Culture Tours
CULTURE TOUR 1: the Himachal Rural Delight - an out of the ordinary exploration 5Nts / 6 Days
This
memorable tour takes you to small quaint villages set near the road
making them 
easily accessible. While being based in Manali town from
where the tour begins, we visit the Old Manali Village
still captivating with quite a few houses nevertheless surviving, built
in traditional style with beautiful carvings on their frontage; the
village of Vashisht a few kilometres away high on a
hillside has dwellings even more traditional than Old Manali and the
cobbled paths running through the village are still existent. The hot
sulphur springs and an ancient temple are other attractions. On our
tour we visit the villages of Burua - Shanag and Solang ; drive through the breathtaking Parvati valley visiting the villages of Kasol, Manikaran and Barsheini. Another
delightful valley is that of Banjar through which we drive alongside
the surging Tirthan River home to Trout Fish and the Himalayan Otter.
Up above Banjar lies the small hamlet of Shoja at 2638m with its
beautiful meadows and lush forests of Oak, Pine and Fir. Keeping Shoja
as our base living in the two quaint guest houses we explore the
surrounding villages.
CULTURE TOUR 2: Along with the Gaddi Nomads of Himachal -Exploring an isolated mountain village. 11 Nts / 12 Days
This
tour involves about 5 days of trekking as Bara Banghal the primary
village of the Gaddis (nomadic shepherds of Himachal Pradesh) is one of
the remotest hamlets in the region and is still not connected by road.
However this culture tour is well worth it. You get a chance to mingle
with a friendly community who live one of the hardiest lives in the
Himalayas. First we drive from Manali to the small predominantly
Tibetan settlement of Bir and then further up to Billing, in the
adjacent Kangra Valley. Our 5 day trek to the village of Bara Banghal
starts from here. Only one mountain pass has to be crossed - the 4570
metre high Thamsar (Got) Pass. The path to this beautiful village is
well defined and relatively easy though some steep inclines will be
encountered.
CULTURE TOUR NO: 3: The Temple Tour
Himachal
Pradesh is richly endowed with a profusion of temples both ancient and
new. This 
special tour would be of great interest to archaeologists,
historians and researchers on temple architecture. It of course will be
a great boon for Hindu pilgrims wanting to pay homage at these
religious sites. The tour takes you from the Kullu Valley through the
Kangra Valley to Chamba district and finally ends at the train head of
Pathankot. Some of the more famous temples include -the 9th century
shikara style Shiva Temple of Baijnath; and the close by Chamunda Devi
Temple; the ornate Bajreshwari Temple in Kangra town; the Jwalamukhi
Temple in Kangra district; the famous 8th century six Lakshmi Narayan
Chamba Temples and the 9th century Chaurasia temples at Bharmaur.
CULTURE TOUR NO: 4: The Great Himalayan Monastic Tour I
This
is one of our most fascinating and rewarding journeys through the Great
Himalayan 
Mountain Range of the Western Himalayas taking you through
breathtaking landscapes to age-old monasteries where time seems to have
stopped hundreds of years ago. Starting from Manali you drive across
the 13,050 ft high Rohtang Pass emerging into the
Lahaul Valley. You continue to Keylong the district capital where you
check into a hotel. In the afternoon we visit Khardung Monastery .
Founded about 800 years ago it is the largest in Lahaul. Perched high
on a mountain ledge across the sluggish River Bhaga, Khardung is home
to a large community of Lamas (Monks) and Chomos (Nuns) and one of the
largest libraries of Buddhist manuscripts in the region. The next day
we visit the Gemur Monastery on the way to the tented camps at Sarchu mid-way to Leh. The 4830m high Baralacha La has to be crossed before descending to Sarchu. The next day we cross the 16,600 ft Long Lacha La
pass and driving through the vast plain of Kyungshu or More Plains (45
Kms of high altitude shrub plains with teeming wild life) we come to
the foot of the 17, 469 ft high Tanglang La pass.
For detail mail us info@globalholidaysmanali.com