Spectacular scenery, cool temperatures, opportunities for skiing, white water rafting and trekking combine to make Himachal Pradesh India's favorite mountain area. Tens of thousands of visitors come every summer to Simla which was the summer headquarters of the government during the days of the British and is now the state's capitol. They come to the beautiful Kullu Valley with its apple orchards and deodar forests, to Dharamshala , which overlooks the equally beautiful Kangra Valley and is the home of the Dalai Lama and many other Tibetan exiles, and they visit the sulfur hot springs at Vashisht in the Kullu Valley. Pilgrims go the 1200 year old Shiva temple in Baijnath, in the Kangra Valley area, and to Kangra (town)'s famously wealthy Brajeshwari Devi temple (sacked and looted of its fortunes several times through history), as well as to the Jawalamukhi temple in the Beas Valley which houses an eternally burning flame and is the most popular pilgrimage destination in the state. Most of the Kinnaur area, in the east, is off limits to travelers because of its proximity to the border. Himachal Pradesh rises up quickly, from rice and wheat fields to apple orchards to pine forests and finally snowy peaks of over 6000 meters in the Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar and the great Himalayan Ranges. Between these are the fertile and beautiful Kangra and Kullu Valleys. In the far north are the remote valleys of Spiti and Lahaul, and in the south is the Sirmaur area, another very fertile valley. The lower, southern part of the state escapes the deep snows that cover the northern area and render many roads impassable and large areas of the state inaccessible from October or November to June.

The Greater Himalayas: - The altitude of this zone ranges from 4500 meters (13,500 feet) to the highest points of the great Himalayas in different areas. The Great Himalayan Range Rivers along the Eastern boundary. The Satluj River divides it and separates the Spiti's (Lahaul-Spiti) drainage from Beas. Areas in this zone are district Kinnaur, tehsil Pangi of Chamba district and some areas of Lahaul and Spiti. The normal rainfall in this zone is low. The climate in this zone is not cold in summer and of semi-arctic nature in winter. The soil is thick and supports variable fertility. The climate in this zone is very suitable for cultivation of dry fruits. Rainfall in this zone is low but Snowfall is very heavy. Snowfall in this zone starts in the mid of October-November to March-April. Snowfall is so heavy and geographical conditions are so odd that during the period of snowfall, the whole region remains cut off from the rest of the world. During the period of snowfall in this zone, the quality of life suffers and life looks very isolated. The famous Zanskar Range is also found in this part of the Himalayas which is Eastern most range. This range acts like a big wall by separating Spiti and Kinnaur from Tibet. Zanskar Range has a number of very high peak points rising over 6,500 meters (19,500 feet). The highest among its peaks is Shilla which is 7,025 meters (21,075 feet) high. The second one is Reo-Purgyal which is 6,791 meters (20,373 feet) high.

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