Himachal Pradesh Tourism

Situated in North India, Himachal Pradesh (Abode of Snow) is surrounded by Jammu & Kashmir on the north; Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh to the south; Uttaranchal to the south east and the Chinese territory of Tibet to the east. The state is mostly covered by the low Shivalik hill range towards the south and the dramatically high trans-Himalayan ranges as you go north. Thus you can proceed from hill-town Dharamsala in the south, at 1700m, to Lahaul-and-Spiti, the northernmost district, at 6500m. This geography and the resultant cool-to-snowy climate, define Himachal's tourist attractions as well; in fact, tourism and apple-growing run the economy of the state. Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, and Parbati are the main rivers. Given its mountainous nature, Himachal can best be understood in terms of its valleys. In the southern Kangra valley, Dharamsala and sister town McLeodganj are the focus of the Dalai Lama's Tibetan government-in-exile. In western Himachal lies Chamba Valley, with Dalhousie, a