Districts of East Himachal Pradesh have major tourist"s conglomeration. Kinnaur District and Shimla District are the two districts having pilgrimage tourism and nature tourism destinations. Most of Kinnaur and Shimla enjoy a temperate climate due to its high elevation, with long winters from October to May, and short summers from June to September. The lower parts of the Sutlej River Valley and the Baspa Valley receive monsoon rains, but it is scanty. The upper areas of the valleys fall mainly in the rain-shadow area. These areas are considered to be arid regions, similar to the climate of Tibet. The Central Asian landscapes are common here along with the Hindustan-Tibet Highway. Kinnaur and Shimla has the villages like which are apt for rural tourism and nature tourism.
Kinnaur District
Kinnaur District is one of twelve administrative districts in Himachal Pradesh. The district is divided into three administrative areas - Pooh, Kalpa, and Nichar - and has five tehsils. The administrative headquarters of Kinnaur district is at Reckong Peo. From here Kinnaur Kailash, considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva can be viewed. There are many trekking routes in the district of Kinnaur. Ski slopes are available at Kalpa and rock climbing is also done by the adventure lovers. Some of the major tourism destinations in Kinnaur district are Kalpa, Reckong Peo, Sangla, Chango, Chhitkul, Koshtampi, Leo, Lippa, Moorang, Nichar, Nako, Namgya, Spuwa, Rakchham and Ribba
Shimla District
Shimla District became popular as it became the summer house for the British people in India in colonial times. Shimla district lies between longitude 77.00 minutes and 78.19 minutes east and latitude 30.45 minutes and 31.44 minutes north. The headquarters is in Shimla. It is surrounded by Mandi District and Kullu District in the north, Kinnaur District in the east, Uttarakhand in the southeast, Solan District to the southwest and Sirmaur District in the south. The elevation of the district ranges from 300 meters (984 ft) to 6,000 meters (19,685 ft). Shimla District has the major tourism destinations like Christ Church and St. Michael`s Cathedral, Jakhu Temple, Sankat Mochan temple, Tara Devi Temple, The Mall Road, Kali Bari, Viceroy Lodge and Botanical Gardens, Observatory Hills, The Ridge, Prospect Hill, Glenn, Annandale, Mashobra, Fagu, Chail, Hatkoti and many more. Shimla is full of thickly populated pine trees and small rivulets, rivers in deep gorges and placid mountains lakes, mountain draped in snow, and green alpine meadows, all form a part of this immense spectrum. There are scope for day-hikes and trek routes that follow trails. These vary from gentle walks over easy terrain, to grueling expeditions. There are the opportunities of skiing, heli-skiing and ice-skating.
