English
Deutsch
ItaliaJourney on a Toy Train to Shimla
Journey on a Toy Train to Shimla
A small train slowly ascends the mountains, rocking gently, and your eyes are set outside the window on the picture-perfect villages and pine-covered mountaintops that pass you by. It’s the old world charm of this toy train running from Kalka to Shimla that attracts travellers and its superb engineering leaves them stunned. You can plan a short itinerary to experience this route or take the complete journey –during the peak summer season, there are extra Himachal Pradesh tourism toy trains running on this line.
It has remained a major attraction since it was constructed and has been honoured with the UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2008. This century old railway line tells you the story of India’s illustrious past. In early 1900s, English built this railway line to make the commute to their summer capital, Shimla, more convenient. Even today, you can see masterpieces of their construction – more than 100 tunnels, 864 bridges, and 919 curves stretch on this 96-kilometre route and stand testimony to their genius work.
As it progresses slowly, it reminds you of another era when speed was defined in different terms. You can close your eyes and imagine bullock carts trudging along the villages and picture officers seated beside you, dressed in hats and trench coats, starting their summer retreat in the mountains.
Staying with the locals at their humble abode is an experience that is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. Such is the hospitality of the people of rural Rajasthan who believe in making the most out of whatever little they have. And at the end of the day, as the sun goes down in all its glory, the villages’ folklore will mesmerize you like you never could have imagined!
Read less
“The Kalka to Shimla route is breathtaking. I stayed the night at Kalka and took the morning Shivalik Express to Shimla. The six-hour journey in the mountains was the highlight of my family holiday to Himachal.”
Amitabh Goswami –Noida
“The Kalka to Shimla route is breathtaking. I stayed the night at Kalka and took the morning Shivalik Express to Shimla. The six-hour journey in the mountains was the highlight of my family holiday to Himachal.”
Amitabh Goswami – Noida
Ganesh Prasad –Noida
“I spent an entire evening at the Samode village singing and dancing with the locals in their colourful traditional attire. I even tried the Chari dance with a pot on my head. Yes, a definite must try for everyone!”
Rural Rajasthan
Bright, traditional, rustic yet soulful – that is rural Rajasthan for you! Considering the chaotic and busy lives we live, visiting the interiors of the state will make you realize how meditatively beautiful life is beyond the hustle bustle of the cities.
While the desert state is considered a perfect embodiment of richness and royalty, it also offers a much humble sight of a Persian wheel irrigating the lush fields in its rural areas. A group of traditionally dressed women, carrying clay pots on their heads, walking down the dust roads and turban-clad men with majestic mustaches sweating it out in the fields, is a common sight that you will see as you drive through the state. And they do it so effortlessly without any trace of discomfort that, it will not just inspire you but will make you appreciate the simplistic beauty of life.
Read More
Staying with the locals at their humble abode is an experience that is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. Such is the hospitality of the people of rural Rajasthan who believe in making the most out of whatever little they have. And at the end of the day, as the sun goes down in all its glory, the villages’ folklore will mesmerize you like you never could have imagined!
Read less
