Things to Do
Top Hiking Trails
of Kasauli
Put on those hiking shoes and step on these lovely trails in and around Kasauli…
1. Khushwant Singh Nature Trail
Go on a nice long hike and spend the day exploring the forests and nearby places on this trail.
Named after author Khushwant Singh, who did most of his writing in his Kasauli house, the trail takes you through pine forests with certain vantage points giving lovely views of the plains below.
This beautiful trail was originally a village path that connected Kasauli with Kalka, the first town in the Shivalik foothills, when there were no roads. The trail length is 12 kilometers.
Kasauli old-timers say that Khushwant Singh used to mostly go on long hikes on this trail and hence the name.
2. Monkey Point
The highest point of Kasauli, Monkey Point provides a 360-degree view of the plains below and the high mountain ranges of the Himalayas. There is also a temple located at the top.
It’s a nice hike and takes around an hour or so to reach the top. The highest point used to be called ‘Tapp’s Nose’ as its shape must have matched that of the nose of Colonel H Tapp, a political agent posted in Subathu. Tapp had served as a Political Agent to the Shimla hill states from 1836 to 1841 and carried out the first survey of Kasauli before the town was founded.
Anyway, if you are looking for a good view of Kasauli’s surroundings or just want to go out for a nice little hike then Monkey Point is ideal for you. Since the area comes under the Air Force station, you are not allowed to carry cell phones.
Here’s how the view was described from the top by a writer, who had visited Kasauli hills in the 19th century. He compares the absence of water bodies to that of a beautiful face with eyes shut:
“The view of the plain is boundless. Standing on the summit of the hill looking down the declivity of nearly 6,000 feet, there is one vast map spread before you, which in the different lights of morning and evening shows a magic variety of tints and shades…In all this landscape there is but one thing wanting, the one deficiency which prevents our hills from being absolutely lovely, and that is the absence of water. No lake, no stream, enlivens the view; and this makes all the rest like a beautiful face with the eyes shut.”
3. Gilbert Trail
It’s a nice short trail named after Major General Walter Raleigh Gilbert. Gilbert is believed to be one of the first inhabitants of Kasauli along with Henry Lawrence.
A British military official, he was the commander of the Sirhind division and had got himself built a house in Kasauli in 1845. Presently, the house is the official residence of the station commander or the Flag Staff house.
4. Day Hikes
You can also go hiking in and around Kasauli. You can either take long walks on the main town roads leading to Air Force Station and Gilbert House or walk down to Garkhal village and up the Sanawar village and forests around.
