A snow-topped mountain range rises above forested foothills with houses scattered below.

Himachal Pradesh · 7 Days

Himachal — Manali & Dharamshala

One night in Shimla to arrive, then Manali for the valley and the snow, and Dharamshala for the Tibetan town and the Dhauladhar.

Day by Day

7 Days, In Full

Himachal's northern half, the Kullu valley and the Kangra. A night in Shimla to arrive, then the drive to Manali for three nights: Hadimba and Old Manali, Solang and the Atal Tunnel. The drive west across the Kangra valley, past the tea gardens of Palampur, to McLeodganj for three nights. There the Dalai Lama's temple and the Tibetan town, and the Triund trek up under the Dhauladhar wall. It skips Shimla's sights, which the six and eight-day trips cover. It suits walkers and travellers drawn to the Tibetan side of the state.

Shimla

Arrive in Shimla

The usual way in is a drive from Chandigarh airport, about four hours, climbing through pine forest past Kasauli and Solan. The last stretch can be swapped for the narrow-gauge toy train from Kalka, which takes longer but is the better story. You reach Shimla in the afternoon. The evening is for the Ridge and the Mall, the traffic-free promenade where the town comes out to walk, with Christ Church lit at one end.

A river runs through a steep pine-forested gorge in Himachal Pradesh.

Shimla → Manali

Shimla to Manali — Down the Sutlej, Up the Beas

A long driving day, about eight hours over two hundred and fifty kilometres, and one of the more scenic in the state. The road drops to the Sutlej at Bilaspur, past the Gobind Sagar reservoir, then climbs the Beas gorge through Mandi and into the Kullu valley, which turns to apple orchards as you go. There are stops for lunch at Mandi and for the Kullu shawl workshops. You reach Manali by evening. An early start makes the difference on this leg.

Manali

Manali — Hadimba, the Old Town and the Hot Springs

A gentle day in and around the town. The Hadimba temple first, a carved wooden tower of 1553 in a grove of huge deodar cedars, cool and quiet above the town. Then Old Manali across the river, with its slate-roofed houses, the Manu temple, and the cafes along the lane. Vashisht, up the hill, has hot sulphur springs and an old stone temple. The afternoon is loose: the Mall, the Tibetan monasteries, or the club-house gardens by the river.

Manali

Manali — Solang Valley and the Atal Tunnel

A day toward the high country. Solang Valley, about thirteen kilometres up, is the adventure ground: a tandem paraglide off the slopes, the ropeway to a viewpoint, and, in winter, snow. Beyond it the Atal Tunnel, opened in 2020, runs nine kilometres through the mountain to Sissu in the Lahaul valley, a bare, dramatic landscape that used to be cut off for months. In summer, before the tunnel, the Rohtang Pass itself can be added with a permit. It is a day of snow and big views.

Green tea-country fields dotted with trees under a blue sky near Palampur, Himachal Pradesh.

Manali → Dharamshala

Manali to Dharamshala — Across the Kangra Valley

A drive of about seven hours, back down the Beas to Mandi, then west along the Kangra valley. The country opens up: terraced rice, the tea gardens around Palampur, and the Dhauladhar range running along the north the whole way, growing as you approach Dharamshala. There are stops at Mandi's old temples and at a Palampur tea estate. You reach McLeodganj, the upper town, by evening, with the snow wall close above.

Dharamshala

Dharamshala — the Dalai Lama's Temple and Little Lhasa

A day in the Tibetan town. The Tsuglagkhang complex first, the main temple across from the Dalai Lama's residence, with the Namgyal Monastery and the Tibet Museum, and the kora path around the hill hung with prayer flags. Then McLeodganj itself: the market, the cafes, and the Norbulingka Institute down the hill, where Tibetan thangka painting and metalwork are taught. The Bhagsu waterfall, a short walk from the village, is an easy afternoon. It is a day about a culture rebuilt in exile.

The open grassy ridgeline of Triund with brown-green slopes and higher mountains beyond.

Dharamshala

Dharamshala — the Triund Trek

The classic day walk of the Kangra hills. From the Galu Devi trailhead above McLeodganj, the path climbs about a thousand metres over nine kilometres, through oak and rhododendron forest, to the open grassy ridge of Triund at two thousand eight hundred metres. The Dhauladhar range stands straight above it, a wall of rock and snow, and the Kangra valley falls away behind. Four to five hours up, three down, with a guide and a packed lunch. It needs fitness but no skill, and it is the highlight of the region for walkers.

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luxury · 6 Nights