Forest Deptt . A couple of private hotels have also come up , which do not match the above places in terms of location and amenities .
Most tourists travel to Khajjiar by private or rented vehicles . Bus service to and from Khajjiar is limited and timing changes according to local demands .
The best entertainment in Khajjiar is to walk around the lake or to go for long walks in the thick pine forests . Children enjoy this place because of the freedom of movement and the sloped terrain which permits them to roll down to the lake without getting hurt . Another attraction is horse riding .
Dauladhar Mountains : Dense deodars , pines and lush green meadows are characteristic of Khajjiar . Since Khajjiar is situated at the base of the Dauladhar Mountains , the tourists here can get panoramic views of the mountains .
Khajjiar Lake : Khajjiar Lake is a small lake , surrounded by saucer-shaped lush green meadow and a floating island . The dense growth of weed called vacha has made its earth spongy . Now the banks stand covered by a thick layer of earth , formed by the years of dust settling down on the weeds .
08 | Travelnjoy | January 2017