***Disclaimer***
After reading this, you might feel the strong urge to pack your bags and book a ticket to GHAS (Great Himalayan Adventure Studio), Palampur. If that happens, mubarak, aap influence ho chuke ho and mera kaam poora.. Haha. Read further on your own risk.
Once upon a time, when I got to know that Stay on Skill is planning a meetup to Dharamkot and Palampur, I just couldn’t resist and join that trip.
From Dharamkot, we took a local bus to Palampur. It took almost 1.5 hours to reach Palampur, and then 10 more minutes to reach GHAS (Great Himalayan Adventure Studio).
I have been to tea garden before (in Bir Billing) but trust me when I say, Palampur tea gardens are crazy. They are huge and more like Tea Garden down there in South (I have never been to Tea Garden in the South, just saw in pictures)
GHAS (Great Himalayan Adventure Studio) is situated right in the middle of tea estates and we had good 6-7 hours in hand to experience the activities planned. To start with, we were welcomed with the Ice tea (straight from the gardens). It was definitely one of the best ice tea I have ever had. For obvious reason, it was pure, organic and just so refreshing). I had 4 glasses of it!
Before I go further, let me tell you a bit more about GHAS.
About GHAS:
Great Himalayan Adventure Studio is the brainchild of Mr. Mayur Sud. Himalayan Adrenaline (almost 5 months old adventure park) is one of its kind in our Nation offering outdoor experiential activities exhilarating fun to visitors visiting Kangra districts and its beautiful towns like Dharamshala, Gopalpur, Palampur, Garli – Pragpur, Baijnath, Bir, Billing & many other places. Set admits a semi-urban tea estate surrounded by pine forest with a backdrop of the snowcapped Dhauladhars offer an exciting location add to the thrill and experience.
Activities Offered:
- ATV Rides
- Paintball
- Archery
They are an Official Polaris Experience Zone spread across 55 acres of land, where guest can experience top of the line ORV / ATV ‘s, they can ride them on their tea track 350 mtrs and once they have an hang of the ORV they can graduate to their longer trails upto 8 kms. Besides they can enjoy archery and paintball in addition to their signature tea tasting tours and ClickWalks which surely can be clubbed with ATV rides.
Food:
Their café serves quick yummy bites on the go & also, they customize their menus as per group requests with prior notice where they can serve traditional Kangri staples to lip-smacking barbeques.
During our visit, were served the authentic himachali meal (cooked by local ladies). I Personally recommend everyone to try the meal whenever in Palampur. Not to miss, the red chilli chutney was my favourite.
Stay:
They also offer Camping experiences around the stream. There is no room setup sort of thing. You can pitch your own tents or request them if they can arrange the same for you. (Price starts from Rs. 500).
Tea Factory visit- Himalayan Brew
After experiencing all the activities at GHAS, we went to a Tea Factory tour. It was my first time to a tea factory and was already so excited. There is this factory called – Himalayan Brew, approx 10-15 mins from GHAS.
The manager there gave us the whole factory tour and explained the complete process. Himalayan Brew mostly deals in A grade black tea which they export and is priced at Rs. 2500-3000 per kg.
Needless to say, it was one good experience.
How to reach Palampur (from Delhi): 490 km
By Air:
The nearest Domestic Airport is Dharamsala Kangra Airport, Gaggal, roughly one hour drive from Palampur. The Airport is well connected to a spectrum of cities in the country. The second nearest International Airport is Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, roughly 231 Km from the city. It is well connected to several major cities like Pathankot, Dalhousie, Delhi, and Jammu.
By Rail:
Palampur has its own Railway Station named as Palampur Railway Station which is connected to the major cities of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated on the major Palampur – Kangra Valley Narrow gauge railhead and is linked with the cities like Pathankot, Kangra, and Palampur. It’s 5.3 kms from the main city.
By Road:
Palampur is 39 Kms from Joginder Nagar, 47 Kms from Sandhole, 35 Kms from Dharamshala, 115 Kms from Pathankot, 153 Kms from Gurdaspur, 200 Kms from Manali, 212 Kms from Shimla, 259 Kms from Chandigarh and is connected through Himachal Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (HPSRTC) and some private travel services. You can easily get an overnight volvo from Delhi or Chandigarh.
Who should plan for GHAS?
- Corporate groups
- Solo travelers looking for some “experience”
- Foodies (for an authentic Himachali meal)
- Adventure lovers
- Group of friends who wish to have a complete fun package – camping, adventure, experience, and good food
- Couples (for some romantic walks in tea estates and ATV rides)
- Kids
My Experience and Verdict:
After Paragliding and rafting, I guess this ATV ride was one adventure I did. I was so scared of it but then, that adrenaline rush was crazy.
The hosts – Mr. Mayur Sud and his wife are very sweet and I totally appreciate their concern towards safety during the activities.
They have spent some good amount of resources (in terms of time, efforts and money) in all the safely gears. I will give 5/5 for the whole experience.
How to Book:
Address: Great Himalayan Adventure Studio Pvt. Ltd., Raipur Tea Estate.Thakurdwara, Palampur.Himachal Pradesh – 176102.
Email: info@HimalayanAdrenaline.com
Website: https://www.himalayanadrenaline.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghasxp/
Contact Number: +91 97699 47009 | +91 98162 17644
Whenever you plan to visit Bir, or Mcleodganj or Palampur, you should definitely spare 7-8 hours for GHAS experience. You won’t regret it.
Do check out my Instagramand Facebookfor regular updates of my trips and events. Also, don’t forget to share your feedback about this blog in the comments Section. See you in the next one!
XOXO
