Dodra-Kwar

Dodra and Kwar are two very beautiful villages (the area has other villages too), nestled in the remotest part of Himachal at a height of 2500 meters above sea level and are still pristine in their beauty.

Visit this place if you are up for adventure and an absolute off beat location. The only road to this place was built in 2009 and is seasonal.

The Dodra Kwar area arrives after you cross Chanshal pass from Rohru. You arrive first in Dodra and then Kwar. The area has close proximity to Uttrakhand, you can actually hike over to Garhwal on the other side, to the famous Har-ki-Doon trek. River Rupin, which is a tributary of Yamuna flows between these  two villages. Rupin pass trek connects Govind Pashu Vihar National Park to Kinnaur region of Himachal Pradesh.

Reaching Dodra-Kwar

To reach Dodra-Kwar you need to reach Rohru from Shimla. Rohru is in Pabbar valley and it takes six hours to reach here by road from Shimla. The road connecting Rohru and Shimla is very good. The distance between the two is 110 kms.

From Rohru you will need to cross Chanshal pass at a height of 4500 meters, and about 50 kms from Rohru. Dodra lies at 70 kms and Kwar at 90. Only one bus plies which leaves at 10 am. Depending on the condition of the road, it can take you 6 to 9 hours to reach Kwar.

At most places the road is almost nonexistent, the buses tend to get crowded so, reach early to get the tickets and seats.

Staying

Since it is a remote area, the options to stay are not too many. You could stay in Rohru which has an HPTDC hotel and various other hotels. If you are adventurous you could carry your own tent and stay in Chanshal. You can hike over mountain tops and meadows. You can find camp find camp site Chanshal, but these can be expensive.

In Dodra you can find  decent dhaba that offers you food and stay or you could camp in the fields. A small hike leads you to a waterfall where you can camp if you are carrying a tent.

In Kwar, there is a PWD guest house, which needs to be pre-booked. You need to take permission of the villagers to camp in the fields. Camping outside the village is not advisable as there are bears in the forest.

Things to do

A trail from Kwar can take you down to Rupin river, into the valley. It is an absolutely isolated place which make it so much more alluring and stunning. Its beauty is mesmerizing. You will find lots of trails and areas to hike around the village.

Dodra-Kwar area is full of medicinal herbs, wildflowers, rhododendrons, cedar and birch trees. The red crop of Amarnath gives the terraced field a fairytale makeover.  

Amarnath crop

Amarnath fields

“Not much has been written about the history and cultural aspects of Dodra – Kwar valley. The antecedents of the people of Dodra – Kwar are not available in any written records. Being the inhabited part of the Rupin Valley, a traditionally popular artery that connects the Baspa Valley and the HT Road with the Tons Valley and Dun Vale, the Dodra – Kwar villages were always circuitously connected with the outer world for a substantial part of the year. Yet the beautifully mysterious Dodra – Kwar villages remain almost unheard of outside the Himalayas and little known by those who are part of it. Much of this isolation is down to simple geography. The road may have connected the valley with the main circuit but various primitive traditions, beliefs and superstitions continue to survive and flourish. Folklores are held in awe. Local sources are largely a blend of myth and folklore and the early origins have to be gleaned from the larger story of other Himalayan kingdoms and its surroundings tracts.”

These lines are taken from a blog written extensively on Dodra-Kwar. You can read about it Here

Phone signals and internet connectivity is good till Rohru, from there on both are very limited.

Best season to visit would be summers and post monsoons. In winter, the entire area remains cut-off. (Mid November to mid March)

This post is part of    #BlogchatterA2Z 2023

You can read previous posts here A B C

Picture courtesy internet

© Deepika