SOLAN
Blessed with a pleasant climate
all the year round. Solan has an old brewery and a sprawling horticulture and
forestry university. HPTDC hotel and restaurant are available.
GENERAL INFORMATION
| ALTITUDE | 1350 meters |
| AREA | 1936 sq km |
| POPULATION | 5.00 lakh |
| TEMPERATURE | Max. 35°C Min. – 2°C |
CLOTHING: Cotton clothes in Summer and
light woolen to woolen in winter.
LANGUAGE: Hindi, Punjabi,
English are understood and spoken by the people engaged in tourism trade.
APPROACH
RAIL: The nearest broad
gauge railway station is at Kalka and nearest narrow gauge railway station is at
Solan, which are connected by regular bus services.
ROAD: Solan is approachable by road from
Shimla and Chandigarh.
WHAT TO SEE
1. KASAULI: 77 k.m. from
Shimla and 35 k.m. from Kalka, at 1927 metres is a quaint little town that seems
to exists in a time wrap in an era that reminds one of the 19th century. Its
colonial ambience is reinforced by cobbled paths, quaint shops, gabled houses
with charming facades and scores of neat little gardens and orchards. Kasauli is
surrounded by a mixed forest of chir-pine, Himalyan oak and huge
horse-chestnuts. Its narrow roadslither up and down the hillsides and offer some
magnificent vistas. You can get vantage views from Monkey Point, 4 k.m. from the
bus stand. HPTDC hotel available.
2. BAROG: Barog once just
a stop over on the Kalka-Shimla highway, this town has grown to be a destination
in itself. Surrounded by pine forests, it presents a fascinating view of the
Churdhar Peak, which poetically translates into ‘Mountain of the Silver Bangle’.
HPTDC runs hotel Pinewood here.
3. CHAIL: 43 k.m. from
Shimla and with a lush green setting, this was the former ’summer capital’ of
the Patiala state. At 2250 metres it has the world’s highest cricket pitch and a
polo ground, the old palace, now a hotel, and the possibility of some angling
are added attractions.
4. PARWANOO: This fast
spreading town welcomes the traveler to Himachal as one enters the state from
Kalka. There is an HPTDC tourist information office. Hotel Shivalik and
restaurant is located here.
5. KIARIGHAT: A little
short of Shimla, Kiarighat was once a Dak bunglow. Now HPTDC runs a Tourist inn
here.
6. DARLAGHAT: Situated on
the Shimla-Bilaspur-Manali state highway. HPTDC runs Hotel Bhagal here.
