Dalhousie

At 2,755 metres, Dainkund is the highest peak near Dalhousie and the reason the area is often called the ‘singing hill,’ as wind passing through the deodars creates a soft humming sound. Just a short 2-km walk from the Air Force base road leads to the summit, crowned by the small Pholani Devi temple. From here, sweeping views extend over the Ravi, Chenab, and Beas rivers and deep into the Pir Panjal range making it one of the most rewarding places to visit in Dalhousie in 2 days, often paired with a Dalhousie Khajjiar excursion.

Khajjiar is a saucer-shaped grassland at 1,950 metres ringed by thick deodar forest, often called the 'Mini Switzerland of India' — a comparison that a Swiss envoy's visit in 1992 made semi-official. A small lake and a 12th-century Khajji Nag temple sit at the centre, while horses graze the meadow and tourists zip around on zorbing balls, paragliders, and pony rides. The 24-kilometre drive from Dalhousie winds through the Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary, often thick with fog and occasional wildlife sightings.

Panch Pulla ('five bridges') is a shaded forest stream east of the town with a marble memorial to Sardar Ajit Singh, uncle of Bhagat Singh, who died here in 1947. A short walk away, Subhash Baoli is a perennial spring under a deodar canopy where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is said to have meditated during his 1937 stay. Together they form a gentle morning loop through some of the quietest woodland in Dalhousie.