Location
We are located at Ghurdaur village situated at the entrance of heritage village, Naggar.
Naggar is on the left bank of the Kullu-Manali Highway, half-way between Kullu and Manali, at an altitude of 1750 m in the Himalayas.
This village was the capital of erstwhile Kullu state for about 1400 years. The historic Naggar Castle still dominates the town, with magnificent views of the valley. It is open for tourists to visit. Naggar has number of ancient temples, including the Krishna Temple, with its serene and peaceful ambiance and panoramic view.
Naggar is also home to the world renowned art gallery which houses the artwork of Nicholas Roerich. The Roerich estate has preserved the way of life of this adventurous and spiritual family, offering a glimpse into their day to day lives. The museum showcases the connections forged between Naggar and scientific, cultural, and spiritual centres across the world.
UpNorth is about 20 Kms. short of Manali, making day trips to the historic temples, busy Mall Road, and bohemian Old Manali easy. It is about 72 kms from the famed Rohtang Pass, gateway to fabulous Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti valleys.
Getting here
Air: The nearest airport is Bhuntar Airport in Kullu (IATA code KUU) located in Bhuntar town at a distance of 40 km from Naggar and 10km from Kullu.
Rail: The most commonly used railway station is Chandigarh, with the rest of the journey by road.
Road: Naggar is about 280 km from Chandigarh. There are regular buses run by HPTDC as well as luxury buses (Volvo, Mercedes) by private operators.
See & Do
Whenever we think of visiting Himalaya for holidays many thoughts and dreams pass through our minds. Many people in hospitality and travel trade usually design the usual & common holiday packages visiting this awesome valley for few nights and days inclusive of these many things. But people who truly believe in celebrating their holidays for sheer rejuvenation from day to day stressed life in cosmopolitan city and want to spend some ‘real good time’ with the family/ friends & thus want to carry the remembrance of life time and with the feeling ‘we gonna come back’ to enjoy the sheer presence of Himalaya at Up North and the activities associated; one can entrust us for that care of those feeling/s if you have in them.
Situated at a height of 1750 mts, at UpNorth you just do not want to ‘see & do’ anything except sipping your tea/coffee and view the awesome four side view of the mountains in the east, north, west and valley in the south. A walk through the ages old traditional heritag village, to Gauri Shankar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva carved from stones and is among the only few stone carved temples in the valley, then walking up to Tripura Sundari Temple, an exemplary pagoda style architect of the area to Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery and Museum for a wonderful water color paintings of a noted Russian artist who settled here in 1929 and whose son married Devika Rani, the first cine artist of Indian Cinema. After having a fresh breather among the pine and deodar forest walking down from the Krishna Temple to Naggar Castle, which was built in 1460 by Raja Sidh Singh of Kullu (now have been taken over by HPTDC) having a cup of tea and viewing the awesome view of lower Beas valley is a unique experience. Just in the courtyard of Castle complex is Jagati Patt Temple, popularly known as the ‘Seat of Power’ of all the Gods and Goddesses of the valley. A 5x8x6 ft of stone slab considered to be that Seat of Power and believed to be brought by honey bees from Bhrigu Mountains. The deep blue sky in the night offers magnificent view of the stars which of course is not visible at all in cosmos; sitting near a bonfire while your dinner is being prepared.
Other than nature walks, experience of milking a cow, witnessing the local females on a weaving unit, going out for angling and getting lucky to get a trout for yourself, exerting yourself on the meandering forest trails with a mountains bike &/or dancing with the local dance cultural groups around the bonfire amidst the shining snowcapped mountains on a full moon can be a life time experience…
Being so passionate about the Himalaya and giving a ‘real good time’ on your holidays at Up North, we believe in simple philosophy of life and hospitality. The visit to Goddess Hadimba Temple, without her no soul is complete in the valley, to Manu Temple where Lord Vishnu in his celestial boat during the great deluge sent the seven saints along the siblings of the world to start the world again. The presence of Buddhism can not be ignored in Himalaya so as in Manali (20 kms.) where one can feel it by visiting Buddhist Monasteries (known as Tibetan Monastery) in town along with the famous shopping spree at Tibetan market with a sumptuous lunch at any of the restaurants in Manali town. Nevertheless, the visit to Rohtang pass ( 70 Kms.) (or the popularly known as snow point) and leaving aside the Mid Himalayan ranges and to be amongst/view the Greater Himalayan ranges on a clear day is an awesome experience so is doing paragliding at Raison/Solang valley.Other than this, the usual visit to the famous Parvati valley to visit the hottest water spring in the world at Manikaran (65 Kms.), where community food (Langar) is cooked in hot water. Manikaran truly symbolizes the strength of Indian society interwoven with many religions. The visit to Manikaran can be associated with the white water rafting in the river Beas for an exhilarating experience.
Above all after the opening of the Rohtang Pass; the trip to Ladakh through the tribal area of Lahoul or to Spiti-Kinnaur from UpNorth can be a life time experience.
Any kind of holiday programme depending upon your taste and interest can be designed.
We being blessed with the positive energies of Himalaya would appreciate your presence at UpNorth for vibrant, ecstatic and fun filled holidays where you cherish memories as you do not remember days; we remember moments of life.
Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery
Distance from Up North: 04 Kms.
