KUFRI, a hill station located at about 20 kilometres
from Shimla, has emerged as the modern-day upscale summer retreat of north
India. This is the result of crass commercialization
and exploding population of Shimla taking a toll on its infrastructure. In fact, many tourists stay in Kufri and travel
to Shimla for sight-seeing.
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| Hill station Kufri lies perched on Himalayan range of mountains |
FOR A
RELAXING HOLIDAY
(By Subbaram Danda)
The road from Shimla rises steeply and gains staggering
1,400 feet in altitude by the time Kufri is reached. Its elevation at 8,630 feet above the sea
level enables one to see the Himalayan range of mountains in their natural
splendour. Several holiday resorts and
entertainment joints have come up in Kufri to serve a discerning clientele. Already it has a very popular zoo that showcases
rare Himalayan animals and birds.
Sterling
Resort
We stayed at Sterling Kufri that nestled on a hillock offering
panoramic views of the verdant valleys and gleaming peaks around. Its rooms were spacious with all modern
facilities. In the mornings through a
large window in our room we could watch the sun rise over distant mountains and
glow in a flush of fiery orange light – a rare and awesome sight. Though the night temperature touched 10
degrees C, we did not feel the chill, as the room was centrally heated. It proved an ideal place to relax.
Interestingly, we did not have to pay anything for our
stay, as a couple of decades ago we had purchased some holiday units in Sterling
that entitle us to stay in its resorts for certain days a year. We had only to pay nominal utility
charges. In the restaurant too we were
eligible for a 20% discount besides a 5% concession for senior citizens. We were pleasantly surprised to find that
south Indian dishes like idly, dosa, vada, uppuma and kitchadi were available
in the restaurant together with two types of chutneys and sambar. In fact, chefs prepared dosas in our full
view in a corner of the restaurant. Interestingly,
they were much sought after by north Indian guests.
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| Frontage of Sterling Resort at Kufri |
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| Our room in the resort |
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| Sunrise as seen through a window in our room |
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| Hills and valleys could be seen from our room |
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| The valley behind the resort |
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| In the restaurant of the resort |
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| Breakfast in the restaurant |
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| Chefs making dosas |
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| In the Reception area |
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| At the resort's parking lot |
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| Various blocks of the resort |
Adventure
Resorts Theme Park
Touted as the “best hill adventure venue,” the park
attracts the young and the old alike. We
went there around 10:00 a.m. Its
attractions included Sky Swinger, Bungy Trempoline, Zipline, Go Carting and a variety of other
rides. Among the in-house fare were the House
of Horrors and a 5D cinema.
We carefully avoided the rides in view of our age and
settled for the film out of curiosity to know what those 5D effects were. We were taken inside a theatre with seats of
a different kind. There were no arm
rests. We had to hold two vertical bars in
the front with our two hands, keeping our legs on a somewhat raised footrests. Our seat belts were fastened. We wore 3D glasses.
We heard a bell ring and the film whirred to a start. It featured a roller-coaster ride. When it took a steep plunge or turned at an alarmingly
high speed, our seats tilted accordingly, giving the feeling that we were
participating in the ride. When it pierced
through a waterfall, real water from an overhead sprinkler fell on us in a mild
shower. Occasionally a shrill hooter came
alive, supplementing the sounds coming from the film. It was a virtual roller-coaster ride.
Everything was over in five minutes. It was a new experience for us. Apart from the 3Ds with which we were familiar,
the two other dimensions were seat-tilting and water sprinkling.
Later, we went round the large park, just looking
around. There were many spots providing
excellent views of the Himalayan peaks in the mellow sunlight. We felt evenings would be far more pleasant
there.
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| At the entrance to the theme park |
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| Sky Swinger in the background |
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| Shopping arcade in the theme park |
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| A cottage in the theme park |
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| Himalayan ranges as seen from the theme park |
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| Around the theme park |
Himalayan
Nature Park
The park was rich in Himalayan flora and fauna. Stretching over 220 acres, it housed animals
and birds in large enclosures. Mammals
of different types like musk deer, black bear, Tibetan wolf, leopard, and
pheasant were the major attractions in the park, in addition to well-grown trees like
deodar, oak and pine.
Long paved walkways enabled visitors to go round the
vast area in an orderly fashion. Boards
at intervals provided information on the animals that could be seen in the
vicinity. In our exploration, we spotted
a leopard at a distance hiding behind a boulder and a black bear splashing water
in a tank on the ground. After a while the bear came out of the tank and stood on its edge for a few minutes, as if posing for our cameras. From a close
range we also glanced at a few Himalayan wild goats. Interestingly, we also stepped into a mini
museum located in the premises.
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| A black bear coming out of a water tank |
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| In the mini museum of the Himalayan Nature Park |
In the hill station there were a few other joints,
which offered a slightly different fare.
There youngsters enjoyed pony rides along long ridge fringes. These places would come especially alive
during the times of snowfall with several games geared to the season.
At the end of it all, we felt Kufri provided us a
relaxed and tranquil holiday. Undoubtedly,
it is a unique hill-station where a man, caught in the whirlpool of present-day
life, can find perceptible solace. (Ends)
(Our tri-city sojourn concludes)
May 20, 2018
