Destination
Our Hotel
Our mountain hotel is neatly tucked in at the corner of the road overlooking the valley offering spectacular views and scenic beauty of the Baspa valley. We have thirteen well-appointed spacious rooms so that the guests can enjoy the natural quiet environment in comfort and luxury.
OSIYA SHAMBHU LODGE is the perfect place to enjoy your holidays and weekends with friends or family as well as meetings , seminars, conferences and company incentives. We’re a family and couple friendly hotel perfect for babies ,toddlers and older children. Moreover it gives us great pleasure in announcing that we are pet friendly so there is no need to leave your four legged friends at home.
Rakchham village is located in Sangla Tehsil of Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh, India. Rakchham village is around 10 km from Chitkul and around 12 km from Sangla and is ideally located between the two. It would not be a hyperbole if Rakchham is called the Switzerland of the East. Rakchham is formed by joining the words rak, meaning a rock and chham, meaning a bridge. Literally put Rakchham means a rock bridge.
MAY ALL WHO COME AS GUESTS LEAVE AS FRIENDS
History of Rakchham
The Raghu Dhan Bilantu Family were the first settlers of Rakchham . Rakchham is a tribal village and it has its own sets of unique tribal laws and customs.
On the evening of 18th November 2002, a fire broke out in Rakchham village. In this incident, 120 houses were totally burnt along with the ancient Kali Temple. Some cattle also died in the fire as the fire spread out very rapidly and giving not much time to the villagers to rescue their belongings. An estimated loss of Rs. 7 crores was reported.
Awards to the Village.
In 2008 the village received the Nirmal Gram award and on 15th August 2015 it was given the Maharishi Valmiki Sampoorn Swachata Puraskar (State Sanitation Reward Scheme ).
Rakchham
Rakchham is only accessible by road either by a private taxi or by a self-driven car or through one of the government HRTC buses or private buses that ply from Sangla. It will be prudent to confirm the bus timings a day in advance. The road leading to Rakchham is extremely narrow and windy and passes through steep cliffs. It’s asphalted but includes several small sections. There are some narrow sections -scarcely wide enough for two cars- where if two vehicles have to pass each other, one might have to reverse for some of winding narrow road to get to a place wide enough to pass. It shouldn’t be attempted by those who don't know how to reverse. The drive is not for the faint hearted. The journey might take a few hours not because of the road conditions or the volume of traffic but simply because travellers are compelled to stop regularly and take photographs of the stunning scenery. As exciting the journey is , the destination is equally breath taking and jaw dropping. Be prepared to be amazed by Amazing Rakchham.
By Road: From Delhi/Chandigarh guests can hire a car and reach Rakchham by staying overnight at Kalka or Shimla or Narkanda.
By Train: Shimla is the nearest railway station. Guests can take a bus from Shimla or hire a taxi to reach Rakchham via Kalpa.
Rakchham Chitkul Wildlife Sanctuary
Located at an altitude of 3200 to 5486m above sea level, Rakchham-Chitkul Wildlife Sanctuary is home to the diverse variety of flora and fauna. Various types of animals like the snow leopard, blue sheep, Himalayan black bear, musk deer and goral are found in the region. The reserve forest is spread over an area of 34sq km and tends to be a heaven for the trekkers and nature lovers. There are several trekking routes that pass through this sanctuary among which Lamkhanga Pass is the most famous as it connects Kinnaur with the Gangotri Glacier of Himachal Pradesh. The sanctuary does not experience monsoon as it lies under dry zone and that is why travellers can explore this reserve forest all through the year. The vegetation covering the forest are mostly of dry deciduous category. There are couple of temples around this reserve forest which can be delight for the believers.
Osiya Shoshla Café.
The café is located next to the Rakchham village bus stop. Flanked by mountains , the café has a gorgeous view of the valley. With an open garden sitting and a kids corner for our little guests , the café serves tea, coffee & food for the soul. The perfect place to write a book, to pursue any hobby or best not to do anything at all. Time stands still at this place.
