Tani Jubbar Lake
lake · 21 min from Narkanda
1 night · 2 daysFirst visitClassicbalanced
Two days around Narkanda — Hatu Peak and the apple belt at Kotgarh
A two-day Narkanda plan: Hatu Peak and its temple on day one, then the apple belt at Kotgarh and Tani Jubbar Lake on day two. Free, copyable itinerary.
Two days around Narkanda: Hatu Peak on the first, then the apple belt at Kotgarh and Tani Jubbar Lake on the second. The one-day plan does the peak and the lake together.
Timing is in when to visit Narkanda, and the stops are in things to do in Narkanda.
Photos: Himalayanlens (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ashish Gupta from Noida, India (CC BY 2.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Anyone with a night in Narkanda who wants the apple belt as well as the peak.
Day by day
Day 1
Hatu Peak
A slow day with the peak at the start and the town to yourself after.
- 08:30Hatu Mata TempleThe wooden temple at the top of Hatu Peak, 18 minutes up the road.
Day 2
Kotgarh and the lake
Down into the orchards first, then back up through the forest.
- 09:30KotgarhThe village where the first American apple tree in India was planted in 1916; walk between the orchards.
- ↓ 1 h by road · 29 km13:30Tani JubbarThe small forest lake, on the way back up.
Getting there
Narkanda is about 59 km from Shimla, roughly 113 minutes by car or bus. See how to reach Narkanda.
Where to stay
Stay in Narkanda both nights; Kotgarh is a half-day trip, not a place to move to.
Know before you go
- Visit the orchards in spring blossom or at the autumn harvest; ask before entering any.
- Fill the tank in Narkanda; the Kotgarh road has few stops.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
All Narkanda itineraries →
Questions people ask
Is two days in Narkanda too long?
Not if you want the apple belt. Hatu Peak and the lake fill one day, and Kotgarh, 43 minutes away, makes a second half-day trip with the orchards. Outside the blossom and harvest seasons, the one-day plan is enough, and Narkanda works well as a stop on the highway.
When is the best time for Kotgarh?
Spring for the blossom and autumn for the harvest, according to the pattern of the apple belt. Snow covers the area from November to March, and the monsoon runs July to September, so plan around those. Ask locally before walking into any orchard.
Where should you stay for this plan?
In Narkanda for both nights. Day one starts and ends in town, and day two is a loop down to Kotgarh and back up past the lake, so there is no reason to move bags. Rooms range from simple lodges to the tourism corporation's own.