The Nicholas Roerich Museum is one of the prominent museums in and around Manali.
Nicholas Roerich was a Russian artist arrived in the Himalayas after the revolution of 1917, where he died in the year 1947. He married to Helena Roerich and famous Indian actor Devika Rani was his daughter in law.
The Nicholas Roerich art gallery was founded in 1962 by Svyetoslav Roerich, son of Nicholas Roerich. The building that now houses the gallery once served as the residence of Nicholas Roerich. Himachal Pradesh Government and Russian Government have formed a trust to run this art gallery as the Roerich Heritage Museum.
The Castle, Naggar
Distance from Up North: 03 Kms.
The Castle was converted into a rest house, a hundred year back and in 1978 this ancient building was handed over to HPTDC to run as a heritage hotel. This medieval Castle was built by Raja Sidh Singh of Kullu around 1460 A.D. The hotel overlooks the Kullu Valley and apart from the spectacular view and superb location this has a flavor of authentic western Himalayan architecture. Castle is an unique medieval stone and wood mansion, once the home to the Raja of Kullu and now an HPTDC Heritage hotel.
Murlidhar Krishna Mandir
Distance from Up North: 04 Kms.
Krishna Temple called Murlidhar Temple which dates back to 1000 years is located just above the castle the shrine of Krishna is among one of the oldest temples in Kullu valley. The walk to the temple from Up North including the other important places of Heritage village Naggr is a remembrable experience.
Jana Waterfall
Distance from Up North: 14 Kms.
The drive is through the thick forest of Deodar and crosses the picturesque village Nashala. This fall is a charming picnic spot. Some Local Dhaba’s offer the authentic local meals near the waterfall.
Hadimba Temple, Manali
Distance from Up North: 23 Kms.
Hadimba Temple, which was constructed in the 16th century, is one of the most popular places to visit in Manali and is located amid a beautiful deodar forest on top of a hill in Manali. The temple holds great significance for the locals and also the tourists who frequently visit the pilgrim spot to seek blessings from Goddess Hadimba. The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Hadimba who was also the wife of the strongest of the Pandava brothers, Bhima. According to the Hindu mythology, Hadimba meditated in this region as an apology for her sins. So, she was given the position of Goddess by the most powerful Goddess Durga.
Tibetan Monastery, Manali
Distance from Up North: 21 Kms.
Manali has several colorful monasteries that represent the rich culture and history of the Tibetan people settled in Kullu and Manali. There are two main monasteries in Manali that draw a large number of tourists-the Gadhan Thekchoking Gompa and the Himalayan Nyingamapa Gompa. These monasteries are surrounded by several small shops selling beautiful handicrafts and carpets, made by Tibetan people living nearby these monasteries. The Tibetan Monasteries also run a Thanks School of Arts and a Carpet-weaving Center to preserve ancient Tibetan art. The paintings inside these buildings depict events from Lord Buddha’s life and the Kalchakra, i.e., the wheel of life fixed on the wall of the monastery shows the human life cycle. The Buddhists believe that rotating these wheelsgives you salvation.
Solang Valley, Manali
Distance from Up North: 35 Kms.
Solang valley is famous for hosting various winter adventure sports like skiing and paragliding. This dazzling valley is one of the most picturesque sights in Manali and is located at an average altitude of 2,560 meters above sea level. Solang Valley is located between the Solang village and Beas Kund and offers majestic views of glaciers and snow capped mountain. The Mountaineering Institute of Manali has installed a ski lift for training purpose and there is a small hut and a guest house that belongs to the Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institute. The winter skiing festival is also organized in Solang every year and the activities like Zorbing, Horse riding & Snow Motor Bikes riding are also offered to the tourists.
Vashisht Temple, Manali
Distance from Up North: 25 Kms.
Vashisht is a small village located around 3 km from Manali across the River Beas. This beautiful village is famous for its hot water springs and Vashisht temple, built just next to the springs. The water from this spring is believed to have great healing powers, which can cure many skin diseases and other infections. There are separate baths for both men and women.
Rohtang Pass
Distance from Up North: 73 Kms.
Rohtang Pass- a gateway to Lahaul and Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, remains one of the most spectacular destinations in the entire Kullu region. This picturesque pass is located at a height of 3980 meters, on Manali Leh highway. This mountain slope is so beautiful that people from every corner of the country visit this place. Rohtang Pass is open for tourist from April to October usually and remains closed for rest of months because of heavy layer of snow.
Atal Tunnel
Distance from Up North: 49 Kms.
The 9.02 km-long-tunnel, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), is the world’s longest highway tunnel and connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley. It provides all-weather connectivity to the landlocked valley of Lahaul-Spiti, which remains cut-off for nearly six months in a year as the Rohtang Pass is uually snow-bound between November and April. On the other side of the tunnel lies a spectacular village Sissu. The view of High peaks, glaciers, river and waterfall is breathtaking.
Parvati Valley (Manikaran, Kasol)
Distance from Up North: 60 Kms.
Parvati Valley starts from the confluence of the Parvati River with the River Beas, the Parvati Valley runs eastwards, through a steep-sided valley from the town of Bhuntar, in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh in Northern India. Manikaran is the most famous village of this valley for its boiling hot springs , temples and the Gurudwara.
