Kufri



Short Descr
Kufri is a tiny hill station located near Shimla. It is famous for its trekking and hiking trails. Adventure-seeking travelers throng Kufri in winters to enjoy skiing and tobogganing along its snow-covered slopes. Kufri is also famous for its nature parks and picnic spots. Kufri’s proximity to the hill station of Shimla makes it an important place to visit.



Long Descr
Kufri is just 16 kms from Shimla, at the height of 2,633 mts. It is famous for it's ski slopes, and panoramic views where deep valleys and forests rise towards the lofty Himalayas. Through thick cedar woods one can walk upto the Mahasu Peak, or visit the little zoo. At Kufri, National Snow Statue Competition is held in the month of January. From Kufri, a fascinating drive leads on to Chail. 6 kms from Kufri, along the Hindustan-Tibet road, is Fagu. It presents breathtaking scenery.

Kufri is a tiny hill station. It is famous for its beautiful environs and the cool refreshing atmosphere that pervades it. In summers, travelers can enjoy the panoramic view of the surrounding verdant valleys and snow-capped peaks. There are a number of picnic spots, hiking and trekking trails in and around Kufri. Travelers can explore Kufri and its surrounding areas also on horseback. They can hike through thick forest around Kufri to the Mahasu Peak. The other places to visit in Kufri are the Himalayan Nature Park, which has a collection of animals and birds found only in Himachal Pradesh, and the Indira Tourist Park, which is near the Himalayan Nature Park and provides panoramic view of the locations around Kufri. In winters, the snow-covered slopes of Kufri come alive with skiers and other visitors.

Kufri offers a sight, beautiful to perfection. A tiny fishing hill destination it is widely visited by tourist for its beauty nonpareil . It was only during 1939 that Kufri unveiled its beauty to the world. A famous winter playground, Kufri proves to be an excellent skiing slope for tourists. An annual winter sports festival is organized every year in the month of February in Kufri, when skiing enthusiasts andadventure seekers participate in this festival. A straight walk through the thick cedar woods would make you reach to the Mahasu Peak or Chail, a fascinating drive. Flower bedecked meadows , beautiful temples and monasteries and some of the snowy gorges has made Kufri a pleasant hill station to be accessed easily.

The overlapping ridges straddled by the skiing slopes command a panoramic view deep valleys in Himalayas at Kufri. Covered by the Cedar woods all over is and is a mind blowing adventure zone just 16 kms from Shimla. Kufri was a part and portion of Nepal. Popular for its skiing slopes, the reminiscent of ancient mountains Kufri is a snow dipped natural beauty. It also has a Potato Research Station. Kufri has had several renditions, as summer capitals or skiing and trekking capital. Rugged with green beauty, Kufri restrains many breath holding sights.


The Past
The region around Shimla including Kufri was once a part of the Kingdom of Nepal. This region remained obscure from the rest of the world until the British ‘discovered’ it in 1819. The British made Shimla their summer capital in 1864 and it remained so until 1939. As Shimla gained importance, Kufri also began to be recognized as an important place to visit near Shimla.


Kufri's Festival
A winter sports festival is organized every year in the month of February in Kufri. Skiing enthusiasts and adventure seekers participate in this festival.



Elevation
Kufri - 2,633 mts


Location Details
Kufri is located in the southern part of the state of Himachal Pradesh, in the northern region of India. It is perched at an altitude of 2,510 m above sea level amongst the foothills of the Himalayas. It is 13 km from Shimla. The weather in Kufri is alpine.



How to Reach There and Distances
Kufri does not have an airport or a railway station. However, regular buses ply from Shimla, Narkanda, and Rampur to Kufri. Travelers can also hire taxis from Shimla to reach Kufri. The area around Kufri can be explored on horseback.



Best Season to Visit/Weather
Summers (April-June) are mild while winters (November-February) are cold. It experiences southwestern monsoon rains in July-September. It experiences heavy snowfall in December-January.

The best time to visit Kufri is in summers, between April and June.


To visit Nearby Places
Mashru Peak
It provides hiking between the thick dense groves around Kufri to the Mahasu Peak- the highest peak in Kufri.

Himalayan Nature Park
A national wildlife reserve this park boasts of the rare collection of flora, beasts and avifauna comprising the rare spotted migratory birds. The noticeable aspect of the the wild life park is its animals which are only spotted in Himachal.

KufriIndira Tourist Park
It happens to be one awesome park where The Indira Tourist Park is near the Himalayan Nature Park and provides panoramic view of the locations around Kufri.


Skiing
An quondam place for skiing Kufri is associated with skiing and the slopes are still in use during winter. Besides Kufri,the Mahasu ridge also has excellent slopes. Interestingly, Kufri's slopes segregated on the basis of beginner's run,an advanced slope and slalom run. State Tourism arranges a a short term course on skiing providing all special equipments for the course. The Skiing season spreads between November to February and the tourist inflow is at its peak during winters.


Sites Nearby
Shimla, the capital city of the state of Himachal Pradesh is only 13 km from Kufri. It is an important destination on the tourist map of India. The British developed Shimla as an important hill station and the summer capital of India to escape from the heat of Delhi. This sprawling hill station set amongst the picturesque Shivalik range and Shimla hills has a number of tourist spots and important temples, apart from its beautiful natural surroundings. Travelers visiting Kufri generally travel via Shimla. Fagu, which is 6 km from Kufri, is an interesting picnic spot set amongst forests and orchards.