Chitkul
Chitkul is a village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is the last inhabited village near the Indo-China border. The Indian road ends here. During winters, the place mostly remains covered with the snow and the inhabitants move to lower regions of Himachal. Potatoes grown at Chitkul are one of the best in the world and are very costly. Of particular interest at Chitkul are its houses with either slate or wooden plank roofs, a Buddhist temple and a small tower. The Kagyupa temple has a highly valued old image of the Shakyamuni Buddha, a Wheel of Life mandala and four Directional Kings on either side of the door. Chitkul is practically the last point of the famous Kinner Kailash Parikrama.
Kamru Fort
The ever stunning Kamru Fort stands at an altitude of 2600 meters above sea level and is only 2 km from the beautiful Sangla Valley. The fort is set at a picturesque location and offers tourists beautiful views of the Sangla valley, streams, apple gardens and many more. The entry to the fort is through a series of gates and at the main gate, a stunning image of Lord Buddha is kept to greet the guests. The Kamru Fort has a graceful wooden balcony and at the top of the building is an idol of Kamakhya Devi (Kamakshi Devi), which is worth seeing. The idol is believed to have been brought from Guwahati and is of great importance for the people of Sangla village. There is also a Badrinath Temple in the Kamru Fort, which dates back to the 15th century and serves as the venue of a fair, held once every three years in the honour of the deity. In the procession that takes place at the time of fair, the idol of the deity is taken to Gangotri, the origin of the River Ganges.
Rakchham Village Walk
The village is a small pocket of tranquillity with narrow winding lanes that branch out throughout the friendly village. A walk through the same will lead you to making new friends for life. The locals are humble and content people deep rooted in tradition. Entire village can be covered on foot in a couple of hours. The village is dotted with apple orchards that add to the beauty of the place.
Batseri Village
Batseri is a beautiful village in Kalpa Tehsil of Kinnaur District in Himachal Pradesh and is known for its picturesque surroundings and amazing landscapes. There is a temple inside the village, which is dedicated to Lord Buddha and is visited by many tourists. The visitors are often enthralled by the captivating beauty of Batseri and so they spend their free time exploring the hidden spots in the village and capturing its uniqueness in their cameras. Basteri is also a nice place to buy handicrafts, handmade shawls and Kinnauri caps and the tourists love buying all these interesting items on their trip to this intrinsic village.
LOCAL FOOD & DELICACIES
Rakchham is famous for its apple, peaches, apricots, ogla, phafra and pine nut plantations. Pine nuts are called chilgoza in the local language.
The staple food is wheat, ogla, phafra and barley which are local produce. Besides these kankani, cheena, maize, chollair and bathu are also taken. The principal pulses consumed are peas, black peas and rajmah.
Camping ,Trekking, Picnics & Bonfires
Depending on the level of your fitness and appetite for adventure , we can organize your trip to suit your needs. Whether you want to climb mountains or walk through deep shaded valleys or camp in the lush greens under the star lit sky, we will enable you to experience your desired holiday.
Phulech (Flaich) Festival
All across Kinnaur, villagers seek out rare wildflowers from the mountainsides. These are presented to the local deity, whose image is brought out of his kim (temple house) to receive them on the chhori (the carved wooden bandstand-like platform found at the centre of most Kinnauri temple courtyards).
Kinner Kailash
The Kinner Kailash is popularly known as the abode of Lord Shiva and it is situated at a height of 6,500 meters above sea level. The magnificent beauty of this place makes it one of the most loved tourist spots in Kalpa, which is visited by hundreds of tourist every day. Many people come to this spot to undertake holy parikrama, which starts from Morang and ends in Kalpa. The surroundings of Kinner Kailash include gushing rivers, breath taking valleys, beautiful villages, lush green orchards, and majestic mountains.
The refreshing weather of this place makes it even more beautiful and unique and the visitors simply love to come here and explore the great Kinnaur region, which is blessed with so many natural wonders. Kalpa can be accessed by road through a car or bus from Rakchham village, and the further distance of Kinner Kailash can be covered through trekking
