Mini Switzerland of India - Khajjiar, Himachal Pradesh

Did you know that Khajjiar is known as the Mini Switzerland of India? Are you really aware about the presence of this heaven on the earth? Do you know about this place existing in India? I frankly did not know about this place before I actually landed in Himachal. Khajjiar is a beautiful hill station in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. Surrounded by lush green meadows and fresh dense forests #khajjiar in Himachal Pradesh is worth visiting. 

Khajjiar is a rare and an ultimate combination of three major ecosystems which are the lake, forest and the pastures. India truly has a bit of everything that we could dream of, it's beautiful. India tour is incomplete without Himachal, and Khajjiar is a treasure of Himachal's beauty. Wonderful place, truly a Mini Switzerland of India. Or I would rather say, Switzerland is the Mini Himachal.

Our Trip to Mini Switzerland:
We went to Khajjiar in September 2019, wonderful place and truly a wonderland in India. Himachal Pradesh is truly beautiful. I prepared a travel series for my trip to Khajjiar that I have shared on my YouTube channel and also linked below, you may go through the videos - in fact the total series of videos covering my road trip from Chamba to Khajjiar, followed by a complete travel vlog of the beautiful Mini Switzerland, and then the famous Khajji Nag temple tour. Enjoy full ride from Chamba to Mini Switzerland Khajjiar which are definitely the most scenic road in Himachal Pradesh here in the video below:

So as we started our journey for Khajjiar, the road trip was a breathtaking ride. It is the most exotic and a beautiful place that is full of scenic beauties that one would definitely fall in love with. My school teacher taught me about the grasslands in India. And I came here and I felt as if I am there, there at the grasslands of India. Its a wonderful place to be in, truly a Mini Switzerland of India. Or rather I would say Switzerland is the Mini Himachal. India is beautiful!! 

You can feel the freshness, you can feel the beauty, you can smell the greenery, and you can hear the birds chirping with peace. There you may even find rabbits or birds running around you. You can catch hold of them and click as many pictures as you can, they only charge you Rs. 20 for unlimited clicks. The people of the locality are very helpful and co-operative. During our visit to Khajjiar, we found all of them very hospitable.

Why Mini Switzerland?
There are around 160 locations all around the world that resemble the beauty of Switzerland. Khajjiar was brought in the world tourism map by certifying it as "Mini Switzerland". A yellow sign board of Switzerland showing the distance of Khajjiar from the Swiss capital is mentioned in kilometers. Khajjiar is one among those 160 precious locations in the world that bear some or the other tropical and panoramic resemblance with the beauty of real Switzerland. Apart from that, Khajjiar is even referred to as the Gulmarg of Himachal Pradesh. And it's beautiful. You can get a panoramic view of the beautiful dense and lush green mountain peaks. 

Where is Khajjiar Located?
Khajjiar, the beautiful hill station of Himachal Pradesh is located at a distance of approximately 22 km from Dalhousie and 24 km from Chamba. You may call it a small but a beautiful town located very near to Dalhousie or Chamba, the popular tourist destinations of Himachal and all so well connected with Himachal tourism buses and tourist cabs to and fro round the year. Khjjiar falls in the Chamba district of Himachal, and its a picturesque destination attracting tourists for its exquisite charm and magnificent beauty.  

How to Reach Khajjiar?

Khajjiar can easily be reached either by bus or by taxi. Cabs can even be hired online via #MakeMyTrip or similar applications. I personally trust MakeMyTrip for my bookings, be it any hotel booking or a cab booking. Khajjiar is a popular tourist destination and therefore cabs are easily available to and fro for this place. Many people prefer to book complete tour packages for a trip to Khajjiar including few other places as well in the list that are near and around Khajjiar like Dalhousie, Dharamshala, or even Chamba. Khajjiar can be reached from Chamba, from Dalhousie, or from Pathankot. Dalhousie and Chamba are the nearest towns for Khajjiar. It hardly took us 50 minutes to reach Khajjiar from Chamba through cab. Hence, I would suggest that if you are planning for Dalhousie or Chamba then try not to miss this Mini Switzerland - Khajjiar as well #khajjiartourism

Khajjiar Lake:

Surrounded by beautiful lush green mountain ranges and floating island all around, this lake is an amazing beauty. You can see dense trees all around the Khajjiar lake. The ranges surrounding this lake are full of greenery that are evergreen. It is a ring like lake that is beautified by grassy landscapes all around it. Tourists find the beauty of this lake and greenery worth exploring. When the shadows and the rays of the sun fall on these grassy landscapes, they are beautiful to watch and feel. 

Khajjiar in September:
We got an opportunity to visit the beautiful Khajjiar in one the best time to visit this place. The months of September and October are I would say the best time to visit Mini Switzerland of India - Khajjiar because these are the months when it is neither too hot nor too cold. It might rain on a few days during these months, but it is not so common during this period. If you want to experience snow and if you can really bear the chilling cold there then you may plan for winters when the place is all covered with snow. However if you planning to visit it for simple hangouts, family outings, picnics these September and October could be a great choice.

There are rabbits, there are birds, and there are sheep loitering around you at the scenic Khajjiar grounds. There are options that you click photographs, in fact unlimited clicks with those cute little Benny or rabbits, or even the birds or parachutes. They hardly charge Rs. 20/- for allowing you to click pictures with these lovely creatures there in the beautiful scenic backgrounds. Passing time there at Khajjiar is not at all a issue. The place is ultimate. And am pretty sure that anyone visiting there would definitely fall in love with the scenic beauties of lush green surroundings and the freshness of the place.

As you breathe there, you can feel the real freshness and the hearth taking smell of the greenery there. The birds enjoy there too, you can hear their sweet voices singing behind you. So if you are in search of some calmness, then yes Khajjiar is a solution. You really have options to eat, stay and rejoice over there for hours or for days! In the vicinity there are options for holiday hotels or resorts where you can spend your vacations with you family while even enjoy the freshness and beauty of the real nature. Online booking are even available, and lots of tourists visit this place again and again.

Khajjiar is a preferred tourist attraction in Himachal not only because of its scenic beauties, calmness and chilled weather, but also it is a preferred place for various activities like horse riding, ball gaming, parachutes, and even trekking. It is a very good place for hangouts, for picnics and multiple activities. And when you come to this place Khajjiar, don't miss visiting the famous Khajji Naag temple there which is very old and historical.

It was built year and years ago by the then King of Chamba. And the temple when you see has a golden dome over it and because of that it is also called as the Golden Devi temple. The Khajji Nag temple is dedicated to Naag Devta and you can even find a lot of snake idols kept inside the temple and being worshiped daily. Further, there are even deities of Lord Shiva and Goddess Hidimba. All in all its a beautiful ancient temple worth exploring. The history of this temple I would be telling you in my next blog so make sure you do not miss giving that a quick read too.

Indeed, a lovely place. Difficult to find a match to this ultimate beauty of Khajjiar, Chamba, Himachal. Himachal is filed with immense natural beauty. It's like a paradise, it is real heaven on earth. Khajjiar would definitely be a great option, a great destination for your holidays. This place is not worth skipping in your North India or preferably Himachal vacation list. Best time to visit this place would be from August to October when the place is cool and comfortable. So, if you are planning to visit India during these months then consider including Khajjiar in Himachal in your list. During the winters, the place is filled with snow and the temperature there would be really low.

- Simmi Shekhar