Today being our last day of exploration around the “less explored” areas of Mussoorie, we will head to the Happy Valley. Begin your hike along the Spring Road & straight ahead to the Library Chowk in a 15 minutes walk. From the library chowk, we go towards Hotel Savoy road & dodge the major hustle bustle of tourists going to Kempty Fall & Company Garden. But you, my Dear Traveller, are not meant to tread where the crowd is & I have the perfect sneak out for you. Your hike today from Library Chowk to Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy (LBSNAA) will cover about 3 Kms & a completely flat section walk on the road. To your right, you will be greeted by the mighty Shivalik ranges & the notorious langurs and well until LBSNA, it is all crowded. (So I suggest a good pair of headphones).
But your wait ends at Cafe, The Charleville Book Store on your right confronting the LBSNAA (Which is now a part of erstwhile Charleville Hotel Complex as seen in the picture above) gates. Now, look no further, just take the downhill road which shares the boundary of LBSNAA OH.AND…Welcome to the Happy Valley! I see your grin there, yes indeed…it is a very Happy Valley. This downhill nature hike is a walk into the past of the Tibetian government in exile, as it is here that H.H. Dalai Lama first arrived in 1959, leaving behind a community of Tibetian families who have thrived within the culture & hospitable environment of Mussoorie. After you have walked for about 10 minutes, you will come across the mansion of then Congress stalwart, GD Birla, known as Birla House. This house is no ordinary mansion but is a historic landmark for it has housed not only H.H. Dalai Lama, but also Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru & his family too!
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