Mashobra – An offbeat place to find serenity

By Ashita Goel

We were travelling to Naldehra in Himachal Pradesh when we decided to spend a night in a tiny settlement of Mashobra hills, which is located 11 kilometers from Shimla.

On a foggy day, my family planned a four-day trek to the mountains. We had just started when our mobile phones suddenly stopped in the middle of the highway. We then opted to spend the night in the neighbouring Mashobra Hills, while waiting for our car to be fixed after learning about the surroundings from our guide.

It was a quiet little town and there were not really many tourist places there. But, I realised that people visited Mashobra just to enjoy the natural beauty and calm of the place. We were astonished after having a glance at the thick forests of pine, oak, Himalayan deodar and rhododendron. There were plenty of things we did during our stay in Mashobra. We enjoyed the calm of the nature, listened to the bird’s chirpings and wind, introspect ourselves as well as witnessed the beauty of Mother Nature at its best.

The clear skies offered the ideal opportunity to observe the starry night sky and its millions of stars. We did paragliding, rafting, skiing, and tried a variety of cuisines in small dhabas. Also, there was a Tibetan Handicraft Market from where I bought some colorful accessories and souvenirs.

We also visited the Presidential Retreat – it was a genuinely stunning structure. It had a total of 16 rooms and was surrounded on all sides by 300 acres of lush forest. From there we went trekking as there was no better way to enjoy the beauty of lush green hills other than to go on a trail and stay in a camp overnight.

Following it, we went to Shimla Water Catchmentanct Wildlife Sanctuary, which was a photographer’s and bird watcher’s paradise. At the sanctuary, we saw Himalayan eagles, pheasants, partridges and chukars, among other bird species. Additionally, this location has the highest water lift in the world. We also took part in various adventure sports like rappelling, rock climbing and fishing.

The settlement was well facilitated despite being located far from more developed towns. Proper phone networks and data connectivity was there, electricity was available and roads were also in good condition. In fact, I believed Mashobra would make the ideal vacation spot for someone looking to spend time in nature. Despite being close to Shimla, Mashobra is a great place to go if you want to spend some time away from the crowds, because it rarely gets busy. It is devoid of any hustle-bustle and tourist rush.