Shimla Hotels & Resorts

Experience life in a traditional Himalayan village, where you’ll explore and dine with a local.  The trip starts with a 45-minute drive from Shimla to Dhami, a village that was once a summer hunting ground for British viceroys, where you’ll meet your host who has expert knowledge of the area’s nature, lifestyle and architecture. This is a fascinating cultural exchange where you’ll get an insight into rural Himalayan life, where people survive on agriculture, working in the fields and orchards.

You’ll meet your host, Kunwar Dushyant Singh, who has expert knowledge of the area’s nature, lifestyle and architecture. Kunwar will lead you on a nature walk in Dhami, where he’s identified around 80 species of birds, from thrushes to goldfinch and pheasants. The flora varies depending on the time of year, spring is particularly beautiful with alpine flowers while in autumn, you can watch the leaves change colour. There are amazing views of the northern mountains when the sky is clear, you can even see the snow-topped peaks of the Himalayas.

Kunwar will point out key landmarks and tell you all about his family history and life in a farming village. After the walk, you’ll return to Kunwar’s house to eat with his family. The food is home-cooked by his wife, who hails from the royal family of Tikamgarh. She makes typical Indian cuisine from the mountains, including lentil and bread dishes, as well as dumplings cooked in a large iron pan with mustard oil, served with yoghurt.

This is a fascinating cultural exchange where you’ll get an insight into rural Himalayan life, where people survive on agriculture, working in the fields and orchards, keeping cows and buffalos. If someone in the village needs to build a house, the whole community will come out to help and if there’s a marriage, everyone celebrates. It’s a close-knit place and the people are very welcoming.

There are two ways to get to Shimla. One is on a road – the quickest option - and the other is along a snaking railway track through the Himalayan mountains aboard the UNESCO toy train. This route was carved by the British Raj who appointed Shimla as its summer capital. The whole journey from top to bottom takes around five and a half hours, but you will be shown the most scenic portion of the route.

Starting in Shimla, at an elevation of around 7,000 feet you will board the 10.30am train towards the small town of Taradevi sitting at approximately 6,000 feet. Curving around the mountain at a leisurely pace of about seven miles per 45 minutes, it gives you ample time to soak up the stunning views from all angles, the breeze carrying the scent of pine through the open windows. You’ll cross picturesque bridges that have stood the test of time and whenever the train passes through a tunnel all the Indian passengers shout with excitement!