A wide green Manali valley opens toward cloud-wrapped mountains in Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh · 6 Days

Himachal — Shimla & Manali

The classic pairing — two nights in Shimla for the colonial town, then three in Manali for the temples, Solang and Naggar.

Day by Day

6 Days, In Full

The Himachal trip most first visits take. Two nights in Shimla: the Ridge and the Mall, the Viceregal Lodge, Jakhu and Kufri, with a leg of the toy train on the way in. The long, scenic drive down the Sutlej and up the Beas to Manali. Three nights there for the Hadimba temple and Old Manali, the Solang valley and the Atal Tunnel, and a half-day at Naggar for the castle and the Roerich gallery. It is the core of the state at a steady pace, and the seven and nine-day trips add Dharamshala.

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.

Shimla

Shimla — the Colonial Town and Kufri

A full day around the old summer capital. A morning heritage walk covers the Mall, the Ridge, the Gaiety Theatre and the Lower Bazaar. Then the Viceregal Lodge on Observatory Hill, the heavy stone mansion where the British ran India in the summer, with its gardens and its independence-era history. The afternoon is Jakhu Temple, on the highest hill, with its giant Hanuman and its monkeys, and a run out to Kufri for the meadow walks and the Himalayan Nature Park.

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.

per person, twin sharing — enquire for current pricing

A private itinerary being sketched out by hand

Kashmir to Kanyakumari

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