Khajjiar is a hill station, near town of Chamba in Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, India, located approximately from Dalhousie. Khajjiar lies on a small plateau with a small stream-fed lake in the middle that has been covered over with weeds. The hill station is surrounded by meadows and forests. It is about above sea level in the foothills of the Dhauladhar ranges of the Western Himalayas and peaks can be seen in the distance. It is part of the Kalatop Khajiar Sanctuary. Khajiar can be reached from Dalhousie, the nearest major town and hill station, by bus in an hour or so. It has a rare combination of three ecosystems: lake, pasture, and forest. Mini Switzerland On 7 July 1992, Swiss Envoy Willy P. Blazer, Vice-Counsellor and Head of Chancery of Switzerland in India brought Khajjiar on the world tourism map by calling it "Mini Switzerland". He also put a sign of a yellow Swiss hiking footpath showing Khajjiar's distance from the Swiss capital Bern: ". Khajjiar is among the 160 locations in the world that bears a topographical resemblance with Switzerland. The counselor also took a stone from Khajjiar which will form part of a stone collage around the Swiss Parliament to remind the visitors of Khajjiar as a "Mini Switzerland of India". Accommodation There is a hotel and some cottages run by HP Tourism at Khajjiar where the tourists can stay. Besides that, there are two rest houses, one each of P.W.D. and Forest Department. A couple of private hotels have also come up, which do not match the above places in terms of location and amenities. Travel Most tourists travel to Khajjiar by private or rented vehicles. Bus service to and from Khajjiar is limited and timing changes according to local demands. Places of interest The best entertainment in Khajjiar is to walk around the lake or to go for long walks in the thick pine forests. In winter there is snow which can be up to of height. Children enjoy this place because of the freedom of movement and the sloped terrain which permits them to roll down to the lake without getting hurt. Some other attractions include horse riding and paragliding. There is a huge Hanuman Statue and a park. Dauladhar mountains Dense deodars, pines and lush green meadows are characteristics of Khajjiar. Since Khajjiar is situated at the base of the Dauladhar mountains, the