Friends Rainy Roads and the Last Days of the Year in Solang Valley

Solang Valley has earned the title of "Adventure Valley," and my friends and I left no stone unturned to live up to it. It's no stranger to traveling to Solang after a 12-hour road journey from Delhi, the capital of India, and falling asleep as soon as we entered the hotel. We've done this many times before, and this time we had a great opportunity to spend the night pretending to be out and about.

Continuous rain for two days and snowfall on the mountaintops have made the weather very cold. The temperature at night is dropping to -2 degrees. Believe me, even under the blanket, it's freezing, so I sleep wearing my jacket. In the morning, we wake up and go to the balcony to admire the valley. The harsh weather tells us to quietly get under the blanket or we'll catch a cold. I sneeze and return to the room.

It's raining outside, foggy, and there's a cold wind, to which I'm allergic. We can't go on a hike, so we get in the car and head to a nearby Starbucks for a hot cappuccino. The cafe's heater is on, giving us a chance to shed a layer. Dusk falls as we sip coffee, so we get in the car and head back to the hotel.

Out the window, I see the Beas River flowing furiously. The incessant rain has caused the river's water level to rise. We hope the weather clears up soon and we can go on a hike nearby. Late in the evening, the weather clears up a bit, and the confluence of the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal mountain ranges shines in the distance. Hanuman Tibba and Friendship Peak are visible here and there among the clouds. I turn on night mode on my phone and try to capture this amazing view.

The next morning, at 2450 meters, it's even colder. Today, we go to Starbucks again and repeat the same routine. Rain and snowfall continue in the higher reaches, but we can't stay confined to our hotel rooms, so we venture outside. Bhahang Village, Palchan Village, and Barua Village are located here. All the villages appear damp and cold.

We return to the hotel, where the weather seems to be clearing up. From the window, we can see Mount Patalsu covered in snow. In the afternoon, we sit in the hotel premises, drink lemon tea, and discuss the trip ahead. In the evening, my friends go to a nearby restaurant and enjoy meat and rice. I'm a vegetarian, so I fill my stomach with dal and roti.

On the third morning of this trip, we head to Starbucks, where we start the day with a hot cappuccino. We also try a few other breakfast items, the names of which I don't know at all, but they taste delicious. On our way back, we watched the weather clear up, the reflection of the mountains in the village windows. I never forget to capture these amazing views on my mobile phone.

Our jokes and fun never stop. Since there's no geyser in the hotel, we jokingly say we'll brush our teeth with Bold Monk. Old Monk is a famous whiskey in India. So, these were our three days spent around Solang. We drank hot coffee and resisted the constant heavy rain in our hotel rooms.

Trips with friends are always memorable. This trip was in October. We spent about 10 days in the Solang Valley and, when the weather cleared, did a lot of hiking around. Now, I would like to bid you farewell. Yes, this is the last post of this year. I will write another post tomorrow, January 1st. Happy New Year 2026 to all my dear friends.

Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi and I have used Google Translator to translate the Hindi text in English. All the photos have been clicked by me from One Plus 13R, and post thumbnail created in adobe photoshop.

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